Who does intermittent fasting?

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rawaneido
rawaneido Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has it worked for you? Do you do it with intense training? What’s the window time? How do you feel?

I have been doing it for a week now to break my plateau but I’m not exactly sure if I’m doing it correct.

Replies

  • lostinwebspace
    lostinwebspace Posts: 99 Member
    edited March 2018
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    It's not exactly the most effective weight loss technique, but it's one of them. I do it normally on days I'm not training, but that's out of preference, not any advice (though I personally wouldn't play around with calories and energy on workout days). I generally eat most or all of my daily calories in one extended meal, which could last anywhere from 2 to 3 hours. Usually after this, I feel full. But sometimes it backfires and I feel downright stuffed.

    One thing I found to break my plateaus was to eat at maintenance calories for a week. You've been cutting and undereating for weeks or months now. Up it to maintenance for a week. Sure, you might gain some weight during that week since your body's used to calories at a loss, but it's like taking one step back to take several steps forward. Then, after a week when your body is used to maintenance, cut back down. Try it, but with caution.

    Another idea is if you're close to your weight loss goal, just go to BMR calories until you're finished off. I wouldn't do this if you're more than a week or two out though.
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
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    I eat between 1 pm and 9 pm. I have tea shortly after I get up in the morning and have my first meal around 1pm. I get to have nice sized meals and something in the evening before bed. It works well for me, makes it easier to stay within my calorie allotment.
  • amberscheld
    amberscheld Posts: 5 Member
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    I have been doing 16:8 (more like 17:7) IF for around 7 weeks now. I train (gym: 2 x boxing per week, 2 x weight training, 1 x resistance class plus home: at least 5 x 30 min workout first thing in the morning with pylo, weights, cardio) in the fasted state with no issues. I eat my first meal after my lunch time gym session, a small snack mid arvo and dinner before 8pm. Also take BCAAs, pre-workout and Aceytl L-Carnitine. I eat under 1200 calories in my allocated timeframe. Only around 5kg lost though. Need at least another 10-15kg.

    I love it. I don't eat much anyway and noticed an increase in my strength and performance overall. I'm 175cm tall and 76kg (gulp, still massively overweight).
  • h1udd
    h1udd Posts: 623 Member
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    I do a mix of 16:8 20:4 and not at all. ... I do it purely to bank calories for later that day/week ... it hasnt helped me lose weight as such, but it has helped me enjoy my meals more as I would rather eat 1 really good meal with treats in it as opposed to 3 bland meals through out the day
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    I dislike (detest) the term because I think it's stupid - fasting is not eating, intermittent fasting is just not eating all the time, most people "fast" for at least 8 hours because they sleep, we couldn't have survived as a species if we couldn't postpone eating - I usually eat my three daily meals within 6 to 8 hours anyway - like that's supposed to be something special - but I love the idea because I find it provides me with a good structure (meals are just part of my daily routines, but it all works together) and confidence (I can indeed wait for a meal without overeating, or faint, or lose my temper, or any of the things I imagined would happen if I stopped eating many small meals and eating as soon as I got up).
  • tammie614
    tammie614 Posts: 48 Member
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    rawaneido wrote: »
    Has it worked for you? Do you do it with intense training? What’s the window time? How do you feel?

    I have been doing it for a week now to break my plateau but I’m not exactly sure if I’m doing it correct.


    i'm doing and have been since the first of the year. i love it
  • tammie614
    tammie614 Posts: 48 Member
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    rawaneido wrote: »
    Has it worked for you? Do you do it with intense training? What’s the window time? How do you feel?

    I have been doing it for a week now to break my plateau but I’m not exactly sure if I’m doing it correct.


    i would suggest reading up on it. while i'm not a professional or versed well in it i'm sure there are things i still do not know. do what works best for YOU! i started off doing 16/8 now i've upgraded to 18/6. i've noticed i've gotten leaner and have lost lbs. i lift/HIIT 3x a week and do cardio 2x a week in intervals. with my weights/weight training i go hard (heavy..I push myself). overall i feel great but it's only a "tool" to help me be in a calorie deficit which is the ONLY way to lose weight/lose fat. on Sundays most times i break my fast to eat breakfast with my family. i still keep my calories in check though.
  • LW3380
    LW3380 Posts: 118 Member
    edited March 2018
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    JerSchmare wrote: »
    When I was a kid, it was called skipping breakfast. No big *kitten* deal.

    Now they have a fancy word for it. But, it does nothing by itself. If you skip breakfast but still eat like an @$$hole, you’re still going to get fat.

    For me, skipping breakfast helps me with calorie adherence because I feel like my calorie allocation is too low to be a happy person. So, it helps that lunch and dinner can be larger since I skip breakfast.

    @JerSchmare love your reply, couldn't agree with you more.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited March 2018
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    rybo wrote: »
    rawaneido wrote: »
    Has it worked for you? Do you do it with intense training? What’s the window time? How do you feel?

    I have been doing it for a week now to break my plateau but I’m not exactly sure if I’m doing it correct.

    IF is not complex, nor is it some magical protocol. Pick an eating window from 4-8 hours is usually most common. Have the window timed that fits your schedule. It can be useful for some people to maintain a calorie deficit. Other's it doesn't work well for.

    Agreed.

    I also want to stress something he elluded to - IF doesn't necessitate a calorie deficit. You still have to manage calories. Whether or not you have to COUNT calories will vary person to person, but you still have to manage overall intake.


    But to your question specifically... Yes, I IF. I used to do a 4hr window, eating only in the evening. It allowed me to eat all my calories in 1 sitting, which meant I got to eat until I was really full... which I like. But over time it contributed to my tendencies to binge, so I had to lengthen out my window a bit. I now eat from about noon-8 or so, give or take. For me, any imperceptible advantages that come from hormone manipulation are irrelevant, so I give myself a little flexibility with when I eat based on my schedule. For me, adherence to my calorie goal is priority #1, so if I have to fudge my window a bit to adhere, then that's an easy call to make.

    IF has no impact on how I feel, neither throughout the day nor around training. My total intake does (the bigger the deficit/cut, the more my energy levels suffer). But that's not really an IF issue.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited March 2018
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    I dislike (detest) the term because I think it's stupid - fasting is not eating, intermittent fasting is just not eating all the time, most people "fast" for at least 8 hours because they sleep, we couldn't have survived as a species if we couldn't postpone eating - I usually eat my three daily meals within 6 to 8 hours anyway - like that's supposed to be something special - but I love the idea because I find it provides me with a good structure (meals are just part of my daily routines, but it all works together) and confidence (I can indeed wait for a meal without overeating, or faint, or lose my temper, or any of the things I imagined would happen if I stopped eating many small meals and eating as soon as I got up).
    JerSchmare wrote: »
    When I was a kid, it was called skipping breakfast. No big *kitten* deal.

    Now they have a fancy word for it. But, it does nothing by itself. If you skip breakfast but still eat like an @$$hole, you’re still going to get fat.

    For me, skipping breakfast helps me with calorie adherence because I feel like my calorie allocation is too low to be a happy person. So, it helps that lunch and dinner can be larger since I skip breakfast.

    Being very literal, doesn't IF refer to a pretty specific approach that centers on nutrient timing to (a) maximize workouts/gains while (b) taking advantage of natural hormone cycles? So while we on MFP (and maybe most diet/fitness circles) have oversimplified the concept of IF for the general masses... to say that IF is simply skipping breakfast isn't entirely accurate. Is it? Or am I not remembering my reading correctly?

    If so, then that would mean that IF as a protocol isn't stupid, but rather what mass media, social media, and google searches has turned IF into is stupid. No?
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,136 Member
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    rawaneido wrote: »
    Has it worked for you? Do you do it with intense training? What’s the window time? How do you feel?

    I have been doing it for a week now to break my plateau but I’m not exactly sure if I’m doing it correct.

    What is it you expect IF to do to re-start you?

    If your weight loss has stalled chances are that's because you're either expecting a loss week after week (not how weight loss works) or you're not in a deficit because you're underestimating food intake or overestimating your calorie burns (or a combination of the two).

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  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
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    I do - I've dabbled with most of the protocols but always seem to settle back into 16:8 (skipping breakfast, eating at noon and 6pm).

    I enjoy having a large dinner and don't get terribly hungry in the morning so this system really helps keep me in a calorie deficit.
  • sarahdotjoyce
    sarahdotjoyce Posts: 1 Member
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    I do it because I’m a busy mom with two under three. The ability to not worry about eating first thing in the morning is such a relief for me. I like eating fewer but bigger meals. I also find that picking a window time to eat helps me regulate my macros better and blood sugar.

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