Intermittent Fasting for Serious Weight Loss!!! Has anyone tried it?
derick337
Posts: 67 Member
Does it work and do you recommend?
0
Replies
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It works if it helps keep you in a deficit, since you have a smaller time frame that you consume calories in8
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I did alternate day IF for my weight loss phase and it worked well for me, because it made it easier for me to achieve the calorie deficit I needed to hit my weight loss targets. Since then I've used 16:8IF as part of my maintenance plan.
For some people it's a great tool, but it's not for everyone.4 -
Calorie deficit works for weight loss. IF might work for you if it works for you - how do you feel when you don't eat for hours at a time?3
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I find the idea of not eating for hours and hours at a time quite unpleasant, but then, plenty of people would probably find my "eat every hour or two" pattern completely unsustainable. Whatever works, works.6
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It works great for me because I was a very bad night eater, eating the wrong stuff after im Suppose to be in bed. Cereal. Cookies. If there was cake, a bite of cake everytime I got up to pee. Half asleep and id wake up to have fudge mint cookies, chewing, half asleep in my bed ,Oh man I was bad lol.This gives me structure. I like to feel like im able to stay focused on the plan. I usually eat between 9-10:30. But the earlier I eat ,the earlier I stop eating. It used to be 10:30 -7:30. But now school for the kids started, so im eating a bit after 9am and stopping about 6 pm. For me since I wasn't very active, i have a bit more of a chance to burn some calories off, by cleaning up the toys , doing dishes ,laundry, going downstairs to take out the daily trash or check the mail. Sorry rambling. I just really love intermittent fasting for the structure of it. Makes you feel in control of your life. Sort of . hope you're doing well.4
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Eating one hour, one meal, fasting 23 hours is very satisfying for me.2
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I eat only 2 times a day and have snack of cut veggies between those meals. I can not imaging to prepare and eat 4,5 or 6 times a day. How much time people have? But with 2 meals a day I have time for work, play, visiting places, talk to freinds, do exercise. How in a world u can exercise after meal?
My work out can happen only on empty or almost empty stomach.3 -
@livingleanlivingclean I normally eat 2 meals a day but I also snack because I hear it's good to keep your metabolism going. When I snack its normally fruit or vegetables.12
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@livingleanlivingclean I normally eat 2 meals a day but I also snack because I hear it's good to keep your metabolism going. When I snack its normally fruit or vegetables.
Your metabolism is going 24/7/365 until you die15 -
I would try three meals with no snacks in between for a while before trying IF. For a lot of people, giving up snacks is really difficult. I'm not saying 3 meals is ideal for you or for everyone, but if you want to do IF, it would be a way to ease into it.0
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@malibu927 I know that. What I meant is that I heard that snacking in between meals can boost metabolism. Is this true or just a myth?6
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@livingleanlivingclean I normally eat 2 meals a day but I also snack because I hear it's good to keep your metabolism going. When I snack its normally fruit or vegetables.
Your dietitian wife should nip that myth in the bud
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@christine_72 childish but what ever floats your boat. You know you don't have to comment on my post.1
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Which protocol are you using? 16:8 & other "window" types aren't really weight loss centered, they are merely a schedule. One can gain, maintain or lose depending on their food intake.
5:2 and ADF are more focused as a weight loss protocol. If you can adhere to them, they will work. I think 5:2 is a great tool for weight loss using a fasting strategy.5 -
@malibu927 I know that. What I meant is that I heard that snacking in between meals can boost metabolism. Is this true or just a myth?
Malibu answered your question.3 -
IF is an eating style, nothing more. it wont magically mean you lose weight, you just need a calorie deficit for that.9
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IF is definitely recommended based on my experience. Calorie deficit isn't quite enough for some people (like me) who struggle for various health reasons. IF is a way to get more than just CICO which is too simplistic an approach for me personally.
But give it a try. You have to find out what works for YOU as people can be a bit different. What works for one might not work as well for another.
And also try to do more research yourself (For example medical studies that have been published) rather than just rely on what I or anyone else on here says
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@malibu927 I know that. What I meant is that I heard that snacking in between meals can boost metabolism. Is this true or just a myth?
Personally I avoid snacking as there are other side effects that go with it, so on balance I avoid it. But others may argue otherwise. Again, try it for yourself and see what works best for you.3 -
I eat only 2 times a day and have snack of cut veggies between those meals. I can not imaging to prepare and eat 4,5 or 6 times a day. How much time people have? But with 2 meals a day I have time for work, play, visiting places, talk to freinds, do exercise. How in a world u can exercise after meal?
My work out can happen only on empty or almost empty stomach.
You can state your eating frequency preferences without having to subtly put down those who eat more frequently. For the record, I only eat two to three times per day for the most part but those who choose to eat more frequently probably aren't preparing elaborate meals 4-6 times per day.
For them, their first meal may be coffee and oatmeal, second baby carrots with hummus, third greek yogurt with fruit, fourth a protein bar, fifth a formal dinner like chicken breast, broccoli, and potatoes, then the sixth is two cookies and some tea. Smaller meals more frequently. It doesn't work for everyone but some people prefer to eat this way or need to for blood sugar management.
None of that is really time consuming. I'd imagine for people working desk jobs it's easy to eat while working. I often have to multitask when eating which is why it can take me an hour to even finish a meal sometimes. Every person is different.14 -
Maxematics wrote: »I eat only 2 times a day and have snack of cut veggies between those meals. I can not imaging to prepare and eat 4,5 or 6 times a day. How much time people have? But with 2 meals a day I have time for work, play, visiting places, talk to freinds, do exercise. How in a world u can exercise after meal?
My work out can happen only on empty or almost empty stomach.
You can state your eating frequency preferences without having to subtly put down those who eat more frequently. For the record, I only eat two to three times per day for the most part but those who choose to eat more frequently probably aren't preparing elaborate meals 4-6 times per day.
For them, their first meal may be coffee and oatmeal, second baby carrots with hummus, third greek yogurt with fruit, fourth a protein bar, fifth a formal dinner like chicken breast, broccoli, and potatoes, then the sixth is two cookies and some tea. Smaller meals more frequently. It doesn't work for everyone but some people prefer to eat this way or need to for blood sugar management.
None of that is really time consuming. I'd imagine for people working desk jobs it's easy to eat while working. I often have to multitask when eating which is why it can take me an hour to even finish a meal sometimes. Every person is different.
Exactly this ^
I eat 3 meals + snacks and have plenty of time for running a self-employed business, running a social club, blogging, socialising and working out. I don't exercise after a meal, I eat late. For me that's easily done with a couple of hours meal prep on a Sunday morning.
Like @Maxematics said we are all different, just because that wouldn't suit you, doesn't mean it won't suit other people.4 -
I may not be the best person to give this advice but getting too concerned with details results in yo-yo dieting and gets you fat again. That's exactly what happened to me XD A calorie-deficit seems more realistic long-term. Either way hopefully it works out for us both 6
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I have eaten up to 7 times per day, now 3, and for me, the difference in number of meals made some really subtle but also quite significant changes: I had to give up some daily variety, but that forces me to plan for more variety from day to day. My appetite awakens when I eat, but I can wait before I eat, so eating fewer but somewhat larger meals is better for me. I don't spend less time preparing or eating food, and I don't spend less time thinking about food, but I spend less time obsessing over food. I used to think exactly like derick337 - I should eat frequently to boost metabolism, and I was afraid that eating too infrequently would make me irritable and weak and cause overeating later. Getting that out of the way was so liberating! I know that I have to eat, and I love to eat, but I don't have to eat all the time - I'm flexible. Having meals just means that there is some structure to my day, and that regular meals are a natural part of that structure. It's a tidy and grownup way to eat. Some might call it discipline. I just call it a good life.Maxematics wrote: »I eat only 2 times a day and have snack of cut veggies between those meals. I can not imaging to prepare and eat 4,5 or 6 times a day. How much time people have? But with 2 meals a day I have time for work, play, visiting places, talk to freinds, do exercise. How in a world u can exercise after meal?
My work out can happen only on empty or almost empty stomach.
You can state your eating frequency preferences without having to subtly put down those who eat more frequently. For the record, I only eat two to three times per day for the most part but those who choose to eat more frequently probably aren't preparing elaborate meals 4-6 times per day.
For them, their first meal may be coffee and oatmeal, second baby carrots with hummus, third greek yogurt with fruit, fourth a protein bar, fifth a formal dinner like chicken breast, broccoli, and potatoes, then the sixth is two cookies and some tea. Smaller meals more frequently. It doesn't work for everyone but some people prefer to eat this way or need to for blood sugar management.
None of that is really time consuming. I'd imagine for people working desk jobs it's easy to eat while working. I often have to multitask when eating which is why it can take me an hour to even finish a meal sometimes. Every person is different.5 -
Yep, all the time, works for me!2
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I do intermittent fasting. I have lost 70lbs in 7 months. The important thing to note is that IF is nothing more than a timing tool that allows people who enjoy bigger meals an easier means of adhering to their calorie goals by shortening their feeding window. It does zero for fat loss. Fat loss comes from a calorie deficit. People use IF for gaining, losing, and maintaining all by calorie manipulation.8
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It works for me, since I'm not a big breakfast eater, I am a 'I'm munchy in the middle of the night' so I now cut that out. Also since I work in a restaurant, I eat my 1 healthier meal almost at the end of my window and I'm not tempted to eat the high calorie goodies.0
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Maxematics wrote: »I eat only 2 times a day and have snack of cut veggies between those meals. I can not imaging to prepare and eat 4,5 or 6 times a day. How much time people have? But with 2 meals a day I have time for work, play, visiting places, talk to freinds, do exercise. How in a world u can exercise after meal?
My work out can happen only on empty or almost empty stomach.
You can state your eating frequency preferences without having to subtly put down those who eat more frequently. For the record, I only eat two to three times per day for the most part but those who choose to eat more frequently probably aren't preparing elaborate meals 4-6 times per day.
For them, their first meal may be coffee and oatmeal, second baby carrots with hummus, third greek yogurt with fruit, fourth a protein bar, fifth a formal dinner like chicken breast, broccoli, and potatoes, then the sixth is two cookies and some tea. Smaller meals more frequently. It doesn't work for everyone but some people prefer to eat this way or need to for blood sugar management.
None of that is really time consuming. I'd imagine for people working desk jobs it's easy to eat while working. I often have to multitask when eating which is why it can take me an hour to even finish a meal sometimes. Every person is different.
Exactly. In the morning I eat a string cheese with my coffee and pack a bento-style lunch as well as a second string cheese. I eat the second string cheese when I get to work around 9, half of my lunch around 11:30 (usually fruit and cheese), the other half around 1:30 (usually meat and veggies), and have a snack of dried fruit or nuts around 3:30. When I get home around 6 I generally have a small snack of cheese and olives while my husband makes dinner, which is usually the only hot meal I eat. We eat around 7:30 and afterward I clean the kitchen. I usually have a snack of something sweet and maybe a beer around 9:30, bed around 11:30. I've lost about 4 pounds so far this month.
So yeah, maybe 10 minutes prep in the morning, about the same measuring out nuts and dried fruit on the weekend, a half hour of cleaning after dinner. Sometimes I pre-chop veggies for the week, but that's not much time either. I walk before work in the morning and over my lunch break (since I'm not eating during it!) for exercise - I've never felt the need to exercise after a meal specifically, unless I'm eating a larger meal than usual, like weekend brunch. My social life is usually on the weekends or after dinner, like many people with 9-5 jobs.1 -
kommodevaran wrote: »
I have eaten up to 7 times per day, now 3, and for me, the difference in number of meals made some really subtle but also quite significant changes: I had to give up some daily variety, but that forces me to plan for more variety from day to day. My appetite awakens when I eat, but I can wait before I eat, so eating fewer but somewhat larger meals is better for me. I don't spend less time preparing or eating food, and I don't spend less time thinking about food, but I spend less time obsessing over food. I used to think exactly like derick337 - I should eat frequently to boost metabolism, and I was afraid that eating too infrequently would make me irritable and weak and cause overeating later. Getting that out of the way was so liberating! I know that I have to eat, and I love to eat, but I don't have to eat all the time - I'm flexible. Having meals just means that there is some structure to my day, and that regular meals are a natural part of that structure. It's a tidy and grownup way to eat. Some might call it discipline. I just call it a good life.Maxematics wrote: »I eat only 2 times a day and have snack of cut veggies between those meals. I can not imaging to prepare and eat 4,5 or 6 times a day. How much time people have? But with 2 meals a day I have time for work, play, visiting places, talk to freinds, do exercise. How in a world u can exercise after meal?
My work out can happen only on empty or almost empty stomach.
You can state your eating frequency preferences without having to subtly put down those who eat more frequently. For the record, I only eat two to three times per day for the most part but those who choose to eat more frequently probably aren't preparing elaborate meals 4-6 times per day.
For them, their first meal may be coffee and oatmeal, second baby carrots with hummus, third greek yogurt with fruit, fourth a protein bar, fifth a formal dinner like chicken breast, broccoli, and potatoes, then the sixth is two cookies and some tea. Smaller meals more frequently. It doesn't work for everyone but some people prefer to eat this way or need to for blood sugar management.
None of that is really time consuming. I'd imagine for people working desk jobs it's easy to eat while working. I often have to multitask when eating which is why it can take me an hour to even finish a meal sometimes. Every person is different.
I had goldfish crackers in my lunch (early afternoon snack?) yesterday. Today I have cocktail weenies.
For reals though, no need to get grumpy about the frequent meal thing just because it didn't work for you. I don't believe any woo about metabolism and I don't spend my time obsessing about food. This just works for me.0 -
I've been doing IF for about 4 weeks and what I know now is that IF suits me and my needs. I've learned that my I do not need to eat so much food like I did before. In addition I believe i have better disciplined myself towards cravings and portioning. Because back then I would eat and eat and eat until my mind was content and my stomach was bloated. Doesn't happen nearly as much as it does now but I am still a work in progress. So i enjoy the process of IF because I am more aware of my body. Lastly i do a 16:8 IF bcuz it fits my schedule. Also workouts or doing something that keeps your mind busy has really helped me with disciplining my cravings.2
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The what now? Frequent meals worked wonderfully for me, I lost fifty pounds eating that way, and I'm not grumpy. I haven't said that you ever got sucked into the metabolism myth, I referred to the OP, and I talked about my own obsession, not yours.MegaMooseEsq wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »
I have eaten up to 7 times per day, now 3, and for me, the difference in number of meals made some really subtle but also quite significant changes: I had to give up some daily variety, but that forces me to plan for more variety from day to day. My appetite awakens when I eat, but I can wait before I eat, so eating fewer but somewhat larger meals is better for me. I don't spend less time preparing or eating food, and I don't spend less time thinking about food, but I spend less time obsessing over food. I used to think exactly like derick337 - I should eat frequently to boost metabolism, and I was afraid that eating too infrequently would make me irritable and weak and cause overeating later. Getting that out of the way was so liberating! I know that I have to eat, and I love to eat, but I don't have to eat all the time - I'm flexible. Having meals just means that there is some structure to my day, and that regular meals are a natural part of that structure. It's a tidy and grownup way to eat. Some might call it discipline. I just call it a good life.Maxematics wrote: »I eat only 2 times a day and have snack of cut veggies between those meals. I can not imaging to prepare and eat 4,5 or 6 times a day. How much time people have? But with 2 meals a day I have time for work, play, visiting places, talk to freinds, do exercise. How in a world u can exercise after meal?
My work out can happen only on empty or almost empty stomach.
You can state your eating frequency preferences without having to subtly put down those who eat more frequently. For the record, I only eat two to three times per day for the most part but those who choose to eat more frequently probably aren't preparing elaborate meals 4-6 times per day.
For them, their first meal may be coffee and oatmeal, second baby carrots with hummus, third greek yogurt with fruit, fourth a protein bar, fifth a formal dinner like chicken breast, broccoli, and potatoes, then the sixth is two cookies and some tea. Smaller meals more frequently. It doesn't work for everyone but some people prefer to eat this way or need to for blood sugar management.
None of that is really time consuming. I'd imagine for people working desk jobs it's easy to eat while working. I often have to multitask when eating which is why it can take me an hour to even finish a meal sometimes. Every person is different.
I had goldfish crackers in my lunch (early afternoon snack?) yesterday. Today I have cocktail weenies.
For reals though, no need to get grumpy about the frequent meal thing just because it didn't work for you. I don't believe any woo about metabolism and I don't spend my time obsessing about food. This just works for me.2 -
kommodevaran wrote: »
The what now? Frequent meals worked wonderfully for me, I lost fifty pounds eating that way, and I'm not grumpy. I haven't said that you ever got sucked into the metabolism myth, I referred to the OP, and I talked about my own obsession, not yours.MegaMooseEsq wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »
I have eaten up to 7 times per day, now 3, and for me, the difference in number of meals made some really subtle but also quite significant changes: I had to give up some daily variety, but that forces me to plan for more variety from day to day. My appetite awakens when I eat, but I can wait before I eat, so eating fewer but somewhat larger meals is better for me. I don't spend less time preparing or eating food, and I don't spend less time thinking about food, but I spend less time obsessing over food. I used to think exactly like derick337 - I should eat frequently to boost metabolism, and I was afraid that eating too infrequently would make me irritable and weak and cause overeating later. Getting that out of the way was so liberating! I know that I have to eat, and I love to eat, but I don't have to eat all the time - I'm flexible. Having meals just means that there is some structure to my day, and that regular meals are a natural part of that structure. It's a tidy and grownup way to eat. Some might call it discipline. I just call it a good life.Maxematics wrote: »I eat only 2 times a day and have snack of cut veggies between those meals. I can not imaging to prepare and eat 4,5 or 6 times a day. How much time people have? But with 2 meals a day I have time for work, play, visiting places, talk to freinds, do exercise. How in a world u can exercise after meal?
My work out can happen only on empty or almost empty stomach.
You can state your eating frequency preferences without having to subtly put down those who eat more frequently. For the record, I only eat two to three times per day for the most part but those who choose to eat more frequently probably aren't preparing elaborate meals 4-6 times per day.
For them, their first meal may be coffee and oatmeal, second baby carrots with hummus, third greek yogurt with fruit, fourth a protein bar, fifth a formal dinner like chicken breast, broccoli, and potatoes, then the sixth is two cookies and some tea. Smaller meals more frequently. It doesn't work for everyone but some people prefer to eat this way or need to for blood sugar management.
None of that is really time consuming. I'd imagine for people working desk jobs it's easy to eat while working. I often have to multitask when eating which is why it can take me an hour to even finish a meal sometimes. Every person is different.
I had goldfish crackers in my lunch (early afternoon snack?) yesterday. Today I have cocktail weenies.
For reals though, no need to get grumpy about the frequent meal thing just because it didn't work for you. I don't believe any woo about metabolism and I don't spend my time obsessing about food. This just works for me.
Well, you did say that eating three meals a day was "tidy and grownup" and that some called it "discipline." I believe the opposite of those words are "messy" "childish" and "undisciplined," which are not exactly big positives. I know you didn't say anything to me in specific - your comment just came across a bit judgmental. My apologies if I misread your tone!
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