Intermittent Fasting, yae or nay?

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sandiikat
sandiikat Posts: 104 Member
edited January 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
One of my friends swears by intermittent fasting & personally I do think it's best to not eat breakfast. 1 more cals in my day 2 not that hungry 3 isn't hunger a good thing. I don't know the facts (those were only my opinions) so anyone on here intermittent fasts? I am curious to know how that's going & if you recommend it to other people.
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  • 100df
    100df Posts: 668 Member
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    I love it. It's the way I eat normally. Breakfast isn't something I enjoy so don't miss it. Would rather save the calories for later in the day. IF doesn't do anything to make you lose weight. You still have to eat less than you burn.

    If you can skip breakfast and not be hungry it's great. If you are hungry, I don't think it would be good for you.

    Look in the groups. There is a large IF group. Lots of people here eat like that.
  • tara_means_star
    tara_means_star Posts: 957 Member
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    I do 16:8 and it works for me because I like two big meals rather than 3-6 small to tiny meals. I love it but its not for everyone. If you'd like to try it, experiment with it for a few weeks. I felt hungry during my fasts at first but that's mostly gone now as your body, over time, will learn to get hungry when its time to break your fast. Nothing magical about IF, still need to watch your calories and be in a deficit.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Try it. For some, its a great natural way to eat. For others it's impossible to adhere to. I like it, because it fits my schedule and lifestyle. There are a few different styles of fasting, I roughly follow the 16:8 schedule. I've had friends that loved the 5:2
  • sandiikat
    sandiikat Posts: 104 Member
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    tara_means_star wrote: »
    I do 16:8 and it works for me because I like two big meals rather than 3-6 small to tiny meals. I love it but its not for everyone. If you'd like to try it, experiment with it for a few weeks. I felt hungry during my fasts at first but that's mostly gone now as your body, over time, will learn to get hungry when its time to break your fast. Nothing magical about IF, still need to watch your calories and be in a deficit.

    what is this 16:8 you guys are talking about? @rybo @tara_means_star I guess to do more research!
  • tara_means_star
    tara_means_star Posts: 957 Member
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    I fast for 16 hours and eat for 8. My eating window is noon to 8 pm. I only eat during those hours.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Intermittent fasting is not to loose weight. It is just an eating schedule.

    For example, you just put off your "break fast" till later in the morning and then eat your "break fast" and all the rest of your calories up to a point in the day, like ending food intake at 6:00 .p.m. You start at 11:00 a.m. and end at 6:00 p.m.

    I basically have been eating like this all my life and found that it has name. And I always always exercise fasted.
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
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    I follow a plan that has me fasting between Dinner to Lunch the next day, which works out to 16 hours fasting, 8 of eating. It's not difficult at all, my body doesn't want food in the morning and having two larger meals per day satisfies me more and it helps me stick to my plan. If I were eating in the morning that's just one more variable and one more opportunity to fall off track.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    It depends on how you like to eat. I used to skip breakfast, but when I started working out in the morning, I realized that I needed some food beforehand, and when I reduced my calories to lose I started getting really hungry in the morning anyway.

    If you're not hungry in the morning, it's probably perfect for you.
  • niniundlapin
    niniundlapin Posts: 327 Member
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    It's like dividing your total calorie budget (daily or weekly) into different equal or unequal portions. So that means OP your (1) is not correct. Eating breakfast doesn't mean more calories, cuz it's just the way you plan your total calorie consumption. I personally cannot do day-to-day fasting cuz I get hangry easily, lol, but I found "stop eating after dinner" a good way to help my sleep and digestive system (peristalsis, to be specific). I also like "feeling hungry in the morning," which pushes me out of bed to start my day.

    For your (2) & (3), feeling hungry is not necessarily good or bad for weight-loss, if this is what you were referring to. It's the food you consume (calories and nutrition) that matters. If you go overboard and eat over your total calorie budget during the non-fasting days, chances are you're just jeopardizing the "sacrifice" you have during fasting days. On the other hand, if you don't eat enough for a long period of time (calorie restriction and make almost every day a fasting day), your body won't know your weight-loss plan and might go for protective mode (naturally human body experiences low calories during disasters). It might end up with decreased metabolic functions and disrupted hormonal secretion. That means you're just pushing yourself away from healthy, permanent weight-loss.
  • biodigit
    biodigit Posts: 145 Member
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    I did it last year for about 6 months. I followed the 16:8 method. There were benefits and drawbacks. The benefits were having to eat two large meals and not having to worry about getting hungry all the time. The drawback was working out fasted. In the beginning it was great, I had all the energy necessary to do the lifts, but my body slowly started to adjust to not having enough energy.

    In my opinion, its' great for folks who are always on the run and don't have time to eat all the time. 2 large meals a day can do wonders if you're strapped for time. Body composition wise, it will not make any difference.
  • biodigit
    biodigit Posts: 145 Member
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    gia07 wrote: »
    Intermittent fasting is not to loose weight. It is just an eating schedule.

    For example, you just put off your "break fast" till later in the morning and then eat your "break fast" and all the rest of your calories up to a point in the day, like ending food intake at 6:00 .p.m. You start at 11:00 a.m. and end at 6:00 p.m.

    I basically have been eating like this all my life and found that it has name. And I always always exercise fasted.

    Yup! I would have brunch as my first meal. Breakfast and Lunch together as a one large meal. I can never skip breakfast food. Always loved it!
  • shanighias
    shanighias Posts: 169 Member
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    Great way to control your calorie intake by taking one or two big meals a day and still be in calorie deficit mode! If you are not in calorie deficit you will not lose weight even you are fasting for many hours!
  • PowerStrong
    PowerStrong Posts: 2 Member
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    I have been IF for years without even knowing ppl used this as a eating system. I follow the 16:8 as well and the only issue I have is getting in my post workout shake/food. I workout at night and sometimes find it hard to establish my cut time based on my workout conclusion. That being said if you can handle going without breakfast this can work for you. Half of the fasting window is spent sleeping anyways. Good luck...
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    YES!!! I DO IT!!! IT WoRKS!
  • Igotthatcake
    Igotthatcake Posts: 169 Member
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    I'm doing it right now, I have never been a fan of breakfast anyway. With my daily schedule it really works well. I'm in the middle of my eating window right now and I feel good and energised, this morning I felt lighter and not bloated at all. It works very well.
  • ClassicVegan
    ClassicVegan Posts: 7 Member
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    I would say yae and nay. I do it most days by holding off eating until noon. But, if I'm really hungry in the morning, I eat. Most days, I strive to eat in an 8 hour window. I think it can be a useful tool to control hunger, and limit the number of times I need to make decisions about food.
  • FiNnY22
    FiNnY22 Posts: 126 Member
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    Read that as fisting :#:o ..... im going now.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    Personal preference and adherence.
  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 791 Member
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    Personal preference I'm not a morning eater and solid food before like 10 makes me queasy. So morning energy drink is the most I'll do and when I'm following 16 8 I won't even do that. Currently do to the sheer randomness of my current schedule between school, work, and mma training I'm giving 5:2 a shot because it fits better and honestly works better with the absolute gnaw my own arm off I'm so hungry feeling that 2 to 4 hrs of training leaves me with.
  • kissedbythesunshine
    kissedbythesunshine Posts: 416 Member
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    I do 20:4, 19:5, give or take. I have only been doing this for two weeks and I absolutely love it. I love to eat big dinners so with this way of eating I'm able to have my big dinner, then have my dessert/snacks. I can't say how absolutely awesome this has been for me. I drink unsweetened green tea and water throughout the day. No I don't skimp on my calories either. I enjoy every one of them. A bonus for me has been how good food tastes now. I swear food tastes 100% better when you are actually hungry as opposed to simply eating on a schedule. I'm the type of person who simply likes to eat. That's how I got into the situation I'm in. For me, I can't spread 1400 calories throughout the day and be satisfied. Some people can, I can't. I will always end up going over either around dinner time or wanting a small snack after dinner. I even had a problem with overnight eating. With this method I am completely satisfied until the following day. When I make it to maintainence I plan to continue this method of eating. Did I mention how much better food tastes lol. So yes, I recommend IF as a method of eating. It's not for everyone though.

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