Has anyone done Intermittent Fasting (8:16)?

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  • wantoldme
    wantoldme Posts: 140 Member
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    Ramadan is coming up in about three weeks so I will be fasting from like 5 in morning to almost 8:30 pm. My relatives in Germany and Denmark will be fasting from 5 till 10:00 pm.
  • RollTideTri
    RollTideTri Posts: 116 Member
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    sbrezo82 wrote: »
    I read that IF can help you lose weight w/o even changing your diet b/c you reach that "fasted state" after 12 hrs or so. Not true?
    I think I enjoy IF b/c all I have in the morning is either a small cup of coffee or tea and I seem to be more focused when at work. When I eat breakfast, my mind kind of wanders. Does that happen to anyone else?
    Also, I know that I need to stop eating at 7p and when I do eat at 12p I'm more critical of what I eat (since I have a window of when I can eat).

    No "style" of eating will cause you to lose weight without changing your diet. All the "fasted state" and "starvation mode" stuff is bunch of bunk. For some people, IF helps them change their diet by helping control hunger and give some structure to their eating habits. If it helps you eat at a deficit, that's awesome, go for it. But you have to have the deficit no matter what.
  • joannamfmorris
    joannamfmorris Posts: 6 Member
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    I've been doing it for about a month, and it's working better than when I just counted calories due to me eating less in my 8 hour window. I'm finally starting to be less hungry in the mornings. I used to literally wake up hungry so it was torture waiting until 12. I went from 179 to 175 prior to fasting trying calorie counting and avoiding sweets, etc. for months. Now I'm 168 and losing steadily.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    It works for me because I am never hungry during the traditional breakfast time in the first place.

    You still have to meet your calorie goal. The fasting window isn't magical.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    sbrezo82 wrote: »
    I read that IF can help you lose weight w/o even changing your diet b/c you reach that "fasted state" after 12 hrs or so. Not true?

    I think that's based on a mouse study where the same calories were given in different feeding patterns and showed some small differences. Would take that with a pinch of salt, interesting perhaps but not conclusive.
    IF in general does seem to cherry pick results from very different protocols and studies and make the leap of faith that they apply to any IF protocol. Ditto for the supposed benefits of exercising fasted rather than fed.

    For me the main benefit is if it helps you adhere to a suitable calorie goal in a way that fits in with your preferences.

    My main weight loss was done with 5:2 and it suited me well. Did try 16:8 but it made me a bit clock obsessed and felt restrictive. I do find breakfast an easy meal to skip when I want to save calories but feel no need to do it, or benefit from doing it, otherwise.

    Worth experimenting to see how you like it.
  • Panda_Poptarts
    Panda_Poptarts Posts: 971 Member
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    I skip breakfast pretty regularly, and have a big lunch, putting me at around 16:8. I've done 20:4 but don't care for the negative effects, particularly on my mood.

    My approach to IF is if I wake up with hunger pangs, I have breakfast. If I wake up and I'm not particularly hungry, I skip breakfast and eat lunch. For me, this isn't really about weight loss. It's all about re-training myself to eat when I'm actually, truly hungry, not bored or because it's meal time.
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
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    Works great for me. I do 16:8 fast , do fasted workouts and then have lunch with protein. It keeps cravings at bay and I lost 14 lbs where before I gained and lost the same few lbs. I concentrated on fat loss & muscle preservation.

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