Intermittent Fasting Buddies needed

I do it. I do a 4/20

rach91xXx wrote: »

Hi.. Could you please explain to me how this sort of fasting diet works? I've never heard of it before and would like to try it.

Intermittent fasting is simply eating in a way that involves some periods of not eating, or fasting. Intermittent fasting is different from fasting for religious or spiritual reasons, just to be clear. Many people do daily intermittent fasting and will say, for example, that they do 16:8 intermittent fasting. This means that for 16 hours out of the day, they do not eat, but will consume water, tea, coffee, etc. In the remaining 8 hours, that person would consume their daily calories.

In my case, I do 18:6 (not 20:6 like I said in my earlier post, where apparently I slipped into an alternate dimension where days are 26 hours long) and my weekly average calorie goal is 1800-1900 calories per day (1500 on weekdays, 2200 or so on weekends), so I eat this amount of calories between around 4:30pm, when I get home from work, and 10pm or so, when I go to bed. I have one large meal and multiple large snacks during this period. Others will have their "eating window" in the morning, for those people who prefer a large breakfast and to not eat later in the day.

Another type of intermittent fasting is called 5:2, where people restrict their intake significantly for two days and eat much higher amounts on the remaining 5 days (you still have to make sure that your weekly average is not above the calorie deficit you are trying to set, however). I have never tried this, so know very little about it.

IF is not a magic strategy for weight loss, but simply a way to maintain the necessary calorie deficit to lose weight. It works, just like any other weight loss strategy, by helping people to control their caloric intake. Some people are successful with this method, while others prefer the multiple small meals per day method. The timing of one's meals should be entirely based on preference. I find that if I eat early in the day I am hungry All. The. Time, whereas if I wait to eat until later in the day I don't start feeling hunger pains until about 4pm. Eating breakfast is a surefire strategy for me to over-consume. But if I wait until after work to eat, I can have a large dinner that I find satisfying plus several large, satisfying snacks, and never feel deprived or hungry.

You can learn a lot more about IF from this resource: http://www.leangains.com/