Fasting - does it work?

Zara_Pi
Zara_Pi Posts: 141 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone fast or have experience of fasting?

What fasting methods did you use and what results did you see?

Replies

  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    Fasting seems to make no difference with weight loss unless it is a means of you being able to stay within your calorie goals from all the research I have read about it.
  • Zara_Pi
    Zara_Pi Posts: 141 Member
    tar2323 wrote: »
    I fast in the mornings and don't eat my first meal until gone 2pm. The fasting is not the important part for me, it's just the vehicle I use to be able to accumulate calories so I can eat more later in the day when I am hungrier. I also find if I eat breakfast, I'm hungry for the whole day. I'm on 1200 calories, and find I can easily maintain this (with some added through exercise) by having a 350 cal 'lunch' post-2pm, a good evening meal and have allowance for snacks in the evening. ETA - As mentioned above, it makes no difference to weight loss - it's your calorie intake versus expenditure that does that.

    I know what you mean.
    I find if have breakfast in the mornin, I'm hungry again two hours later. Then I eat lunch about 12, then hungry I'm again at 3, and I end up eating constantly all day.

    I've been fasting in the morning past two days, only having a coffee in the mornings and not having my first meal until about 4. This way I find I'm not constantly wanting food and can eat till I feel full with plenty of calories left for later on if I get hungry again.

    Doing this I have found I am less hungry and get full more easily and find it easier to not go over my calorie allowance with constant eating throughout the day.

    With regards to weight loss, I don't know if it's bad eating a lot of calories in the evenings. I'll see how it goes.
  • tar2323
    tar2323 Posts: 141 Member
    Zara-pi no, it makes no difference when you eat your calories, just how many of them :)
  • eharn02
    eharn02 Posts: 12 Member
    tar2323 wrote: »
    I fast in the mornings and don't eat my first meal until gone 2pm. The fasting is not the important part for me, it's just the vehicle I use to be able to accumulate calories so I can eat more later in the day when I am hungrier. I also find if I eat breakfast, I'm hungry for the whole day. I'm on 1200 calories, and find I can easily maintain this (with some added through exercise) by having a 350 cal 'lunch' post-2pm, a good evening meal and have allowance for snacks in the evening. ETA - As mentioned above, it makes no difference to weight loss - it's your calorie intake versus expenditure that does that.

    When you started this were you hungry? And then your body got use to it? I really like this concept but when I've tried it, I have been hungry. Hot tea has helped in the past. Just curious if you had to work yourself up to it?
  • TxTiffani
    TxTiffani Posts: 799 Member
    I also intermittent fast most days eating between 12 & 8. I drink coffee or tea with unsweetened almond or cashew milk (25 cal/cup) until my first meal and between the 2-3 teas I usually use 1 cup total so 25 cals:) It definitely helps me stay in my 1200 cals and as a short woman at 5'0 I don't have a huge deficit;)
  • Unknown
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  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    yes I do it
  • Windrunner666
    Windrunner666 Posts: 91 Member
    edited March 2017
    I can only speak from my experiences. I don't reccomend it as a way to loose weight. I've been fasting a few times one for duration of 2 days and few times for five days. Even though you get the "results" really fast, you gain it all back and you *kitten* up your eating. Few months after the fast I couldn't stop eating and was always very hungry even if I ate a lot, I'd still be hungry. It's a bad way if you want something longterm and *kitten* way if you think it will "detox" your body cuz ur body iz already doing that.
    It doesn't benefit you in any way and if you do the fast, especially if it is more than 48 hrs, you should contact a professional.
  • YoshiZelda
    YoshiZelda Posts: 340 Member
    I fast in the mornings. If I eat breakfast, I'm hungry an hour later for some reason lol. It helps control my appetite. I eat 2 small meals, decent sized dinner and one snack. I drink a lotttttt of green tea in between.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    work for what?
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    I have done it very effectively over the years. Coffee in the morning suppresses my appetite. I eat lunch and dinner then I'm done. I'm rarely hungry on this protocol. If I eat breakfast I want to eat all day and those days are a challenge to meet my calorie goals. I have maintained my weight without MFP for extremely long periods (upwards of 2 years) doing IF.
  • starryphoenix
    starryphoenix Posts: 381 Member
    I fast for the mind and spirit, not the body. That is just me though. I've tried fasting for the body, but fasting is a spiritual practice for me, so I have to have a better reason than losing weight.
  • Ketolover71
    Ketolover71 Posts: 68 Member
    Zara_Pi wrote: »
    Does anyone fast or have experience of fasting?

    What fasting methods did you use and what results did you see?

    I use the 16/8 rule. I eat all my calories during an 8 hour period and fast for 16. Usually I eat 11or 12 and have my last meal between 7 and 8pm. That is when I am tired and have the worst urges to eat.
  • Ketolover71
    Ketolover71 Posts: 68 Member
    eharn02 wrote: »
    tar2323 wrote: »
    I fast in the mornings and don't eat my first meal until gone 2pm. The fasting is not the important part for me, it's just the vehicle I use to be able to accumulate calories so I can eat more later in the day when I am hungrier. I also find if I eat breakfast, I'm hungry for the whole day. I'm on 1200 calories, and find I can easily maintain this (with some added through exercise) by having a 350 cal 'lunch' post-2pm, a good evening meal and have allowance for snacks in the evening. ETA - As mentioned above, it makes no difference to weight loss - it's your calorie intake versus expenditure that does that.

    When you started this were you hungry? And then your body got use to it? I really like this concept but when I've tried it, I have been hungry. Hot tea has helped in the past. Just curious if you had to work yourself up to it?

    Try a cup of broth to hold you over or boulion. It satisfies my urge for something when I'm trying to hold off. Water is not as satisfying to me.
  • valentine21463
    valentine21463 Posts: 1 Member
    tar2323 wrote: »
    I fast in the mornings and don't eat my first meal until gone 2pm. The fasting is not the important part for me, it's just the vehicle I use to be able to accumulate calories so I can eat more later in the day when I am hungrier. I also find if I eat breakfast, I'm hungry for the whole day. I'm on 1200 calories, and find I can easily maintain this (with some added through exercise) by having a 350 cal 'lunch' post-2pm, a good evening meal and have allowance for snacks in the evening. ETA - As mentioned above, it makes no difference to weight loss - it's your calorie intake versus expenditure that does that.

    When you are fasting do you drink water ,coffee,tea or anything 0 cals?
  • displaced1
    displaced1 Posts: 73 Member
    edited March 2017
    I've recently experimented with 5:2 fasting (normal Maintenance cal for 5 days, 5-600 cal for 2 days). I'm a snacker by nature and before I started I thought I could never fast because I'm always thinking about food when I restrict calories and always feel deprived. Surprisingly, my fasting days are very easy.

    Like others, I just have coffee/tea for breakfast and then usually I have soup (miso or egg drop with added veg) and a large salad for lunch. I tend to eat dinner around 4/5 pm (usually fish with lots of veg and another large salad), and lots of tea through the day. The hunger cravings I have are pretty short and really not severe. I thought I would be starving! On regular eating days I find myself eating or snacking most of the day and think I feel hungrier.

    On fast days I find it's more of a finite restriction (I can only have this and then I can't have any more so I might as well not even think about it). On typical calorie restriction spread through the week I tend to overthink things and constantly think about what I can eat, what else I can squeeze into my day, ways to get a few more cal in.

    I still follow CICO, but since starting fasting it can be a helpful tool to actually suppress my appetite. Seems contrary but for me it has started out good.

    One downfall is that I will need to probably find new low cal lunches and dinners soon as soups/salads/fish can get repetitive. Most meals for fast days will probably be veg based. I am experimenting with lots of different jarred sauces and new salad dressings to help add flavor.
  • Selrisitai
    Selrisitai Posts: 3 Member
    Fasting has been shown to be good in moderation, but intermittent fasting can work forever. You basically just skip breakfast, eat a moderate meal at noon, and then around 5 or 6 you have one large meal. This way you can have lots of calories for your final meal, be full, and stay full until you go to bed. It also prevents snacking since you're making the solid decision to not eat anything prior to those times. (Other than maybe coffee or something of that nature.)
    Obviously, the fasting ITSELF doesn't make you lose weight, but the fact that you are eating less.
  • tar2323
    tar2323 Posts: 141 Member
    For those that asked...I drink tea/coffee or/and water before my first meal of the day at post 2pm. I drink tea/coffee with skimmed milk from my calorie allowance. As mentioned, I fast not for the benefits of fasting, but to accumulate calories for later in the day.
  • hazels1973
    hazels1973 Posts: 8 Member
    I too agree with many of the comments here. If i fast ie. miss breakfast and just have weak tea and water i find it much easier to keep in my calorie allowance. I did 16/8 rule in January and lost bulk of what i needed to loose. Since Feb i try to do at least 2 days a week of 16/8 during working week as weekend I'm very active with housework and exercise etc. I've since lost more weight but March I've maintained. Im thinking of doing more 16/8 to kick-start losing the last half stone
  • Zara_Pi
    Zara_Pi Posts: 141 Member
    I've been doing it 3 days now and I must say I find I no longer get the cravings to snack anymore.
    Plus the meals I have fill me up so much.
    I've just had my first proper meal 2 hours ago and I still feel so full. I don't think I can eat again for at least 5 hours!
  • Zara_Pi
    Zara_Pi Posts: 141 Member
    5h7612meoc49.jpg

    Just in case anyone's interested, here's what I've ate so far today.

    Breakfast was at 9.30am
    Lunch 3pm
    Dinner 7.30pm
    And I still have 400 calories left for late night snacking.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,961 Member
    Fasting works for many because they just don't seem to worry about eating all the time. The whole "eat every 2 hours" is a bodybuilding thing and was instituted by so many "winners" in competitions that now it seems anyone who gets on a site like bodybuilding.com is advised to eat that way.
    I don't eat breakfast, train fasted and don't have my first meal till about 12pm-1pm. I usually just have lunch and dinner and then just some snacks in between. But I do eat up till 11:30pm each night.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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