Adding IF to my plan
1thankful_momma
Posts: 298 Member
I've been fascinated with intermittent fasting for months now. But I never really thought I could do it. After all, I was having a hard enough time just restricting my carbs, how could I just NOT eat.
I read Fung's book and watched a few podcasts and just decided to start doing it a bout a week ago.
I have done a couple 18:6, one 25 and I'm hoping to finish this one that I'm doing now at 36 (currently at 23.5).
I think this is my next step into figuring out and getting a hold of the mental/emotional aspects of food/eating.
It is easier than I thought it would be and I'm already seeing results on the scale and in inches.
Any other IF people out there that can share any tips/tricks?
I read Fung's book and watched a few podcasts and just decided to start doing it a bout a week ago.
I have done a couple 18:6, one 25 and I'm hoping to finish this one that I'm doing now at 36 (currently at 23.5).
I think this is my next step into figuring out and getting a hold of the mental/emotional aspects of food/eating.
It is easier than I thought it would be and I'm already seeing results on the scale and in inches.
Any other IF people out there that can share any tips/tricks?
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Replies
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Depends on your goal. For fat loss/body recomposition goals, IF isn't exactly a great tool unless you're just planning to catabolize as much mass as you can. For therapeutic reasons of trying to address a health symptom, it might be beneficial, but it's the refeed after the fast that actually repairs and enhances the metabolic pathways.
Other than that, IF is just a fancy way of restricting meal timing to ideally reduce calorie intake by forcing you to eat your macros within a time period. It can be helpful for calorie restriction but can also train someone to binge eat in a short amount of time. It's a really nuanced concept. If it's helping you and you're seeing benefits then carry on. The only tip I have is to make sure you're eating as well as you're fasting and to keep electrolytes up.0 -
The refeed is very important. You don't want to combine IF with calorie restriction on an ongoing basis. Especially longer fasts beyond 16-18 hours or so.
As far as catabolizing lean mass, the people at Ketogains , whom I trust know what they're talking about generally say that IF of 12-16 hours doesn't pose much risk but going beyond that does.5 -
I've been 16:8 for a long time...I love it, makes life so much easier and seemed to totally fix my hypoglycemia issues...6
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16:8 fits my tendency to skip breakfast--but I think I am one of those people who must have only water, so as not to break my fast. #1 I do enjoy my watered-down lattes, but because they have 1/4c whole milk it's a food and not hydration. #2 I concur with the electrolyte guidance. I supplement with 1/2tsp coarse himalyan salt throughout the day--even while fasting. #3 I think that there is something to Fung's "two compartment" analogy, so I a dog walk and HIIT before I eat to burn-off the glycogen storage in my liver. #4 I find it easy to eat all my kcal on 16:8, but at 20:4 I am usually short several hundred calories. #5 I find it easier to make it 20:4 when my fast breaking meal is big. Something about that full feeling seems to stay with me, as oppose to having 2 or 3 equal size meals.3
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I'm experimenting with 14/10, having read that for women this is more beneficial than 16/8. It's too early to tell if this is going to make a difference. I'm struggling to lose the 7 regained pounds of the 26 I lost almost effortlessly two years ago. Zero results after six weeks of doing exactly what worked before is getting me down, so I'm playing around with LC but different.
I have about as much chance of going without oxygen as without breakfast. We already eat our big meal of the day at 2:00 p.m. and I've forgotten how to sleep past 2:30 in the morning so I'm fasting 2 p.m./4:00 a.m. We'll see how it goes.2 -
I reached my goal weight shortly after adding in extended fasts, over 24 hrs., up to 108 hrs long.
I had been IFing for a few months, I felt great, but the weight was very slow to come off. Extending the fasts really kicked my weight loss into gear.6 -
I do IF variously 16:8, 18:6, 20:4. I mix it up to keep my body guessing. I disagree what was stated above that it's only good for calorie restriction as I believe the science shows it helps heal insulin resistance by reducing the number of hours your body has to be processing foods.
I plan to do longer fasts in the future (48-72 hours) to boost my metabolism & promote autophagy.
There's a lot of great fasting info out there & I read every bit I can to know all about the science and the personal experiences which helps me understand what to expect.10 -
I also read Dr Fung's books and listen to Jimmy Moore's podcasts! Glad to know others are into IF! I'm just starting with keto /LCHF and IF. I've experimented with 16:8 and 20:4 and I did one 24hour fast. It's easier for me when I eat keto and the macros right where I've eaten enough fat. I don't believe I've achieved ketosis yet, as I've haven't consistently had my carbs at <20g. I decided that I would just start and do my best and keep tweaking. But, I like IF. Fung makes so much sense. I care a lot about getting insulin resistance under control. I believe that getting hormones under control is the key.
I was just thinking today that I need to purchase a blood glucose and ketone meter to track my results. I'd like to know how IF is affecting my insulin.
Some really great posts on this subject!
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There's an Intermittent Fasting forum as well. Kirkor who has been a LCer on here for a while is also a member. I generally do 16:8 with two meals in that 8 - one large, one smaller. Sometimes I do 24 or longer but not that often as I want to have a nice meal at dinner time with my husband. He works days and I work night shift.3
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@LizinLowell do you have any links or can you suggest books or something that discuss fasting and autophagy? I'm really interested in that particular aspect but I don't know where to begin. Thanks!1
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@Steph_Maks I feel like I've only just started scratching the surface! But Jason Fung & Megan Ramos are my gurus. You probably already know but just to post a reference Jason's blog is: https://intensivedietarymanagement.com
I haven't read his book specifically about fasting yet, The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628600012/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdo_tknAzbY8H4CYK
Because I'm reading The Obesity Code first, but this is on my list. Also any videos you search of Fung discussing diabetes & obesity have his thoughts on fasting as well.
And http://ketogenicforums.com has a whole section on fasting with science links & also personal accounts I find very helpful.
Good luck & feel free to keep me posted & check in if you like.4 -
Thank you @LizinLowell!1
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Ditto to LizinLowell's suggestion of the complete guide to fasting book. Also the ketogenicforum.com community is great they even self funded a ketofestival in New London Ct that is happening tomorrow. The 2ketodudes podcast has some great interviews about fasting, keto and cholesterol etc. I highly recommend you listen to them. And this link is informative on why some people find fasting easier than others.
http://blog.2keto.com/why-fasting-is-easier-for-some-people/3 -
canadjineh wrote: »There's an Intermittent Fasting forum as well. @kirkor who has been a LCer on here for a while is also a member.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/discussions/49-intermittent-fasting
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Thanks, @kirkor . Have joined!0
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I do 18:6. What helps me is to make the first meal (mine's around noon) soup. I make 3 cups of chicken broth with lots of cabbage/onion/kale. It fills me up for about 2 hours, and then I still have calories for a couple of decently large meals between 2-6.1
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canadjineh wrote: »There's an Intermittent Fasting forum as well. @kirkor who has been a LCer on here for a while is also a member.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/discussions/49-intermittent-fasting
Thanks, I was on my tablet at work at the time and couldn't link
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I read The Complete Guide to Fasting over the weekend, it was very interesting. I've been doing a 16:8 or 14:10 IF for quite a while now, it's sort of my default. But now I'm excited to try an extended fast, 48 or 72 hours.
The only hang-up for me is they say not to use zero-cal water-flavouring (Mio, etc) and that might be a deal-breaker. I can drink coffee or tea unsweetened, but I can't drink 'plain' water. I'm going to re-read a few pertinent chapters to remind myself why he frowns on the water flavourings.0 -
I think, in a nutshell, it's because they're full of 6rap.Steph_Maks wrote: »I read The Complete Guide to Fasting over the weekend, it was very interesting. I've been doing a 16:8 or 14:10 IF for quite a while now, it's sort of my default. But now I'm excited to try an extended fast, 48 or 72 hours.
The only hang-up for me is they say not to use zero-cal water-flavouring (Mio, etc) and that might be a deal-breaker. I can drink coffee or tea unsweetened, but I can't drink 'plain' water. I'm going to re-read a few pertinent chapters to remind myself why he frowns on the water flavourings.
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AlexandraCarlyle wrote: »I think, in a nutshell, it's because they're full of 6rap.
Lol indeed!
The two things I got from re-reading this morning was that artificial sweeteners can trigger hunger responses, and the 'water enhancers' are full of chemicals which go against the 'detoxifying spirit' of a fast.
Speaking just for myself alone, the 'detoxifying spirit of a fast' sounds like at least 50% woo to me, and I'll trade the risk of a hunger response against the risk of dehydration I'd face if I wasn't drinking water at all. 1
