Is Intermittent Fasting really as easy as people claim?
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I did IF in the past, 5:2 diet, I ate up to 500 cals 2 days a week and whatever I liked the other days, no counting, still ate out, didn't think about it. I did exercise but not extensive, more like walking and some in home DVDs. I lost around 30lbs in 6 months.
I'm back doing IF again, this time i'm doing 24 hour fasts (lunch to lunch) 2 days a week and roughly following 16:8 the rest of the time, i'm eating healthy 80% of the time and having what I fancy the rest of the time. I think if you've had a tendency to overeat in the past this way of eating is good as when you're not eating (fasting) you don't have to overthink what you eat the rest of the time. I find it easier than counting calories every single day....
Oh i've kept that 30lbs off for 2 years. I just need to get rid of the rest now.... early days on fasting this time around.....7 -
You definitely cannot just 'eat whatever you want' while doing IF. Intermittent fasting is simply a tool that makes it easier for one to control calories. I aim to eat 1200 cals per day and the first time I eat anything apart from a cup of tea, is at 12. I still count calories but I'm able to eat a big meal which makes me feel less deprived while still reaching calorie goals.
I have heard stories recently about IF having other benefits besides calorie control but I'm not so sure about that because weight loss is still calories in calories out. Either way, one cant just eat everything in sight once 12pm arrives 😊5 -
IF is not for weight loss. It’s to help your body repair while not having to digest food.
That being said, I do 16-8 IF. I started with 12-12, and that was relatively easy. Like anything, it takes time to become a habit.
16-8 is difficult, but it’s doable and has helped me maintain my weight loss even when I’ve gotten off track. Most importantly, I eat within my calorie range daily. IF really helps with HUNGER and learning how to deal with it.23 -
I started IF Jan 3rd because I wanted to control my over eating and snacking I would wake up and feel like I already need to eat something when really I probably just needed a glass of water I was eating until the point I would throw up daily throughout the day it's like I didn't have a shut off button. I have been counting calories for a few years and lost alot of weight 64lbs in 2016 & 2017 just from counting calories but in 2018 I got lazy and bored and decided to just "eat whatever I want" and I gained back 35lbs when I finally weighed myself because my jeans couldn't fit anymore.
can you overeat and gain weight during your eating window absolutely it's all about calories in < calories out I eat between 11am-7pm and it's working out for me it's improved my acid re flux I have lost 6lbs because I still eat 1200-1400 calories daily plus I work out. I am happy with my new IF lifestyle it's def something I needed5 -
hi, i also do 16:8 same as the reason of the lady above, to keep my calorie under control and only spend them when im genuinely hungry which is about 11. i would also consume empty calories after 7pm. doing 16:8 which for me is 7pm til 11am fast cuts all that out. its enabled me to be able to keep within my 1240 allowance easy. and cut the mindless snacking out .. too be honest this week as its been time of the month has been a bloody struggle and i cave with coffee usually lattes are my weak point although Nescafe sachets are 73 calories a mug a good substitute from say starbucks! ha ha3
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Hi there,
I am looking for people (preferably women who want to lose weight) with experience of IF.
I have started a bit over a week ago and found it okay so far. I'm doing 16/8 (eating window 9:30-17:30, but the last two days I tried pushing that a bit and went 17.5/6.5 and 18.2/5.7, because it's the weekend and I don't have to have as much energy. Also, I heard somewhere the benefits start at 16hours and exponentially get better.)
My worry is, though: Can I just eat whatever I like (like I had chocolate, cereal and yoghurt and biscuits, smoothies, and big meals! (not all at once and not obscene amounts (well, to people here maybe -.-)), but it wasn't like I was "on a diet"-eating then), or do I still have to count and log calories in the feeding window? I did for the first two days, which resulted in me overthinking and undereating again - which caused my last diet to be very successful but also an emotional rollercoaster of undereating and binging and in the end, yoyo-ing back way past where I started. I decided to stop since I worried that the double strain of logging AND having an eye on the clock would make it less sustainable for me.
Sorry, this is a confusing post so far. I think what I mostly mean is to ask successful 16/8 IF-veterans: how much did you restrict and/or monitor your food intake during the feeding time or is it really "anything goes as long as you have only tea, water and black coffee for 16 hours afterwards"? How much did you actually lose and how quick was the process? (I know that quick isn't best because of sustainability and saggy skin, but I have NO idea what to expect from this! Is IF done casually more a "I want to lose 4 pounds"-kind of diet or "I need to drop 20kilos (40 pounds) before my [random big event in 5 months time]!"-kind of diet? It seems to be poplular among bodybuilding men, so I'd like to hear from a regular woman who doesn't go to the gym or doesn't have moderate workouts more than 2-3 times a week.
.... and how many calories breaks a fast? (because depending on which kind of coffee you select, even pure black unsweetened coffee is mostly listed to have some calories on mfp but most websites so far said it was okay to have it during fasting).
It's only been 9 nights of fasting, and I don't spend the entire 8 hours eating, but I still wonder if I'm overeating because I am worried about having to push back breakfast (I didn't really skip it most days, just had it later)... I haven't had the big "first-week-of-diet-water-weight-loss" that I usually have, so I'm worried I'm doing it wrong! I may have made mistakes like taking zinc supplements that tasted too sweet to be completely fine or took some powder supposed to suppress hunger, which has also like 3 calories, which seems extremely low, but I have now idea how delicate the fasting itself is!
The time frame and intensity seems unclear to me as well. Some people said they did the 16/8 only a couple days a week, some say it's a lifestyle and you should do low-carb in the feeding window as well... I find the entire thing very loosely defined so far and am still trying to figure out what I have to do and what the result can be?
hope someone will reply and share their experience.
I did this same type of post, OP and I will tell you that people who don't IF will tell you constantly that you have to be in a calorie deficit - which is fine. I'll add you and we can discuss it further, since the forums aren't the best platform for this (as you'll soon find). I'm on day like 16-18 (can't keep track) of 16:8 and even with breaking my fast twice, I'm down 14 pounds and although I'm not overeating, I'm not "under my necessary caloric intake" either.
I also started a group for women who are into IF - so if you're interested, I'll send you a request to add!36 -
AnnabellaxRinger wrote: »Hi there,
I am looking for people (preferably women who want to lose weight) with experience of IF.
I have started a bit over a week ago and found it okay so far. I'm doing 16/8 (eating window 9:30-17:30, but the last two days I tried pushing that a bit and went 17.5/6.5 and 18.2/5.7, because it's the weekend and I don't have to have as much energy. Also, I heard somewhere the benefits start at 16hours and exponentially get better.)
My worry is, though: Can I just eat whatever I like (like I had chocolate, cereal and yoghurt and biscuits, smoothies, and big meals! (not all at once and not obscene amounts (well, to people here maybe -.-)), but it wasn't like I was "on a diet"-eating then), or do I still have to count and log calories in the feeding window? I did for the first two days, which resulted in me overthinking and undereating again - which caused my last diet to be very successful but also an emotional rollercoaster of undereating and binging and in the end, yoyo-ing back way past where I started. I decided to stop since I worried that the double strain of logging AND having an eye on the clock would make it less sustainable for me.
Sorry, this is a confusing post so far. I think what I mostly mean is to ask successful 16/8 IF-veterans: how much did you restrict and/or monitor your food intake during the feeding time or is it really "anything goes as long as you have only tea, water and black coffee for 16 hours afterwards"? How much did you actually lose and how quick was the process? (I know that quick isn't best because of sustainability and saggy skin, but I have NO idea what to expect from this! Is IF done casually more a "I want to lose 4 pounds"-kind of diet or "I need to drop 20kilos (40 pounds) before my [random big event in 5 months time]!"-kind of diet? It seems to be poplular among bodybuilding men, so I'd like to hear from a regular woman who doesn't go to the gym or doesn't have moderate workouts more than 2-3 times a week.
.... and how many calories breaks a fast? (because depending on which kind of coffee you select, even pure black unsweetened coffee is mostly listed to have some calories on mfp but most websites so far said it was okay to have it during fasting).
It's only been 9 nights of fasting, and I don't spend the entire 8 hours eating, but I still wonder if I'm overeating because I am worried about having to push back breakfast (I didn't really skip it most days, just had it later)... I haven't had the big "first-week-of-diet-water-weight-loss" that I usually have, so I'm worried I'm doing it wrong! I may have made mistakes like taking zinc supplements that tasted too sweet to be completely fine or took some powder supposed to suppress hunger, which has also like 3 calories, which seems extremely low, but I have now idea how delicate the fasting itself is!
The time frame and intensity seems unclear to me as well. Some people said they did the 16/8 only a couple days a week, some say it's a lifestyle and you should do low-carb in the feeding window as well... I find the entire thing very loosely defined so far and am still trying to figure out what I have to do and what the result can be?
hope someone will reply and share their experience.
I did this same type of post, OP and I will tell you that people who don't IF will tell you constantly that you have to be in a calorie deficit - which is fine. I'll add you and we can discuss it further, since the forums aren't the best platform for this (as you'll soon find). I'm on day like 16-18 (can't keep track) of 16:8 and even with breaking my fast twice, I'm down 14 pounds and although I'm not overeating, I'm not "under my necessary caloric intake" either.
I did IF for over 5 years.
Weight management comes does to calorie balance and hitting the correct calorie targets for your goals.12 -
AnnabellaxRinger wrote: »Hi there,
I am looking for people (preferably women who want to lose weight) with experience of IF.
I have started a bit over a week ago and found it okay so far. I'm doing 16/8 (eating window 9:30-17:30, but the last two days I tried pushing that a bit and went 17.5/6.5 and 18.2/5.7, because it's the weekend and I don't have to have as much energy. Also, I heard somewhere the benefits start at 16hours and exponentially get better.)
My worry is, though: Can I just eat whatever I like (like I had chocolate, cereal and yoghurt and biscuits, smoothies, and big meals! (not all at once and not obscene amounts (well, to people here maybe -.-)), but it wasn't like I was "on a diet"-eating then), or do I still have to count and log calories in the feeding window? I did for the first two days, which resulted in me overthinking and undereating again - which caused my last diet to be very successful but also an emotional rollercoaster of undereating and binging and in the end, yoyo-ing back way past where I started. I decided to stop since I worried that the double strain of logging AND having an eye on the clock would make it less sustainable for me.
Sorry, this is a confusing post so far. I think what I mostly mean is to ask successful 16/8 IF-veterans: how much did you restrict and/or monitor your food intake during the feeding time or is it really "anything goes as long as you have only tea, water and black coffee for 16 hours afterwards"? How much did you actually lose and how quick was the process? (I know that quick isn't best because of sustainability and saggy skin, but I have NO idea what to expect from this! Is IF done casually more a "I want to lose 4 pounds"-kind of diet or "I need to drop 20kilos (40 pounds) before my [random big event in 5 months time]!"-kind of diet? It seems to be poplular among bodybuilding men, so I'd like to hear from a regular woman who doesn't go to the gym or doesn't have moderate workouts more than 2-3 times a week.
.... and how many calories breaks a fast? (because depending on which kind of coffee you select, even pure black unsweetened coffee is mostly listed to have some calories on mfp but most websites so far said it was okay to have it during fasting).
It's only been 9 nights of fasting, and I don't spend the entire 8 hours eating, but I still wonder if I'm overeating because I am worried about having to push back breakfast (I didn't really skip it most days, just had it later)... I haven't had the big "first-week-of-diet-water-weight-loss" that I usually have, so I'm worried I'm doing it wrong! I may have made mistakes like taking zinc supplements that tasted too sweet to be completely fine or took some powder supposed to suppress hunger, which has also like 3 calories, which seems extremely low, but I have now idea how delicate the fasting itself is!
The time frame and intensity seems unclear to me as well. Some people said they did the 16/8 only a couple days a week, some say it's a lifestyle and you should do low-carb in the feeding window as well... I find the entire thing very loosely defined so far and am still trying to figure out what I have to do and what the result can be?
hope someone will reply and share their experience.
I did this same type of post, OP and I will tell you that people who don't IF will tell you constantly that you have to be in a calorie deficit - which is fine. I'll add you and we can discuss it further, since the forums aren't the best platform for this (as you'll soon find). I'm on day like 16-18 (can't keep track) of 16:8 and even with breaking my fast twice, I'm down 14 pounds and although I'm not overeating, I'm not "under my necessary caloric intake" either.
I also started a group for women who are into IF - so if you're interested, I'll send you a request to add!
Ok now I'm curious... how is IF helping you lose weight if not for a calorie deficit. I'm trying to be open minded here, but if IF works for reasons other than a calorie deficit then everyone would just skip breakfast and lose weight... because yes that's essentially what IF is. Years ago I still only ate at 12 and guess what I was still overweight because I over ate during the 'eating window'. So please explain your theory10 -
Calories still matter...if you eat maintenance or over, you will not lose weight. IF isn't some kind of magic pill that will let you lose weight regardless of calories. I did IF for years in that I never ate breakfast and only had coffee and water in the AM with my first meal being lunch...I put on 40 Lbs over the course of 8 years doing that.
IF is great if it helps you manage your calories...my problem was that starting with lunch, I'd eat all of the foodz after that until bed time.AnnabellaxRinger wrote: »Hi there,
I am looking for people (preferably women who want to lose weight) with experience of IF.
I have started a bit over a week ago and found it okay so far. I'm doing 16/8 (eating window 9:30-17:30, but the last two days I tried pushing that a bit and went 17.5/6.5 and 18.2/5.7, because it's the weekend and I don't have to have as much energy. Also, I heard somewhere the benefits start at 16hours and exponentially get better.)
My worry is, though: Can I just eat whatever I like (like I had chocolate, cereal and yoghurt and biscuits, smoothies, and big meals! (not all at once and not obscene amounts (well, to people here maybe -.-)), but it wasn't like I was "on a diet"-eating then), or do I still have to count and log calories in the feeding window? I did for the first two days, which resulted in me overthinking and undereating again - which caused my last diet to be very successful but also an emotional rollercoaster of undereating and binging and in the end, yoyo-ing back way past where I started. I decided to stop since I worried that the double strain of logging AND having an eye on the clock would make it less sustainable for me.
Sorry, this is a confusing post so far. I think what I mostly mean is to ask successful 16/8 IF-veterans: how much did you restrict and/or monitor your food intake during the feeding time or is it really "anything goes as long as you have only tea, water and black coffee for 16 hours afterwards"? How much did you actually lose and how quick was the process? (I know that quick isn't best because of sustainability and saggy skin, but I have NO idea what to expect from this! Is IF done casually more a "I want to lose 4 pounds"-kind of diet or "I need to drop 20kilos (40 pounds) before my [random big event in 5 months time]!"-kind of diet? It seems to be poplular among bodybuilding men, so I'd like to hear from a regular woman who doesn't go to the gym or doesn't have moderate workouts more than 2-3 times a week.
.... and how many calories breaks a fast? (because depending on which kind of coffee you select, even pure black unsweetened coffee is mostly listed to have some calories on mfp but most websites so far said it was okay to have it during fasting).
It's only been 9 nights of fasting, and I don't spend the entire 8 hours eating, but I still wonder if I'm overeating because I am worried about having to push back breakfast (I didn't really skip it most days, just had it later)... I haven't had the big "first-week-of-diet-water-weight-loss" that I usually have, so I'm worried I'm doing it wrong! I may have made mistakes like taking zinc supplements that tasted too sweet to be completely fine or took some powder supposed to suppress hunger, which has also like 3 calories, which seems extremely low, but I have now idea how delicate the fasting itself is!
The time frame and intensity seems unclear to me as well. Some people said they did the 16/8 only a couple days a week, some say it's a lifestyle and you should do low-carb in the feeding window as well... I find the entire thing very loosely defined so far and am still trying to figure out what I have to do and what the result can be?
hope someone will reply and share their experience.
I did this same type of post, OP and I will tell you that people who don't IF will tell you constantly that you have to be in a calorie deficit - which is fine. I'll add you and we can discuss it further, since the forums aren't the best platform for this (as you'll soon find). I'm on day like 16-18 (can't keep track) of 16:8 and even with breaking my fast twice, I'm down 14 pounds and although I'm not overeating, I'm not "under my necessary caloric intake" either.
I also started a group for women who are into IF - so if you're interested, I'll send you a request to add!
If you are losing weight, you are eating less than maintenance calories...7 -
Yes, it is. I eat for 16 hours, fast for 8. Easiest diet in the world.11
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AnnabellaxRinger wrote: »Hi there,
I am looking for people (preferably women who want to lose weight) with experience of IF.
I have started a bit over a week ago and found it okay so far. I'm doing 16/8 (eating window 9:30-17:30, but the last two days I tried pushing that a bit and went 17.5/6.5 and 18.2/5.7, because it's the weekend and I don't have to have as much energy. Also, I heard somewhere the benefits start at 16hours and exponentially get better.)
My worry is, though: Can I just eat whatever I like (like I had chocolate, cereal and yoghurt and biscuits, smoothies, and big meals! (not all at once and not obscene amounts (well, to people here maybe -.-)), but it wasn't like I was "on a diet"-eating then), or do I still have to count and log calories in the feeding window? I did for the first two days, which resulted in me overthinking and undereating again - which caused my last diet to be very successful but also an emotional rollercoaster of undereating and binging and in the end, yoyo-ing back way past where I started. I decided to stop since I worried that the double strain of logging AND having an eye on the clock would make it less sustainable for me.
Sorry, this is a confusing post so far. I think what I mostly mean is to ask successful 16/8 IF-veterans: how much did you restrict and/or monitor your food intake during the feeding time or is it really "anything goes as long as you have only tea, water and black coffee for 16 hours afterwards"? How much did you actually lose and how quick was the process? (I know that quick isn't best because of sustainability and saggy skin, but I have NO idea what to expect from this! Is IF done casually more a "I want to lose 4 pounds"-kind of diet or "I need to drop 20kilos (40 pounds) before my [random big event in 5 months time]!"-kind of diet? It seems to be poplular among bodybuilding men, so I'd like to hear from a regular woman who doesn't go to the gym or doesn't have moderate workouts more than 2-3 times a week.
.... and how many calories breaks a fast? (because depending on which kind of coffee you select, even pure black unsweetened coffee is mostly listed to have some calories on mfp but most websites so far said it was okay to have it during fasting).
It's only been 9 nights of fasting, and I don't spend the entire 8 hours eating, but I still wonder if I'm overeating because I am worried about having to push back breakfast (I didn't really skip it most days, just had it later)... I haven't had the big "first-week-of-diet-water-weight-loss" that I usually have, so I'm worried I'm doing it wrong! I may have made mistakes like taking zinc supplements that tasted too sweet to be completely fine or took some powder supposed to suppress hunger, which has also like 3 calories, which seems extremely low, but I have now idea how delicate the fasting itself is!
The time frame and intensity seems unclear to me as well. Some people said they did the 16/8 only a couple days a week, some say it's a lifestyle and you should do low-carb in the feeding window as well... I find the entire thing very loosely defined so far and am still trying to figure out what I have to do and what the result can be?
hope someone will reply and share their experience.
I did this same type of post, OP and I will tell you that people who don't IF will tell you constantly that you have to be in a calorie deficit - which is fine. I'll add you and we can discuss it further, since the forums aren't the best platform for this (as you'll soon find). I'm on day like 16-18 (can't keep track) of 16:8 and even with breaking my fast twice, I'm down 14 pounds and although I'm not overeating, I'm not "under my necessary caloric intake" either.
I also started a group for women who are into IF - so if you're interested, I'll send you a request to add!
Anyone who has done IF for any length of time will tell you it's a matter of calories.
I've done it for years and lose at a rate that equals my calorie deficit. Same with intentionally gaining and maintaining.
8 -
AnnabellaxRinger wrote: »Hi there,
I am looking for people (preferably women who want to lose weight) with experience of IF.
I have started a bit over a week ago and found it okay so far. I'm doing 16/8 (eating window 9:30-17:30, but the last two days I tried pushing that a bit and went 17.5/6.5 and 18.2/5.7, because it's the weekend and I don't have to have as much energy. Also, I heard somewhere the benefits start at 16hours and exponentially get better.)
My worry is, though: Can I just eat whatever I like (like I had chocolate, cereal and yoghurt and biscuits, smoothies, and big meals! (not all at once and not obscene amounts (well, to people here maybe -.-)), but it wasn't like I was "on a diet"-eating then), or do I still have to count and log calories in the feeding window? I did for the first two days, which resulted in me overthinking and undereating again - which caused my last diet to be very successful but also an emotional rollercoaster of undereating and binging and in the end, yoyo-ing back way past where I started. I decided to stop since I worried that the double strain of logging AND having an eye on the clock would make it less sustainable for me.
Sorry, this is a confusing post so far. I think what I mostly mean is to ask successful 16/8 IF-veterans: how much did you restrict and/or monitor your food intake during the feeding time or is it really "anything goes as long as you have only tea, water and black coffee for 16 hours afterwards"? How much did you actually lose and how quick was the process? (I know that quick isn't best because of sustainability and saggy skin, but I have NO idea what to expect from this! Is IF done casually more a "I want to lose 4 pounds"-kind of diet or "I need to drop 20kilos (40 pounds) before my [random big event in 5 months time]!"-kind of diet? It seems to be poplular among bodybuilding men, so I'd like to hear from a regular woman who doesn't go to the gym or doesn't have moderate workouts more than 2-3 times a week.
.... and how many calories breaks a fast? (because depending on which kind of coffee you select, even pure black unsweetened coffee is mostly listed to have some calories on mfp but most websites so far said it was okay to have it during fasting).
It's only been 9 nights of fasting, and I don't spend the entire 8 hours eating, but I still wonder if I'm overeating because I am worried about having to push back breakfast (I didn't really skip it most days, just had it later)... I haven't had the big "first-week-of-diet-water-weight-loss" that I usually have, so I'm worried I'm doing it wrong! I may have made mistakes like taking zinc supplements that tasted too sweet to be completely fine or took some powder supposed to suppress hunger, which has also like 3 calories, which seems extremely low, but I have now idea how delicate the fasting itself is!
The time frame and intensity seems unclear to me as well. Some people said they did the 16/8 only a couple days a week, some say it's a lifestyle and you should do low-carb in the feeding window as well... I find the entire thing very loosely defined so far and am still trying to figure out what I have to do and what the result can be?
hope someone will reply and share their experience.
I did this same type of post, OP and I will tell you that people who don't IF will tell you constantly that you have to be in a calorie deficit - which is fine. I'll add you and we can discuss it further, since the forums aren't the best platform for this (as you'll soon find). I'm on day like 16-18 (can't keep track) of 16:8 and even with breaking my fast twice, I'm down 14 pounds and although I'm not overeating, I'm not "under my necessary caloric intake" either.
I also started a group for women who are into IF - so if you're interested, I'll send you a request to add!
Here's the thing. You absolutely cannot in any way shape or form not obey the laws of nature. You have to be under your maintenance calories (which it appears you've interchanged here with "necessary caloric intake") over the long term in order to burn stored energy (mostly fat, but also other tissue). You cannot create energy. You can only use it or store it for later use. Your source of energy is from the food you eat or from your tissue. It cannot come from nothing.
It may sound trivial and obvious, but the problem with attributing fat loss to anything other than an energy deficit is that when people fail (or succeed), they won't really know why.
IF deserves neither the credit nor the blame for fat loss or lack of fat loss. It is simply a way of eating and nothing more.
For what it's worth, when I'm strictly working on cutting, I use IF as a method of eating so as to allow myself bigger meal portions for satiety - to control hunger. It is a tool, not a diet. There is no magic. It's not insulin spikes or lack thereof. It simply helps control my energy intake so that I use all of my food energy and some of my stored energy each day. If you don't use what you eat, you store it. If you use exactly what you eat (maintenance), you neither burn stored energy or add stored energy.
People respond to things like this because claiming that it's not about calories is patently false.21 -
Silentpadna wrote: »AnnabellaxRinger wrote: »Hi there,
I am looking for people (preferably women who want to lose weight) with experience of IF.
I have started a bit over a week ago and found it okay so far. I'm doing 16/8 (eating window 9:30-17:30, but the last two days I tried pushing that a bit and went 17.5/6.5 and 18.2/5.7, because it's the weekend and I don't have to have as much energy. Also, I heard somewhere the benefits start at 16hours and exponentially get better.)
My worry is, though: Can I just eat whatever I like (like I had chocolate, cereal and yoghurt and biscuits, smoothies, and big meals! (not all at once and not obscene amounts (well, to people here maybe -.-)), but it wasn't like I was "on a diet"-eating then), or do I still have to count and log calories in the feeding window? I did for the first two days, which resulted in me overthinking and undereating again - which caused my last diet to be very successful but also an emotional rollercoaster of undereating and binging and in the end, yoyo-ing back way past where I started. I decided to stop since I worried that the double strain of logging AND having an eye on the clock would make it less sustainable for me.
Sorry, this is a confusing post so far. I think what I mostly mean is to ask successful 16/8 IF-veterans: how much did you restrict and/or monitor your food intake during the feeding time or is it really "anything goes as long as you have only tea, water and black coffee for 16 hours afterwards"? How much did you actually lose and how quick was the process? (I know that quick isn't best because of sustainability and saggy skin, but I have NO idea what to expect from this! Is IF done casually more a "I want to lose 4 pounds"-kind of diet or "I need to drop 20kilos (40 pounds) before my [random big event in 5 months time]!"-kind of diet? It seems to be poplular among bodybuilding men, so I'd like to hear from a regular woman who doesn't go to the gym or doesn't have moderate workouts more than 2-3 times a week.
.... and how many calories breaks a fast? (because depending on which kind of coffee you select, even pure black unsweetened coffee is mostly listed to have some calories on mfp but most websites so far said it was okay to have it during fasting).
It's only been 9 nights of fasting, and I don't spend the entire 8 hours eating, but I still wonder if I'm overeating because I am worried about having to push back breakfast (I didn't really skip it most days, just had it later)... I haven't had the big "first-week-of-diet-water-weight-loss" that I usually have, so I'm worried I'm doing it wrong! I may have made mistakes like taking zinc supplements that tasted too sweet to be completely fine or took some powder supposed to suppress hunger, which has also like 3 calories, which seems extremely low, but I have now idea how delicate the fasting itself is!
The time frame and intensity seems unclear to me as well. Some people said they did the 16/8 only a couple days a week, some say it's a lifestyle and you should do low-carb in the feeding window as well... I find the entire thing very loosely defined so far and am still trying to figure out what I have to do and what the result can be?
hope someone will reply and share their experience.
I did this same type of post, OP and I will tell you that people who don't IF will tell you constantly that you have to be in a calorie deficit - which is fine. I'll add you and we can discuss it further, since the forums aren't the best platform for this (as you'll soon find). I'm on day like 16-18 (can't keep track) of 16:8 and even with breaking my fast twice, I'm down 14 pounds and although I'm not overeating, I'm not "under my necessary caloric intake" either.
I also started a group for women who are into IF - so if you're interested, I'll send you a request to add!
Here's the thing. You absolutely cannot in any way shape or form not obey the laws of nature. You have to be under your maintenance calories (which it appears you've interchanged here with "necessary caloric intake") over the long term in order to burn stored energy (mostly fat, but also other tissue). You cannot create energy. You can only use it or store it for later use. Your source of energy is from the food you eat or from your tissue. It cannot come from nothing.
It may sound trivial and obvious, but the problem with attributing fat loss to anything other than an energy deficit is that when people fail (or succeed), they won't really know why.
IF deserves neither the credit nor the blame for fat loss or lack of fat loss. It is simply a way of eating and nothing more.
For what it's worth, when I'm strictly working on cutting, I use IF as a method of eating so as to allow myself bigger meal portions for satiety - to control hunger. It is a tool, not a diet. There is no magic. It's not insulin spikes or lack thereof. It simply helps control my energy intake so that I use all of my food energy and some of my stored energy each day. If you don't use what you eat, you store it. If you use exactly what you eat (maintenance), you neither burn stored energy or add stored energy.
People respond to things like this because claiming that it's not about calories is patently false.
Preach!4 -
AnnabellaxRinger wrote: »Hi there,
I am looking for people (preferably women who want to lose weight) with experience of IF.
I have started a bit over a week ago and found it okay so far. I'm doing 16/8 (eating window 9:30-17:30, but the last two days I tried pushing that a bit and went 17.5/6.5 and 18.2/5.7, because it's the weekend and I don't have to have as much energy. Also, I heard somewhere the benefits start at 16hours and exponentially get better.)
My worry is, though: Can I just eat whatever I like (like I had chocolate, cereal and yoghurt and biscuits, smoothies, and big meals! (not all at once and not obscene amounts (well, to people here maybe -.-)), but it wasn't like I was "on a diet"-eating then), or do I still have to count and log calories in the feeding window? I did for the first two days, which resulted in me overthinking and undereating again - which caused my last diet to be very successful but also an emotional rollercoaster of undereating and binging and in the end, yoyo-ing back way past where I started. I decided to stop since I worried that the double strain of logging AND having an eye on the clock would make it less sustainable for me.
Sorry, this is a confusing post so far. I think what I mostly mean is to ask successful 16/8 IF-veterans: how much did you restrict and/or monitor your food intake during the feeding time or is it really "anything goes as long as you have only tea, water and black coffee for 16 hours afterwards"? How much did you actually lose and how quick was the process? (I know that quick isn't best because of sustainability and saggy skin, but I have NO idea what to expect from this! Is IF done casually more a "I want to lose 4 pounds"-kind of diet or "I need to drop 20kilos (40 pounds) before my [random big event in 5 months time]!"-kind of diet? It seems to be poplular among bodybuilding men, so I'd like to hear from a regular woman who doesn't go to the gym or doesn't have moderate workouts more than 2-3 times a week.
.... and how many calories breaks a fast? (because depending on which kind of coffee you select, even pure black unsweetened coffee is mostly listed to have some calories on mfp but most websites so far said it was okay to have it during fasting).
It's only been 9 nights of fasting, and I don't spend the entire 8 hours eating, but I still wonder if I'm overeating because I am worried about having to push back breakfast (I didn't really skip it most days, just had it later)... I haven't had the big "first-week-of-diet-water-weight-loss" that I usually have, so I'm worried I'm doing it wrong! I may have made mistakes like taking zinc supplements that tasted too sweet to be completely fine or took some powder supposed to suppress hunger, which has also like 3 calories, which seems extremely low, but I have now idea how delicate the fasting itself is!
The time frame and intensity seems unclear to me as well. Some people said they did the 16/8 only a couple days a week, some say it's a lifestyle and you should do low-carb in the feeding window as well... I find the entire thing very loosely defined so far and am still trying to figure out what I have to do and what the result can be?
hope someone will reply and share their experience.
I did this same type of post, OP and I will tell you that people who don't IF will tell you constantly that you have to be in a calorie deficit - which is fine. I'll add you and we can discuss it further, since the forums aren't the best platform for this (as you'll soon find). I'm on day like 16-18 (can't keep track) of 16:8 and even with breaking my fast twice, I'm down 14 pounds and although I'm not overeating, I'm not "under my necessary caloric intake" either.
I also started a group for women who are into IF - so if you're interested, I'll send you a request to add!
I'm jumping on the, "No," bandwagon here too.
I've essentially done 16:8 for most of my life, like I said in my post on Page 1.
It's still about a calorie deficit. You've been doing this for less than a month and in fact, you have been eating at a calorie deficit. Please open up your Food diary to "Public" so we can take a look at it. If you haven't been logging food, and all you did was change your hours of eating, then you just chanced upon eating less.
This kind of post you made is going to get refuted because it's simply not true in any way.
10 -
OP, follow IF or not, but be sure to set up your MFP profile with your current stats, activity level, and appropriate weekly weight loss goal (2 lbs/week is only for those with 75+ lbs to lose). Accurately log your calories during your eating window (whether that be 8 hours, 12 hours, or 24 hours
), and make sure you consistently stay within your goal. Sometimes the problem people are seeking to address with IF is that they are simply trying to eat too few calories to support their current body mass and hunger & fatigue become issues.
My 13 year old inadvertently does IF, because he often doesn't want breakfast, but I assure you he eats the full amount of calories a boy his age requires during his preferred eating window and perfectly maintains his weight. 5 -
I did IF twice. The first time, I lost 15 pounds in a month? The second time, I actually gained 6 pounds. IF is a bit tough for me to do as I can't function without breakfast and work an 8-5 job. That means that my window was always 7-3pm which was not optimal for me as I am a 3 square meals type gal. I think IF works best if the feeding window does not interfere with your normal feeding schedule.3
-
AnnabellaxRinger wrote: »
I did this same type of post, OP and I will tell you that people who don't IF will tell you constantly that you have to be in a calorie deficit - which is fine. I'll add you and we can discuss it further, since the forums aren't the best platform for this (as you'll soon find). I'm on day like 16-18 (can't keep track) of 16:8 and even with breaking my fast twice, I'm down 14 pounds and although I'm not overeating, I'm not "under my necessary caloric intake" either.
I also started a group for women who are into IF - so if you're interested, I'll send you a request to add!
Relying on people like the person I have quoted here that have severely limited experience with a particular WoE is a very bad idea. A good deal of people will think they have the answer when they have inflated losses due to water weight depletion. The people to listen to are the people who lose 1 and 2 pounds per week for months at a time and I bet most of them (like me) will tell you it is all about maintaining a consistent calorie deficit. Anything else you need like eating 2 meals instead of 3 are just tools to help you maintain that deficit.15 -
AnnabellaxRinger wrote: »Hi there,
I am looking for people (preferably women who want to lose weight) with experience of IF.
I have started a bit over a week ago and found it okay so far. I'm doing 16/8 (eating window 9:30-17:30, but the last two days I tried pushing that a bit and went 17.5/6.5 and 18.2/5.7, because it's the weekend and I don't have to have as much energy. Also, I heard somewhere the benefits start at 16hours and exponentially get better.)
My worry is, though: Can I just eat whatever I like (like I had chocolate, cereal and yoghurt and biscuits, smoothies, and big meals! (not all at once and not obscene amounts (well, to people here maybe -.-)), but it wasn't like I was "on a diet"-eating then), or do I still have to count and log calories in the feeding window? I did for the first two days, which resulted in me overthinking and undereating again - which caused my last diet to be very successful but also an emotional rollercoaster of undereating and binging and in the end, yoyo-ing back way past where I started. I decided to stop since I worried that the double strain of logging AND having an eye on the clock would make it less sustainable for me.
Sorry, this is a confusing post so far. I think what I mostly mean is to ask successful 16/8 IF-veterans: how much did you restrict and/or monitor your food intake during the feeding time or is it really "anything goes as long as you have only tea, water and black coffee for 16 hours afterwards"? How much did you actually lose and how quick was the process? (I know that quick isn't best because of sustainability and saggy skin, but I have NO idea what to expect from this! Is IF done casually more a "I want to lose 4 pounds"-kind of diet or "I need to drop 20kilos (40 pounds) before my [random big event in 5 months time]!"-kind of diet? It seems to be poplular among bodybuilding men, so I'd like to hear from a regular woman who doesn't go to the gym or doesn't have moderate workouts more than 2-3 times a week.
.... and how many calories breaks a fast? (because depending on which kind of coffee you select, even pure black unsweetened coffee is mostly listed to have some calories on mfp but most websites so far said it was okay to have it during fasting).
It's only been 9 nights of fasting, and I don't spend the entire 8 hours eating, but I still wonder if I'm overeating because I am worried about having to push back breakfast (I didn't really skip it most days, just had it later)... I haven't had the big "first-week-of-diet-water-weight-loss" that I usually have, so I'm worried I'm doing it wrong! I may have made mistakes like taking zinc supplements that tasted too sweet to be completely fine or took some powder supposed to suppress hunger, which has also like 3 calories, which seems extremely low, but I have now idea how delicate the fasting itself is!
The time frame and intensity seems unclear to me as well. Some people said they did the 16/8 only a couple days a week, some say it's a lifestyle and you should do low-carb in the feeding window as well... I find the entire thing very loosely defined so far and am still trying to figure out what I have to do and what the result can be?
hope someone will reply and share their experience.
I did this same type of post, OP and I will tell you that people who don't IF will tell you constantly that you have to be in a calorie deficit - which is fine. I'll add you and we can discuss it further, since the forums aren't the best platform for this (as you'll soon find). I'm on day like 16-18 (can't keep track) of 16:8 and even with breaking my fast twice, I'm down 14 pounds and although I'm not overeating, I'm not "under my necessary caloric intake" either.
I also started a group for women who are into IF - so if you're interested, I'll send you a request to add!
So you have MFP set for your maintenance calories and have been weighing & logging your food so as to know (not guess or assume) that you are not in a calorie deficit?6 -
AnnabellaxRinger wrote: »Hi there,
I am looking for people (preferably women who want to lose weight) with experience of IF.
I have started a bit over a week ago and found it okay so far. I'm doing 16/8 (eating window 9:30-17:30, but the last two days I tried pushing that a bit and went 17.5/6.5 and 18.2/5.7, because it's the weekend and I don't have to have as much energy. Also, I heard somewhere the benefits start at 16hours and exponentially get better.)
My worry is, though: Can I just eat whatever I like (like I had chocolate, cereal and yoghurt and biscuits, smoothies, and big meals! (not all at once and not obscene amounts (well, to people here maybe -.-)), but it wasn't like I was "on a diet"-eating then), or do I still have to count and log calories in the feeding window? I did for the first two days, which resulted in me overthinking and undereating again - which caused my last diet to be very successful but also an emotional rollercoaster of undereating and binging and in the end, yoyo-ing back way past where I started. I decided to stop since I worried that the double strain of logging AND having an eye on the clock would make it less sustainable for me.
Sorry, this is a confusing post so far. I think what I mostly mean is to ask successful 16/8 IF-veterans: how much did you restrict and/or monitor your food intake during the feeding time or is it really "anything goes as long as you have only tea, water and black coffee for 16 hours afterwards"? How much did you actually lose and how quick was the process? (I know that quick isn't best because of sustainability and saggy skin, but I have NO idea what to expect from this! Is IF done casually more a "I want to lose 4 pounds"-kind of diet or "I need to drop 20kilos (40 pounds) before my [random big event in 5 months time]!"-kind of diet? It seems to be poplular among bodybuilding men, so I'd like to hear from a regular woman who doesn't go to the gym or doesn't have moderate workouts more than 2-3 times a week.
.... and how many calories breaks a fast? (because depending on which kind of coffee you select, even pure black unsweetened coffee is mostly listed to have some calories on mfp but most websites so far said it was okay to have it during fasting).
It's only been 9 nights of fasting, and I don't spend the entire 8 hours eating, but I still wonder if I'm overeating because I am worried about having to push back breakfast (I didn't really skip it most days, just had it later)... I haven't had the big "first-week-of-diet-water-weight-loss" that I usually have, so I'm worried I'm doing it wrong! I may have made mistakes like taking zinc supplements that tasted too sweet to be completely fine or took some powder supposed to suppress hunger, which has also like 3 calories, which seems extremely low, but I have now idea how delicate the fasting itself is!
The time frame and intensity seems unclear to me as well. Some people said they did the 16/8 only a couple days a week, some say it's a lifestyle and you should do low-carb in the feeding window as well... I find the entire thing very loosely defined so far and am still trying to figure out what I have to do and what the result can be?
hope someone will reply and share their experience.
I did this same type of post, OP and I will tell you that people who don't IF will tell you constantly that you have to be in a calorie deficit - which is fine. I'll add you and we can discuss it further, since the forums aren't the best platform for this (as you'll soon find). I'm on day like 16-18 (can't keep track) of 16:8 and even with breaking my fast twice, I'm down 14 pounds and although I'm not overeating, I'm not "under my necessary caloric intake" either.
I also started a group for women who are into IF - so if you're interested, I'll send you a request to add!
Odd, I've been doing IF for years, and I got overweight. How is that possible? Can't be because of the 3 or so bags of crisps per week or hard candy, as I was doing IF after all. What did I do wrong?7
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