Intermittent Fasting

I have been reading about intermittent fasting as of late, as well as keto. IF seems to be an easier way to fix eating habits, I’m still just not sure what kind of diet to incorporate with it and what time of day to start a 16:8 window. I read a little that maybe keto would help with this IF tool, but I feel like maybe I want to try just cutting out sugar and trying to have a more vitamin rich meal plan. Or would supplements be the better option?

I have PCOS so my real issue is the sugar. I’m thinking easing into it with some soup and then heavier meals toward the end? I just want to feel satiated and have a nutritionally complete meal as well.
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Replies

  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    I also have PCOS and I follow a lower carb approach where I eat between 70-120g of carbs a day and I don’t freak out if I go over and under. I used to be really strict with my diet but I’ve loosened up abit and I make sure I eat atleast 100g of protein a day as I’m 149lbs and 5’4” so that’s a good number to aim for. Then I eat fats because I find them more satiating but you have to find out what works for you. Last week my brother wanted to treat us out to desert and on that day I only had 1300 calories allotted. I made sure I ate high protein dinner (I just ended up eating steamed fish with veggies) and I saved up 300 calories for dessert and i ended up just fine! Infact I found the cookie dough too sweet and I mostly ate the ice-cream ontop. The next day I continued as if nothing had happened. I’ve been through a lot in terms of an ED when I was a teen and then a bad relationship with food. Do you feel addicted to sugary foods? Maybe you need to quit sugar cold turkey, reestablish healthy eating habits and then when you have it again you won’t want to binge out. What I’m trying to say is some people can moderate with sugary fatty foods and some people can’t. Your body needs a break from these foods then fine. Use erythritol or stevia instead. But after a few weeks on no sugar when you have a treat again you will find your taste buds have been reset. You will be able to control yourself and eat in moderation. Find out what foods you have zero self control around and don’t keep them in the house. Honestly now the way I eat is I eat a low carb day and then I fit in two pieces of chocolate or some ice cream and I’m still under 100g of carbs for the day. I don’t even do this everyday. I also eat intuitively whilst counting my calories. This has really helped me to control my caloric intake. IF works well for PCOS due to increasing insulin sensitivity (most PCOS overweight women have mild insulin resistance that does not show up on the tests) so I would just do 16:8 for now. I fast for 17-18 hours now because I like how it makes me feel.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    edited July 2018
    If you have read some unbelievable accounts about IF, keto, cutting out sugar - try to forget them. Those things are all the rage now, but as you say, you want to feel satiated and have nutritionally complete meals and fix your eating habits. So focus on the things that help you with that, and tune out the things that make it harder.

    The lowdown:
    Intermittent fasting is nothing but formalizing your meal schedule. A good meal schedule can help you eat better; calling it IF can help you stick to your meal schedule.
    You can't cut out sugar and be healthy; you can indeed cut out added sugar and eat healthily, but it means you'll have to make a lot of effort AND forgo lots of healthy foods; and sugar is sugar that your body handles the same way; and telling yourself you can't have something leads your desire for it to soar, and then you lose control and overeat - so that isn't really a good strategy.
    Keto is eating very low carb and high fat, which suits a lot of people, but it's just another way of reducing calorie intake, which is what actually produces weightloss.
    When you reduce the amounts of junkfood, and make balanced meals from scratch, you will get more vitamins.
    Supplements can never be as good as the real deal (food).
    You can eat whatever and whenever you want. You just have to stop eating too much.

    The only thing about getting your sugar from fruit and veggies, is that they come with fiber. Fiber slows the absorption of glucose. If i remember, there is a correlation with obesity from sugar sweeted beverages. There is not one with fruit consumption. No scientific study i think, so we have to be careful with correlations, but, I believe it has to do with satiety and fiber. A serving of strawberries, 140grams. Has 17grams of CARBS! That's A lot right? It also some with 4-6 grams of fiber. Mix it with some cheese, protein and fats, I get satiety, compared to a soda and potato chips. Nothing wrong with soda and chips, but I have to ask myself, do they help me hit my goals? Calories still have the same effect on the body.
  • mizz_tizzy
    mizz_tizzy Posts: 4 Member
    I’ve just started IF to manage my eating habits due to mental health issues and just to say everyone here this is really great info all round to read!
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    I'm doing 12 PM - 8PM as my feed window. It's actually really good for me for a few reasons:

    1- it makes sure i don't stay up too late past my bed time
    2- i like having a meal that feels like a meal, and my first meal of the day usually is quite substantial
    3- i'm prone to disordered eating. i don't really have an "off switch" so the clock is a good way to make sure i'm not just eating to eat. also what makes this worse is mon-fri i'm surrounded by food and snacks at work
    4-finding it easier to cut out added sugar. for me the main added sugar comes in my tea and coffee and really the main time i drink caffeine is before lunch. Since I'm not eating calories before noon, it's forcing me to skip the coffee and drink either those 0 calorie iced teas in a bottle or water.

    There are a few bad points though:
    1- weekends :-/ this is going to be a tough one for me to get over because i like to go out and dance and have fun with friends
    2- may need to change workout time. I've been pushing my workouts to end just before my window. i was trying 7 AM workouts but I'd be really hangry by 10 AM, and me hangry is NOT pretty lol
  • crooked_left_hook
    crooked_left_hook Posts: 364 Member
    I just started IF because I realized that one of my issues is that I’ve been getting up earlier the last few years, making my day longer, and I’ve struggled to stabilize my weight simply by calorie counting. When I start eating later in the day my meals were bigger and it is easier to not to snack between meals and stick to my calorie goals. I’m not coupling this with keto, just eating normal to see how it effects things. I’m also not being super strict about my eating window to allow some flexibility for life. Right now I can eat anytime between 10am and 8pm, and the timing of my first meal depends on whether or not I plan to workout over lunch because I can’t exercise on an empty stomach. The jury is still out on whether or not this will help me lose weight. I would try either IF or keto alone and see how you feel before diving into both.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    psychod787 wrote: »
    If you have read some unbelievable accounts about IF, keto, cutting out sugar - try to forget them. Those things are all the rage now, but as you say, you want to feel satiated and have nutritionally complete meals and fix your eating habits. So focus on the things that help you with that, and tune out the things that make it harder.

    The lowdown:
    Intermittent fasting is nothing but formalizing your meal schedule. A good meal schedule can help you eat better; calling it IF can help you stick to your meal schedule.
    You can't cut out sugar and be healthy; you can indeed cut out added sugar and eat healthily, but it means you'll have to make a lot of effort AND forgo lots of healthy foods; and sugar is sugar that your body handles the same way; and telling yourself you can't have something leads your desire for it to soar, and then you lose control and overeat - so that isn't really a good strategy.
    Keto is eating very low carb and high fat, which suits a lot of people, but it's just another way of reducing calorie intake, which is what actually produces weightloss.
    When you reduce the amounts of junkfood, and make balanced meals from scratch, you will get more vitamins.
    Supplements can never be as good as the real deal (food).
    You can eat whatever and whenever you want. You just have to stop eating too much.

    The only thing about getting your sugar from fruit and veggies, is that they come with fiber. Fiber slows the absorption of glucose. If i remember, there is a correlation with obesity from sugar sweeted beverages. There is not one with fruit consumption. No scientific study i think, so we have to be careful with correlations, but, I believe it has to do with satiety and fiber. A serving of strawberries, 140grams. Has 17grams of CARBS! That's A lot right? It also some with 4-6 grams of fiber. Mix it with some cheese, protein and fats, I get satiety, compared to a soda and potato chips. Nothing wrong with soda and chips, but I have to ask myself, do they help me hit my goals? Calories still have the same effect on the body.

    If that's a lot, my large snack today would have those who are scared of carbs gasping in horror at the thought of eating 66 grams of carbs for a snack:
    rykdqcgkz4cd.png

    To OP:
    - IF is just an eating schedule that makes dieting easier for some people. Try it and see if it helps you feel happier and more full, discard it if it makes dieting unpleasant.
    - Since you have PCOS, considering keto or low carb is a good thing if you also have insulin resistance. Try it and see how you like it. If you find it hard and unsustainable, you absolutely can do moderate carbs. Even some people with type 2 diabetes can.
    - Sugar isn't scary and won't prevent weight loss if you're in a calorie deficit, but if you're currently consuming too much added sugar, cutting back is encouraged simply for the fact that it may be crowding out more nutritious foods.
    - If you decide not to go keto, eating adequate protein and vegetables and a varied balanced diet is likely to give you good nutrition by default. You don't have to bend over backward to achieve it, and having the occasional ice cream or somesuch does not magically remove the nutrients you've eaten.
    - My best advice for you would be: don't overthink it and just stay within your calories. You can try things out if you want, but you don't need to commit to anything that doesn't fit you.

    I was just using that as an example of where sugar itself is not bad for goals in my case. I try personally to not really get too many of my calories from processed sugar as it leaves me with spent macros and virtually no sateity. No reason to fear carbs in general, even if you are insulin resistant as long as you remain active. We are all in some way resistant to our insulin. Carbs and fats are just the biggest variable when dealing with weight loss or gain. Heck, even the ADA recommends getting 45% of cals from carbs. They say to avoid added sugar.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    Slowfaster wrote: »
    New studies are going on as to whether or not IF can reduce cancer risk and boost the immune system, but early results are promising in those areas and suggest it is beneficial in many other small ways.

    Just on a personal level -- I love it! I've been doing it for ten months and although the 45 pounds I've lost may all be due to calorie restriction, I know for sure that the fasting has helped me stick to the calorie restriction.

    I eat between noon and six, so basically it's two 600 calorie meals. The meals are big enough to be satisfying, I'm not forcing myself to eat in the mornings when I'm never very hungry, and best of all, when the clock hits 6PM and I finish the dishes and go brush my teeth it's like my brain goes into a wonderful rest from food decisions. In my mind there's a, "Kitchen Closed," sign up and there's just no entry. I can read or watch TV without planning the next snack or arguing with myself about whether or not to have it.

    Please just stop promoting IF as a potential cancer risk minimizer. It's irresponsible and currently scientifically unsubstantiated.

    That’s not what he was saying was it. He said that studies are on-going, this is something that is interesting to know, he is by no means promoting anything or being irresponsible

    I am very wary of those studies personally. They tend to work with correlation vs causation. Though the research is interesting.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    Mari22na wrote: »
    IF is simply skipping meals. Originally, intermittent meant intermittent but now it's simply eating through your window every single day. It could be a drive-up or kitchen window. IF is not a miracle cure for anything. Eating all the things in an 8 hour period will not reset your metabolism or help you release endorphins.

    It is cutting edge and trendy to combine all of the eating protocols together into one. IF/keto/food group elimination-autoimmune protocol/WW/food resets and all of the rest of the ballyhoo. Argumentum ad populum.

    If at the end of 3 years and most definitely the 5 year mark, if you did not maintain weight loss or said benefits with any or all of these protocols then it's time to pick up your marbles and go home.

    Clean the slates and clear the decks. There's always another obesity cure coming around the corner.

    True Ana....
  • rgg71
    rgg71 Posts: 31 Member
    I have been reading about intermittent fasting as of late, as well as keto. IF seems to be an easier way to fix eating habits, I’m still just not sure what kind of diet to incorporate with it and what time of day to start a 16:8 window. I read a little that maybe keto would help with this IF tool, but I feel like maybe I want to try just cutting out sugar and trying to have a more vitamin rich meal plan. Or would supplements be the better option?

    I have PCOS so my real issue is the sugar. I’m thinking easing into it with some soup and then heavier meals toward the end? I just want to feel satiated and have a nutritionally complete meal as well.

    Hi, I have been doing IF 5:2 since September last year (with a break for holidays). At the end of October I went on to a LCHF/Keto way of eating and found the 5:2 fasting easier as I lost cravings on the fasting days and managed to last until a single evening meal, while avoiding overeating the day after the fast day. It took me about 2 weeks to adapt to the diet and I found the low carber daily forum on MFP very helpful with lots of tips.
    In terms of weight loss I have managed 48 lbs in that time and have not struggled as I have in the past, so for me it has been a good tool for weight loss and I have not struggled with hunger.
    I'm now at a point where I am approaching maintenance and I am starting to think about how to adapt because I have become so used to it! I'll probably stop the 5:2 but can't see myself giving up on the LCHF as it's too good (IMO)

    In terms of supplements, I can't really answer but just looking at my experience of IF/KETO, I don't see a need for it other than making sure that I keep electrolytes up by adding salt.
  • kds10
    kds10 Posts: 452 Member
    Slowfaster wrote: »
    New studies are going on as to whether or not IF can reduce cancer risk and boost the immune system, but early results are promising in those areas and suggest it is beneficial in many other small ways.

    Just on a personal level -- I love it! I've been doing it for ten months and although the 45 pounds I've lost may all be due to calorie restriction, I know for sure that the fasting has helped me stick to the calorie restriction.

    I eat between noon and six, so basically it's two 600 calorie meals. The meals are big enough to be satisfying, I'm not forcing myself to eat in the mornings when I'm never very hungry, and best of all, when the clock hits 6PM and I finish the dishes and go brush my teeth it's like my brain goes into a wonderful rest from food decisions. In my mind there's a, "Kitchen Closed," sign up and there's just no entry. I can read or watch TV without planning the next snack or arguing with myself about whether or not to have it.

    Please just stop promoting IF as a potential cancer risk minimizer. It's irresponsible and currently scientifically unsubstantiated.

    That’s not what he was saying was it. He said that studies are on-going, this is something that is interesting to know, he is by no means promoting anything or being irresponsible

    Yes and if you watch a BBC documentary called "The science of fasting" they get into some of this...so research has been ongoing in regards to this.
  • fitnesspinay
    fitnesspinay Posts: 9 Member
    I have been reading about intermittent fasting as of late, as well as keto. IF seems to be an easier way to fix eating habits, I’m still just not sure what kind of diet to incorporate with it and what time of day to start a 16:8 window. I read a little that maybe keto would help with this IF tool, but I feel like maybe I want to try just cutting out sugar and trying to have a more vitamin rich meal plan. Or would supplements be the better option?

    I have PCOS so my real issue is the sugar. I’m thinking easing into it with some soup and then heavier meals toward the end? I just want to feel satiated and have a nutritionally complete meal as well.

    I think there’s no harm in trying it out? See if it works for you and your lifestyle and if you seem to get results through doing it?

    I agree.. I think it really depends on the lifestyle, and how your body reacts on the diet program your doing.