Thoughts on Intermittent Fasting
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MSFab08
Posts: 19 Member
I’ve had a few people recommend it to me and I’m curious but still a bit skeptical.
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Replies
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What makes you skeptical? The health claims, the feasibility, the necessity? Which protocol(s) is/are you contemplating?0
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Some people find it's a good fit with their eating pattern and it helps them adhere to their calorie goal. Other than that, there's no magic to it - weight loss still comes down to how many calories you consume, not what time you consume them. It's very trendy right now, but a lot of the claims about it are highly overblown.9
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First off, realize that IF is a schedule, not a diet. It "dictates" when you eat, not what you eat or how much you eat.
As such, it's very possible to over eat and gain weight with IF. You still have to manage your intake. IMO, if it lines up well with your natural eating tendencies, then it's probably a good thing. If it doesn't, then it's probably only going to make things harder.13 -
I agree with the above. It can make it easier to stick to your diet for some people but it does not guarantee you'll lose weight. My husband has only eaten one meal in the evening for decades and he's been overweight all of that time. I don't start eating until late afternoon for weight control and because I rarely get hungry before then.
The only way to know if it's a good fit for you is to give it a try.1 -
I've tried various forms of IF over the past several years. I found that for me (female), the longer fasting times day after day did not work for me over time (look up Fast 5 or OMAD). I've read that this can be more difficult for women, but in any case, it definitely was true for me. I've found that I do best by not eating until around 1pm, and stopping eating around 10pm. (look up 16/8 or 14/10 IF) I definitely still have to log and watch what I eat-- 8-10 hrs is still plenty of time to do some caloric damage! But if I eat in the morning, I eat even more all day long, because I feel hungrier throughout the day.
I have lost weight AND gained weight doing IF, but I definitely do better with it than without it. Good luck!4 -
Most days my meal timing is identical to intermittent fasting schedules I've seen. I like to eat at 11 am and 4 pm. Sometimes I have a snack at 2 pm. Sometimes I have a small breakfast at 9 am, which still means that I'm only eating 9 am-4 pm, which is still a 7 hr window. Most IF I've seen is "eat in an 8 hr window (lots of people say noon-8 pm) and fast for 16 hrs." My normal pattern is a 5.5 hr window in which i eat and then 18.5 hrs in which I don't eat.
I didn't do this to be an IFer. I do this because it's how my schedule works out. I end work at 4 pm and like to eat a big meal that satisfies me for the rest of the evening. I go out dancing most nights at 9 pm and I don't like feeling full while I'm moving around.2 -
Thank you everyone for your feedback2
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I was recently eating within a 1 hour window, every 24 hours. I ended up gaining a few pounds instead of losing. I did it for about 3 months. I would eat at midday only. Now, I'm using CICO and I'm losing weight again and I feel better. That's just my story.2
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If IF helps you adhere to your calorie goal by scheduling your meals into a shorter time frame then go for it.
You can always give it a go and see if it helps.
I suggest the 16/8 schedule (16 hours fast and 8 hours eating).
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kommodevaran wrote: »What makes you skeptical? The health claims, the feasibility, the necessity? Which protocol(s) is/are you contemplating?
Basically skeptical that it actually works.
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kommodevaran wrote: »What makes you skeptical? The health claims, the feasibility, the necessity? Which protocol(s) is/are you contemplating?
Basically skeptical that it actually works.
What does "it works" mean. Whether or not it works depends largely on your expectations of it.0 -
kommodevaran wrote: »What makes you skeptical? The health claims, the feasibility, the necessity? Which protocol(s) is/are you contemplating?
Basically skeptical that it actually works.
It doesn't 'work'. You do the 'work' by eating less than you burn. IF may or may not make that work easier for you, depending on your schedule and personality. It's just an eating schedule.3 -
I totally hear you... it sounded weird to me at first too. I’ve followed it now for over 2 years and have definitely appreciated the results. I’ve just done weekly, one day fasts (drinking some nutrient drinks during the day and lots of water) as opposed to the daily window of eating style of IF.1
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kommodevaran wrote: »What makes you skeptical? The health claims, the feasibility, the necessity? Which protocol(s) is/are you contemplating?
Basically skeptical that it actually works.
It's just a method for calorie restriction, like the majority of other methods.1 -
TurtleTape wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »What makes you skeptical? The health claims, the feasibility, the necessity? Which protocol(s) is/are you contemplating?
Basically skeptical that it actually works.
It's just a method for calorie restriction, like the majority of other methods.
That's incorrect. You could say that certain IF protocols are designed around calorie restriction, but most common implementations are NOT - they are schedules for when you eat and when you fast... how much you eat is entirely up to you.2 -
I’ve had a few people recommend it to me and I’m curious but still a bit skeptical.
I’m realizing I was too vague. I need to lose weight and a few people recommended IF. I did do research on my own, but I can’t be convinced it can help with WEIGHT-LOSS because the ones that recommended IF to me have only been on this “schedule” for less than a month.0 -
I’ve had a few people recommend it to me and I’m curious but still a bit skeptical.
I’m realizing I was too vague. I need to lose weight and a few people recommended IF. I did do research on my own, but I can’t be convinced it can help with WEIGHT-LOSS because the ones that recommended IF to me have only been on this “schedule” for less than a month.First off, realize that IF is a schedule, not a diet. It "dictates" when you eat, not what you eat or how much you eat.
As such, it's very possible to over eat and gain weight with IF. You still have to manage your intake. IMO, if it lines up well with your natural eating tendencies, then it's probably a good thing. If it doesn't, then it's probably only going to make things harder.
As such, IF will have no inherent impact on weight gain/loss. That strictly comes down to your calorie intake.2 -
I’ve had a few people recommend it to me and I’m curious but still a bit skeptical.
I’m realizing I was too vague. I need to lose weight and a few people recommended IF. I did do research on my own, but I can’t be convinced it can help with WEIGHT-LOSS because the ones that recommended IF to me have only been on this “schedule” for less than a month.First off, realize that IF is a schedule, not a diet. It "dictates" when you eat, not what you eat or how much you eat.
As such, it's very possible to over eat and gain weight with IF. You still have to manage your intake. IMO, if it lines up well with your natural eating tendencies, then it's probably a good thing. If it doesn't, then it's probably only going to make things harder.
As such, IF will have no inherent impact on weight gain/loss. That strictly comes down to your calorie intake.
Thanks!0 -
For me, IF is a method I use to make calorie restriction easier. But as I stated above, I still have to log and watch what/how much I eat.0
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