Do you fast?

mcdonagk
mcdonagk Posts: 136 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just wondering how many of you add fasting into your diet? I've read a few conflicting stories on the subject but overall it seems to be positive. I'm currently in the process of cutting BF while maintaining/increaseing muscle mass. What do you think? is it worth doing it every second week or so for about 16 hours at a time.

Replies

  • godlikepoetyes
    godlikepoetyes Posts: 442 Member
    I guess I "fast." I eat my last meal, on average, at 5 pm. Then I don't eat again until I get up, usually around 6 am, though sometimes sooner/later. So that's...13 hours? I don't think of it as fasting though. I have IBS and I sleep better when I have an empty stomach. I also think that not eating at night helps my weight loss/maintenance, not because there's any magic to when you eat, but because it's awfully easy to pack in the food in the evening.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Technically I fast about 12 hours every day...from 8/8:30 PM to 8/8:30AM
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Technically I fast about 12 hours every day...from 8/8:30 PM to 8/8:30AM

    Pretty much this, though mine's more like 5:30-5:30,
  • kristysaurus
    kristysaurus Posts: 91 Member
    I started fasting because I realized I wasn't enjoying eating breakfast so I save those calories for later. I usually have my last bit of food around 9PM and don't eat until 12PM the next day. If I'm feeling hungry I might have a boiled egg or something. I find it helpful because I get hungry at night so I have a lot of calories to eat what I want so I stay under my calorie goal for the day. In this way it has been very helpful for my weight loss
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
    kristysaurus wrote: »
    I started fasting because I realized I wasn't enjoying eating breakfast so I save those calories for later. I usually have my last bit of food around 9PM and don't eat until 12PM the next day. If I'm feeling hungry I might have a boiled egg or something. I find it helpful because I get hungry at night so I have a lot of calories to eat what I want so I stay under my calorie goal for the day. In this way it has been very helpful for my weight loss

    That's the concept I'm following also. You bet it's effective and feels most natural.

    I eat (and gain) then fast to lose all the gain. Repeat.

    In this approach I could eat normal amounts or a lot.

    My version of fasting is eating "light", egg boiled eggs, egg white, fresh veggies, until all the gain is reversed.
  • alyssa0061
    alyssa0061 Posts: 652 Member
    I eat my first meal at 2pm and my last meal at 8pm so I am fasting around 18 hours most days. I do it for no reason other than it is my personal preference and it works for me.
  • littlebritttfit
    littlebritttfit Posts: 72 Member
    i do 16:8 intermittent fasting. i eat my first meal at 11am/12pm and my last meal at 7pm/8pm. definitely do your research, and play around with what works for you but... i really like it.
  • afatpersonwholikesfood
    afatpersonwholikesfood Posts: 577 Member
    I loosely adhere to a pattern of 16:8. I eat from 3 PM - 11 PM, but I may have my first meal around 1 or 2 depending on how early I got up or how hungry I am.

    I didn't know about intermittent fasting; this is the pattern I settled into as a non-breakfast eater.

    I did start eating breakfast a few months ago, and I got out of that 16:8 pattern. I realized it was making my calorie goals more burdensome, so I recently switched back to how I started, and I feel satisfied again.
  • pluthera
    pluthera Posts: 15 Member
    Not going to fast anymore. I am now prediabetic :( insulin resistant and I'm pretty is because I'm skipping breakfast.
  • Bxqtie116
    Bxqtie116 Posts: 552 Member
    I do the 16:8 intermentant fast. I usually eat my first meal between 9-10 and have my last one around 5-6. It's an adjustment in the beginning but I notice that I don't have hunger pangs like I used to.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited June 2016
    12 hour fast after dinner if I really want to drop weight.
    Maintaining right now.
  • pdxhak
    pdxhak Posts: 383 Member
    mcdonagk wrote: »
    Just wondering how many of you add fasting into your diet? I've read a few conflicting stories on the subject but overall it seems to be positive. I'm currently in the process of cutting BF while maintaining/increaseing muscle mass. What do you think? is it worth doing it every second week or so for about 16 hours at a time.

    I fast 16 hours everyday with the majority of my workouts in that window. I am still making gains in mass and overall strength while losing weight.
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
    I just had to refrain from eating for five hours for this appointment I had. All I could think about was food.. until I took a nap. So no, fasting isn't for me :)
  • williammuney
    williammuney Posts: 2,895 Member
    6pm to 10am
    Some days I'll cheat and only go to 930am
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    One 16 hour fast every other week is pretty pointless. There is a lot of good research out there on the various forms of IF. Read and see which protocol fits best and then give it a try. I've been following a loose 16:8 for a couple years now.
  • turquoise_elephant
    turquoise_elephant Posts: 83 Member
    I recently started fasting, and it actually started completely by accident through starting a new job and not having time to eat or feeling hungry throughout the day. It means I usually have all my meals between 3pm and 9/10pm but I'm not strict with the cut off time in the evening.

    I'm actually going to keep it up for as long as I'm enjoying it - I have lots more energy, I sleep better, I'm getting plenty of water in throughout the day (which I didn't always if I was eating 'normally'), and I'm losing weight at about 2lbs per week. I would definitely recommend at least trying it and seeing how you feel and what sort of results you get. I'm not sure the results would be huge if only doing it every other week though?

    The only negative I've had so far is if I leave the gym until the evening, my energy is a bit lower than it used to be, but I try to exercise in the morning instead, or just have caffeine before an evening workout and it's fine.

    Let us know your experience if you do try it :smile:
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    edited June 2016
    I fast about 14 hrs most days since I usually finish up dinner around 10 p.m. and usually eat for the first time around 2:00 - 2:30 p.m. the next. It's not a rule, but it's my usual habit.
  • aub6689
    aub6689 Posts: 351 Member
    No. I think it really depends on how you experience it. If I fast during the day, I will overeat when I break the fast. I also am a huge *kitten* when I am hungry and generally hate everyone a little bit. Lastly, I've noticed my workouts suffer. Food is fuel. I can't even eat at too steep a deficit without headaches. I do the opposite and have a reefed day every two weeks where I eat at maintenance. If it works for you, power to you.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    mcdonagk wrote: »
    Just wondering how many of you add fasting into your diet? I've read a few conflicting stories on the subject but overall it seems to be positive. I'm currently in the process of cutting BF while maintaining/increaseing muscle mass. What do you think? is it worth doing it every second week or so for about 16 hours at a time.

    I usually eat my last meal between 6 and 7 p.m., and don't eat until between 6 and 7 am. the next day. I think this is about as much fasting as I can tolerate. :)

    The thing about any kind of fasting is you need to make sure you have your calorie allotment for the week is fulfilled, whether you are in a deficit or not.

    Whether or not you are fasting:

    If you are trying to maintain muscle mass while losing, you can eat at a deficit, but the deficit can't be too big because you chance losing muscle mass. To maintain mass, weight lifting is good.

    If you are trying to increase muscle mass, you will need to eat a bit more than maintenance and do some pretty heavy weight lifting.

    Fasting in and of itself is just another way of eating that helps many people curb hunger, increases energy, and provides other benefits, but it's not really meant to be used as a weight loss tool. Weight loss boils down to calories in/calories out no matter what you way of eating is.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    mcdonagk wrote: »
    Just wondering how many of you add fasting into your diet? I've read a few conflicting stories on the subject but overall it seems to be positive. I'm currently in the process of cutting BF while maintaining/increaseing muscle mass. What do you think? is it worth doing it every second week or so for about 16 hours at a time.

    I do the 16 hour deal from time to time. Some do it twice weekly like Tue/Thur etc.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    mcdonagk wrote: »
    is it worth doing it every second week or so for about 16 hours at a time.

    Sounds a bit pointless to me, do it or don't do it but once a fortnight will have no impact at all.

    I've done both 5:2 and 16:8 versions. Not currently doing either.
    Found 5:2 helped with adherence to a calorie deficit and supported a very heavy exercise routine better than every day calorie restriction - for me at least.
    16:8 was OK but I'm quite happy picking or choosing whether to eat "breakfast" on the day without particular rules or restrictions.

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