How is intermittent fasting working for you?

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Phattothickfit98
Phattothickfit98 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have heard about intermittent fasting and I have started. How is it working for you &what are your goals?

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  • jdlobb
    jdlobb Posts: 1,232 Member
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    Once I figured out the right intervals it has been incredibly effective at helping me stay under my daily calorie limits without feeling excessively hungry.
  • timtam163
    timtam163 Posts: 500 Member
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    It worked for me for a while, but sometimes I find it harder to stay within my calorie goals if I do it too extreme. I started with 16:8 but now I do more 14:10 or 12:12; basically I try to push breakfast back a bit and not snack late at night. But sometimes it's 1 am and I'm hungry, you know... :) I'm not too strict about it. And certain times of my cycle it's easier than others.
  • orlybayu
    orlybayu Posts: 125 Member
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    I did 20:4 and found that gave me stomach pains. I now do 19:5 with slightly less pain, but still some from high leptin levels. Anything over 6 hours is too big of a window for me. Good results so far!
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
    edited September 2017
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    I've lost 45-lbs doing mostly a 20:4 routine with one splurge day a week. I eat ad libitum in the four hour eating window. I also maintined for a year after getting that off mostly doing a 16:8 routine. I find I need to eat a low carb lunch like a large salad and then the 16:8 will work for me for maintenance and I won't gain. If I eat whatever for lunch I will gain. I find I need to do 20:4 to lose. Everyone is different. I would start out easy like 16:8 and see if that is working for you (make your lunch a low carb big salad that will fill you up but don't put too much oil or cheese or other high calorie stuff in it). When you get used to that, try going about an 18:6. After that it starts getting harder for most I think. I like IF cause I get to eat tell full. Also, once I start eating, I tend to keep eating so if I start early, I will almost surely overeat. It has been a very good thing for me. Good luck!

    See the following forums:
    OMAD - one meal a day
    5:2
    Intermittent Fasting
  • amynrichie7075
    amynrichie7075 Posts: 2 Member
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    I'm doing 16:8. I work 12 hour night shifts (3 a week.) On my "home" days, I eat from noon-8pm. On my work days,I will eat from 4pm-12am.
    That leaves a minimum fast of 12 hours if I don't work the next night. It's been working very well. If I get hungry before noon, I have coffee, or just try to get busy enough to forget about it.
    I've lost 9 pounds the first month. I do still track my food, and sometimes have a hard time getting at least 1200 calories in. I find it much easier to stay under my calorie goal since I've limited the hours that I can eat.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    5:2 helped me stick to my weekly calorie goal while losing weight.

    Tried 16:8 at maintenance but didn't like the feeling of being restricted by rules so stopped.

    These days I just skip breakfast when I want or need to cut a few calories or eat breakfast when I want or need to eat breakfast.

    Overall I think it's worth a person experimenting with different eating patterns, you may learn something about yourself and your relationship to food, eating habits and even hunger signals.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    My goal is weight maintenance, normal fitness, overall good health, and happiness. I've landed on three meals a day 3-4 hours apart, but it's meal structure and not meal timing that is important for me. I can easily wait hours for breakfast, and it's easy to wait for the other meals, too, after I realized that doing so does not "wreck havoc on my metabolism" or make me want to binge later. In fact, it's flexible and relaxing to just eat when I want to eat and I have time to eat and the meal is ready. Brain surgery and air traffic need precision and tight control, no slipups are ever okay. Nutrition for healthy adults has a lot more leeway. Overanalyzing hunger and satiety signals and trying to have perfect meals and finding the perfect meal timing gets tedious in the end.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    edited September 2017
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    It's fine. It's an easy way for me to control calories. I find I can eat lunch and Dinner and stay within calorie goal pretty effortlesslessy when I'm not eating anything until lunchtime every day...
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    It's ok. It lines up fairly well with how I eat during the week anyways, so it's not a big leap for me. The big problelm I have is keeping my intake in check. Seems I can over eat in the evening just like I can when I'm eating throughout the day.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    It really helps me staying within my calories but the hunger in the morning can suck and sometimes I just don't feel well enough to workout as well... I've been trying for 2 weeks and I'm not sure it's going to work out for me, lol.
  • Housedominic
    Housedominic Posts: 3 Member
    edited September 2017
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    Ive tried 16:8 years ago and for me anything more messes up with my period. But this time around im having issues with coffee. What are y'all drinking during the fasting window? Just water and black coffee? I really miss my creamer :'(
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
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    Housedominic wrote: »
    Ive tried 16:8 years ago and for me anything more messes up with my period. But this time around im having issues with coffee. What are y'all drinking during the fasting window? Just water and black coffee? I really miss my creamer :'(

    Water and no coffee. Coffee isn't necessary.
  • AMV91
    AMV91 Posts: 86 Member
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    16:8 -

    I haven't been reducing my calories (almost 6 weeks postpartum) but I've been logging to see where I'm at. I've been eating around 12-2pm and stopping at 8-10pm. Normally its two large meals and a snack. I mostly drink water until my feeding window, but I will have a coffee with cream and one sugar if I really need it, I don't sweat it, its like 40 calories.

    What I've noticed is I am much less hungry now and because I'm eating two larger meals, I'm full until it's time to eat again, I'm not thinking about food 24/7 so thats lovely. Most of this week I have been under my calories, not trying but just full.

    I'm only using IF as a way to manage calories, I don't know why I never thought to just eat less but bigger meals then lots of very small meals.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Housedominic wrote: »
    Ive tried 16:8 years ago and for me anything more messes up with my period.
    How can this be? Were you undereating? Underweight?
    But this time around im having issues with coffee. What are y'all drinking during the fasting window? Just water and black coffee? I really miss my creamer :'(
    Water, black tea, black coffee, herbal tea. But you don't have to drink your coffee black. How many calories is one serving of creamer? Can't you make room for that? Or can ordinary milk be an acceptable substitute?
  • needstobefit15
    needstobefit15 Posts: 119 Member
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    I have been thinking about doing fasting. I guess all of you made it easier to make the decision. I will do more research. I do have one question while fasting can you drink crystal light in your water
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    needstobefit15 wrote: »
    I have been thinking about doing fasting. I guess all of you made it easier to make the decision. I will do more research. I do have one question while fasting can you drink crystal light in your water
    If something has no calories, you are not breaking your fast drinking it.

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