Intermittent fasting
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dws00
Posts: 159 Member
Has anyone tried, trying or have any negative or positive reviews of intermittent fasting? Thank you!
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Replies
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My review is that no one can tell you what will work well for you and what won't. It won't help you lose weight any faster so the only reason to do it is if it helps you in some other way.8
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My review is that no one can tell you what will work well for you and what won't. It won't help you lose weight any faster so the only reason to do it is if it helps you in some other way.
This. I tried it for about 4 months. Made 0 difference in weight loss for me at all. Then again, I really wasn't trying to lose weight, I was trying to build muscle a bit faster and possible reduce some body fat and just wanted to see how IF would affect me if I used a very slight deficit. It actually gave me some digestion issues because I was trying to cram too many calories into that 8 hour period. I'm very active and my TDEE is usually at least 2500 calories a day if not much more some days. I spent that 4 months bloated and with indigestion issues that had gone away long ago. I've switched off of it now for about six weeks and feel much better moving back to splitting up my meals throughout the day. Maybe it works better for people who eat less calories a day, or those who eat more calorie dense foods.
Some people swear by it, and I'd have to agree 100% with @NovusDies, if it works for you great! But don't expect to lose weight without a calorie deficit no matter which eating schedule you choose.
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I skip lunch or EFE. Eat fast eat. Nothing magical, it helps with staying within my calorie intake. I like bigger meals.3
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It's just an eating schedule. I like it because if I eat food in the morning, I am hungry all day long. I just can't shove enough food in my mouth. If I wait until 1 or 2 pm, I don't have those hunger pangs. So my window is usually 2-10pm and I'm able to have 2 meals and maybe a small snack in between and something before I go to bed. It's just what I found works for me. It doesn't work for everyone.7
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I absolutely love IF but there isn't any magic to it. The reason I like it is because if I wait until 2 or 3 pm to eat, I can still have what I consider a "huge" dinner while maintaining a calorie deficit. I also feel that it helps my energy levels during the day because I avoid insulin spikes.8
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Agree with all of the above. I'd been off the forums for like a year, and was surprised to see how trendy IF (and keto) has gotten.
It happens to be how I eat, because I've never been a breakfast (or lunch) person. I also like that I have plenty of calories for a large, substantial dinner, even when I'm cutting. However, it's very easy to not lose weight, or even gain, on IF if that is ALL you're doing; you still have to be eating at a deficit and that requires being cognizant of your calorie intake and expenditure.7 -
I absolutely love IF but there isn't any magic to it. The reason I like it is because if I wait until 2 or 3 pm to eat, I can still have what I consider a "huge" dinner while maintaining a calorie deficit. I also feel that it helps my energy levels during the day because I avoid insulin spikes.
how does it help you to avoid insulin spikes by helping energy levels? your insulin spikes as a normal body response when you eat., in a person who is say diabetic spiking insulin can be a bad thing.7 -
I started doing it years ago before I joined this site and learned it was a thing. I am small and don't have a ton of calories even at maintenance so it's easier for me to wait to eat until 11 a.m. and then have supper around 6 p.m. and then a snack around 8 p.m.. Having larger meals, than I would be able to have if I ate an extra early meal, satisfies me better. Plus, having an early meal, regardless of macros, make me hungry all day long. So, it works for me. Still had to have a calorie deficit though. That's what matters.5
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CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »Agree with all of the above. I'd been off the forums for like a year, and was surprised to see how trendy IF (and keto) has gotten.
It happens to be how I eat, because I've never been a breakfast (or lunch) person. I also like that I have plenty of calories for a large, substantial dinner, even when I'm cutting. However, it's very easy to not lose weight, or even gain, on IF if that is ALL you're doing; you still have to be eating at a deficit and that requires being cognizant of your calorie intake and expenditure.
Yep. Gained almost all of my weight eating this way. I had no idea what IF was or that I was inadvertently doing it. I still don't call what I do an IF thing. It is just a ME thing.1 -
If intermittent fasting helps you to stick to your calorie goals then great. but I have done IF 16:8 most of my life. some days I do 18:6. I have also not fasted just to see if there would be any difference. and There isnt . the only difference I seem to have is if I dont fast I want to eat everything in the house. when I fast I am less hungry. I dont have any insulin issues or anything like that so I dont know why that should make a difference but it does.3
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Absolutely hated it. Spent 3 months trying to eat this way and was always starving.2
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I liked 5:2 for weight loss.
Like is probably too strong a word, disliked less than every day calorie restriction is more accurate. Suited my high exercise volume very well (training fully fuelled 5 days a week) and also my personality - determined short term/bored by routine.
My weight loss was in proportion to my weekly calorie deficit.
I disliked 16:8 for maintenance.
Felt more restrictive than the same calorie allowance without a designated eating window although I'm a regular breakfast skipper. I don't respond well to arbitrary rules.
Maintained on same calorie allowance as when I ate "normally".
Learned something about myself from both approaches, worth a try but beyond being potentially being an easier way to adhere to a goal for some people it's not magic.
A lot of the reported wondrous benefits are hyped out of all proportion, based on rodent studies or simply taken massively out of context.
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I've been doing it for years. I noticed way back in the 90's that when I was too busy with the kids and skipped breakfast, I was less hungry throughout the day.
There's nothing magical about it by itself, though. I still reached my highest weight ever while skipping breakfast.
Now I find that combining it with eating an appropriate number of calories works just fine for me, but it's just a tool that works for some people to help regulate appetite. Others do better eating regular meals. Overall calorie consumption and whatever makes dietary compliance easier for you is what matters.3 -
My review is that no one can tell you what will work well for you and what won't. It won't help you lose weight any faster so the only reason to do it is if it helps you in some other way.
I agree with this advice. It works very well for me, because I'm one of those people who just isn't hungry before 3:00 pm or later. I find, on days I don't eat until dinner, I more than make up for waiting by eating more than I normally would, so it doesn't really cut my calories much. It does, however, help me manage my measly 1385 calories a day a little easier. #shortgirlproblems3 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »If intermittent fasting helps you to stick to your calorie goals then great. but I have done IF 16:8 most of my life. some days I do 18:6. I have also not fasted just to see if there would be any difference. and There isnt . the only difference I seem to have is if I dont fast I want to eat everything in the house. when I fast I am less hungry. I dont have any insulin issues or anything like that so I dont know why that should make a difference but it does.
Just curious, how sure are you that you don't have insulin issues? I do, my insulin levels are too high. I know this because I had a glucose tolerance test. Otherwise, I might not have ever known.
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I do 14/10 doe appetite control. Helps me some. Still track my macros though.2
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I don't do a strict intermittent fasting regime but I've kind of fell into a pseudo-IF way of eating in that I tend to skip lunch. I'll have a light breakfast (and coffee!!) when I first get up in the morning at 6am then my next meal is dinner at 8pm. I will sometimes have a very light snack at about 4pm if I feel like it.
I started doing this for a couple of reasons.
Firstly I realised that I really wasn't very hungry at lunch and was only going out and getting something to eat because it was "lunch time". So I stopped and didn't feel any worse for wear (and it saved me money buying lunch).
The second reason is I realised that no matter how much I ate at lunch I was always wanted a large dinner when I got home. While eating lunch I'd have to consciously restrict my dinner in order to keep within my calories. Skipping lunch means I have the calories left over that I can have the big nighttime meal that I enjoy.
Yeah, so not really IF but it's been working for me
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CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »If intermittent fasting helps you to stick to your calorie goals then great. but I have done IF 16:8 most of my life. some days I do 18:6. I have also not fasted just to see if there would be any difference. and There isnt . the only difference I seem to have is if I dont fast I want to eat everything in the house. when I fast I am less hungry. I dont have any insulin issues or anything like that so I dont know why that should make a difference but it does.
Just curious, how sure are you that you don't have insulin issues? I do, my insulin levels are too high. I know this because I had a glucose tolerance test. Otherwise, I might not have ever known.
because I have testing done every 3 months due to a genetic condition that if not treated can result in type 2 and other health issues.my insulin levels are always in the normal ranges.5 -
It will work man. But you don't need to do it to lose body fat.1
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I do 16/8 or 18/6 as my digestive system was shot to hell and it's the only thing that's calmed it down and made me stop feeling gassy all the time. It also balanced out my insulin levels as all my sugar cravings have eased off. I still eat three times a day, just between 12 - 8pm now, shutting my eating window immediately after dinner means less snacking and therefore it's easier to stay in my calorie allowance.3
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