Fasting?

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runningmcgee
runningmcgee Posts: 16 Member
Hello all! I started alternate day fasting a week ago. I limit myself to 500 calories on fasting days and eat pretty much whatever I wasn't on non fasting days. Is any one else doing this, or 5:2, or something similar? I'm really intrigued by the recent news reports on the health benefits of intermittent fasting and the ability to only diet every other day.

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  • patgailb
    patgailb Posts: 1 Member
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    I have found this to be a gentle step to take. I fast a morning two days a week, sometimes more. On those days I have my coffee with 1/2 tsp kerrygold butter and 1/2 tsp coconut oil - whipped into the coffee with a little battery operated tool. I find I don't get as hungry if I wait until lunch to eat as I do on mornings when I have something.
  • xcarex
    xcarex Posts: 2 Member
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    Do you complete your MFP food diary on these days?
  • runningmcgee
    runningmcgee Posts: 16 Member
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    xcarex wrote: »
    Do you complete your MFP food diary on these days?

    The software won't let me "complete" the diary because I am under the 1000 cal minimum, but I still record what I eat on those days. In fact. I find MFP more important on fasting days to ensure I don't overeat.
  • Yellowon02
    Yellowon02 Posts: 76 Member
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    patgailb wrote: »
    I have found this to be a gentle step to take. I fast a morning two days a week, sometimes more. On those days I have my coffee with 1/2 tsp kerrygold butter and 1/2 tsp coconut oil - whipped into the coffee with a little battery operated tool. I find I don't get as hungry if I wait until lunch to eat as I do on mornings when I have something.

    FYI it's not fasting if you consume calories in your coffee. :-P

    I opt for for 17/7 daily. Consuming all my calories between 12pm-7pm.
  • Yellowon02
    Yellowon02 Posts: 76 Member
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    When I do it and not eat my weight in Danish.
  • enderloseweight
    enderloseweight Posts: 6 Member
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    I eat a ketogenic diet and over a few weeks I naturally began fasting on a 20:4 ratio daily.
  • PimpernelSmith
    PimpernelSmith Posts: 4 Member
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    I'm starting with the most basic: 12 hours of fasting between supper and breakfast. I've read that even that will help boost metabolism, and I'm one of those people who gets rebellious quickly if told I can't do something *at all*. ;)
  • pfeffernuesse
    pfeffernuesse Posts: 5 Member
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    Since the food that I eat is what I use to fuel my body and my workouts, I find it very difficult to take any advice that requires me to eat less than my body needs to function. I know that I burn 1631 calories a day just by being a couch potato, so the idea of eating only 500 calories a day is one I can't possibly fathom - especially if I intend to do any sort of physical activity in the same day. Personally, I eat 5 or 6 meals a day - the 3 main meals are a little larger than, say, the morning and afternoon snack - and it wasn't until I started eating my meals in that manner (along with paying attention to the calories and macros my body needs to perform) that I started losing fat, gaining muscle, and increasing each of my major lifts. It's for all of these reasons that I would never fast and would never be able to recommend it.
  • runningmcgee
    runningmcgee Posts: 16 Member
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    I think it's all a matter of what works for each person individually. Don't worry, I won't try to convert you, nor am I interested in your judgment. I'm just looking for others using similar methods.
  • pfeffernuesse
    pfeffernuesse Posts: 5 Member
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    I think it's all a matter of what works for each person individually. Don't worry, I won't try to convert you, nor am I interested in your judgment. I'm just looking for others using similar methods.

    I apologize if what I said sounded judgmental; that was not my intention at all! I only hoped to suggest that any type of fasting or eating at a super low caloric level be coordinated with a physician and/or nutritionist because it could have undesired effects on the body's systems. Again, I'm sorry if what I said came off differently than I meant.
  • Zabarian
    Zabarian Posts: 3 Member
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    A friend of mine at work has been fasting one day a week for decades. I was able to reduce a few days to 1000 cal but not further, my body said eat now or crash. Listen to your body and listen to your friends if you get too extreme. The goal shouldn't be a number but healthy. It's different for everyone.
  • dearmrecho
    dearmrecho Posts: 2 Member
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    *raises hand* I've been doing the Johnson UDDD diet since mid-February and since then I have steadily lost almost 20lbs. I love it because I am a calorie counter but being the cook of my family now means it's way too time consuming to try and accurately count every calorie going in my body everyday. But it's dead easy eat a handful of things that add up to only about 500 calories (hubby gets his own separate meal on my down days). I eat freely and normally and exercise on my up days and then let my body rest and digest on the down days. It feels nice letting my body "clear out" on the down days. Now that it's part of my lifestyle, it doesn't feel so extreme - if for whatever reason I'm feeling extra hungry, I let myself go over that 500 calorie limit a little, and doing so hasn't interfered with my weight loss. Once I've reached my goal I will keep doing this, but only once a week instead of every other day.
    It's awkward trying to explain this to people. I'm always scared people will not understand and just think I have some kind of eating disorder :/
  • mismelis58
    mismelis58 Posts: 5 Member
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    I strive for the basic 12-14 hours between supper and breakfast. I've done the 5:2 and some other configurations but I end up overeating on the "on" days. I seem to do ok with the 12-14 hours. Sometimes I'll go longer. I don't do it for weight loss. I do it for longevity.