Intermittent fasting - I don't get it
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I’m not hungry in the morning and I’m starving in the afternoon. So, I eat 3 meals at noon, 3 & 7. Andi personally don’t like going to bed with a digesting belly full of food. Voila - IF.3
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BlessedMom70 wrote: »Isn't it all about calories in/calories out? Why would it matter how long your body goes without eating, as long as you are eating at a deficit within that 24 hour period?
I LOVE intermittent fasting. It has completely controlled and almost eradicated my cravings. I don't eat from around 7pm to 12pm and now that i am used to it I don't get hungry during my fasting window. I am able to stick to my calories so much easier because I'm not eating from 7am until bedtime and always needing little snacks. It's changed my life honestly. Same cals just different eating window. I do 600cal breakfast at 12pm and then a 350 cal lunch around 330 and then a big dinner around 7 with remaining cals. I've lost weight because I don't snack and I am RARELY hungry.14 -
psychod787 wrote: »cloudsongs wrote: »It’s not just about calories in/calories out. Every single time you eat something, even if there are 0 carbs, your body produces a hormone called insulin. Once insulin begins circulating your body, all your fat-burning hormones like growth hormones begin to power down (and this is worse especially when you eat high carb meals) because they “think” they’re about to get easy energy from glucose pretty soon.
This is where intermittent fasting comes in. You technically are supposed to eat one or two meals during your “feeding window” which allows the least amount of insulin spikes in your body (because you’re only eating 2 times a day with 0 snacking) within a short period of time. The rest of the day, insulin will be low while other hormones begin to use the energy from both your diet and your stored energy.
So yes, calories are important because if you eat too much, your body will never tap into your reserved glycogen and fat. But intermittent fasting also helps speed up the process because of fewer insulin spikes!
UHHHH????!?!? nope......
Insulin Spikes according to the size of the meal. Large meal, large longer spike, Short meal, shorter smaller spikes. Does insulin stop the burning of fat for energy? Yes, for as long as the body uses glucose and then stores it. So, your "Larger" meal just causes a larger/longer insulin release. Though, I did hear that IF was curing HIV and helping restore the OZONE layer.
Here’s a study on it:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24838678/
You don’t have to do it if you don’t think it’ll work for you. No need to get angry.
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cloudsongs wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »cloudsongs wrote: »It’s not just about calories in/calories out. Every single time you eat something, even if there are 0 carbs, your body produces a hormone called insulin. Once insulin begins circulating your body, all your fat-burning hormones like growth hormones begin to power down (and this is worse especially when you eat high carb meals) because they “think” they’re about to get easy energy from glucose pretty soon.
This is where intermittent fasting comes in. You technically are supposed to eat one or two meals during your “feeding window” which allows the least amount of insulin spikes in your body (because you’re only eating 2 times a day with 0 snacking) within a short period of time. The rest of the day, insulin will be low while other hormones begin to use the energy from both your diet and your stored energy.
So yes, calories are important because if you eat too much, your body will never tap into your reserved glycogen and fat. But intermittent fasting also helps speed up the process because of fewer insulin spikes!
UHHHH????!?!? nope......
Insulin Spikes according to the size of the meal. Large meal, large longer spike, Short meal, shorter smaller spikes. Does insulin stop the burning of fat for energy? Yes, for as long as the body uses glucose and then stores it. So, your "Larger" meal just causes a larger/longer insulin release. Though, I did hear that IF was curing HIV and helping restore the OZONE layer.
Here’s a study on it:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24838678/
You don’t have to do it if you don’t think it’ll work for you. No need to get angry.
That study was on diabetics. OP didn't mention diabetes, nor did your post.14 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »cloudsongs wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »cloudsongs wrote: »It’s not just about calories in/calories out. Every single time you eat something, even if there are 0 carbs, your body produces a hormone called insulin. Once insulin begins circulating your body, all your fat-burning hormones like growth hormones begin to power down (and this is worse especially when you eat high carb meals) because they “think” they’re about to get easy energy from glucose pretty soon.
This is where intermittent fasting comes in. You technically are supposed to eat one or two meals during your “feeding window” which allows the least amount of insulin spikes in your body (because you’re only eating 2 times a day with 0 snacking) within a short period of time. The rest of the day, insulin will be low while other hormones begin to use the energy from both your diet and your stored energy.
So yes, calories are important because if you eat too much, your body will never tap into your reserved glycogen and fat. But intermittent fasting also helps speed up the process because of fewer insulin spikes!
UHHHH????!?!? nope......
Insulin Spikes according to the size of the meal. Large meal, large longer spike, Short meal, shorter smaller spikes. Does insulin stop the burning of fat for energy? Yes, for as long as the body uses glucose and then stores it. So, your "Larger" meal just causes a larger/longer insulin release. Though, I did hear that IF was curing HIV and helping restore the OZONE layer.
Here’s a study on it:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24838678/
You don’t have to do it if you don’t think it’ll work for you. No need to get angry.
That study was on diabetics. OP didn't mention diabetes, nor did your post.
Yes, I saw that. I was focusing on the fact that body weight decreased for those who ate 2 meals rather than 6. But if you’ve tried this and it didn’t work for you, it’s just not for you. 17 -
cloudsongs wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »cloudsongs wrote: »It’s not just about calories in/calories out. Every single time you eat something, even if there are 0 carbs, your body produces a hormone called insulin. Once insulin begins circulating your body, all your fat-burning hormones like growth hormones begin to power down (and this is worse especially when you eat high carb meals) because they “think” they’re about to get easy energy from glucose pretty soon.
This is where intermittent fasting comes in. You technically are supposed to eat one or two meals during your “feeding window” which allows the least amount of insulin spikes in your body (because you’re only eating 2 times a day with 0 snacking) within a short period of time. The rest of the day, insulin will be low while other hormones begin to use the energy from both your diet and your stored energy.
So yes, calories are important because if you eat too much, your body will never tap into your reserved glycogen and fat. But intermittent fasting also helps speed up the process because of fewer insulin spikes!
UHHHH????!?!? nope......
Insulin Spikes according to the size of the meal. Large meal, large longer spike, Short meal, shorter smaller spikes. Does insulin stop the burning of fat for energy? Yes, for as long as the body uses glucose and then stores it. So, your "Larger" meal just causes a larger/longer insulin release. Though, I did hear that IF was curing HIV and helping restore the OZONE layer.
Here’s a study on it:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24838678/
You don’t have to do it if you don’t think it’ll work for you. No need to get angry.
I follow a form of IF myself.cloudsongs wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »cloudsongs wrote: »It’s not just about calories in/calories out. Every single time you eat something, even if there are 0 carbs, your body produces a hormone called insulin. Once insulin begins circulating your body, all your fat-burning hormones like growth hormones begin to power down (and this is worse especially when you eat high carb meals) because they “think” they’re about to get easy energy from glucose pretty soon.
This is where intermittent fasting comes in. You technically are supposed to eat one or two meals during your “feeding window” which allows the least amount of insulin spikes in your body (because you’re only eating 2 times a day with 0 snacking) within a short period of time. The rest of the day, insulin will be low while other hormones begin to use the energy from both your diet and your stored energy.
So yes, calories are important because if you eat too much, your body will never tap into your reserved glycogen and fat. But intermittent fasting also helps speed up the process because of fewer insulin spikes!
UHHHH????!?!? nope......
Insulin Spikes according to the size of the meal. Large meal, large longer spike, Short meal, shorter smaller spikes. Does insulin stop the burning of fat for energy? Yes, for as long as the body uses glucose and then stores it. So, your "Larger" meal just causes a larger/longer insulin release. Though, I did hear that IF was curing HIV and helping restore the OZONE layer.
Here’s a study on it:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24838678/
You don’t have to do it if you don’t think it’ll work for you. No need to get angry.
I follow a form of IF myself. I do not deny that fasting can help with insulin sensitivity. When someone fast over night, they are more sensitive to their own insulin. Being sensitive to your own insulin is not the same as insulin stopping overall fat loss. That's what the poster above me was stating. I like IF, but let's not sell it for something that it is not.7 -
cloudsongs wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »cloudsongs wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »cloudsongs wrote: »It’s not just about calories in/calories out. Every single time you eat something, even if there are 0 carbs, your body produces a hormone called insulin. Once insulin begins circulating your body, all your fat-burning hormones like growth hormones begin to power down (and this is worse especially when you eat high carb meals) because they “think” they’re about to get easy energy from glucose pretty soon.
This is where intermittent fasting comes in. You technically are supposed to eat one or two meals during your “feeding window” which allows the least amount of insulin spikes in your body (because you’re only eating 2 times a day with 0 snacking) within a short period of time. The rest of the day, insulin will be low while other hormones begin to use the energy from both your diet and your stored energy.
So yes, calories are important because if you eat too much, your body will never tap into your reserved glycogen and fat. But intermittent fasting also helps speed up the process because of fewer insulin spikes!
UHHHH????!?!? nope......
Insulin Spikes according to the size of the meal. Large meal, large longer spike, Short meal, shorter smaller spikes. Does insulin stop the burning of fat for energy? Yes, for as long as the body uses glucose and then stores it. So, your "Larger" meal just causes a larger/longer insulin release. Though, I did hear that IF was curing HIV and helping restore the OZONE layer.
Here’s a study on it:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24838678/
You don’t have to do it if you don’t think it’ll work for you. No need to get angry.
That study was on diabetics. OP didn't mention diabetes, nor did your post.
Yes, I saw that. I was focusing on the fact that body weight decreased for those who ate 2 meals rather than 6. But if you’ve tried this and it didn’t work for you, it’s just not for you.
But a study done on people with a specific medical condition doesn't extrapolate to people who don't have that condition, which is what you were trying to do in your first post.7 -
A conversation about IF usually includes a discussion about circadian rhythms in conjunction with IF.
There's a lot to digest here in the study linked below (pun intended) and again, if IF works for you, great.
..... If you're not a fan, that's okay too.
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/grp/2017/3932491/1 -
cloudsongs wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »cloudsongs wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »cloudsongs wrote: »It’s not just about calories in/calories out. Every single time you eat something, even if there are 0 carbs, your body produces a hormone called insulin. Once insulin begins circulating your body, all your fat-burning hormones like growth hormones begin to power down (and this is worse especially when you eat high carb meals) because they “think” they’re about to get easy energy from glucose pretty soon.
This is where intermittent fasting comes in. You technically are supposed to eat one or two meals during your “feeding window” which allows the least amount of insulin spikes in your body (because you’re only eating 2 times a day with 0 snacking) within a short period of time. The rest of the day, insulin will be low while other hormones begin to use the energy from both your diet and your stored energy.
So yes, calories are important because if you eat too much, your body will never tap into your reserved glycogen and fat. But intermittent fasting also helps speed up the process because of fewer insulin spikes!
UHHHH????!?!? nope......
Insulin Spikes according to the size of the meal. Large meal, large longer spike, Short meal, shorter smaller spikes. Does insulin stop the burning of fat for energy? Yes, for as long as the body uses glucose and then stores it. So, your "Larger" meal just causes a larger/longer insulin release. Though, I did hear that IF was curing HIV and helping restore the OZONE layer.
Here’s a study on it:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24838678/
You don’t have to do it if you don’t think it’ll work for you. No need to get angry.
That study was on diabetics. OP didn't mention diabetes, nor did your post.
Yes, I saw that. I was focusing on the fact that body weight decreased for those who ate 2 meals rather than 6. But if you’ve tried this and it didn’t work for you, it’s just not for you.
if they ate 2 meals instead of 6 and the calories were lower then yes weight will decrease. but if you eat 6 meals that equal x amount of calories andyour 2 meals equal the same amount of calories as the 6 meals then it will be equal. I have been IF most of my life. body weight decreases in a deficit and let me say that it is entirely possible to get fat doing IF. Im one person who is proof of that.5 -
Best thing that happened to me4
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CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »cloudsongs wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »cloudsongs wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »cloudsongs wrote: »It’s not just about calories in/calories out. Every single time you eat something, even if there are 0 carbs, your body produces a hormone called insulin. Once insulin begins circulating your body, all your fat-burning hormones like growth hormones begin to power down (and this is worse especially when you eat high carb meals) because they “think” they’re about to get easy energy from glucose pretty soon.
This is where intermittent fasting comes in. You technically are supposed to eat one or two meals during your “feeding window” which allows the least amount of insulin spikes in your body (because you’re only eating 2 times a day with 0 snacking) within a short period of time. The rest of the day, insulin will be low while other hormones begin to use the energy from both your diet and your stored energy.
So yes, calories are important because if you eat too much, your body will never tap into your reserved glycogen and fat. But intermittent fasting also helps speed up the process because of fewer insulin spikes!
UHHHH????!?!? nope......
Insulin Spikes according to the size of the meal. Large meal, large longer spike, Short meal, shorter smaller spikes. Does insulin stop the burning of fat for energy? Yes, for as long as the body uses glucose and then stores it. So, your "Larger" meal just causes a larger/longer insulin release. Though, I did hear that IF was curing HIV and helping restore the OZONE layer.
Here’s a study on it:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24838678/
You don’t have to do it if you don’t think it’ll work for you. No need to get angry.
That study was on diabetics. OP didn't mention diabetes, nor did your post.
Yes, I saw that. I was focusing on the fact that body weight decreased for those who ate 2 meals rather than 6. But if you’ve tried this and it didn’t work for you, it’s just not for you.
if they ate 2 meals instead of 6 and the calories were lower then yes weight will decrease. but if you eat 6 meals that equal x amount of calories andyour 2 meals equal the same amount of calories as the 6 meals then it will be equal. I have been IF most of my life. body weight decreases in a deficit and let me say that it is entirely possible to get fat doing IF. Im one person who is proof of that.
How do you feel about Diet Coke ?
** answer verrrry carefully.5 -
Here's a 16:8 study for those who are curious: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5064803/
This one was done on strength training men.
I feel like more studies need to be done to determine which groups of people IF works for and what exactly it can do in terms of benefits and drawbacks. I'll definitely be glad when people in my daily life don't try to warn me about "starvation mode" when I tell them I do IF.2 -
I practice Intuitive Eating which turns into IF a lot of the time. Basically, I try to only eat when I'm hungry. Some days that means I eat once a day, other days, I might eat 5 times. For me, it's about learning to recognize actual hunger cues vs boredom and cravings.5
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Intermittent fasting is the only way I have successfully managed to stay in a calorie deficit when I am loosing ... but as soon as I go back to maintenance then I go back to eating throughout the day.
when I have tried to eat 3 meals a day in a calorie deficit I find the calorie allowance per meal just too small, I end up over eating, snacking etc etc ..... but if I dont eat at all, well I can control that and I dont eat at all
Its not magic, its not special .. I just have two levels of will power ... full on or none ! giving meal timing a name, giving it rules allows me to stick to it
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1. Research is ongoing
2. For some, fasting improves mental clarity and thus compliance
3. Some of the research suggests that concentrating your eating in a small window boosts TEF, and as a consequence energy level. this is more pronounced in some of the more exotic and less mainstream IF protocols. 24/26/28/30, as are the mental clarity effects.
Note: I do not advocate or practice IF.1 -
I'm one of those people who get hungrier when I eat in the morning, so IF has helped me stop snacking, stick to 2 larger meals a day, and stick to my calorie goal. For those reasons, it's been great for me.6
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I did IF for years as a teenager, before it was a thing. Why? Because I didn't get hungry in the morning and I didn't really have time to eat in the morning (I was always late for school). I was a fat teenager. That was because I ate too much for my meals.
Like all weight loss strategies, it works because the people who use it find it easier to reduce their calories consumed as opposed to other strategies.
There's no special trick to it. Some people just find it the easiest method for controlling their appetite. Others don't. We're all different in what works for us.0 -
I don't call my WOE intermittent fasting, because I'm just doing me. I have never eaten breakfast, ever. I'm just not hungry, and I often skip lunch for the same reason. But I have my coffee! With cream. Other than that, though, I don't eat until I'm hungry, and it works out the same as intermittent fasting most days -- dinner and something extra a little later. (Though I record my eating as separate meals throughout the day, so my MFP peeps don't think I'm a freak, lol. But, crap! Now they know.) I can understand using it as a way to control your eating. Think about it. If MFP gives you 1500 calories per day, you can have a really nice dinner and a midnight snack, instead of trying to figure out how to do 3 meals at 500 calories or less, and no midnight snack.0
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Wow, a wealth of info here...thank you all so much!1
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stanmann571 wrote: »1. Research is ongoing
2. For some, fasting improves mental clarity and thus compliance
3. Some of the research suggests that concentrating your eating in a small window boosts TEF, and as a consequence energy level. this is more pronounced in some of the more exotic and less mainstream IF protocols. 24/26/28/30, as are the mental clarity effects.
Note: I do not advocate or practice IF.
I've long wondered if the "mental clarity" is self-reported, or based on objective tests.
I can think of many situations where people self report "mental clarity", yet the people around them are not of the same opinion
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