Intermittent Fasting

briggsykim
briggsykim Posts: 75 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is anyone using intermittent fasting to lose weight?
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Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I'm doing a low calorie day once a week ie 6:1 in the past I've done restricted hours eating like 16:8 with modest success.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    I stop eating 12 hours every day. I eat dinner and stop eating until morning. It really works.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    briggsykim wrote: »
    Is anyone using intermittent fasting to lose weight?

    did it before but found that it really did not fit into my lifestyle.

    I will say that it is a great tool for getting into a deficit, but just be aware that it is going to help you lose weight any more quickly than a 500 calorie deficit will.
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    I did for 8 months. I did 16:8. It was great for leaning out but now it's not realistic to my schedule and it causes me to binge eat.
  • BoaRestrictor
    BoaRestrictor Posts: 194 Member
    Yep, was doing 20:4 but now I'm doing 21:3. I've been losing weight with it. Kind of hard to eat 1400 calories in 3 hours.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    My first meal of the day is at 6:00 pm when I get home from work. Then I have a snack before bed.
    Eating like that suits my rhythms but also fits with the workday.

    Here's a group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
  • whyhelloheart
    whyhelloheart Posts: 82 Member
    The time of day you eat has absolutely no affect on you losing weight. Just eat when you're hungry and maintain that calorie deficit and you'll lose weight! :)
  • Hamez_UK
    Hamez_UK Posts: 36 Member
    I'm doing 16:8. It's a great tool to help you stay in a deficit. Lost a lot of weight on it a year or so ago so starting on it again.

    I eat between 12 and 8pm, so effectively I just don't have a breakfast. Fits my lifestyle perfectly.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    edited January 2016
    I don't do IF, but i do eat only 2-300 calories during the day and the rest for dinner.

    If it works for you i say go for it. As another poster said above, i've seen some people have issues with bingeing from IF.
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
    I'm doing 16:8 and have for 4 months. It fits my lifestyle easily and helped me stay in my deficit during the holidays. It's not the timing that does anything but makes deficit eating easier for some. I've lost 9.5 lbs on IF and shed BF, inches. Before IF I had trouble staying on deficit and just lost & gained the same few lbs. I lift weights 4x week and do minimal cardio. I eat at 11-12 to 7pm.
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    I've pretty much always been an intermittent faster; it's my natural eating pattern, I just didn't know there was a name for it until I joined MFP a few years ago. I don't eat, aside from coffee, until I get home from work at 4 or 5pm, so I have a roughly ~18:6 window. This works well for me, as long as I have a decent snack before working out; gotta fuel those workouts! I do find it more difficult to maintain a deficit on those days that I eat earlier in the day, such as for family functions, and I tend to be hungrier on those days that I do eat breakfast, so I prefer IF.

    But as others stated, it's the overall deficit, not the time-frame that one uses to establish the deficit, that is important. IF works well for some and not others, but it's not any more effective than other calorie restriction techniques.
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    edited January 2016
    I eat this way naturally. I'm usually not hungry in the mornings and I stop eating after dinner. This leaves me with a 15 - 18 hour fast. I eat all of my maintenance calories in my eating window everyday as well.
  • briggsykim
    briggsykim Posts: 75 Member
    I have been giving it a shot the last few weeks. I have noticed that I have been having acne breakouts
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    briggsykim wrote: »
    I have been giving it a shot the last few weeks. I have noticed that I have been having acne breakouts

    I can't imagine why IF would cause acne breakouts. It would seem more likely to be due to what you're eating, rather than when.
  • briggsykim
    briggsykim Posts: 75 Member
    I read an article about how I.F. can affect women hormonally
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,213 Member
    xp from another thread...

    I do keto with 17:7 IF. My eating window is 12-7p with a few variations, usually earlier to accommodate brunch with hubby or friends on the weekends. I eat this way naturally, as I'm just not an early morning eater. It helps me manage my calories, because I just have less time to eat. I'm one of those that once I start eating, I'm hungry. If I eat at 8a, I want to eat all day. If I start at 12, I've had fewer hours to ingest calories. It's helpful for me.

    Try it. You can't hurt yourself. If you find it works for you, great. If not, ok. I will say you'll need to give yourself a full 2-3 weeks of doing it daily to get the fullest benefits. It takes a few days for your brain and stomach to get on the same page.

    If you want more info, try this group... http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
  • srv524
    srv524 Posts: 1,363 Member
    I'd die using this diet but nerdfitness has some good info on it-

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/08/06/a-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting/
  • 100df
    100df Posts: 668 Member
    I intermittent fast whether dieting or not. Don't think it does anything special other than make me happy because I am eating the way I want and makes it easier for me to stick to my calorie goal. I love it. Always thought it was unhealthy and would try to change my habits when dieting. Changing never worked as I was unhappy eating in the morning and hungry at night.

    I eat between 2pm and 10pm mostly. Usually a big dinner and some big snacks. Weekends are a little off from that.

    If you can do it without being hungry it's great. If you are starving during the fast, I don't think it would be good for you.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
    edited January 2016
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    briggsykim wrote: »
    Is anyone using intermittent fasting to lose weight?

    did it before but found that it really did not fit into my lifestyle.

    I will say that it is a great tool for getting into a deficit, but just be aware that it is going to help you lose weight any more quickly than a 500 calorie deficit will.
    susan100df wrote: »
    I intermittent fast whether dieting or not. Don't think it does anything special other than make me happy because I am eating the way I want and makes it easier for me to stick to my calorie goal. I love it. Always thought it was unhealthy and would try to change my habits when dieting. Changing never worked as I was unhappy eating in the morning and hungry at night.

    I eat between 2pm and 10pm mostly. Usually a big dinner and some big snacks. Weekends are a little off from that.

    If you can do it without being hungry it's great. If you are starving during the fast, I don't think it would be good for you.
    whyhelloheart wrote: »
    The time of day you eat has absolutely no affect on you losing weight. Just eat when you're hungry and maintain that calorie deficit and you'll lose weight! :)

    All of this is true. I've rarely eaten breakfast since my mom stopped forcing me to in high school, but I still got fat because I ate too much. It's CICO.
  • tara_means_star
    tara_means_star Posts: 957 Member
    edited January 2016
    16:8 or 18:6 depending on my mood and hunger any given day. I still count my calories because, lets face it, I could down 1500 in a single meal if french fries or pizza is involved. I've lost 20 of the 35 pounds I've lost using IF. It's a natural way of eating for me and I really like eating 2 large meals rather than 3 regular ones or 6 tiny ones. IF isn't for everyone though. Every time someone asks about it I tell them I personally love it but my husband couldn't do IF. He eats 6 meals a day because otherwise he feels shaky and yucky. Experiment with it and see if you like it and if it works for you.
  • jacklifts
    jacklifts Posts: 396 Member
    Time is a resource/tool that can be used to help stick to your calorie goals. The way I use intermittent fasting is to help me stay in my calorie goal. For example, I find that if I eat breakfast and snacks, I can easily hit my calorie goals by midday and still be hungry, or need to have a small dinner. Since I like big dinner, I just don't eat most mornings and early afternoons, and start eating after 4pm.

    I'm not sure if there's additional benefits to having a fasting period or not. Some research shows fasting for a period of time has some additional health benefits. Some articles indicated there may be a benefit to intermittent fasting with weight training in changing body composition over just weight training alone. Not sure.
  • briggsykim
    briggsykim Posts: 75 Member
    I'm with you. I enjoy big meals and waiting til the end of the day to eat with my family is more satisfying for me
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    briggsykim wrote: »
    I read an article about how I.F. can affect women hormonally

    I've never done any research on this so I can't speak scientifically, but just anecdotally I've never noticed any changes in acne based on my IFing.
  • tara_means_star
    tara_means_star Posts: 957 Member
    CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »
    briggsykim wrote: »
    I read an article about how I.F. can affect women hormonally

    I've never done any research on this so I can't speak scientifically, but just anecdotally I've never noticed any changes in acne based on my IFing.

    Me either but things effect people differently. I guess it could possibly but it hasn't ever with me.
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
    I've had no hormonal issues since starting 16:8. I'm 46 so my hormones would probably go haywire at the drop of a hat. It could be younger women have fertility issues but I don't know. I do suffer from PMS & I feel much better doing IF.
  • courtniekrebs
    courtniekrebs Posts: 79 Member
    I do both 16:8 and 5:2... out of all the diets or lifestyle changes this is the only one that works for me.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    I do something closer to 14:10 because of my schedule. I'll wait until 12 to eat and finish off with my sweets at around 830.
  • TheOriginalBeauty
    TheOriginalBeauty Posts: 25 Member
    edited February 2016
    I do 16:8 I find it so much easier to fit into my daily life and makes weight loss a lot easier for me. I'm on day 10 today, in my first week I lost 2.5 kilos so yay for me!
  • briggsykim
    briggsykim Posts: 75 Member
    I actually decided to stop the I.F. I noticed that it was messing with my hormones. I was having breakouts and night sweats.
  • briggsykim
    briggsykim Posts: 75 Member
    TheOriginalBeauty wrote: »
    I do 16:8 I find it so much easier to fit into my daily life and makes weight loss a lot easier for me. I'm on day 10 today, in my first week I lost 2.5 kilos so yay for me!

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