Anyone try intermittent fasting with good results?

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brock2k12
brock2k12 Posts: 21 Member
edited February 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I follow a show on Channel 4, called How to Lose Weight Well (UK TV show), where people try lots of different diets. The Dr., who presents the show has published a book and advocates a diet plan where dieters will eat only 1 meal (800 cals) per day in stage one of diet, 2 meals in stage two, and 3 meals in stage three.

I am considering whether to follow stage one and eat one meal per day. However, I'm concerned with intermittent fasting and do not want to mess up my metabolism. There's lot of research for and against intermittent fasting.

Has anyone tried such a type of plan where you fast 16+ hours plus and eat 1 or 2 meals per day? What kind of results did you get?

I would really appreciate any advice as I am apprehensive. If you have not tried intermittent fasting before then no need to respond to thread, I am just interested in those who have :)

Thanks,
Laura.
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Replies

  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited February 2017
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    I have done it in the past, and I'm currently doing it now. Not because I think it's some sure fire method to success, but because it lines up well with how I want to eat anyways, and is an easy tool to help keep my intake in check. Basically, it gives me just enough structure that I find I'm much more successful when I IF than when I don't. That said, it definitely isn't for everyone.

    I haven't paid much attention in a while, but last I knew there wasn't any legit research against IF from a health/metabolism standpoint. If that's changed, I'd love to read some of it.
  • syntaxxceo
    syntaxxceo Posts: 7 Member
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    The most recent science has shown that when you eat your calories doesn't matter that much, so yes - eating 1 meal per day is OK. You still need to watch your calories to ensure you are staying within your range. However, I think you should be good to do it.

    I've done something similar in the past, but it didn't work for me because I wanted food at other times of the day. However, if you can make it work for you, it is perfectly fine.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/100058-5-2-fasting
  • secret_despair30
    secret_despair30 Posts: 57 Member
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    So much yes, been doing it since september and lost close to 40lbs so far!!
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    I'm pretty sure there is no reputable research against IF. However, there is certainly no shortage of people who've never tried it that speak loudly against it.

    That said, I do think at least trying to follow one of IF protocols is a good thing. Whether it's a daily 16:8 or 20:4, the 5:2, alternate day, or a 1/week 24 hr fast. One thing to remember is that unless its the 5:2 or alternate day fasting, IF in and of itself isn't a weight loss program, it's an eating pattern. Many people use it for weight loss (or try to) but it doesn't have to be. For weight loss, I like to suggest the 5:2. For sustainability, you really need to plan out your 2 fast days. Makes everything easier.

    For the most part I practice 16:8. I have tried the 5:2, to drop a few lbs, but I'm not a good planner and it made my fast days difficult.
  • Control_Dopamine
    Control_Dopamine Posts: 98 Member
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    Yes, i've been doing IF for a while now..It helps better manage cravings..Also since i eat most of my food towards the latter part of the day i sleep better as well..
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    I get hangry if I don't eat for 3 hours LOL and my blood sugar levels are a little touchy, so IF would be an unholy tragedy for me :smiley: . I know several people who do it though, usually with a five or six hour eating window, and it works great for them. There's nothing magic about it for weight loss, but if it helps you keep your calories where they should be while keeping you satisfied, go for it!
  • jason_adams
    jason_adams Posts: 187 Member
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    I have tried it and was happy with the results. I read the 8 hour diet, and then structured things around that. What I very much appreciated about this book is that the 8 hour window is defined as a goal... and not hitting that goal is ok. The closer you get to it, and the more often you get closer to it, the better off you'll be.
    Working towards the 8 hour window was very challenging for me, but I made it within 3 weeks. It was moving my breakfast time that killed me. For the first week or so I would be so hungry by 10 that I'd feel nauseous, so it was a little unpleasant getting there.
    For me the biggest benefit of the plan was having another control in place, and allowed me to spread my intake differently - essentially have fewer,but more fulfilling meals. While I've not focused so much on the end of day since, I routinely wait until 11 or 12 before eating my first meal, and it is not a struggle at all to do so. With our family dinner now planned for 5:30, and a renewed focus on my calories, I'm hoping to bring this concept back in naturally.

    I hadn't seen anything about a 1 meal 800 calorie plan before, but I can say that I don't think it would work for me, despite the success I had with something some may see as similar. One meal a day for x00 calories is simply too restrictive and has too many hard failure points for me to think I'd see success with it, no matter how many calories I would get to eat. Maybe the rigidity will help you, but I would beseech you to not internalize any failures on that program (or any for that matter).
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Eat as many meals as you like, it makes no difference to your "metabolism", but please, please, don't eat only 800 calories per day! MFP has a limit of 1200 for a range of reasons.

    I am actually IF'ing, but that's just because I'm following a normal meal schedule most days: breakfast (3-4 hours fast) lunch (3-4 hours fast) dinner (16-18 hours fast (but I'm sleeping through 8 of them)). It works very well - I'm satisfied and it feels so normal and tidy and grownup, my mind isn't overly occupied with food, cooking and eating, it's easy to just eat three square meals per day, easy to plan and cook and shop for.

    I'm in maintenance (2 years). I lost weight eating several little meals, and that was allright too. Any setup can work as long as you get in adequate nutrition and like the way you eat/train.
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
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    I always lose weight easier when I do IF, but to be clear there's no magic metabolic science to it - it just makes it easier for some people to control their calories.

    If I eat breakfast, I spend the rest of the day thinking about what I'm going to eat next and when. I tend to cave and eat my lunch really early and then I'm snacking on junk in the afternoon when I'm hungry again.

    If I skip breakfast, I can just kind of accept that I'm feeling hungry because it's not time to eat yet. At noon, I'll eat a sizeable lunch (600-700 calories) and then I'm nice and full until dinner time, when I get to totally pig out (on reasonable choices) because I've worked out and I have like 1000 calories left. After a dinner of good choices, there's usually calories left for wine or ice cream. That never happened when I was eating breakfast.

    I feel way less deprived this way, and that's what makes it work for me.
  • jasminelace
    jasminelace Posts: 8 Member
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    Yes I do it. At first I tried each one for a month to see which one was best for me. But if I had to start all over again I wish someone would have just said: "eat under your calorie goal every other day during the work week. On weekends have brunch and dinner only and that's when you indulge in your pizza, burger, etc. I'm not a soda/energy drink/latte person so I don't have liquid calories that increase my overall calories. However I do like a glass of wine and I indulge in a cocktail only on weekends. Also I'm not a bread or dessert person. The 16 hr. one works well if you don't eat breakfast. Let's say you go to bed at 10p (for example) then you would not eat until 2p the next day. Of course you might still want to have dinner around 6-7p and that's your 2 meals for the day. Remember this can become a lifestyle habit (by the every other day method). Or it can be done to reach a wight goal (using the 16 hr. method), then use the every other day method to maintain your weight. Lastly I should say I just started doing Zumba 3 dys/wk in August; Tai chi 2dys/wk since June; and before those I was just lifting weights 2 dys/wk and doing the intermittent fasting.
  • mjbehrendt
    mjbehrendt Posts: 13 Member
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    I don't eat throughout the day and eat a big dinner when I get home (around 1000 calories), then a snack in the evening. I lost 30 lbs along the way. I'm in maintenance now and get 2150 calories, which is basically 2 meals. I don't care for breakfast and after I work out, I cant eat food (around lunch time) so I start to get hungry around 4pm. I would echo what a lot of people are saying...it doesn't matter when you get the calories as long as it's under your output for the day so if that works for you, do it. Also you definitely want to get about 1200 calories or so throughout the day or you're really malnourishing yourself which isn't good for your body systems.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
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    I eat 3000 plus calories in 7 hours everyday, fast for the next 17 hours and have lost 80 lbs because I ate in a deficit..
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
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    I don't do it for weight loss but I do it for two reasons...

    I don't much like breakfast.
    I only have 1200 calories so I like to have a big brunch and big dinner.

    One of the things I noticed is if I eat smaller meals I'm hungrier. Eating 2 larger meals helps keep me satiated (or it could be my macros of carb/fat/protein with both meals).

    In a nutshell IF seems to keep my appetite in control. I do 16:8 or most days 18:6.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Eat as many meals as you like, it makes no difference to your "metabolism", but please, please, don't eat only 800 calories per day! MFP has a limit of 1200 for a range of reasons.

    Oh, I didn't notice that in the OP! Yeah, you should eat way more than 800 cals. With IF, you eat the same amount of calories you normally would to lose weight, you just spread them out differently.
  • the_new_mark_2017
    the_new_mark_2017 Posts: 149 Member
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    PeachyPlum wrote: »
    I always lose weight easier when I do IF, but to be clear there's no magic metabolic science to it - it just makes it easier for some people to control their calories.

    If I eat breakfast, I spend the rest of the day thinking about what I'm going to eat next and when. I tend to cave and eat my lunch really early and then I'm snacking on junk in the afternoon when I'm hungry again.

    If I skip breakfast, I can just kind of accept that I'm feeling hungry because it's not time to eat yet. At noon, I'll eat a sizeable lunch (600-700 calories) and then I'm nice and full until dinner time, when I get to totally pig out (on reasonable choices) because I've worked out and I have like 1000 calories left. After a dinner of good choices, there's usually calories left for wine or ice cream. That never happened when I was eating breakfast.

    I feel way less deprived this way, and that's what makes it work for me.

    This all over...! Easy to control cals in a shorter window.
  • brock2k12
    brock2k12 Posts: 21 Member
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    secret_despair30 wrote: »
    So much yes, been doing it since september and lost close to 40lbs so far!!

    Wow! Well done, amazing progress! Glad to see it does indeed work for some people!
  • brock2k12
    brock2k12 Posts: 21 Member
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    Michael190lbs wrote: »
    I eat 3000 plus calories in 7 hours everyday, fast for the next 17 hours and have lost 80 lbs because I ate in a deficit..

    Holy cow, that is amazing! 80lbs!!! Well done! I'm an evening eater and feel less hungry not eating during the day then if I have a breakfast!
  • Adnoir69
    Adnoir69 Posts: 2 Member
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    Doing it right now, two days a week, while I eat low carb, lifting 2 x a week and riding bike 1 x per week. I also have a carb re-feed once per week. I am down about 19 lbs since Dec 18th, I did this over the holidays some some extra cheat meals in there.
  • Molly_234
    Molly_234 Posts: 89 Member
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    I've been doing the 16:8 for a few months now. It really helps curb my appetite and I seem to make better eating choices when I skip the sugary breakfast foods that I used to eat daily. Eating first thing in the morning makes me starving a few hours later. When I skip breakfast, I am less hungry and have more calories to work until about 8pm and I love it! Below is an interesting article about IT.

    "When you eat a meal, your body spends a few hours processing that food, burning what it can from what you just consumed. Because it has all of this readily available, easy to burn energy in its blood stream (thanks to the food you ate), your body will choose to use that as energy rather than the fat you have stored. This is especially true if you just consumed carbohydrates/sugar, as your body prefers to burn sugar as energy before any other source.

    During the “fasted state,” your body doesn’t have a recently consumed meal to use as energy, so it is more likely to pull from the fat stored in your body, rather than the glucose in your blood stream or glycogen in your in your muscles/liver."

    https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting/

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