Intermittent fasting - thoughts?

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kirstendawm
kirstendawm Posts: 101 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've recently discovered that I have high cholesterol so I have been researching different ways to lower it because that scares me quite frankly. I stumbled across intermittent fasting and have read so much success about it - and not just weightloss related. Just wondering if others have tried it and what success or failure they had? There's several different approaches to intermittent fasting, so if you could explain what method you used and how it worked, I'd love to know!
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  • WatchJoshLift
    WatchJoshLift Posts: 520 Member
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    My brother in law had a lot of success with IF, as far as weight-loss is concerned. I wouldn't know the effects it would have on cholesterol, however any type of diet that makes you healthier couldn't hurt.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    I only fast when medically necessary. IF is not for me. I get cranky when I can't eat.
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    The past week has been rough due to the holidays lol. But I usually fast from 7pm to at least 12pm every day with only some MCT oil and tea during that period. So I do kind of a 17:7. It's become so routine that in order to gain some benefits and help with weight loss I'll do close to 24 hour fasts here and there.

    Some people don't seem to like it very much. Give it a try. First few days might be rocky.
  • madelinecamille
    madelinecamille Posts: 1,131 Member
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    I try to stick with a 16:8. I eat my daily calories between 12pm and 8pm. It seemed the easiest for me because I typically skip breakfast anyway.
  • sydnisd183
    sydnisd183 Posts: 247 Member
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    I personally like IF because it's easy and I like to eat big when I do eat. Right now i'm 20/4 (20 hours of fast and 4 hour eating window). I started with 16/8.

    I like it because I don't have to drag a bunch of food to work, worry about lunches, snacks, etc....just one big azz meal when I get home. I eat whole foods that are high fat moderate protein and most of the carbs are from vegetables and fruits. Sometimes I have potatoes, beans, etc if I feel like it. I just make sure it all fits in my caloric goal for the day.

    IN MY EXPERIENCE, eating every 3-4 hours left me constantly checking my watch to see when the next time was that I could eat and I was always hungry. Good luck on whatever style of eating you choose, there are a lot out there
  • johnnylloyd0618
    johnnylloyd0618 Posts: 303 Member
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    @madelinecamille , curious about your energy level with skipping breakfast. I run A LOT and have wondered about fasting methods (during non-training periods) and how it would affect my energy .
  • kirstendawm
    kirstendawm Posts: 101 Member
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    I have actually read several places that exercise doesn't lower your bad cholesterol, but it does lower your good levels. Food is the most important thing when it comes to lowering it. Beans are a great source, so I've been trying to eat more of those, which also helps keep me full if I am going to try IF. I'm thinking I may start with 16:8 and see how that goes first and then once I'm used to that, try to bump it up a little. I've already cut red meat and try to stay away from dairy and butter as much as possible. Hoping between all these changes, it will help!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    kirstendawm wrote: »
    I have actually read several places that exercise doesn't lower your bad cholesterol, but it does lower your good levels. Food is the most important thing when it comes to lowering it. Beans are a great source, so I've been trying to eat more of those, which also helps keep me full if I am going to try IF. I'm thinking I may start with 16:8 and see how that goes first and then once I'm used to that, try to bump it up a little. I've already cut red meat and try to stay away from dairy and butter as much as possible. Hoping between all these changes, it will help!

    Here's the MFP group for this type of IF

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
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    sydnisd183 wrote: »
    I personally like IF because it's easy and I like to eat big when I do eat. Right now i'm 20/4 (20 hours of fast and 4 hour eating window). I started with 16/8.

    I like it because I don't have to drag a bunch of food to work, worry about lunches, snacks, etc....just one big azz meal when I get home. I eat whole foods that are high fat moderate protein and most of the carbs are from vegetables and fruits. Sometimes I have potatoes, beans, etc if I feel like it. I just make sure it all fits in my caloric goal for the day.

    IN MY EXPERIENCE, eating every 3-4 hours left me constantly checking my watch to see when the next time was that I could eat and I was always hungry. Good luck on whatever style of eating you choose, there are a lot out there

    My experience also and that is the regime I've followed mostly. I lost about 40-lbs and my blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol all improved a lot. I never restricted any types of foods but did try to eat healthy foods first.
  • proshanto
    proshanto Posts: 12 Member
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    Coming from India (Asia) makes it so much easier to fast. Most Indians fast at least 1 day a week. During the fast, we eat just one meal for the day. Either Lunch or Dinner. That single meal necessarily needs to be vegetarian. The rest of the day we eat fruits / yogurt (unsweetened), or drink tea, coffee, or water.

    This is called "UPVAAS", which essentially means a day of prayer / meditation. (Loosely translated, it means living with the Supreme Being / GOD, by whichever name known). That doesn't mean we can laze around. It means we go about our daily work, (including farmers toiling away from dawn to dusk at their farms). For those of us at desk jobs, we're a bit more fortunate / unfortunate, depending on how you look at it. The requirement for the fasting also includes abstinence.

    Such fasting is usually done on any one chosen day of the week except Wednesdays and Sundays.
    Some farmer / farm labour communities fast similarly for four months at a stretch.
    The science behind this is ancient, but today it is known as Ketogenic with Intermittent Fasting. (Keto + IF).

    Good luck either way you choose.
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
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    johnnylloyd0618 wrote: »
    @madelinecamille , curious about your energy level with skipping breakfast. I run A LOT and have wondered about fasting methods (during non-training periods) and how it would affect my energy .

    Do you run in the mornings or later? I ran up to an hour after a 19-20 hour fast and usually was fine but could bonk after about 40-min or so sometimes. I could get around it usually by eating a little bit of coconut oil a little before I would go running. Same story with an hour of weights after the same fast.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
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    Been doing IF in some form for several years now and it helps me hit my calorie targets :)
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
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    kirstendawm wrote: »
    I have actually read several places that exercise doesn't lower your bad cholesterol, but it does lower your good levels. Food is the most important thing when it comes to lowering it. Beans are a great source, so I've been trying to eat more of those, which also helps keep me full if I am going to try IF. I'm thinking I may start with 16:8 and see how that goes first and then once I'm used to that, try to bump it up a little. I've already cut red meat and try to stay away from dairy and butter as much as possible. Hoping between all these changes, it will help!

    Apple Cider Vinegar is supposed to help with Cholesterol.
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
    edited December 2016
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    TeaBea wrote: »
    kirstendawm wrote: »
    I have actually read several places that exercise doesn't lower your bad cholesterol, but it does lower your good levels. Food is the most important thing when it comes to lowering it. Beans are a great source, so I've been trying to eat more of those, which also helps keep me full if I am going to try IF. I'm thinking I may start with 16:8 and see how that goes first and then once I'm used to that, try to bump it up a little. I've already cut red meat and try to stay away from dairy and butter as much as possible. Hoping between all these changes, it will help!

    Here's the MFP group for this type of IF

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting

    Also

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/100058-5-2-fasting

    and

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/20634-omad-revolution

    omad stands for "One Meal a Day"
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    kirstendawm wrote: »
    I've recently discovered that I have high cholesterol so I have been researching different ways to lower it because that scares me quite frankly. I stumbled across intermittent fasting and have read so much success about it - and not just weightloss related. Just wondering if others have tried it and what success or failure they had? There's several different approaches to intermittent fasting, so if you could explain what method you used and how it worked, I'd love to know!

    IF is a good dietary approach for many people...not so much for others...I don't think it will have any impact on your cholesterol levels...your nutrition and fitness and possibly losing some weight is going to be what matters most.

    I could never do IF because, while I can eat a pretty high volume of food, I can't do it in one sitting or a 4 hour window or whatever...I hate that feeling. I took my LDL from the 160s to 93 by eating more nutritiously, exercising regularly, and dropping about 40 Lbs...I pretty much eat three meals per day with a couple of snacks in the afternoon and early evening.
  • johnnylloyd0618
    johnnylloyd0618 Posts: 303 Member
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    @blambo61 morning runner, thus my concern. I am used to running on an empty stomach. My concern would be after the run, not refueling, how that would affect the rest of the day.
  • madelinecamille
    madelinecamille Posts: 1,131 Member
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    johnnylloyd0618 wrote: »
    @madelinecamille , curious about your energy level with skipping breakfast. I run A LOT and have wondered about fasting methods (during non-training periods) and how it would affect my energy .

    My energy levels in the morning feel fine, but I prefer to exercise in the late afternoons or evening. I wake up pretty early for work so to wake up earlier than that just to work out seems unholy to me :D

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