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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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 -
I read an article that mentions an 'insulin response' to sweeteners even if there isn't an impact to blood glucose.
Baby steps. One day I'll work up to a water only fast, until then I'll do as few of the 'aids' as I can.2 -
Ya, I think fake sugars are ok if you tolerate them well. They may cause an insulin response, but so can stomach stretching itself (like, from drinking plain water) ... we need more good human trials to really know for sure. If artificial sweetners help you through the fasting period, whether it's diet soda or Mio drops or whatever, I think that's an okay thing. If you find you still have cravings for food even after some weeks under your chosen IF protocol, then maybe try cutting back on the AS.6
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This podcast addresses the artificial sweetener issue, it names stevia but the research he talks about includes the others as well. It is just stevia is the darling of cooks who have to have sweetened treats.
https://www.ketovangelist.com/episode-114-dr-bruce-fife-makes-the-case-against-stevia/
Steph_Maks, In one of his talks, can't remember which one, there are so many I have heard now. Fung mentions it is okay to squeeze lemon or lime into your water, or even a sprig of mint. This really helps if you get bored with plain water. You can also do teas made from herbs or spices like ginger to mix up the flavoring a bit. Fung is big on cinnamon, so a stick of it in water might be worth a try?2 -
Aren't we all doing some form of IF, anyway? We eat dinner abiut 5:30 here because we have small children, then I don't get a chance to eat breakfast till about 11am the next day. Never considered it fasting. I have to take the eldest to school, the next one to kindy (preschool), then the baby and I go for a walk so she can have a nap, and I work from home selling lego so that has to get done before I eat.2
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getfitchelle wrote: »Aren't we all doing some form of IF, anyway? We eat dinner abiut 5:30 here because we have small children, then I don't get a chance to eat breakfast till about 11am the next day. Never considered it fasting. I have to take the eldest to school, the next one to kindy (preschool), then the baby and I go for a walk so she can have a nap, and I work from home selling lego so that has to get done before I eat.
I fast between meals, but really don't IF at all because I eat early and late due to liking to eat at home and my schedule -- 6, 12, and 9-10, usually, which means I fast as long between lunch and dinner (often more) as between dinner and breakfast. I do think this is weird, though! ;-)
For me I think the benefit of IF would be not thinking about food for a period of time, just taking it off the table, which is similar to my benefit from not snacking.
I have considered trying it, but lunch is really the meal I care about least, it would be sad to me to skip breakfast or dinner although I don't think very hard once I got in the habit.
I've been intrigued by protocols like ADF and 5:2, but can't seem to get myself to actually do them.0 -
I'm doing okay with my 14/10 plan, although no dramatic changes have occurred yet.
I'm a frequent visitor on Pinterest. If you go there yourself, you'll already know that the ideas you find there are the good, the dubious and the truly awful. In the latter category, while reading about IF I came across a novel notion: a seven day water fast. Yes, a full week of absolutely nothing but H2O. It's a pretty good bet that any regimen is a bad idea if inflicting it on someone else would result in criminal charges.0 -
@mandycat223 In the LCHF fasting community there are plenty of folks who derive great benefits from water only fasts of various durations.1
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mandycat223 wrote: »I'm doing okay with my 14/10 plan, although no dramatic changes have occurred yet.
I'm a frequent visitor on Pinterest. If you go there yourself, you'll already know that the ideas you find there are the good, the dubious and the truly awful. In the latter category, while reading about IF I came across a novel notion: a seven day water fast. Yes, a full week of absolutely nothing but H2O. It's a pretty good bet that any regimen is a bad idea if inflicting it on someone else would result in criminal charges.LizinLowell wrote: »@mandycat223 In the LCHF fasting community there are plenty of folks who derive great benefits from water only fasts of various durations.
Yes, quite a few years ago, I did a 9-day water-only fast. It felt a little uncomfortable because then, I didn't know about sodium, electrolytes and maintaining minerals, so the headaches lasted a bit longer than they would today. But it did me no harm.
We can actually comfortably tolerate an abstinence from food for around 2 weeks. With American/European dietary habits being what the are today, that's probably extended now!
Water? In our Western, '1st World' environment, going without water for more than 2 days will seriously affect our whole system and cut down the function of vital organs. Effects are felt after only 6 hours, much fewer in hot weather.... There are sectors of the human race who have adapted, according to availability....But don't for one instant assume they're not suffering...
Going without breathing for longer than 4 minutes can result in brain damage or even death.
So keep breathing, and drink.
That's MY advice!
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Interesting article on fasting:
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/49462/title/Running-on-Empty/1 -
I've been struggling with eating at a deficit lately. I would eat 5-6 small meals, totaling 1550 calories. And it worked in the beginning because I was not used to eating so often. But as I got accustomed to the schedule, I started getting hungry. My small meals did not satisfy me and I would end up binging once or twice a week. I decided to try IF 16:8 today and surprisingly... it's not as bad as I thought it would be. Had black coffee and didn't eat until 1:30. Had a decent sized meal for lunch. Got home and had another large meal. And had another very filling extra peanut buttery protein shake. I'm happy how I'm not left feeling restricted. I will try this eating schedule for this week and see if it's something I can stick with.6
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