Talk to me about Intermittent Fasting...
run2forty
Posts: 9 Member
I recently have switched to a Whole30/Paleo type eating plan and no longer track calories. However, my weight has plateaued at the exact same spot it has every time I have attempted to lose in my adult life.
I need to lose 8-10 more pounds and would be thrilled ultimately to lose a total of 15 more but the scale will not move!
Been looking at Intermittent Fasting, particularly 16/8.
Just curious if anyone has had any luck using it to break through plateaus? Thoughts? Suggestions for a total newbie when it comes to IF?
Let me hear it all! Thanks.
I need to lose 8-10 more pounds and would be thrilled ultimately to lose a total of 15 more but the scale will not move!
Been looking at Intermittent Fasting, particularly 16/8.
Just curious if anyone has had any luck using it to break through plateaus? Thoughts? Suggestions for a total newbie when it comes to IF?
Let me hear it all! Thanks.
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Replies
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Can you try tracking your Whole 30/Paleo before making another big change? Eating "clean" or fasting periodically only helps if it creates a calorie deficit. Your diet may be really healthful but if you're not losing, it's just the calorie count.5
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I wouldn't say you are at a plateau, you're just eating to maintain. If you want to lose weight, consider tracking so you can eat at a deficit. IF will only result in weight loss if it puts you at a deficit. Lots of people have had success with it, but when I tried it (before I began counting calories), it didn't result in a weight loss for me.4
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I IF 17/7. It works well. But it is also exercise coupled with IF that works the best. I exercise while in fast so my body has nothing new, it depletes old stores. Most i have before 1pm is bcaas so the body knows to take the fat storage.6
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I know y'all are probably right. I actually switched my eating to get away from calorie counting bc I wasn't losing and had been a calorie counter for years on and off. Lost 7 lbs and now "stuck" again.
Maybe the combination of the two is what I will have to do.2 -
I IF 17/7. It works well. But it is also exercise coupled with IF that works the best. I exercise while in fast so my body has nothing new, it depletes old stores. Most i have before 1pm is bcaas so the body knows to take the fat storage.
During your 7 hour window do you eat less calories than you would not doing IF?0 -
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I IF 17/7. It works well. But it is also exercise coupled with IF that works the best. I exercise while in fast so my body has nothing new, it depletes old stores. Most i have before 1pm is bcaas so the body knows to take the fat storage.
During your 7 hour window do you eat less calories than you would not doing IF?
IF or not, you would need to eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight. In other words, following a 16:8 (or any length window of eating) doesn't allow you to eat more calories and still lose weight. The eating window protocols of IF are not inherently weight loss tools, you still need to restrict overall calories5 -
I do an easier version. 12-hour fast. I eat dinner and stop eating for the night.3
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I do 16:8 fasting. It's a better way to eat for me personally. When switching eating patterns, I kept my calorie goal the same. You will lose weight with a calorie deficit. And those last 10 lbs will be the toughest. IF alone will not get you there. My solution for you is to resume counting calories, buy a food scale to ensure accurate intake tracking. And have patience.
ETA: Grammar3 -
I've done various IF protocols over the past 5 years and use 16:8IF as part of my maintenance plan. 16:8IF is not a weight loss plan in itself though, it's just an eating window. You still need to be at the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals, in order to lose weight.4
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If you only have 8-10 pounds to lose, it's going to be about meticulous logging. Full Stop.
Keep good records.
Vanity weight is difficult, but with patience you can figure it out. It's still about caloriescaloriescalories.
There is no magic to IF, there's no special fat-burning woo that happens. It's just an eating schedule. You still have to be under calories.6 -
Others have already acknowledged IF not being a magical fix, so I'll just share my experience.
For years, like all of my high school and college years, I did 16:8 without realizing it was a thing. Just never cared for breakfast foods and wasn't hungry.
Now that my job is a bit more demanding, and I'm not someone that can run fasted in the morning, I don't follow it as much anymore. However, what I have found in my personal experience, is that when my hunger is starting to get naggingly annoying despite correct macros, I switch to IF for a month or so at a time. Something is more appeasing to my mind about being able to eat more in a short time span, especially because I'm a grazer versus someone that likes big meals. So I'm less worrisome about making sure I'm not eating too much because I don't have early morning calories to worry about, leaving the afternoon and night open for me when I'm more awake and active.
Obviously this is just anecdotal and my personal experience on it, but that feeling of not being as restricted is nice, even if I'm in a calorie deficit. But it should be noted that I track calories throughout, which obviously has been suggested you restart if you are plateauing.2 -
I recently have switched to a Whole30/Paleo type eating plan and no longer track calories. However, my weight has plateaued at the exact same spot it has every time I have attempted to lose in my adult life.
I need to lose 8-10 more pounds and would be thrilled ultimately to lose a total of 15 more but the scale will not move!
Been looking at Intermittent Fasting, particularly 16/8.
Just curious if anyone has had any luck using it to break through plateaus? Thoughts? Suggestions for a total newbie when it comes to IF?
Let me hear it all! Thanks.
so you stopped tracking calories and what to know why you are plateauing?
the solution to your problem is to go back to weighing and logging all your food...5 -
I recently have switched to a Whole30/Paleo type eating plan and no longer track calories. However, my weight has plateaued at the exact same spot it has every time I have attempted to lose in my adult life.
I need to lose 8-10 more pounds and would be thrilled ultimately to lose a total of 15 more but the scale will not move!
Been looking at Intermittent Fasting, particularly 16/8.
Just curious if anyone has had any luck using it to break through plateaus? Thoughts? Suggestions for a total newbie when it comes to IF?
Let me hear it all! Thanks.
so you stopped tracking calories and what to know why you are plateauing?
the solution to your problem is to go back to weighing and logging all your food...
I did stop tracking and actually lost 7lbs just by switching my eating, even without tracking calories. It has only been the last 6 weeks that I plateaued again. Was just hoping there was something other than going back to tracking calories that would get the scale moving again.
From the overwhelming response here... I guess not
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I've lost 160 pounds tracking the amount of time I stay in a fasted state.
I don't track calories or weigh my food. I eat until I feel a full sensation then stop.
I generally eat only once a day and sometimes do an extended fast of several days or more.
Fasting has broken my plateau's every time.
Spend more time in a fasted state, eat less often, you'll lose weight.
Start with 16/8 but that will only get you so far, once that is easy go further with it.7 -
I have been doing 16:8 for a few weeks. I have not been tracking calories. About the same time I increased my physical activity (from practically none to 1 or 2 miles most days). I have consistently lost weight (up to almost 10 lbs). I expect I will plateau at some point. I will then do a 5:2 (or 6:1) on top of this. That is to say on one or two days I will reduce my caloric intake to approx. 500 calories. To be honest the 16:8 just reduces the time I have to think about food. It also means when I get to that point when I have to track calories to lose weight, I'll only have to do it for 8 hours.
Also note, I'm overweight so it is probably easier for me to loose weight than someone who is close to their goal weight.
One side benefit I've anecdotally noticed is a reduction in overall joint pain. Not sure if IF has helped with some inflammation issues I was having (purported benefit of IF) or what.
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I had a 4 month plateau until I discovered intermittent fasting! It works for me super well. I still keep an eye on my calories but pay more attention to carbs and sugar now. I eat breakfast at 12 then supper at 5ish. Other than that nothing other than green tea and water. If I'm starving in between I'll have some veggies. Feel free to add me or message me if you have any questions
good luck! 1 -
I tried 14/10 breakfast/dinner, skipping lunch at work, for a few weeks. Then I naturally started skipping breakfast. Now I only eat once a day and I'm never hungry during the day. I've done that about a month. I stopped counting calories or weighing my food, but it's easy for me to continue losing weight with just one meal a day - can't help eating fewer calories because I'm not hungry so I don't stuff myself at dinner or snack at all. I'm actually kind of shocked about it. Barely eating any carbs helps I'm sure.0
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Thanks for this thread. I just started intermittent fasting and am starting out by attempting two to three 24-hour fasts/week (I'm not working right now, so that makes it easier as I can avoid being around people if I'm hangry!). Yesterday was my first 24-hour day and it was ok...I kept myself busy cleaning, doing yardwork, watching a bit of TV etc. I was hungry, but could tolerate it. From what I understand, I should feel less hungry once my body gets used to fasting a few times each week.
My weight has been stalled for months and I already eat quite healthily and most days somewhere between 1,200-1,500 calories, so I've been at a loss for how to break the plateau.
Anyway, it's good to read about what others are experiencing.0 -
None of those plans tell you how many cals to eat, and number of cals coming in is the single most important factor in why you will or won't lose weight. I don't care when you eat the cals, how clean they are, etc etc. If calorie counting isn't working for you, then count more closely and/or reduce the number of cals.
You can't avoid cals in vs cals out. You just can't.
But to your question, IF simply dictates when you eat and when you fast. You can still eat a gajillion calories in your feed window and end up gaining weight in a hurry (ask me how I know). Or you can count cals, keep your intake in check, and lose weight. But in that case it's not the eating/fasting that will cause you to lose, it's the overall deficit.4 -
None of those plans tell you how many cals to eat, and number of cals coming in is the single most important factor in why you will or won't lose weight. I don't care when you eat the cals, how clean they are, etc etc. If calorie counting isn't working for you, then count more closely and/or reduce the number of cals.
You can't avoid cals in vs cals out. You just can't.
But to your question, IF simply dictates when you eat and when you fast. You can still eat a gajillion calories in your feed window and end up gaining weight in a hurry (ask me how I know). Or you can count cals, keep your intake in check, and lose weight. But in that case it's not the eating/fasting that will cause you to lose, it's the overall deficit.
I agree. I am now using IF because I count my macros and do carb cycling meaning that to control my carb intake for some days it is easier if I do a 16/8 because than I can eat normal and stay inside my macro limits. And that works.
I am a big guy and I could do IF and still gain weight. I could just in one meal eat what your body needs for two days if I wanted. People that loose weight without counting are just lucky they don't eat that much.0 -
kaotik2003 wrote: »None of those plans tell you how many cals to eat, and number of cals coming in is the single most important factor in why you will or won't lose weight. I don't care when you eat the cals, how clean they are, etc etc. If calorie counting isn't working for you, then count more closely and/or reduce the number of cals.
You can't avoid cals in vs cals out. You just can't.
But to your question, IF simply dictates when you eat and when you fast. You can still eat a gajillion calories in your feed window and end up gaining weight in a hurry (ask me how I know). Or you can count cals, keep your intake in check, and lose weight. But in that case it's not the eating/fasting that will cause you to lose, it's the overall deficit.
I agree. I am now using IF because I count my macros and do carb cycling meaning that to control my carb intake for some days it is easier if I do a 16/8 because than I can eat normal and stay inside my macro limits. And that works.
I am a big guy and I could do IF and still gain weight. I could just in one meal eat what your body needs for two days if I wanted. People that loose weight without counting are just lucky they don't eat that much.
We aren't lucky (at least not all). We have found a way to eat and remain in a calorie deficit without stress or worry. It's usually taken an evolving process to get here with some trial and error.1 -
kaotik2003 wrote: »None of those plans tell you how many cals to eat, and number of cals coming in is the single most important factor in why you will or won't lose weight. I don't care when you eat the cals, how clean they are, etc etc. If calorie counting isn't working for you, then count more closely and/or reduce the number of cals.
You can't avoid cals in vs cals out. You just can't.
But to your question, IF simply dictates when you eat and when you fast. You can still eat a gajillion calories in your feed window and end up gaining weight in a hurry (ask me how I know). Or you can count cals, keep your intake in check, and lose weight. But in that case it's not the eating/fasting that will cause you to lose, it's the overall deficit.
I agree. I am now using IF because I count my macros and do carb cycling meaning that to control my carb intake for some days it is easier if I do a 16/8 because than I can eat normal and stay inside my macro limits. And that works.
I am a big guy and I could do IF and still gain weight. I could just in one meal eat what your body needs for two days if I wanted. People that loose weight without counting are just lucky they don't eat that much.
We aren't lucky (at least not all). We have found a way to eat and remain in a calorie deficit without stress or worry. It's usually taken an evolving process to get here with some trial and error.
True, that is what I am learning now. After I reach my goal I will use the knowledge gained these months to bulk for muscle growth or for maintenance.0 -
You could do a 24 hr fast once a week (after dinner one night until a later dinner the next or some version of that) but this will only work if you don't then gorge the next day and eat 2x as many calories. If you keep your calories the same the other days it can help. Read Eat Stop Eat. I do this occasionally and it works for me and I am not hungry during the day and get full at dinner pretty quickly.0
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