Intermittent fasting

I just learned about intermittent fasting but I'm curious that when you lose weight through intermittent fasting, are your body breaking down more muscle than fat? In addition, would you suggest to do intermittent fasting rather than regular 3 meals a day?
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Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    When you lose weight, you lose muscle and fat. If you starve yourself, you'll lose a lager proportion of muscles. Intermittent fasting is following one of several "protocols" - 16:8, 18:6, 5:2 etc. You can do intermittent fasting eating 3 meals a day. I would suggest you find a way of eating that is sustainable for you.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    IF, in and of itself, won't have any meaningful bearing on muscle breakdown.

    I would suggest doing whatever is easier for you to sustain.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    All intermittent fasting is is a smaller window of time that you allow yourself to eat. Some people feel they can stick to their calories better eating for only eight hours (or ten, or six, or whatever time frame they choose). Others prefer the standard breakfast/lunch/dinner breakdown. When and how often you eat is personal preference. I do 14:10 most days but it's based on my work schedule and not my diet.
  • rickiimarieee
    rickiimarieee Posts: 2,212 Member
    I fast, haven't noticed any muscle loss or any major muscle loss let me correct that. I still can do the same weight in my muscles as I was able to before I started any of this. I mainly do 19:5 or 18:6
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    I fast, haven't noticed any muscle loss or any major muscle loss let me correct that. I still can do the same weight in my muscles as I was able to before I started any of this. I mainly do 19:5 or 18:6

    you cant tell if you are losing muscle unless you get a dexa scan or something along those lines.its not going to be visible on the outside.
  • rickiimarieee
    rickiimarieee Posts: 2,212 Member
    edited October 2017
    I fast, haven't noticed any muscle loss or any major muscle loss let me correct that. I still can do the same weight in my muscles as I was able to before I started any of this. I mainly do 19:5 or 18:6

    you cant tell if you are losing muscle unless you get a dexa scan or something along those lines.its not going to be visible on the outside.

    You would be able to tell if you lost a large amount because of what you're able to withstand weight wise. I still bench, squat, lunge all the same weight as before! But anyways I heard about the dexa scan wish they had that around where I live!
  • daltontf
    daltontf Posts: 63 Member
    I tend to switch to IF when my calorie goal make the three meals too small. I can do three meals of 700 calories, but when I go to 3 x 600 calories I'm perpetually hungry. Then I switch to IF and skip breakfast and have two 900 calories meals. I tend to have more will power in the morning and the hunger does seem to subside. I am not as hungry in the evening, when I am at home and have easy access to food.
  • jlval1989
    jlval1989 Posts: 89 Member
    Much like Dalton, I find two larger meals keeps me fuller than three smaller ones.
    My calorie goal is 1500 (although I usually get around 1400), and two 700-750cal meals are spot on. With just 500 calories a meal, I'm far hungrier.

    Give it a bash. If you don't like it, don't do it!
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    All intermittent fasting is is a smaller window of time that you allow yourself to eat. Some people feel they can stick to their calories better eating for only eight hours (or ten, or six, or whatever time frame they choose). Others prefer the standard breakfast/lunch/dinner breakdown. When and how often you eat is personal preference. I do 14:10 most days but it's based on my work schedule and not my diet.

    YES, totally!

    Meal timing is mostly not relevant, however, if it makes your life easier to eat less frequently or makes it easier to hit your food goals, then by all means give it a try.

    I have successfully gained muscle (as determined via tape measurements and strength increases) even while 16:8

    It's not going to magically make you lose weight to eat less frequently. Eating less frequently might help you control your food intake if that is an area you feel the need to improve.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    edited October 2017
    I fast, haven't noticed any muscle loss or any major muscle loss let me correct that. I still can do the same weight in my muscles as I was able to before I started any of this. I mainly do 19:5 or 18:6

    you cant tell if you are losing muscle unless you get a dexa scan or something along those lines.its not going to be visible on the outside.

    You would be able to tell if you lost a large amount because of what you're able to withstand weight wise. I still bench, squat, lunge all the same weight as before! But anyways I heard about the dexa scan wish they had that around where I live!

    that may not be true. you can build up strength and while doing so doesnt mean you build muscle. so the same could be true about losing muscle. you can lose muscle mass as you age as well. doesnt always mean you will get weaker. if you are lifting weights and getting enough protein you arent going to lose a lot of muscle mass which is why its recommended to lift heavy and get enough protein. but if someone has never lifted there is no sure way to tell if they lost mass. I havent lifted in months yet I have not gotten any weaker. I can still lift what I was lifting

    now if you lose a lot of mass it may be noticeable or you can end up what they call skinny fat. but its very hard to tell without a scan of some kind.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    I often skip breakfast. That way I'm only "hungry" for a small period of time, and it's a period of time I usually better at resisting temptation (more awake, busier, etc). It makes it easier to come under my calorie goal.

    As long as you are getting adequate protein and doing strength training muscle lose will be limited no matter when you eat.
  • TalaNrys
    TalaNrys Posts: 28 Member
    I've been doing IF for the past couple of weeks and I find it a lot easier to keep within my calorie range while doing it. Often times, to eat a meal that was satisfying when I was eating three regular meals a day meant I'd be over by 200-500 calories a day usually which wasn't ideal obviously, and really the only reason was my lack of planning to be honest. But using IF, I get two solid meals and am really full when I'm done eating, something I hadn't really had in a long time because I'd just graze all day.
    It definitely made me feel more in tune with my body's rhythms, which I think a lot of people lose that feeling of 'I'm really hungry and should eat something', and instead we get into the 'I might be hungry, but not really, but I'm going to eat because it's dinner time'.
  • Riverwild77
    Riverwild77 Posts: 20 Member
    Got to make sure you get enough protein and all essential amino acids...remember protein are basic buildings blocks of your cells. Also make sure you aren’t ignoring your need for vitamins and minerals...you can harm yourself and your eyesight as well if you aren’t giving your body what it needs IF is great if you know what you are doing and the meals you do eat are loaded with proteins, vitamins and minerals.
  • Winnertoots
    Winnertoots Posts: 7 Member
    When you lose weight, you lose muscle and fat. If you starve yourself, you'll lose a lager proportion of muscles. Intermittent fasting is following one of several "protocols" - 16:8, 18:6, 5:2 etc. You can do intermittent fasting eating 3 meals a day. I would suggest you find a way of eating that is sustainable for you.

    The research says the opposite. During fasting your body has physiological processes that maintain muscle. This is an evolutionary adaption that you do not get during food reduction diets (calorie restricted eating) where you eat in a large time window and your insulin levels are high over 24 hrs.

    Evolution isn't perfect but we have managed to survive if there is a little food available every day the body isn't heavily penalised if a little muscle is burnt for fuel as is likely more food might appear in the future. If food is not available every day then processes kick in to preserve muscle. You start to burn stored Glycogen & Ketones as fuel. Ketones are the breakdown of your body fat. Fasting changes your hormone profile. Evolution has favoured these processes because fasted individuals could hunt for food and were more likely to pass on their genes if they caught/foraged some sustenance & survived scarcity. The body can afford to be wasteful in the short term by burning up lots of body fat to provide a quick efficient fuel source for the brain & muscles if the pay out is more likely to be a good meal ensuring survival.

    In laboratory settings individuals, mostly men historically, have been tested for a good long time. Science is getting more and more advanced. There a now twin studies, elite athlete research, etc. The most exciting of these developments is Autophagy. A type of process that kicks in during longer fasts and that has been studied in mice in low protein intake diets. It is where cells in the body scavenge damaged proteins for fuel & building blocks to make more body tissue. It has been shown to eliminate or reduce the sagging spare skin that is left after significant weightloss.

    CHECK YOU HEALTH WITH YOU DR BEFORE YOU START FASTING. & start slowly.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,926 Member
    ^^ you have picked a 6 year old thread to say that??

    But, no, people wanting to maintain muscle mass do not need to do IF nor does IF have any magical properties.

    Do it if it suits you, don't if it doesnt.

    Thats all.

  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,365 Member
    Yeppers, a 6 year old thread to post pseudo-science and total inaccuracies... oh well
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,808 Member
    edited March 2023
    ccrdragon wrote: »
    Yeppers, a 6 year old thread to post pseudo-science and total inaccuracies... oh well

    So, no survival mechanisms that helps to preserve lean body mass during times of food shortages, are you sure? You certainly sound like your sure.
  • MomJess4
    MomJess4 Posts: 10 Member
    I did IF for awhile, then when I looked, I realized I was eating a lot of calories in a short time. Other changes I made were drinking black coffee, unsweetened iced tea and water. I went back to three meals a day and kept up with some of the better habits. It has not affected my weight.
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,365 Member
    edited March 2023
    ccrdragon wrote: »
    Yeppers, a 6 year old thread to post pseudo-science and total inaccuracies... oh well

    So, no survival mechanisms that helps to preserve lean body mass during times of food shortages, are you sure? You certainly sound like your sure.

    The comment was about how the body uses energy and autophagy... not about the survival mechanisms. For instance, the body burns glycogen and breaks down body fat for energy all of the time, not just when fasting. Also, autophogy is not a process that is caused by fasting - it happens 24/7, 365 days a year.

    Also, autophogy is NOT about scavenging damaged proteins for energy - it the clean-up process for damaged, dying and unneeded cells.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,808 Member
    edited March 2023
    ccrdragon wrote: »
    ccrdragon wrote: »
    Yeppers, a 6 year old thread to post pseudo-science and total inaccuracies... oh well

    So, no survival mechanisms that helps to preserve lean body mass during times of food shortages, are you sure? You certainly sound like your sure.

    The comment was about how the body uses energy and autophagy... not about the survival mechanisms. For instance, the body burns glycogen and breaks down body fat for energy all of the time, not just when fasting. Also, autophogy is not a process that is caused by fasting - it happens 24/7, 365 days a year.

    Also, autophogy is NOT about scavenging damaged proteins for energy - it the clean-up process for damaged, dying and unneeded cells.

    Ok, and there's much more to that, but maybe just explain the "pseudo-science and total inaccuracies" which was the reason I quoted you. Just to be clear I don't agree absolute with everything said and don't discount everything your saying, i'm just curious as to why you said it which I find generally a conscience bias towards something, which I find myself doing as well.
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21127245/

    The resulting breakdown products are inputs to cellular metabolism, through which they are used to generate energy and to build new proteins and membranes. Autophagy preserves the health of cells and tissues by replacing outdated and damaged cellular components with fresh ones. In starvation, it provides an internal source of nutrients for energy generation and, thus, survival.

    https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3099265/