Intermittent Fasting Question
Fit_FrankM
Posts: 4 Member
Can anybody suggest or advise if doing intermittent fasting is good and why? If not why not? I really want to loose more pounds at the end of the year and I've seen this come up a lot from all sorts of workout programs and nutritionist. I am considering doing this but I am scare I'll loose the momentum I've picked from my routinely workouts and healthy eating habits. Any input might help.
Thank you all
Thank you all
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Replies
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It's just a tool to help you create a calorie deficit by limiting the amount of time you eat. If you succeed doing it, then it's good.10
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If you already have healthy eating habits, my opinion would be to stick to them. Have you been losing weight? If so, I would just continue in your healthy routine. If you're just starting, I would consider just cutting your portions rather than disrupting your schedule. Just my two cents
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I was doing IF before I knew it was a 'thing' - I just do better if I don't eat until lunch. It's more of a hunger manager than a weight manager. I still eat the same number of calories as I did when I forcibly ate breakfast, but it just works for me.6
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I find it much easier to control cravings etc on IF. My weight loss had slowed down significantly and I switched to IF and it has helped a lot. Not because it works any different - i just think it is much easier to stay in my deficit and that my logging must have been off before. But still. It's helped me. Personally i also feel better eating like this (energy wise). But ultimately , do what you can stick to and feel good on. Thats the most important thing. If you so want to give IF a try, give it like abit of time to adjust to it before deciding how you feel and promise yourself that if you don't like it, you go right back to whatever you are doing now.5
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I havent been lately iv been overly hungry but i find i like to eat late at night, And once i start to eat i am hungrier. So i live off coffee and lots of water for as long as possible mornings. Doesnt work so well with my job sadly right now i loved it. For a few months i literally wouldnt eat until 3-5 pm then id feast happily until bed was wonderful lol. I slept alot beter then with a nice full tummy2
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Thank you all for your tips and suggestions. I will definitely going to give a try and see how it affects my body and weight loss.2
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Fit_FrankM wrote: »Thank you all for your tips and suggestions. I will definitely going to give a try and see how it affects my body and weight loss.
Its honestly only worth doing if you find it semi effortless. If you prefer eating at a certain time of day, Do it. Or eating all day. Do it. Its seriously not magical, Just works for some people. Alot like me simply prefer night eating and am not hungry mornings so theres no need to force feed self, Just as theres no reason to starve if it doesnt work for you.3 -
JaydedMiss wrote: »Fit_FrankM wrote: »Thank you all for your tips and suggestions. I will definitely going to give a try and see how it affects my body and weight loss.
Its honestly only worth doing if you find it semi effortless. If you prefer eating at a certain time of day, Do it. Or eating all day. Do it. Its seriously not magical, Just works for some people. Alot like me simply prefer night eating and am not hungry mornings so theres no need to force feed self, Just as theres no reason to starve if it doesnt work for you.
You’re definitely right @JaydedMiss I will just give whirl and see how it works out if I don’t like it I’ll go back to my regular routine.
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It's just a tool to help you create a calorie deficit by limiting the amount of time you eat. If you succeed doing it, then it's good.
That's only partly correct. There does seem to be a fair bit of science that suggests the IF regime increases metabolism, lowers insulin levels, increases HGH and so on - all of which can assist in weight loss. If you're interested, there is plenty of reputable studies into this type of activity - when compared to some of the 'fad' type diets that have sprouted over the years.
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It's just a tool to help you create a calorie deficit by limiting the amount of time you eat. If you succeed doing it, then it's good.
That's only partly correct. There does seem to be a fair bit of science that suggests the IF regime increases metabolism, lowers insulin levels, increases HGH and so on - all of which can assist in weight loss. If you're interested, there is plenty of reputable studies into this type of activity - when compared to some of the 'fad' type diets that have sprouted over the years.
If you’re going to provide the information, it’s courtesy to link to the studies as well. But IME, I lost exactly the same doing IF than not.0 -
Like another poster, I was also doing IF before I knew it was a thing. i just did the "gremlin diet" which was no eating after dark as I only tended to eat junky stuff then. I've changed it to a 6-2 window during the day but not much else has changed. As many point out, it will help you develop will power and understand your cravings. For it to be "effortless" you just need to figure out your natural eating times and see if you can develop a window around it.
I would have still lost the weight otherwise as when I started this, I also started exercising and eating healthy. I tracked my calories for the last few months but at this point, I know what I can eat and how much to maintain weight.1 -
It's just a tool to help you create a calorie deficit by limiting the amount of time you eat. If you succeed doing it, then it's good.
That's only partly correct. There does seem to be a fair bit of science that suggests the IF regime increases metabolism, lowers insulin levels, increases HGH and so on - all of which can assist in weight loss. If you're interested, there is plenty of reputable studies into this type of activity - when compared to some of the 'fad' type diets that have sprouted over the years.
If you’re going to provide the information, it’s courtesy to link to the studies as well. But IME, I lost exactly the same doing IF than not.
The poster may have other studies in mind but I recently came across this one:
http://m.pnas.org/content/111/47/16647.abstract
The PDF of the full details can be accessed from that page.
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@Fit_FrankM , We have an active group if you have some more group specific questions:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
Come join 1 -
I did it for the last two months and lost 12 pounds which is more than I lost the last few times I just counted calories. There is some evidence that giving yourself a longer period of time without any calories, encourages your body to go to fat stores for energy. My plan is the 6/18 thing. I stop eating at 6 every evening and don't eat again until noon the next day. Just water and black coffee.
Where this has really helped me is actually the mental rest. I know that after dinner the agonizing over food choices is done and although I'm slightly hungry in the evening it isn't anything too distracting. I just tell myself "The kitchen is closed."
Note: People on certain medications can't follow this plan at all and others get headaches. Only experimentation will tell.
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AbstemiousMe wrote: »
Note: People on certain medications can't follow this plan at all and others get headaches. Only experimentation will tell.
Medications aside - I just wanted to say to anyone experiencing headaches or dizziness or whatever to give yourself a little time before deciding it won't work. I had pretty severe hypoglycemia before starting : headaches , severe irritation, black outs, light headedness, shakiness etc. I had to do the fasting for a number of weeks before these symptoms stopped. Now I don't get them at all (some studies have evidence to show that IF regulates hormones including insulin , which would contribute to that). I can't say it will work for everyone, but it does also take some time to adjust to this new pattern.3 -
I prefer to stick to meals without snacks in between. That way I can lower circulating insulin between meals. Skipping a meal just makes me hangry1
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@gita9999 - what is wrong with hangry? LOL!
Everyone is different. This whole topic is just another perfect example of that concept. There are few 'hard and fast rules' here. One of them is Caloric Input excees Caloric Output and you gain weight (and vice versa).
What I find interesting is the mindset of people. It seems to me - and this is my experience - that most people want "just tell me what to do".....I am a huge concept person so feed me the concepts and let me play with them, as I deem appropriate, to see what works for me.
Maybe I am just being a grumpy old man today, but people need to understand that everyone is different and that what works for me may or may not work for you (and, @gita9999 - not directed at you specifically). I think that critical thinking is somehow dormant......
Anyway, I would encourage everyone to play with nutrition....whatever that all might mean.....and find out what works for you. Not for me....not for him....not for her.....but for you. I have been doing this the last three months and I would LOVE to share with everyone that it was a ton of fun. I mean, one week I played with eating 4000 calories a day (a little bit plus, a little bit minus). That was a glorious week!
I am doing IF and enjoy this. 30 years ago I just simply could not eat after 6PM. That was just how I was. Pretty sure that 30 years ago the concept of Intermittent Fasting was not a concept yet. Anyway, it seems to work well for me.
I am also confused (and pretty much likely due to my ignorance) but I did not know that Intermittent Fasting was a way to loose weight by skipping a meal. @malibu927 - am I reading something into your post? And, not being creepy with this - if you do live in Malibu, is Gladstones for Fish (the restaurant) still around? I used to LOVE LOVE LOVE that place. The 'doggie bags' were totally awesome. The things that you can do with aluminium foil....3 -
One thing I'd read about IF is that our bodies will burn from recently eaten meals. When you have longer periods where there is no food being eaten, our bodies will take from our fat stores for energy. When you do eat, you eat the same amount of calories, just within a smaller time period depending on what schedule you are on.
Here's an easy to understand article on it, but you can Google it and find many articles about it.
https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting/6 -
It works for me because I don't get terribly hungry in the morning and I prefer having a large, filling dinner. So I save most of my calories for the evening.2
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@Jigglypuff9363 - you do nerdfitness, too? Great web site. Great book. If your post was directed at me, Thank you. I think that I have a pretty good understanding of what IF is and why it works and how it works....but, I can never be 100% about anything.
I am confused in that I see a lot of people suggesting that IF works because "they skip a meal". To me, it has NOTHING to do with skipping meals.....it has EVERYTHING to do with the period of time in which you do eat. And, more to the point, in which you do NOT eat. Maybe I am missing the point, but that has nothing to do with skipping meals, per se. But I have been eating four - six smaller meals for the last 12 months of so....and do not eat "breakfast", "lunch" or "dinner", per se.
Anyway, I will look more into this. I will get some other links and post them. Not to prove "who is right and who is wrong" but more to add clarity (for my sake!) to this topic. You know how you get something stuck in your head sometimes and - for you - that is just how it is! I am a big concept person....want to make sure that the concept is clear. More to follow!
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@CWShultz27105 - I've been following a lot of different websites lately, trying to find the best for ME. I wasn't directing my post at you. I didn't even see yours until later. We must have been typing at the same time. I have been trying 16/8 for now. Most days I'm successful. Somedays (like today) I am not! LOL!
You're right...it has NOTHING to do with SKIPPING MEALS and all to do with timing of your meals. The longer you fast, the more your body uses stored fat for fuel. When you "feed" you eat the same amount of calories you would normally eat. No reason for your body to give you "HANGER" pains if you feed it the same nourishment as always.0 -
Jigglypuff9363 wrote: »One thing I'd read about IF is that our bodies will burn from recently eaten meals. When you have longer periods where there is no food being eaten, our bodies will take from our fat stores for energy. When you do eat, you eat the same amount of calories, just within a smaller time period depending on what schedule you are on.
Here's an easy to understand article on it, but you can Google it and find many articles about it.
https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting/
And because you take in the same amount of calories it doesn't matter. If you go to your bank and deposit 10 dollars every hour for 10 hours, do you have more money in your account than if you went once and deposited 100?6 -
The bank is not a living breathing being. Our bodies are. You cannot compare.8
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CWShultz27105 wrote: »@gita9999 - what is wrong with hangry? LOL!
Everyone is different. This whole topic is just another perfect example of that concept. There are few 'hard and fast rules' here. One of them is Caloric Input excees Caloric Output and you gain weight (and vice versa).
What I find interesting is the mindset of people. It seems to me - and this is my experience - that most people want "just tell me what to do".....I am a huge concept person so feed me the concepts and let me play with them, as I deem appropriate, to see what works for me.
Maybe I am just being a grumpy old man today, but people need to understand that everyone is different and that what works for me may or may not work for you (and, @gita9999 - not directed at you specifically). I think that critical thinking is somehow dormant......
Anyway, I would encourage everyone to play with nutrition....whatever that all might mean.....and find out what works for you. Not for me....not for him....not for her.....but for you. I have been doing this the last three months and I would LOVE to share with everyone that it was a ton of fun. I mean, one week I played with eating 4000 calories a day (a little bit plus, a little bit minus). That was a glorious week!
I am doing IF and enjoy this. 30 years ago I just simply could not eat after 6PM. That was just how I was. Pretty sure that 30 years ago the concept of Intermittent Fasting was not a concept yet. Anyway, it seems to work well for me.
I am also confused (and pretty much likely due to my ignorance) but I did not know that Intermittent Fasting was a way to loose weight by skipping a meal. @malibu927 - am I reading something into your post? And, not being creepy with this - if you do live in Malibu, is Gladstones for Fish (the restaurant) still around? I used to LOVE LOVE LOVE that place. The 'doggie bags' were totally awesome. The things that you can do with aluminium foil....
Ha no, I live in Ohio. I have this name because at the time I drove a Malibu.0 -
Jigglypuff9363 wrote: »The bank is not a living breathing being. Our bodies are. You cannot compare.
Our bodies are bound by the laws of physics, one of which states energy can't appear out of nowhere. Where there's no material left over, none can be stored as fat. If there is not enough to support your body, spare has to be taken out of your reserves.5 -
Jigglypuff9363 wrote: »The bank is not a living breathing being. Our bodies are. You cannot compare.
Well yeah, you can. Cause energy balance. We burn stored fat in a fasted state. If we extend the fast we extend the time we are burning stored fat. When we then ingest food in whatever window we eat in, say an 8 hour window IF, we will store fat while in energy surplus and burn stored fat when not. If in balance at the end of a 24 hour period, no net fat is stored. If in surplus, net fat is stored. If in deficit, stored net fat is burned.
IF may have some insulin sensitivity benefits but it is just an eating schedule and it's primary benefit is helping some people with compliance to hit their calorie goal. This is human physiology and energy balance. We can compare because this is how we operate.3 -
CWShultz27105 wrote: »@gita9999 - what is wrong with hangry? LOL!
Everyone is different. This whole topic is just another perfect example of that concept. There are few 'hard and fast rules' here. One of them is Caloric Input excees Caloric Output and you gain weight (and vice versa).
What I find interesting is the mindset of people. It seems to me - and this is my experience - that most people want "just tell me what to do".....I am a huge concept person so feed me the concepts and let me play with them, as I deem appropriate, to see what works for me.
As you just said, everyone is different, some people are like you and like to "play with," a concept while others may find that if they start playing with a concept, pretty soon they've played it into an intermittent fasting plan where they fast for two minutes between donuts. Or is that just me?
I do better with a few hard and fast rules, so I fast from 6PM to noon and if it means sitting at the table watching the clock for a few minutes, until exactly noon, I do it.
I wanted to second what Jelleigh just said about giving yourself a little time to get used to this plan. I was lightheaded before lunch the first few days and then there was the psychological withdrawal from snacking while watching TV in the evenings. That all passed within a few days.
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Jigglypuff9363 wrote: »The bank is not a living breathing being. Our bodies are. You cannot compare.
Well yeah, you can. Cause energy balance. We burn stored fat in a fasted state. If we extend the fast we extend the time we are burning stored fat. When we then ingest food in whatever window we eat in, say an 8 hour window IF, we will store fat while in energy surplus and burn stored fat when not. If in balance at the end of a 24 hour period, no net fat is stored. If in surplus, net fat is stored. If in deficit, stored net fat is burned.
IF may have some insulin sensitivity benefits but it is just an eating schedule and it's primary benefit is helping some people with compliance to hit their calorie goal. This is human physiology and energy balance. We can compare because this is how we operate.
You actually compare our bodies to a bank? Really?! As far as I know, banks do not burn money. Our bodies burn fuel in calories. And depending on each individual body, that can factor in many different equations. Whereas a bank is a bank. Baffles me how you can compare our bodies to a building.7 -
Jigglypuff9363 wrote: »Jigglypuff9363 wrote: »The bank is not a living breathing being. Our bodies are. You cannot compare.
Well yeah, you can. Cause energy balance. We burn stored fat in a fasted state. If we extend the fast we extend the time we are burning stored fat. When we then ingest food in whatever window we eat in, say an 8 hour window IF, we will store fat while in energy surplus and burn stored fat when not. If in balance at the end of a 24 hour period, no net fat is stored. If in surplus, net fat is stored. If in deficit, stored net fat is burned.
IF may have some insulin sensitivity benefits but it is just an eating schedule and it's primary benefit is helping some people with compliance to hit their calorie goal. This is human physiology and energy balance. We can compare because this is how we operate.
You actually compare our bodies to a bank? Really?! As far as I know, banks do not burn money. Our bodies burn fuel in calories. And depending on each individual body, that can factor in many different equations. Whereas a bank is a bank. Baffles me how you can compare our bodies to a building.
I'm surprised that this is unclear, but yes, to a bank account. Not to an actual building. No banks don't burn money. They store it. Just like our fat stores. They receive deposits and give out withdrawals. Just like our fat stores. It goes on all day 24/7.
You have an account balance (stored fat). You put in deposits (eat food). You make withdrawals (activities that burn calories + BMR). You either have more than you started with in your account (fat stores), the same, or less. Simple really. The variable within an individual may affect either side of the equation, eg. if someone is Insulin Resistant that could affect their deposit side. And and individuals metabolism(BMR) affects the withdrawal side but within that individuals account, balancing the account still applies.
Put in more than you take out? The account (fat stores) grow. Take out more than you put in? The account (fat stores) shrink.10 -
I have been trying 12:12 IF. I don't skip any meals. I just remember what time my last meal was at night and try not to eat until 12 hours later the next morning. I like this better than stopping eating at a specific time at night because my daily schedule varies and also I can't sleep if I'm hungry. So if I don't get home from work until 9pm and I want to have a little snack, I just have to remember not to eat until 9:30 the next day. If I have a bigger meal earlier in the evening, maybe 7pm, then I'm good to go until 7am the next day.
This is about all the structure I can handle but I think it is helping me lose weight. It certainly helps me become more aware of my eating habits. Maybe trying 12:12 would be a way to ease into IF and see if it works for you.2
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