Intermittent Fasting

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rainycs65
rainycs65 Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm considering doing the 16-hr Intermittent Fasting. If you have tried it, would you mind sharing your thoughts on I and if you think it worked?

If this is a repeat post, I apologize. I thought I posted it earlier but I can't find it.

Thanks!
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Replies

  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    If you go to "My discussions" it will show you any threads you've created. Not an IF'er here, so no help there.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
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    To expand on that, I've used IF as a tool to help control my appetite because I like more food in my meals. It worked just about exactly the same as when I ate smaller meals throughout the day. No difference in results.
  • MeganCannon
    MeganCannon Posts: 29 Member
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    I have been using intermittent fasting for the last few months and it works really well as love as keep a calorie deficient. I like to eat dinner, and so I don't eat anything until 4 after 4. Sometimes If I get hungry during the day I eat a protein bar around 1. It has really helped me to learn what hunger actually feels like.
  • MichelleWithMoxie
    MichelleWithMoxie Posts: 1,818 Member
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    I like it. It just involved skipping a morning meal for me, and I eat "breakfast" around 11am instead. I find it helpful because I can eat bigger meals in a shorter amount of time, while still in a calorie deficit, which keeps me more satisfied.

    Ultimately though when you eat does not matter at all with regard to weight loss.
  • tarekhamouda7445
    tarekhamouda7445 Posts: 465 Member
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    Works for me, I start eating at 7AM usually high carb, eat again at 2PM high protein, mod fat mod carb, stop eating at 3PM.
  • JulieH32225
    JulieH32225 Posts: 14 Member
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    I agree with everything everyone above me has said. Personally, I skip breakfast. I sip on some lightly Stevia sweetened cinnamon tea to help reduce the growling. I don't eat ANY calories until 12:30pm and then try to have mostly protein and complex carbs. I might have a small snack (like an apple or a yogurt) around 3 and then I generally have supper between 5:30-6:30pm. Technically, I should not eat anything after 8:30pm but since I really want about 4 hours between the last thing I ate and sleep, I'd be going to bed at 12:30 am. Since I generally go to bed around 10:30 pm, I try not to eat anything after dinner. I am not often successful but I do try to stick to very light snacks.

    IF has helped me reduce my calorie intake. I do find that it is sometimes a challenge to get all of my necessary nutrients and on the days that I get motivated and am particularly active, I've discovered that it is easy to go under 1000 calories (which is NOT good). I've been doing IF for 5 weeks and have (with the exception of one week that I cheated and gained) have been losing almost 2 pounds a week. Like was said before me, the time of day that you eat doesn't really matter. What happens is that you eat less often so you get to have bigger meals, making you feel more full. If you struggle with the constant thinking about food because you're having to eat 6 times a day or if you're often feeling hungry because your smaller meals aren't satisfying, IF might be for you.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Despite being someone who naturally skips breakfast most of the time I really disliked the feeling of having set rules and clock watching, 16:8 made me less happy for the same calorie allowance so it was a negative for me.

    There's also many days in the year when I need to eat outside a set window to fuel multi hours bike rides so it would be a counter-productive restriction.

    If you are curious about experimenting with it then give it a try. Even if you find you don't like it you might learn something useful about what helps or hinders you.

    If you mean "worked" in regards to weight then both forms of IF I've done and eating my usual more freestyle way had the same results, weight tracked my long term calorie balance.
  • katiekins256
    katiekins256 Posts: 10 Member
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    16:8 has always worked for me.
    I did find it hard to get used to at first, but it turns out it's perfect for me. I never felt like I needed breakfast as soon as I wake up, with IF I've been able to wait til later in the day.
    It's definitely helped me keep my calorie count down too, it's a lot easier to keep track of things in my opinion.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 1,982 Member
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    I'm on my own variation of "IF" that has been working pretty well for me. Basically, I don't eat a meal until dinner. I have my morning coffee with creamer (so, technically speaking, it's breaking the so-called "fast") and then if I'm hungry in the afternoon, have a small (~200 cal) snack with protein of some variety in it, and then have a full dinner.

    As a female with a very sedentary job, this is working quite well for me, and it works for my life regardless of whether it is a normal weekday, a race or track weekend, or I'm traveling for work...you get the idea.

    In order to appreciably lose weight, however, I still have to do most of my cooking at home and make relatively healthy choices, loading up on vegetables. While I seem to maintain pretty well while traveling/eating out, I don't seem to lose much - too many "hidden" calories in restaurant food, plus I tend to choose what sounds good that day and tend to consider it a "treat." Occasional nights out with friends, however, don't have a serious impact on my weight loss trend, so that's nice!

    Honestly, meal prep and eating smaller meals throughout the day worked better in that I lost more weight more quickly (still a healthy loss rate, but it was more noticeable). The issue with that, for me, is it's not sustainable most of the year (once race season starts my life gets crazy) and I was undoing all my winter work over the spring/summer/fall.

    This eating plan can follow me anywhere, requires less planning (which is great when you work 2 jobs, plus a coaching job, plus racing!), and there has been a steady, albeit slow, drop in my weight. It feels sustainable - for life, for me.
  • maggibailey
    maggibailey Posts: 289 Member
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    I love it but only because like everyone has said it helps make a calorie deficit easier. I find I’m not really hungry until I start eating and then food literally never leaves my mind. It’s really just a matter of personal preference. Most people either love it or hate it. I’d suggest you give it a try and see how you feel in two weeks.
  • amy19355
    amy19355 Posts: 805 Member
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    For me, IF has made it easier for me to stick to my calorie goals. I that this is because I know the calories have to be consumed within a certain window of time, and, using the MFP tools for logging and viewing nutrition charts, I am able to be sure I'm getting in the calories and macros I need.

    One significant positive I've seen occur is the complete absense of nightime heartburn and acid reflux, and this I am certain is because I mostly eat nothing after 6pm. Some days when life gets in the way of planned calories during the day, I'll find myself eating after 6pm, but I limit those meals to green vegetables, as those are the only foods I've found compatible with heartburn-free nights.

    I used to be an all day grazer, estimated my food portions (very incorrectly), and had a hard time staying alert and productive at the office.

    I'm now at mostly 3 meals a day, and, I try to make each meal balanced across the macro goals I've set for myself. I've a tendency to go protein heavy, so the food scale is absolutely critical to staying on track.

    Whenever I make a meal that is a single macro, I end the day with some strange 'macro-hole'. I've had a day or two where all I had left to eat was 150 calories of fat. Would love to see what CHOPPED cooking contestants would make of a basket full of fats.

    good luck to you, and good fitness to us all!
    amyfb
  • tinovillaro
    tinovillaro Posts: 23 Member
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    I've been off IF for a while, but hit a plateau about a month ago. I did not go straight to 16/8 right away, what I did was, on day one, I ate "breakfast" one hour later, day 2, two hours later, day 3, three hours later until I got to 12 noon. Been on a eating window of 12-8 ever since and have recently broke my plateau and got below my lowest weight in month's. I notice on busy work days now, that I can easily go to 2pm, sometimes 3pm before the hunger pangs start.

    Planet Fitness 3 x Week
    Compound workouts
    4 x 6 Heavy
    Dropsets
    Eats clean 6 out of 7 days
    1 glass of wine some nights
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
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    It can "work" if it helps you keep your calorie deficit, sure, but there is nothing special or magical about IF in and of itself that will cause pounds to come off. I experimented with it for awhile by skipping breakfast, but after awhile I went back to it because I get so hungry in the mornings. I seem to do better with eating a large lunch and skipping dinner though. If you're interested in IF, it helps to just play around with eating windows and see what works best for your lifestyle.

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