IF beginner: 24 hours or 36 hours?

Options
2

Replies

  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    edited June 2017
    Options
    julie20170512 wrote: »
    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    And when you say 'fast' what exactly does that mean? And, as above, what are you trying to accomplish by fasting, if other than for religious purposes?

    There's no magic in when you eat or don't eat. Meal timing is irrelevant for weight management. :)

    For me, IF is a very effective method to manage my food intakes. I fast one day a week, and the rest of week I eat 1200cal + all exercise cals, no struggle with food cravings.

    How tall are you, what is your current weight as well as your goal weight? What do you have your rate of loss per week set at?

    Edited to add: Also, how long have you been doing this weekly fasting cycle for?

  • julie20170512
    julie20170512 Posts: 35 Member
    Options
    OMG is this the new trend? To see how long you can go without eating. This is not IF.[/quote]

    :D It will be a yearly cleanse kinda thing, if my body is ok to do that. Right now I will stick to my one day per week fasting plan, since I am still new at this.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    edited June 2017
    Options
    julie20170512 wrote: »
    :D It will be a yearly cleanse kinda thing, if my body is ok to do that. Right now I will stick to my one day per week fasting plan, since I am still new at this.

    What do you think you will 'cleanse' yourself of?

    And don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of IF, and I've been doing it for years - long before it had a fancy-schmantsy name. ;)
  • julie20170512
    julie20170512 Posts: 35 Member
    Options
    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    julie20170512 wrote: »
    :D It will be a yearly cleanse kinda thing, if my body is ok to do that. Right now I will stick to my one day per week fasting plan, since I am still new at this.

    What do you think you will 'cleanse' yourself of?

    And don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of IF, and I've been doing it for years - long before it had a fancy-schmantsy name. ;)

    Guess It's like a full reboot of the body. What kind of IF you have been practicing? :)
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    Options
    1. Cleanses are not a thing. Your liver and kidneys do that for you every day.
    2. Maybe I'm out of the loop, but this doesn't sound like IF to me. I thought IF was either eating within a short window every day, or having one or two very-low cal days per week, while eating close to or at maintenance the other days. Do you know what your maintenance calories are? That sounds like not enough food overall, unless you are very small.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    Options
    OP what are your current stats? The type of fasting you are employing, particularly combined with eating very low on the other days is in no way how intermittent fasting is supposed to be practiced. You are creating an incredibly large deficit, even if you're petite.
  • julie20170512
    julie20170512 Posts: 35 Member
    Options
    kimny72 wrote: »
    1. Cleanses are not a thing. Your liver and kidneys do that for you every day.
    2. Maybe I'm out of the loop, but this doesn't sound like IF to me. I thought IF was either eating within a short window every day, or having one or two very-low cal days per week, while eating close to or at maintenance the other days. Do you know what your maintenance calories are? That sounds like not enough food overall, unless you are very small.

    That's sound like exactly what I am doing - having one zero cals day per week, the rest at maintenance rate (based on MFP). Why this is not IF? I am confused now.

    I am only 5"1 with a very small frame though :p
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    Options
    julie20170512 wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    1. Cleanses are not a thing. Your liver and kidneys do that for you every day.
    2. Maybe I'm out of the loop, but this doesn't sound like IF to me. I thought IF was either eating within a short window every day, or having one or two very-low cal days per week, while eating close to or at maintenance the other days. Do you know what your maintenance calories are? That sounds like not enough food overall, unless you are very small.

    That's sound like exactly what I am doing - having one zero cals day per week, the rest at maintenance rate (based on MFP). Why this is not IF? I am confused now.

    I am only 5"1 with a very small frame though :p

    What is your current weight and goal weight, though?
  • Rammer123
    Rammer123 Posts: 679 Member
    Options
    VintageFeline wrote: »
    OP what are your current stats? The type of fasting you are employing, particularly combined with eating very low on the other days is in no way how intermittent fasting is supposed to be practiced. You are creating an incredibly large deficit, even if you're petite.


    She was just asking if fasting longer would have any benefit if she felt comfortable going longer. Doesn't sound like she's having an issue with the intermittent fasting and her calorie intake.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    Options
    rdridi12 wrote: »
    VintageFeline wrote: »
    OP what are your current stats? The type of fasting you are employing, particularly combined with eating very low on the other days is in no way how intermittent fasting is supposed to be practiced. You are creating an incredibly large deficit, even if you're petite.


    She was just asking if fasting longer would have any benefit if she felt comfortable going longer. Doesn't sound like she's having an issue with the intermittent fasting and her calorie intake.

    Perhaps not yet. But based on her intake, what she's doing could have potentially dangerous consequences which are, to a degree, based on what her current stats and her goals are. :)
  • Rammer123
    Rammer123 Posts: 679 Member
    Options
    what potentially dangerous consequences?
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    edited June 2017
    Options
    rdridi12 wrote: »
    what potentially dangerous consequences?

    Dizziness, fainting, hair loss, muscle depletion (the heart is a muscle, too), are but a few of the dangers of under eating.

    The other hidden danger is that long periods of fasting can set a person up for eating disorders if there's a proclivity in that direction.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,144 Member
    Options
    suzannesimmons3 wrote: »
    I wouldn't call that intermittent fasting.

    It is. Intermittent fasting can be either every day extending ones overnight fast and establishing one's deficit through eating at a calorie deficit during the smaller eating window one has each day. The other method is fasting once or twice a week from all food, and eating an maintenance on the other days. This sort of Intermittent Fasting establishes one's deficit by the fast time. Usually those fasts are 24 hours, but assuming the OP is healthy, 36 hours once a week and eating at maintenance the other days would be fine.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    Options
    rdridi12 wrote: »
    what potentially dangerous consequences?

    She asked if fasting more than 24 hours is safe and said she was doing IF, so I think asking for more info on exactly what she is trying to accomplish is on point. Safety requires context.

    She is only eating 1200 per day and one day nothing at all, and seems to be thinking of fasting for longer. That is a tiny amount of calories for a young adult woman even at 5'1. There are possible dangers, physically and psychologically, to underfueling your body for an extended period of time. Not saying she is, but that's why we're asking, at least speaking for myself I should say.
  • julie20170512
    julie20170512 Posts: 35 Member
    Options
    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    julie20170512 wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    1. Cleanses are not a thing. Your liver and kidneys do that for you every day.
    2. Maybe I'm out of the loop, but this doesn't sound like IF to me. I thought IF was either eating within a short window every day, or having one or two very-low cal days per week, while eating close to or at maintenance the other days. Do you know what your maintenance calories are? That sounds like not enough food overall, unless you are very small.

    That's sound like exactly what I am doing - having one zero cals day per week, the rest at maintenance rate (based on MFP). Why this is not IF? I am confused now.

    I am only 5"1 with a very small frame though :p

    What is your current weight and goal weight, though?

    5'1, 123lb. I am eating avg 1600 cals per day when I am not fasting, and has been losing around 0.5 to 1lb/wk since I started.

    I personally can't do 16:8 everyday, I am a hopeless snacker
  • Rammer123
    Rammer123 Posts: 679 Member
    Options
    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    rdridi12 wrote: »
    what potentially dangerous consequences?

    Dizziness, fainting, hair loss, muscle depletion (the heart is a muscle, too), are but a few of the dangers of under eating.

    The other hidden danger is that long periods of fasting can set a person up for eating disorders if there's a proclivity in that direction.


    Just in the same as tracking calories could set a person up for an eating disorder
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,144 Member
    Options
    rdridi12 wrote: »
    Give it a go. 36 hours isn't that much more than 24 hours if you've done that already. Obviously if you are working out during those fasting days, make sure to take it easier but I've tried a couple fasts for about that time and it was actually really mentally calming to be able to not eat and just relax with no food.

    Edit: I remember reading a study that showed that your metabolic rate did not decrease at all until the 36 hour mark where it began to slowly lower and returned to normal after refeeding.

    If I recall correctly, metabolic rate doesn't slow until about 72 hours, but it would generally not be advisable to fast that long as it would be very demanding on one's body and create a much higher likelihood of having a binge that will destroy any deficit you might have established.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    Options
    rileysowner wrote: »
    suzannesimmons3 wrote: »
    I wouldn't call that intermittent fasting.

    It is. Intermittent fasting can be either every day extending ones overnight fast and establishing one's deficit through eating at a calorie deficit during the smaller eating window one has each day. The other method is fasting once or twice a week from all food, and eating an maintenance on the other days. This sort of Intermittent Fasting establishes one's deficit by the fast time. Usually those fasts are 24 hours, but assuming the OP is healthy, 36 hours once a week and eating at maintenance the other days would be fine.

    IF or 5:2 as you're describing has two very low calorie days, not food free days. That creates the deficit. If someone has maintenance of say 2000 calories, they would be creating a 4000 calorie per week deficit. If their maintenance is 2000 calories that is very likely too big a deficit.

Categories