Intermittent Fasting:Pros? Cons?
Bruja924
Posts: 51 Member
I follow a person on IG that swears by intermittent fasting. Can it really help you lose weight faster?? I'm a early riser, so not eating for 4-5 hours from the time I wake up seems like a lifetime to me! LOL.
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Your calorie balance determines your weight loss - not your eating pattern.
Pros:
Makes adherence to a suitable calorie goal easier for some people.
May be some benefit from fasted training depending on goals (helped my cycling endurance).
Cons:
Doesn't suit everyone, it's a restriction which may become irritating and/or unsustainable.
May compromise your exercise performance (fasted training doesn't suit everyone).
Personal experience is that I found 5:2 a very easy way to lose weight. But I also tried 16:8 and found it too restrictive. I find breakfast a meal I enjoy but can easily skip without feeling anymore (or any less!) hungry by lunchtime.5 -
To answer your question in my experience:
Pros:
A bigger evening meal
Can help me with family occasions and meals out
Less meal prep
Can minimise all the stuff with packed lunches (although on my fasting protocol I usually eat lunch)
Work time meeting and the food laid on is crappy? "None for me thanks, I'm fasting today"
Its a learning experience
Cons:
It's not a get out-of-logging card: You still need to track to ensure that you are neither over or under eating
Takes a little while to get used to it
Some people seem to hate it*
Some people find that it negatively affects exercise performance*
* not me.2 -
I dont I think it is for me. My last meal of the day is usually around 5:00 or 6:00pm. I am in bed usually by 9:30ish. So for me not to eat till the next day at 11 or 12 I'm starving!0
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I dont I think it is for me. My last meal of the day is usually around 5:00 or 6:00pm. I am in bed usually by 9:30ish. So for me not to eat till the next day at 11 or 12 I'm starving!
For most people after a few days you get used to that. If you don't try it, you will never know. Everyone (at least on this website) focuses on the weight loss aspect, but there are other benefits to intermittent fasting. In my opinion, for weight loss, the 5:2 is a good plan, for a general eating plan 16:8 is nice because it makes things simpler. There are lots of variations, research more and give it a try.2 -
I like it, many don't.
It won't help you lose weight faster, unless you, Like I, find it easier to stay within a calorie allowance in a shorter time frame. Fasting has been shown to have health benefits, but they are long term health benefits not short term weight loss ones.2 -
Everyone (at least on this website) focuses on the weight loss aspect, but there are other benefits to intermittent fasting. In my opinion, for weight loss, the 5:2 is a good plan, for a general eating plan 16:8 is nice because it makes things simpler.caradack1985 wrote: »Fasting has been shown to have health benefits, but they are long term health benefits not short term weight loss ones.
First, let me say I'm a fan of IF and have used it (and 5:2) periodically over the last 5 years or so - This is not an attack on fasting. Nor is is it am attack on @rybo or @caradack1985 but...
On a similar MFP forum thread I recently stated that there were other benefits for fasting, those outside of dietary compliance and convenience. I was, at the time thinking of the claims in Michael Mosley's 5:2 book where he claimed (From my own notes because I think I have lent that book out and never had it returned):- Increase in Autophagy
- Increased Muscle Retention in cal deficit
- Increase in Brain Derived Neruotropic Factor (BDNF) which has anti-depressant effects.
- Increased Insulin sensitivity
- Hormesis - what doesn't kill you makes you stronger
- Reduction in IGF-1 (higher levels apparently associated with cancer and diabetes?)
I was challenged to "cite my sources" and replied that all refs were in his book. But, I've since read that the book is thinner on refs tha you might imagine. So, armed with nothing but Google scholar and my, admittedly average, googling skills I set about finding the evidence!
My only self-imposed criteria was that studies should be iso-calorific (there is tonnes of evidence that getting people to fast reduces their calorific consumption but that is a) irrelevant to those who log their food (and so me) and b) benefits found are most likely be due to the calorific deficit.. not the fasting).
After a good few hours I turned up zero, nothing, zilch. I was disappointed and if there is someone out there who can find the relevant studies I would be very happy.
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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095528630400261X
I found this amid a few others, but I'm unwilling to pay lots of money for full articles. Several studies done though seem to indicate that fasting and calorie restriction have benefits for the cardiovascular system and brain function.1 -
caradack1985 wrote: »http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095528630400261X
I found this amid a few others, but I'm unwilling to pay lots of money for full articles. Several studies done though seem to indicate that fasting and calorie restriction have benefits for the cardiovascular system and brain function.
Unfortunately, the abstract doesn't indicate if the IF study was iso-calorific or whether CR and IF were performed together (and like you I'm not willing to pay for the full text).0 -
I just started doing IF 3 weeks ago. I had lost 20 pounds and then I stopped losing weight for 6 months no matter how much I exercised or weighed my food/counted calories/restricted. I don't know why, I don't think I'm a special snowflake, but it did stop and I didn't want to have to eat 1200 cals a day (I still have 80lbs to lose, so that's a really heavy deficit) to be successful.
I'm doing a combo of 5:2 and 16:8. And so far in 3 weeks, I've lost 4 pounds. Which is a normal amount but I'm ecstatic since I wasn't seeing progress before. Since I'm combining 2 methods, I eat at maintenance or only a small 300-400 cal deficit on my 5 normal days. The bulk of my deficit comes from my 2 light days.
So pro: I'm losing weight. I can eat bigger meals. I don't feel the need to always be eating all day. I find it much easier to keep adherence to plan.
Con: I find it a little harder to meet my protein macro goals because I can only stand about 40-50g at a time. I usually hit my bare minimum of 80g, but I'd like to be 100g or up. But, it's only been a few weeks so I'm still tweaking how to structure my meals. Also sometimes I'm hungry. But nothing unbearable.
I haven't had an issue with fasted workouts either.
You can always try it. It doesn't take anything special to try it. And you can tweak it always to suit your lifestyle. And you can ease into it as well doing 12:12 or 14:10. Don't have to jump into 16:8 right away. I've found much more helpful information on the reddit forums than the MFP IF forums. The intermittentfasting, fasting, FiveTwo, Leangains forums are all helpful.
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I dont I think it is for me. My last meal of the day is usually around 5:00 or 6:00pm. I am in bed usually by 9:30ish. So for me not to eat till the next day at 11 or 12 I'm starving!
You can do the fasting whenever you want to suit your schedule. 12pm-8pm is most common since a lot people work 9-5 and that just suits that schedule. But if you're done eating at 6pm, then just eat next at 10am. Or only do 14 hrs. There are common protocols but doesn't mean it's the only way to do it.3 -
I've started IF about 6 weeks ago and it's definitely helping me. I was stuck for a long time not losing anything and now I'm losing an average 1 1/2 lbs a week. It's helped me to better control my appetite, it's helped me from having a small snack before bedtime and it allows me to have 2 larger meals instead of 3 smaller ones. I still log everything and there are days where I come under my calories because I'm not as hungry.2
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How long after you get up in the morning do you have your first meal?0
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Fellow I know at work does this. Whole days not eating. Says he's 275+ pounds. And it aint muscle. Fill in any height you want, still overweight. (he's prob 5'10). Something else going on, I think...0
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For me, IF is the greatest thing ever.
Pros:
Eat big satisfying meals
Able to eat in pretty much any restaurant without restriction
Able to be spontaneous
Less work prepping breakfasts and lunches for work days
Less cost buying or prepping breakfasts and lunches
Almost zero daytime hunger while at work
Cons:
Hard to maintain on the weekends when work isn't occupying my mind and my family is not on the same plan4 -
I follow a person on IG that swears by intermittent fasting. Can it really help you lose weight faster?? I'm a early riser, so not eating for 4-5 hours from the time I wake up seems like a lifetime to me! LOL.
I follow someone on IG too who swears by it (I wonder if it's the same person lol)
I was thinking about trying the 16:8 IF as at the moment self control of picking at food is a big problem
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How long after you get up in the morning do you have your first meal?
My meal times are usually 11-7, sometimes 12-8 depending on how busy I get at work. But even with an 11-7 time frame, I'm usually done eating for the day around 5:30-6:00. So technically my fasting period is is 17 hours1 -
If your last meal is at 5, your first would be at 9 not 11...not so bad but another option is to have your last meal a little earlier. If you ate at 4, then you could have breakfast at 8.0
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eveandqsmom wrote: »If your last meal is at 5, your first would be at 9 not 11...not so bad but another option is to have your last meal a little earlier. If you ate at 4, then you could have breakfast at 8.
I just skip breakfast and try to keep the same time everyday without thinking of the last time I actually ate. And besides, after about 12 hours since your last meal, that's when your body starts burning your fat stores.0 -
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StealthHealth wrote: »
This^
IF gives you another possible method for sticking to a diet. It's a great fit for many people.
Losing weight faster is going to come at a price. Your body needs enough protein, enough overall calories & strength training to help you maintain existing lean muscle mass.
Healthy weight loss should help you reduce your body fat %.0 -
It's whatever works for you. If I don't eat breakfast, I get dizzy and extremely crabby by 10am (I'm usually done eating by 6pm in the evening). It really depends on how early I wake up too, obviously, and when you exercise... I usually exercise 2 hours after waking up and it's a disaster if I don't eat anything beforehand.0
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There are several aspects of IF and this guy may be eating just 1 meal at home. That may be what works for him.0 -
I prefer IF, however, I would never tell anyone it's to "lose weight faster".
If it fits your lifestyle and goals, then it could work. If you're looking for a quickfix, probably not.
After doing IF for so long I just hate how I feel if I start the morning on a full stomach. I seriously feel it slows me down and retards my workouts. As others have mentioned, they have the opposite experience and feel 100% with some food in their belly before they pump out a workout.
You can try it. If you feel like crap or so moody everyone hates being around you because you're always hangry, then maybe you need those hearty bkfsts.
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IF is awesome if you have the willpwoer for it. Have been doing it for most of this year.
Good video about fasting, for anyone interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIuj-oMN-Fk
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I dont I think it is for me. My last meal of the day is usually around 5:00 or 6:00pm. I am in bed usually by 9:30ish. So for me not to eat till the next day at 11 or 12 I'm starving!
For most people after a few days you get used to that. If you don't try it, you will never know. Everyone (at least on this website) focuses on the weight loss aspect, but there are other benefits to intermittent fasting. In my opinion, for weight loss, the 5:2 is a good plan, for a general eating plan 16:8 is nice because it makes things simpler. There are lots of variations, research more and give it a try.
@ Bruja924 When do you eat after you wake up?0 -
I thought that IF would be hard, but I've found that most days I follow a IF pattern. I work nights so my schedule is all weird. I don't eat anything after midnight and then I will usually go home and go to sleep if I can. When I wake up a few hours later, I really have been quite busy and haven't eaten anything until close to dinner (5ish). Today for example, I ate a protein bar at 11:14pm last night as my last bit of food for yesterday. I haven't eaten anything yet today and it is 3 pm now. I've had a steady weight loss but that is from my calorie deficit and not from any sort of fasting.0
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@ Bruja924 When do you eat after you wake up? [/quote]
I Dont have a set time. Whenever I am hungry..
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