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Intermittent fasting- just an acceptable way of starving yourself?
Replies
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I just love 16:8. And if it's wrong I don't want to be right. Just today I was sharing with friends how much more I'm enjoying food because of it. Personally, eating throughout the day leads me to experience increased hunger throughout the day, and IF feels like what my body actually wants, so it's all win for me. I've no doubt it's not for everyone.. But I can assure anyone who is concerned, I'm not starving lol.5
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I.F. actually has proven medical benefits, along with weight loss benefits. Even fasting for longer has medical benefits. Obviously, anyone with a medical disorder, or addiction, will use excuses to cover their tracks. But that's not the majority of I.F. practitioners.
Since we must cut calories to lose weight, I.F. can be used in place of daily restriction. Most people eat less within their eating window, than unrestricted eating.
Aside from the weight loss benefits, I.F. has been proven to increase fat oxidation, increase insulin sensitivity, and inhibit the occurrences of age associated diseases.
Plus, if you are practicing the Keto Diet, I.F. boosts your production of ketones.
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For me, fasting is too disruptive to my psyche. I eat regularly, meet my daily calorie count and exercise 4 days a week. Lost 18 lbs in 2.5 months and didn’t feel deprived. I’ve heard intermediate fasting works for many people, but if I’m getting the same results, I rather snack and enjoy some food throughout the day. Also health and fitness should never feel like a punishment. I never want to feel I’m in some fad routine either. Health and fitness is a pretty simple concept and time proven. Why complicate it!
I'm with you. I eat regularly or my family and/or coworkers will begin force feeding me. Low blood sugar makes my naturally sweet, lovable personality change into a raging mess. And don't let me get behind the wheel of a car!! I love my breakfast and wake up hungry enough to eat a bear and my oldest son takes after me. Neither of us are after-dinner snackers. My daughter and youngest son, however, can't face breakfast and usually don't eat until noon, then eat lunch and dinner and will snack until bedtime.
I think this is yet another example of, "one size does not fit all."8 -
andrewbrownketo wrote: »I.F. actually has proven medical benefits, along with weight loss benefits. Even fasting for longer has medical benefits...
Aside from the weight loss benefits, I.F. has been proven to increase fat oxidation, increase insulin sensitivity, and inhibit the occurrences of age associated diseases.
Could you point at those studies please, I'd be interested to read that.10 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »
Could you point at those studies please, I'd be interested to read that.
I don't know anything about so called "health" benefits, but I have been playing around with a 14/10 time restricted window and it does seem to have some effect on appetite, so far. My leptin and ghelin is all messed up. Maybe this will help? who knows!?!?0 -
andrewbrownketo wrote: »I.F. actually has proven medical benefits, along with weight loss benefits. Even fasting for longer has medical benefits. Obviously, anyone with a medical disorder, or addiction, will use excuses to cover their tracks. But that's not the majority of I.F. practitioners.
Since we must cut calories to lose weight, I.F. can be used in place of daily restriction. Most people eat less within their eating window, than unrestricted eating.
Aside from the weight loss benefits, I.F. has been proven to increase fat oxidation, increase insulin sensitivity, and inhibit the occurrences of age associated diseases.
Plus, if you are practicing the Keto Diet, I.F. boosts your production of ketones.
I have seen people blow through thousands of calories in less than 4 hours! so calorie counting still needs to be in place IMHO.5 -
I don't eat until 2pm as I'm not hungry in the morning. At 220ish lb losing at a rate of 0.5-1lb a week I'm certainly not starving myself5
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i like to eat late night and dont like to eat in the morning. Meal times are a human creation....I choose to eat how i wanna eat not how im told i should be eating. That in no way means im starving myself. I love food. I love food so much that this way of eating keeps my calories in check. Theres nothing wrong to not eating when im told lol trust me im not starving1
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I’ve noticed a few people saying that they are combining different types of IF diet (doing 5:2 and 16:8 for example) or limiting their eating window to a very short time. I like IF but part of me is uneasy about the way it makes skipping meals acceptable. What we reckon? Is IF just a way of people disguising disordered eating as an acceptable diet?
Not sure about "acceptable". To me it's a way with a "brand name", just like people get all carried away with the actual brands of the clothing and shoes they wear nowadays.2 -
Do what makes you happy. You are more likely to be able to stick to it. As long as you eat the correct balance of calories it doesn’t matter when you eat or even what you eat when it comes to weight loss. I eat most my calories at night as it's when I am most hungry.2
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I don't like IF at all , I prefer to distribute my meals on the day, but if it works for someone, cool.2
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I’ve noticed a few people saying that they are combining different types of IF diet (doing 5:2 and 16:8 for example) or limiting their eating window to a very short time. I like IF but part of me is uneasy about the way it makes skipping meals acceptable. What we reckon? Is IF just a way of people disguising disordered eating as an acceptable diet? [/
you don’t skip a meal at all!! with IF you just push your regular eating into an 8 hour window, rather than a 12. It’s simple. No skipping meals, no starving yourself, you are eating the same amount of calories that you usually eat, but condensing it into 8 hours. I don’t see how that is skipping a meal or starving yourself. I just started 16:8 and I am eating the exact same amount of calories I did before, just pushing my breakfast later in the day and stopping earlier. I eat breakfast at 10:30 rather than 7:30, and I have dinner at 6:30 rather than 8:30. I still get my breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks, nothing within that has changed.5 -
Why do you think it's disordered? Several of the people who do it on here have said they never ate breakfast before IF became a fad. Some people can't eat early or they'll be ill, or they may be tempted to graze/overeat all day. And some just prefer to eat more calories later. If they're getting adequate calories/nutrition, there's nothing wrong.
Agreed!
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andrewbrownketo wrote: »I.F. actually has proven medical benefits, along with weight loss benefits. Even fasting for longer has medical benefits. Obviously, anyone with a medical disorder, or addiction, will use excuses to cover their tracks. But that's not the majority of I.F. practitioners.
Since we must cut calories to lose weight, I.F. can be used in place of daily restriction. Most people eat less within their eating window, than unrestricted eating.
Aside from the weight loss benefits, I.F. has been proven to increase fat oxidation, increase insulin sensitivity, and inhibit the occurrences of age associated diseases.
Plus, if you are practicing the Keto Diet, I.F. boosts your production of ketones.
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psychod787 wrote: »
I have seen people blow through thousands of calories in less than 4 hours! so calorie counting still needs to be in place IMHO.
Sit me down at an all you can eat sushi bar and I'll show you someone who can blow through thousands of calories in less than one hour!
1,936 calories (rough logging) at one in 50 minutes last Wednesday, and I wasn't even trying hard. 21 -
I think that the 16:8 is perfectly acceptable. They're still getting in the same amount of calories. And there's no true "rule" to when you have start your fast. Some do better if they work it so that they still have breakfast at a normal time, they just stop eating earlier in the evening that they may have before they did IF.0
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Skipping breakfast is totally normal, lots of people do it. It’s not “starving yourself”3
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It's a tactic to manage appetite signals. Just as with any other tactic it has the potential to be effective if implemented correctly.
It isn't a one sized fits all solution, but if it works for you...go with it. I do something like this, but it's more eating light meals at breakfast and lunch as this is my active time and a full stomach inhibits performance. Night time is my cool down and relax time and where I eat ~70% of my daily caloric intake.1 -
Calorie counting is also a way of starving yourself. Starving from food is how you get your body to use fat stores for energy. Its only a problem if you have a distorted body image or develop nutritional deficiencies from poor choices.16
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anastasiadietitian wrote: »Calorie counting is also a way of starving yourself. Starving from food is how you get your body to use fat stores for energy. Its only a problem if you have a distorted body image or develop nutritional deficiencies from poor choices.
you arent starving yourself counting calories. you eat less than your body burns so yes you lose weight. the only way you would be starving yourself counting calories is if you are eating calories way below your BMR(or not eating at all,skipping days,etc) and those with a lot of weight to lose can do it for a short time although I dont recommend that unless under the care and monitoring of a doctor.10 -
anastasiadietitian wrote: »Calorie counting is also a way of starving yourself. Starving from food is how you get your body to use fat stores for energy. Its only a problem if you have a distorted body image or develop nutritional deficiencies from poor choices.
Agreed. Not sure what the woos are about on this one. If we were not all slightly “starving” we would be gaining weight and not losing. “Starving” and “calorie deficit” are just different words stating a similar bodily state. One sounds more harsh than the other and that is the only difference.19 -
I’ve noticed a few people saying that they are combining different types of IF diet (doing 5:2 and 16:8 for example) or limiting their eating window to a very short time. I like IF but part of me is uneasy about the way it makes skipping meals acceptable. What we reckon? Is IF just a way of people disguising disordered eating as an acceptable diet?
No. I do not have an eating disorder, otherwise I wouldn't be overweight. I get sick if I eat in the morning, and I'm not hungry anyway, so I drink my coffee and I'm fine until late afternoon. I start to get a little hungry around 4 or 5 pm, I get off work at 6:30, so this is fine for me. Then I go home and eat. Once in a while I will grab a small snack late afternoon, but I still end up eating within about a 6 hour window every day. I am definitely not starving myself.
Years ago when I tried to lose weight, I tried the eat 3 times a day and snacks, so was eating every couple of hours. That was a lot, and I was never hungry, so actually, I learned to eat more when I wasn't actually hungry. I get hungry now, and nobody will die from letting themselves be hungry for an hour or two.1 -
youngmomtaz wrote: »
Agreed. Not sure what the woos are about on this one. If we were not all slightly “starving” we would be gaining weight and not losing. “Starving” and “calorie deficit” are just different words stating a similar bodily state. One sounds more harsh than the other and that is the only difference.
Isn't slightly starving like being a little bit pregnant?15 -
Isn't slightly starving like being a little bit pregnant?
the difference though when "starving" you continue to lose weight and you end up with health issues and it can also mean malnutrition. if you are counting calories you can eat enough to prevent these things from happening with a balanaced diet. there is no balanced diet when you are starving. so to me they are not the same thing.and if truly starving your body will start to cannibalize itself meaning it will use muscle,lean mass and so on to try and function. with a calorie deficit again you dont run into eating theses issues unless eating too little which in case you would be starving yourself.
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From a medical dictionary (https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/starvation):Definition:
Starvation is the result of a severe or total lack of nutrients needed for the maintenance of life.
Starvation is always a calorie deficit, but a calorie deficit isn't always starvation.26 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
the difference though when "starving" you continue to lose weight and you end up with health issues and it can also mean malnutrition. if you are counting calories you can eat enough to prevent these things from happening with a balanaced diet. there is no balanced diet when you are starving. so to me they are not the same thing.and if truly starving your body will start to cannibalize itself meaning it will use muscle,lean mass and so on to try and function. with a calorie deficit again you dont run into eating theses issues unless eating too little which in case you would be starving yourself.
That was my point. You can't be a little bit pregnant
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From a medical dictionary (https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/starvation):
Starvation is always a calorie deficit, but a calorie deficit isn't always starvation.
starvation would be a deep calorie deficit I would think2 -
exactly. I was still typing my post when yours popped up so dont know why its before yours lol2 -
The original post seems very judgy. Considering studies have shown (at least in lab rats) that IF promotes longevity, I think some people should reserve their judgment until they graduate from nutrition school. IF has worked well for me for maintenance, and I do take a daily multivitamin so it's not like I'm depriving myself of nutrients. One or two weekly days of fasting (that include a multi and plenty of hydration) aren't going to kill me, you, or anyone.14
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I think it's a very slippery slope that separates disordered eating from 'normal' ways of eating. I agree with the OP, I think some people do use IF in an unhealthy way (related to their eating disorder). But then, others won't. I don't think IF is bad in and of itself; but it can be used in an unhealthy way. That said though, I really wonder what eating 'healthily' is? The older I get the more I think that it's different for everyone (mentally) and every body (physically). IF is not for me. Eating Mcdonalds all day isn't for me either. But I'm not going to condemn anyone who chooses one or other of those. Their body isn't mine.4
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