Eating patterns

amalarangnekar
amalarangnekar Posts: 15 Member
edited November 14 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everybody,

I have lost about 12 lbs and noticed that 'WHEN' to eat is as important as 'WHAT/HOW' to eat it. I have been eating every 3 hours all my life... however, out of curiosity, I wanted to know if anybody here has tried intermittent fasting and did it work for them?
I have the last few pounds to lose and trying to go a different way :)

Replies

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    If "when" helps you stay consistent, if "when" is satiating to you, then "when" makes a difference. Because weight loss is ALWAYS about calories.

    If you can get all your calories in a 6 hour (or 8 or whatever) window & you are satisfied and consistent.....then IF will help.

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

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

    It's not going to be faster weight loss....or more weight loss because it's still calories. A number of people like it.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited January 2017
    Actually, when to eat isn't particularly important outside of personal preference and adherence.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    When you eat is only important to you. If eating at certain times works better for you that is the ideal time to eat. If eating at certain times doesn't not work for you those are the times to be avoided. But to say that everyone has to follow your schedule is false.
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
    If the "when" factor helps you stay in your calorie goals, then yes, it is important.
    I find doing a 16:8 IF helps me stay in my goals and satisfies my natural hunger patterns. I am generally not hungry in the mornings, so I don't eat until lunch. If I forced myself to eat breakfast every day, even if I wasn't hungry, I'd have a very hard time staying within my calorie goals. I see no reason to eat if I am not hungry.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    When I eat doesn't make much difference. I do find, however, that there are some foods that I won't quit eating if I get started. So where I eat becomes important because I can eat those foods in a restaurant and I won't continue eating it when I get home.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
    OP, WHEN is important and a critical feature in my approach as it allows me to lose/maintain my weight relatively effortlessly! At least the effort of counting calories it saves me. :)

    I think humans are hard wired with the pattern that we eat more when foods are abundant and eat less during scarcity. That's how we thrive. On top of that my days aren't the same and not all the meals are equal in priority, quality, etc. all of which is really attributing to the importance of meal timing.

    So basically I eat more when more makes sense and less or little otherwise. This pattern is synonymous with (a form of) fasting and it works beautifully. I don't feel I am missing out on anything.

    cheers
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Actually, when to eat isn't particularly important outside of personal preference and adherence.

    This.

    Calorie deficit is king for losing weight. If practicing IF helps you adhere to a calorie deficit, that's great! It will not be the same for everyone.
  • Wicked_Seraph
    Wicked_Seraph Posts: 388 Member
    Calories are calories, regardless of when you eat them. 500 calories at 7 P.M. is the same as 500 calories at 7 A.M.

    For me, personally, some form of IF is immensely helpful. I don't adhere to strict IF, but I don't eat breakfast (I'll have a cup of coffee with some creamer) and generally either skip lunch, or have something 300 calories or less. This allows me a very, very generous amount of calories for dinner. This works well for me, since it allows me more freedom and a more "indulgent" meal. Some people may prefer to bank their calories towards breakfast or lunch. It's whatever works for you and your lifestyle.

    All you gotta do to lose weight is eat fewer calories than you burn. The rest is just frills and techniques to make meeting that deficit easier.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    for you yes it might be.

    Not so much for me.

    I eat 3x a day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner...I might eat a yogurt at 3 or 4 if I feel peckish but it's not standard.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Work, as in easier to not overeat? 6 or 7 meals worked for me. 2 or 3 worked for me as well. 3 or 4 is the least hassle, and I think I'll stick to that pattern.
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