Intermittent Fasting

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Thoughts? Experiences? I'm looking for the good, the bad, and the ugly!

It's great in theory but so many nutritionist and trainers are on the fence about it and its success, curious to see others thoughts.

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  • mabearof6
    mabearof6 Posts: 684 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Your eating pattern should be guided by personal preference - what works best for you in terms of satiety/adherence, energy levels and workout performance.

    So much this!

    Everyone is so different. Intermittent Fasting works for me, but not my hubby. You just have to find what works for you. It's not a miracle, it's just an eating schedule.
  • hughjazz74
    hughjazz74 Posts: 64 Member
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    I love IF...feel like it's the only method I could ever stay on long term. I also do the 18 off/6 hours to eat pattern. When I've had success losing before, I've also added in one day (Monday) where you take the calories much lower for just that day. Trying to get back to this now! Good luck to you!
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,344 Member
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    hughjazz74 wrote: »
    I love IF...feel like it's the only method I could ever stay on long term. I also do the 18 off/6 hours to eat pattern. When I've had success losing before, I've also added in one day (Monday) where you take the calories much lower for just that day. Trying to get back to this now! Good luck to you!

    This^^ I am someone who just wants to sit down and eat a lot, and I am usually never very hungry during the day, always at night, so I stopped fighting it and it works great. My workouts are just as good and my energy level is too, I actually feel mentally sharper when I am fasting too.
  • AMV91
    AMV91 Posts: 86 Member
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    I always struggled to eat 6 small meals a day. I was always hungry and just thinking about how am I going to make it to my next snack more or less.

    With IF I eat a 600-800 calories for the first meal, maybe a 300 calorie snack, and then a 700-900 calorie last meal. I am full and happy and not thinking about food until its time to make more. I never really liked eating first thing when I wake up so fasting until noon is very easy for me. I also do really well with imposed (self or otherwise) guidelines so knowing that my feeding window is "over" really helps me to stop eating.

    Its just another way to manage calories, but for me, I find it highly sustainable.
  • avablissed
    avablissed Posts: 19 Member
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    I didn't know I was doing this until I looked it up. lol

    I dislike eating first thing in the morning so "breakfast" happens around 11 and I try not to eat beyond 7 or 8 (evening snacking is where I get off track). So I go 15 to 16 hrs between meals. This is just works for me right now.
  • Aerona85
    Aerona85 Posts: 159 Member
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    I apparently have been doing it without knowing. One rule I made with myself when I started is that I would not eat if I was not hungry. I don’t get hungry until 11-12 usually so don’t eat breakfast til then. Dinner is generally at 6. I will usually have a snack in between there. Works for me, but doesn’t work for everyone. In the end I think each person just has to find what works for them and stick to it. Who cares what other people are doing if what you are doing is working for you :-).
  • jjreverse
    jjreverse Posts: 16 Member
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    I have troubles sometimes getting off the last 10-20 lbs cuz my metabolism isn’t great. IF helped reset things in my body and I felt clearer. However, I started using the 8 hour “eating window” as an excuse to pack in calories. I now do about 12/12 and watch my calories and macros, and the new system has had better results.

    J
    //*\\
  • foreverslim1111
    foreverslim1111 Posts: 2,613 Member
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    After reading The Fast Diet I started doing 2 IF days per week. I had a small breakfast and dinner (250 calories each) and skipped lunch. The first week was tough, I was very hungry. After about a month of that, I switched to the 18/6 schedule and skipped breakfast. I started at 167 and am now at 152 close to my goal of 150. I find IF a great tool as a way to cut down on overall calorie count for the week. I think my body quickly learned to adapt to this pattern and now I'm not often hungry before noon. My average weight loss per week has been .8 lbs. Reading the book helped me understand the process and I don't think I would have stuck with IF without that knowledge.
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
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    I like eating breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and snacks. Problem is that makes me fat. IF allows me to be full and control the calorie intake. Once I start eating for the day, I typically keep eating. Very hard to shut off once started so I just don't start tell later. I've had success losing (while eating ad libitum and not counting calories) doing a 20:4 routine and I've had success maintaining doing a 16:8 while keeping the lunch to a low carb salad with protein in it (if I eat whatever for lunch, I put down too many calories overall and I will gain). Good luck!
  • 2MaB_
    2MaB_ Posts: 6 Member
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    I love it and would never go back to "normal" dieting or eating. I know exactly what to eat and how much based on my daily activity level and plan meals accordingly days in advance so Im not shopping every single day. I eat once a day sometimes twice depending on my plans