Fasting every other day
gregpstone
Posts: 23 Member
I think food logging is an essential element in whatever permanent healthy eating plan works because the first step is educating yourself on the calories and nutrients in food.
I've had success food logging for up to 6 or 9 months but always fell off the wagon. There were very few days when habit eliminated the need for willpower. Eventually, usually during a time of emotional stress, I would stop logging and increase my eating. Sometimes after a very bad calorie day I'd fast the next day and was struck by the relative ease I felt eating nothing as opposed to eating a regimented 1800 calories. So I started thinking about incorporating fasting into an overall eating plan.
A knee problem has drastically lowered the calories I've burned in the last year. I finally went to a specialist and had an MRI. I'm going to need a couple of operations so the need to drop weight is immediate and important to my recovery and long-term mobility.
Right after seeing the orthopedist I decided to start fasting every other day. Google informed me that something called intermittent fasting has been a hot topic the last two years, a bit of a diet fad. I discovered that a doctor at the University of Illinois had done trials on every other day fasting for over 10 years, only her "fast" was actually a single afternoon meal of from 500-600 calories. Eating days are whatever you want so long as you don't binge. So, I adopted her plan. Today is my fourth fast day and it has been remarkably easy for me. I'm sure this is not the right plan for everyone and until I've done it for a year I can't say for sure that it's the right plan for me. But psychologically it suits me and physiologically it's obviously working after one week. The "fast" day acts as a natural appetite suppressor on the eating for me and that is what she found with her test subjects.
There is no magic bullet, but each of us has potential eating plans which will work better or worse for us. I'm putting this out there for those who have been food logging off and on for years as I have and are trying to find a variation which works better as a permanent life style change.
I've had success food logging for up to 6 or 9 months but always fell off the wagon. There were very few days when habit eliminated the need for willpower. Eventually, usually during a time of emotional stress, I would stop logging and increase my eating. Sometimes after a very bad calorie day I'd fast the next day and was struck by the relative ease I felt eating nothing as opposed to eating a regimented 1800 calories. So I started thinking about incorporating fasting into an overall eating plan.
A knee problem has drastically lowered the calories I've burned in the last year. I finally went to a specialist and had an MRI. I'm going to need a couple of operations so the need to drop weight is immediate and important to my recovery and long-term mobility.
Right after seeing the orthopedist I decided to start fasting every other day. Google informed me that something called intermittent fasting has been a hot topic the last two years, a bit of a diet fad. I discovered that a doctor at the University of Illinois had done trials on every other day fasting for over 10 years, only her "fast" was actually a single afternoon meal of from 500-600 calories. Eating days are whatever you want so long as you don't binge. So, I adopted her plan. Today is my fourth fast day and it has been remarkably easy for me. I'm sure this is not the right plan for everyone and until I've done it for a year I can't say for sure that it's the right plan for me. But psychologically it suits me and physiologically it's obviously working after one week. The "fast" day acts as a natural appetite suppressor on the eating for me and that is what she found with her test subjects.
There is no magic bullet, but each of us has potential eating plans which will work better or worse for us. I'm putting this out there for those who have been food logging off and on for years as I have and are trying to find a variation which works better as a permanent life style change.
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Replies
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http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
Here is an intermittent fasting group here.
Goog luck with your plan.
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Thanks. I'm reading through the IF sub-forum posts and so far they are all about restricting the hours you eat each day. I'm doing that as well since the "fast" day meal is in the afternoon and I try to stay within 6AM to 6PM on eating days. Supposedly creating gaps each day during which there is no food powering your body forces fat burning.0
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I've changed the title. If you Google "intermittent fasting" most of the hits are about fasting a certain number of days per week. The intermittent fasting group on this site in contrast seems to be all about fasting a certain number of hours each day, usually combined with heavy weight training.0
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There are many types.
If someone says they are doing 5:2, that's generally 2 (non-consecutive) days of fasting (500 calories on fasting days) per week and 5 days eating at maintenance calories. I don't think time-of-day is considered, just overall daily calories.
If someone says they are doing 16:8 or 20:4 or 23:1, they are fasting every day for the larger number of hours and eating their daily calorie goal during the smaller number of hours.
It's all about finding what works for you. It doesn't matter when you eat, just that you meet your overall calorie target for the week.0 -
I've been doing alternate day fasting for around eight months now, having started at the end of last spring. In that time I've lost a grand total of 61 ibs, and will probably look to lose between 7-18 ibs more. At this point I'm in no real rush to lose whatever weight I have less to lose; I fit into my clothes, lack any pain in my knees/ lower back I had a few dozen pounds ago. In addition to the weight loss I also fast as it helps with my IBS, and I genuinely believe that it's beneficial to give the digestive system a rest for say 18-24 hours.
As you say, fasting every other day isn't something everyone can/ is willing to do. Conversely I have no real desire to religiously log calories and food into a website into the rest of my life, nor have the possibility of gaining the weight back or denying myself certain things. Subjectively for myself, I'd find it much less hassle to wait until say 8pm every other evening to eat and have a single large meal without logging or worrying about calories. Psychologically this seems right for me, as I will feel "free" from the constraints of counting everything I eat, and physically I feel better as fasting is actually very good for you.
Of course, if on these "fasting" days I consume too much I'll need to re-evaluate this, but I feel I'll be ok. If I'm vigilant I suppose I won't have to worry about weight, calories or fitting into clothes again. I'm mainly saying this as reading your post you appear to have a similar mentality to me, and I know there aren't too many ADF'ers. If you think I could help answer any questions with my (somewhat subjective) experience, feel free to friend/ message me.0 -
gregpstone wrote: »I think food logging is an essential element in whatever permanent healthy eating plan works because the first step is educating yourself on the calories and nutrients in food.
I've had success food logging for up to 6 or 9 months but always fell off the wagon. There were very few days when habit eliminated the need for willpower. Eventually, usually during a time of emotional stress, I would stop logging and increase my eating. Sometimes after a very bad calorie day I'd fast the next day and was struck by the relative ease I felt eating nothing as opposed to eating a regimented 1800 calories. So I started thinking about incorporating fasting into an overall eating plan.
A knee problem has drastically lowered the calories I've burned in the last year. I finally went to a specialist and had an MRI. I'm going to need a couple of operations so the need to drop weight is immediate and important to my recovery and long-term mobility.
Right after seeing the orthopedist I decided to start fasting every other day. Google informed me that something called intermittent fasting has been a hot topic the last two years, a bit of a diet fad. I discovered that a doctor at the University of Illinois had done trials on every other day fasting for over 10 years, only her "fast" was actually a single afternoon meal of from 500-600 calories. Eating days are whatever you want so long as you don't binge. So, I adopted her plan. Today is my fourth fast day and it has been remarkably easy for me. I'm sure this is not the right plan for everyone and until I've done it for a year I can't say for sure that it's the right plan for me. But psychologically it suits me and physiologically it's obviously working after one week. The "fast" day acts as a natural appetite suppressor on the eating for me and that is what she found with her test subjects.
There is no magic bullet, but each of us has potential eating plans which will work better or worse for us. I'm putting this out there for those who have been food logging off and on for years as I have and are trying to find a variation which works better as a permanent life style change.
Greg, intermittent fasting is a way of life for many people. You sound like you have zero misconceptions about what causes weight loss, so implementing fasting might be the thing for you.
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Nice to hear of your success Elen1a. Not having to give up foods was an incentive as was not logging. I've learned enough from food logging to know what I can eat for my 600 calorie meal on "fast" days. My wife made a pie yesterday and I had a piece. I look forward to having a piece tomorrow. When I reach goal I'll probably go from a 600 calorie single meal to whatever I want for a single meal.0
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I was thinking about trying this. Was it a hard adjustment the first few fast days? Also I would be worried that people would think I'm anorexic or something. Have you run into that?0
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The only problem I had was getting hungry at bedtime so I pushed my "fasting" day meal back an hour. It's seamless to others. I can eat either lunch or dinner out with friends on a fasting day, but of course have to eat light, so no one else would even know unless I told them. In fact I ate out on my first fast day, had a 560 calorie sandwich and a diet soda. I'm sure the difficulty varies by person. I have found it very easy.0
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Why? Life is too short.0
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gregpstone wrote: »
Right after seeing the orthopedist I decided to start fasting every other day. Google informed me that something called intermittent fasting has been a hot topic the last two years, a bit of a diet fad. I discovered that a doctor at the University of Illinois had done trials on every other day fasting for over 10 years, only her "fast" was actually a single afternoon meal of from 500-600 calories. Eating days are whatever you want so long as you don't binge. So, I adopted her plan. Today is my fourth fast day and it has been remarkably easy for me. I'm sure this is not the right plan for everyone and until I've done it for a year I can't say for sure that it's the right plan for me. But psychologically it suits me and physiologically it's obviously working after one week. The "fast" day acts as a natural appetite suppressor on the eating for me and that is what she found with her test subjects.
There is no magic bullet, but each of us has potential eating plans which will work better or worse for us. I'm putting this out there for those who have been food logging off and on for years as I have and are trying to find a variation which works better as a permanent life style change.
I wish you great luck with intermittent fasting. I find it funny that Google would call it a fad diet. Maybe to most it is considered "faddish" because they have just recently heard about it. I was an intermittent faster starting in high school in the 70s when I figured out if I ate breakfast or lunch, I would have trouble staying awake in class. So other than a milk maybe or piece of fruit I would eat all my calories at night, from 5pm or so to bedtime. It wasn't about weight loss for me then, since I was tall and thin effortlessly in those days. Fast forward to 40 years old and I was struggling to keep my weight down, and adopted it again and still follow it today. I've kept a healthy weight range my whole life when the odds were against me, as the women in my family struggle to stay at a healthy weight. It's not a fad to me, it's a way of life. By the way, I personally can't fathom the every other day fasting, but then I've never tried it either, but I follow a 16:8 plan with zero problems.0 -
By "bit of a fad" I mean that bunch of books have come out in the last few years with competing methods. It's getting promoted.
It looks like we are of similar vintage. I graduated high school in 1973.0 -
Personally I find Fasting to bacically be an eating disorder, I ate 500 a day during my eating disorder and no more and I became extremely sick, why you would do that to yourself is beyond me...0
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I should also mention I was sedentary and 5'0 tall0
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Monketo2002 wrote: »Personally I find Fasting to bacically be an eating disorder, I ate 500 a day during my eating disorder and no more and I became extremely sick, why you would do that to yourself is beyond me...
I see where you are coming from having an eating disordered past, but there is a difference.
In order to be anorexic, your overall calorie intake had to be pretty low. I'm sure you ate 500 calories a day on a consistent basis, and your weekly calories came nowhere close to healthy, and you were lacking in nutrients. Am I correct?
However, intermittent fasting is not an eating disorder because, if done properly, you are eating your required either weight loss, maintenance, or bulking calories each week, you are just eating more on some days, less on others.
That said, it seems to me if someone with an eating disordered past is best to stay away from intermittent fasting due to the triggers it can bring. However, to just say it's an eating disorder based on your own ED past does not make it true. 0 -
Monketo2002 wrote: »Personally I find Fasting to bacically be an eating disorder, I ate 500 a day during my eating disorder and no more and I became extremely sick, why you would do that to yourself is beyond me...
People doing IF are not eating 500 calories a day. If we're talking about something like 5:2, they're eating at maintenance 5 days a week, and 500 calories 2 days a week to create an overall weekly deficit. Their weekly caloric intake is literally no different than those eating at a daily deficit. Except that some folks find it easier to eat at a deficit two days a week than every day.
For ex: my fast days are Mondays and Fridays. So on Mondays and Fridays, I eat 500 calories. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, I eat 2000 calories -- my maintenance amount. At the end of the week, I have eaten a total of 11,000 calories.
So tell me, how is that different than eating 1,572 calories 7 days a week to get the same number?0 -
At your age, I would go on a plant based healthy diet instead. Stop eating every night at 6pm if you wish.0
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JanetYellen wrote: »At your age, I would go on a plant based healthy diet instead. Stop eating every night at 6pm if you wish.
I'm sure that will work very well for you when you are my age. I do stop eating at 6PM.0 -
JanetYellen wrote: »At your age, I would go on a plant based healthy diet instead. Stop eating every night at 6pm if you wish.
Why?0 -
So bizarre. Just thinking about it gives me a massive headache for soooo many reasons. So it's time to go think about something more useful and positive.0
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JanetYellen wrote: »At your age, I would go on a plant based healthy diet instead. Stop eating every night at 6pm if you wish.
Why? Creating a calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight, there's absolutely no need to cut out any type of food to lose weight?0 -
What I don't understand about fasting:
1. Don't you get very hungry?
2. Isn't this extremely unpleasant?0 -
gregpstone wrote: »I've changed the title. If you Google "intermittent fasting" most of the hits are about fasting a certain number of days per week. The intermittent fasting group on this site in contrast seems to be all about fasting a certain number of hours each day, usually combined with heavy weight training.
Check out this 5:2 group;
community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/100058-5-2-fasting0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »What I don't understand about fasting:
1. Don't you get very hungry?
2. Isn't this extremely unpleasant?
He said that it suits him fine. As for being unpleasant, I was at a retreat over the summer where we didn't eat after noon. The first few days were hard, but after that I got used to it. The most surprising realization? I actually could fall asleep with my stomach growling. It was one of the lies I had been telling myself for years.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »What I don't understand about fasting:
1. Don't you get very hungry?
2. Isn't this extremely unpleasant?
I thought I would *never* be able to go for longer than a few hours without eating, but I have been doing that lately. Not intentionally, it's just because I've been more sedentary than ever in my life (bc another injury) and am just not hungry. If I were active, no way.
I don't know how people cope with stomach rumbling though, I wouldn't put up with that.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »What I don't understand about fasting:
1. Don't you get very hungry?
2. Isn't this extremely unpleasant?
1.No, the first day I got a little hungry before the single meal and just before bed. The morning hunger hasn't recurred and I moved the single 600 calorie meal back from noon to 1PM, which seemed to prevent bedtime hunger. I may be unusually adaptable as far as not feeling hunger but I understand that most people don't feel significant hunger after the first few fast days.
2. The fast days are less unpleasant and less stressful than most of my 1800 calorie food logging days and the eating days are much better. The stress is gone.0 -
I've never done a 5:2 or similar on purpose, but at times I've changed my eating habits quite a bit, including very low intake days. Sometimes I think people get so hung up on doing it a certain way they ignore other possibilities.0
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I mostly do 18:6. The point of these kinds of regimes is to find helpful eating scenarios that fit into your life -- not to make things more complicated.
I am flexible and some times do two meals a day that do not exactly fit those hours (18:6).
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I hope this method works for you. I have experience in fasting for religious reasons. I believe the most potentially harmful part of this is that when you come to a non fasting day you will want to binge. J0
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