Intermittent fasting - I don't get it
Replies
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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
6 -
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
If one does that diet for "mental clarity", but hate the diet, what's the point of doing IF. Eating at a caloric deficit is bad enough, but doing a diet you don't enjoy won't make it easier on you either, regardless if the so called diet has benefits. Every diet have health benefits anyways, just pick one you like.1 -
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
If one does that diet for "mental clarity", but hate the diet, what's the point of doing IF. Eating at a caloric deficit is bad enough, but doing a diet you don't enjoy won't make it easier on you either, regardless if the so called diet has benefits. Every diet have health benefits anyways, just pick one you like.
Based on your response I am not sure I was 100% clear above.
I am neither advocating nor following IF although I acknowledge that it might help people who need a "solid meal" in their day to achieve their caloric deficit.
I am actually questioning whether the perception of mental clarity that is reported by people on IF is real vs imagined (similarly to when a drunk person expands on the meaning of life)
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Who knew. I only eat lunch and dinner, pretty much my whole adult life. Occasionally a snack at night. I did not even know there was a term for that. Apparently I'm an intermittent faster. I ate on the same schedule when I was 90 lbs heavier too. Just a lot more per sitting. Technically I was still intermittent fasting, I was just a fat intermittent faster.4
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Just like everyone says...it works for some and not for others...I like it because I'm not a breakfast eater..and I've been able to stick to a calorie goal for almost 40 days now, which I constantly struggled with trying to eat 5 times a day. Just find an eating pattern that helps you stick to your calorie goals, everyone is different so you may have to try different things to figure out what best fits your lifestyle.2
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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
If one does that diet for "mental clarity", but hate the diet, what's the point of doing IF. Eating at a caloric deficit is bad enough, but doing a diet you don't enjoy won't make it easier on you either, regardless if the so called diet has benefits. Every diet have health benefits anyways, just pick one you like.
Based on your response I am not sure I was 100% clear above.
I am neither advocating nor following IF although I acknowledge that it might help people who need a "solid meal" in their day to achieve their caloric deficit.
I am actually questioning whether the perception of mental clarity that is reported by people on IF is real vs imagined (similarly to when a drunk person expands on the meaning of life)
My point is just that you don't do it for the so-called benefits regardless if they're true or not.1 -
I was doing this long before I realized it had a name. For a long time, I ate breakfast because I thought I "should" and believed the nonsense about it being the most important part of the day/jump starting your metabolism. However, I'm not at all hungry in the morning and was basically forcing myself to eat, and I resented getting up even earlier to have time for breakfast. Meanwhile, in the evening I ended up being starving and prone to late night snacking. I found when I ate breakfast that I was way hungrier throughout the day.
It was very freeing when I realized I could have my calories whenever I wanted and it wouldn't make a difference for weight loss. I currently have a small lunch (around 300 calories) at work around noon, saving the bulk of my calories for the evening when I actually want them and can relax and enjoy them (as opposed to hurriedly eating while working). I can either have a larger and more satisfying dinner, or a smaller dinner along with an evening snack or dessert.
For me, IF is just a strategy that makes it easier for me to stay in a calorie deficit. I have a much harder time staying in a deficit following a more "traditional" eating schedule with breakfast, lunch, and dinner.2 -
Motorsheen wrote: »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.
I dont like diet coke lol unless its the zero sugar one. other than that what is it you want me to answer about diet coke?2 -
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
Im doing IF and mainaining right now. I find I overeat or snack more if I dont get enough sleep,or enough good qaulity sleep. maybe thats your issue too?1 -
I think people just like labels. I prefer to avoid eating when I not hungry which means I naturally to the intermittent fasting but I don't feel the need to label it. My mom is currently in love with all sorts of fasting and "intermittent " seems to be the buzz word of choice right now.0
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I think people just like labels. I prefer to avoid eating when I not hungry which means I naturally to the intermittent fasting but I don't feel the need to label it. My mom is currently in love with all sorts of fasting and "intermittent " seems to be the buzz word of choice right now.
it may be the buzz word now but some of us have done it before it became all the rage lol.ive always done it, the thing with it is, now adays people think its another magical way to lose weight and fat because of the fasting part.many think they can still eat what they want and how much they want as long as they are doing IF or even keto. little do they know it still comes down to calories. yet many dont believe that.4 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »I think people just like labels. I prefer to avoid eating when I not hungry which means I naturally to the intermittent fasting but I don't feel the need to label it. My mom is currently in love with all sorts of fasting and "intermittent " seems to be the buzz word of choice right now.
it may be the buzz word now but some of us have done it before it became all the rage lol.ive always done it, the thing with it is, now adays people think its another magical way to lose weight and fat because of the fasting part.many think they can still eat what they want and how much they want as long as they are doing IF or even keto. little do they know it still comes down to calories. yet many dont believe that.
Many people don't believe that it comes down to calories because idiots like Fung and his ilk promote the theory that if you IF, it will reset all of your hormones and all of your hunger queues and you will magically start eating the exact amount of calories that you need to either lose weight or maintain the 'proper' weight for your body.
For what it's worth, I can add my N=1 experience here as well. I have almost always eaten 2 meals a day (breakfast foods I like, just not before noon) with a snack here and there and I easily topped out at 280lbs eating like that.8 -
It does only come down to CICO but personally IF helps me stay in my calorie goal in the first place. It just makes dieting a little easier for some people.
I'd have to eat small meals if I didn't compress all my calories into an 8 or 6 hour window and I am not hungry in the morning anyway. Plus I work out in the morning and hate doing it on a full stomach (I would often puke it right back up when I was in school and my athletics coach would make all the girls eat breakfast before workout).
If someone just goes by the rule that they won't overeat on IF because they can't go over their calories in their eating window and they're losing weight, that's great. But I know that I am more than capable of blasting through and over my calories in 1 meal even if it's healthy food. So I still count calories.1 -
I hate the term "fasting" now...I made a mistake and mentioned to someone at work that I was doing this and ever since then they keep asking me how is it going. I wish I had not said anything because basically I just skip breakfast and do not eat after supper that is it. The moment you use a term such as IF it seems to get people all excited and of course the "what you do not eat breakfast..omg!".
Lesson learned do not discuss diets/food plans, etc. with coworkers.
Regardless, it does make watching my calories way easier for sure so personally I am happy with it.
1 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »I think people just like labels. I prefer to avoid eating when I not hungry which means I naturally to the intermittent fasting but I don't feel the need to label it. My mom is currently in love with all sorts of fasting and "intermittent " seems to be the buzz word of choice right now.
it may be the buzz word now but some of us have done it before it became all the rage lol.ive always done it, the thing with it is, now adays people think its another magical way to lose weight and fat because of the fasting part.many think they can still eat what they want and how much they want as long as they are doing IF or even keto. little do they know it still comes down to calories. yet many dont believe that.
Many people don't believe that it comes down to calories because idiots like Fung and his ilk promote the theory that if you IF, it will reset all of your hormones and all of your hunger queues and you will magically start eating the exact amount of calories that you need to either lose weight or maintain the 'proper' weight for your body.
For what it's worth, I can add my N=1 experience here as well. I have almost always eaten 2 meals a day (breakfast foods I like, just not before noon) with a snack here and there and I easily topped out at 280lbs eating like that.
yep I got fat overeating doing IF which I had done all my life. I was always thin until I stopped being as active and eating the same way I was before I got fat. the difference for me was moving less and I think getting of a medication that can speed up metabolism a bit(for asthma)1 -
Intermittent fasting is a super easy concept to understand. It is just like intermittent eating, intermittent drinking, intermittent urinating, intermittent sleeping, etc. It all means the same thing. If you don't do something constantly you are doing it intermittently.3
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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
I've also had some very high students tell me they were experiencing "mental clarity." Somehow, I think not ...
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I wonder how many people eat at specific times because of the whole "gotta eat breakfast at breakfast time, lunch at lunch time, and dinner at dinner time" thing. Some people swear up and down that more meals are better, but that doesn't work for everyone.
The reported mental clarity could be coming from getting back to a more natural rhythm (if that works for them) or it could be delusional enthusiasm for what may be seen as a miracle cure. I have family members who have some new tactic or product every few months and they will swear up and down that their newest trend solves everything from obesity to stage four cancer.
All in all, I think we as humans tend to over complicate things when the simplest answer isn't as easy as we would like. So we go in search of instant gratification.
Calories in. Calories out. It's a calorie deficit that wins out no matter what the latest weight loss/management trends are.
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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
I've also had some very high students tell me they were experiencing "mental clarity." Somehow, I think not ...
Well, I believe the heightened senses and mental clarity, some days yes others no, may have to do with food seeking behaviour. Let's think about it, no pun intended, but what would a hunter gatherer be doing? They would have to depend on his or her senses to find food. Could be smell, wild game does have a certain smell. Could be the smell of fruit. The sound of nesting birds or buzzing bees. I am not saying it makes you Ms. Cleo, but i think there is something to it. Just MHO........1 -
IF helped me control my eating on the weekends. Weekends were always a challenge because my meals tended to be much bigger. I learned that I didn't have to have three square meals per day, so I switched to two meals on the weekends. IF on the weekends (a smaller eating window) allows me to have more satisfying meals. I adapted some of the IF concepts to my own lifestyle. There is a lot to be learned, even from the so-called fad diets.1
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I do 16:8. I was overweight. I found IF on YouTube. I exercised and lost 20 lbs. in 4 months. It improved many health numbers. I stopped for a long while but managed to keep weight down because it kept me aware of what I was eating and I stayed pretty much in my eating window. I am back on it and starting to exercise again. My goal is another 18 pounds.1
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