Intermittent Fasting ?

Is anyone doing this 16 hour fast 8 hour eating ? Do you work out fasted or during eating window ? How is it going ? Results ? Appetite changes or anything?
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Replies

  • scarlet67
    scarlet67 Posts: 107 Member
    janjunie wrote: »
    I'm fasting for religious reasons, and my days end up looking like 18:6, so kind of similar to IF.

    I do low intensity cardio 20 min before breaking my fast and 15-20 minutes weight lifting every second day during my eating window.

    My personal observations are that I'm less bloated, feel lighter and find it much harder to over eat. Cons would be that I'm not about to set any fitness personal records while fasting and don't feel like I can do anything too high intensity.

    Same here. ..love IF
  • mecoconleche
    mecoconleche Posts: 86 Member
    I just push my first meal 4-8 hours after waking up. Nothing too fancy
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I do it most days, because that's what happened when I didn't need/had room for my evening meal anymore. I just eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, 3-4 hours apart. Yes, I'm one of the really hardcore peoples. 18:6 is even more difficult than 16:8. LOL. It's the way civilized people have eaten forever. Civilized people don't get fat. So if calling civilized eating something special and fun makes it easier for you to eat civilized, go for it!

    I don't work out. But I move every day.

    It is going great. I love eating like this, I've been doing it for almost a year and I really feel like sticking to it. But I maintained a healthy weight for 1 1/2 years prior to this too, effortlessly, by eating 4 - 7 meals in up to 14 hours "windows".

    It is not influencing my appetite, but I feel a lot more relaxed about eating. I have more faith in that I can wait for a meal. The panicky feeling of "must eat now, must keep metabolism going, must not risk binging later" is slowly receding. This makes sticking to my "allowance" much easier. This is how and why IF is "working".
  • ashjongfit
    ashjongfit Posts: 147 Member
    I was doing 16:8 and will return to it after I have my second baby this summer.

    I really liked it. It was MUCH easier for me to stick to my calories because rather than have 4-6 small meals, I just have 2 really big ones and a snack. I LOVE feeling full until my next meal. For me, it helps me to stop thinking about food 24/7 which is what I did with eating every 2-3 hours.

    I also feel like I have more freedom. Once in awhile after going to the city to shop all day we would get pizza. Now there isn't anything wrong with eating over your calories, however, normally I would have had 3-4 meals, then either try to make pizza fit and be hungry, or eat the pizza and be over. This way, I likely only ate one of my meals and can easily fit pizza into my day without going over or being hungry.

    I normally had a window of 1:30-9:30. I would workout fasted mostly. Some days though I really did need to eat first and if that was the case I would workout 2-3 hours after my first meal, then eat my snack.

    I was losing fat and inches a lot better than before -- I don't think it was because of IF, but because I was being very consistent. Its just easier for me.

    My mom and sister are both very lean naturally. And I noticed a little bit before starting IF that they tend to only eat 2 large meals a day, skipping breakfast. Thats just how they eat. I never used to eat breakfast until I heard it was the "most important meal of the day" blah blah. I just feel better without it.
  • butterflylady86
    butterflylady86 Posts: 369 Member
    I have been doing it since January 13th. I have lost 39 pounds so far. I work out during my fast. I'm totally going to continue this lifestyle. Love it
  • Katiebear_81
    Katiebear_81 Posts: 719 Member
    I am currently doing 16:8, I start eating at noon.

    I've found it helps with compliance for my calorie intake, and that's really all it's doing. I would say that I wake up a little less bloated in the morning. It keeps me from having a sugary, calorie laden coffee, so that's a good thing. I typically make very bad food choices after about 9 pm. I get really tired and then my decision making becomes suspect (hello, BBQ chicken stuffed crust pizza... get in my belly!) so if I c an avoid eating then, in less likely to eat an entire bag of chips, or a huge pizza or whatever.

    I currently work out in the morning, which is fasted. I do use BCAA's although the science isn't necessarily there to support the useage. It just makes me feel better (in my head, my body doesn't give a crap). I do know that I feel slightly less motivated/alert when I lift fasted, but it is my life right now, and I'm not willing to change my feeding window in order to accommodate my early morning workouts. So it is what it is.
  • Rozzer84
    Rozzer84 Posts: 12 Member
    @jl2455 why are you interested in IF? There are several different styles of IF that you can try and see which suits your lifestyle best. My fiancé does IF probably 4 days a week following the 16:8 method typically. He works out during his fasting window no problem but he's very accustomed to it now.
  • Brabo_Grip
    Brabo_Grip Posts: 285 Member
    I'm on an 18/6 right now. I have 6 more lbs for a tournament at the end of August. The weight is pealing off and I have no doubt I will make weight. Weight might be even be coming off too fast right now. IF helps keep me on calorie goals and I actually feel satisfied between 2pm and bed. Totally unlike that vague unsatisified feeling when spreading calories out over smaller meals and longer hours. I crept up about 12lbs during the holidays and was having more problems than normal taking it off. Starting IF was the kickstart I needed. Wondering now if I will make it a permanent thing.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    I end up fasting for 16 hours accidentally quite a lot. I don't eat late out of habit (last meal at 5-6), and I don't always wake up hungry or wake up too lazy to prepare food so end up having my first meal at 10-12 sometimes. I can't report appetite changes or results because that's how I've always eaten even at my highest weight.

    Now what I can weigh in on is workout. If I'm doing a long run or something a little bit more intense, I often do have something before like a few dates or a banana if I don't feel like having breakfast. If I feel like having breakfast I usually workout a couple of hours after that because running when full gives me indigestion. If it's an easy workout I often just run on coffee if I don't feel like eating, or on food if I feel like eating. Doesn't matter either way to me. Everyone has their preferences regarding food before exercise, so I suggest you just try it one way then the other and see which way you prefer.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    I don't strictly follow and hourly split but I do find that pushing back breakfast and minimizing the time of day I eat works well for me. I didn't discover it was a "real" technique until later.
  • sarcasticarse
    sarcasticarse Posts: 59 Member
    Fasting is a great way to meet your goals. Just be sure you know what you are doing before getting started... ;)
  • SeikoMonster
    SeikoMonster Posts: 105 Member
    I use IF for meal timing. It sure does help me knowing I have set meal times, and its only X number of hours till the next meal. Has completely eliminated my snacking and solved most of my hunger problems. Once in a while its a pain to have to wait 6 hours after I wake up to eat, but been doing it since January and its working.

    For exercise I ride my bike 5 miles and walk the dog first thing while its cool and it doesn't seem to bother me at all. If anything helps keep me busy. But I work my weight lifting after my first meal and time it so that I can eat very shortly after. Breakfast at 11:00 Work out from 12:45 till 1:30. Lunch at 2:00, small snack at 4:30, then dinner at 6:30.

  • jla2425
    jla2425 Posts: 67 Member
    Some how the post was closed yesterday so sorry for not getting back all. I want to start for the sake of set meal timing and because snacking or to much freedom can get me way over eating.
  • carveyl
    carveyl Posts: 2 Member
    I love IF !!! I usually have my window between 10a-6p. I work out about 5am ( hiit or weight lifting) still fasted and havnt lost lean muscle and my workouts havnt suffered but i make sure to take my bcaa's before and after workouts.
    Definitely feel super lean in the morning and not hungry really until it's time to break my fast. I also drink ACV diluted at night and in the morning during fast to help with appetite suppressant.
  • shane_tac1
    shane_tac1 Posts: 35 Member
    I train in the morning in a fasted state and use BCAAs like the above poster with added beta alanine and citrulline malate as a pre workout and just plain BCAA sup after. Both are 0 calories so not breaking my fast. It is basically the leucine that you want in there as that prevents muscle breakdown and stimulates protein synthesis
  • Hermie123451982
    Hermie123451982 Posts: 190 Member
    I have been doing 16/8 for 93 days and am down 30lbs. Loving the simplicity of it and it helps me meantally not to bi he late at night after work as I have reached my cut off point. I tend to workout fasted in the morning when work schedule allows me to. Add me if anyone wants to as it's always good to read about people following the same woe
  • jla2425
    jla2425 Posts: 67 Member
    Ahh im lovint the positive feed back. Im going to start at 15 hours and move to 16 the following 2 weeks.. Women... How does it effect hormones curiously ?
  • rjan91
    rjan91 Posts: 194 Member
    Just tried my first one yesterday. I'm eating between 11am and 7pm. We will see how I do.
  • Soopatt
    Soopatt Posts: 563 Member
    I find snacking derails me and it was too easy to have a taste or a nibble of something, so before I knew IF was a thing, I just decided on my own, that to stretch my calories I just don't eat between meals.

    I eat either one or two meals a day. During the week I eat breakfast and lunch only or breakfast and dinner only and on the weekends I only eat dinner. Works great. I hate sad little half portion mini meals - this way I can have a satisfying plate of whatever I fancy.

    It also makes it easier to turn down peer-pressure eating, as I have a lot of colleagues who will try to push muffins and snacks on me during the day and I just answer with "no thanks, I don't eat between meals", which they know is true, as I am completely consistent about it. I get hassled a lot less than if I was to say I was watching my weight (cue : "but you don't neeeeed to! have one, you can afford it!" blah blah) Saves you some serious stress if you are non negotiable on the no snacking.

    Alcoholics don't drink and I don't snack, its that definitive.