Fasting

pamAndrade1
pamAndrade1 Posts: 12 Member
in Getting Started
I'm in my third week of starting Keto and was curious if I should be fasting? I have read mixed reviews and not sure if this is something I start now or when I'm in maintenance. Feedback welcomed.

Replies

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Do you mean should fasting be a part of keto, or just in general?

    For weight loss, or for some other goal?

    And what kind of fasting do you mean? Intermediate fasting 16:8, 5:2, actual fasting like a water fast or juice fast, a specific period of time?
  • pamAndrade1
    pamAndrade1 Posts: 12 Member
    I guess I meant should fasting be a part of keto? Intermediate fasting.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Lots of people are successful using keto without IF. Some folks find IF helps them control their appetite even better. Then there are those who say there are other health/fat loss benefits to combining the two, though I personally have never seen anything to prove that.

    Any diet plan causes weight loss by putting you in a calorie deficit. You want to pick one that will make that as easy as possible for you personally. I would be miserable doing keto, so I lost weight eating moderately high carbs focused on hitting my protein & fiber goals. Other people find fats fill them up better so LCHF or keto work the charm for them. Same with eating schedules.

    Good luck!
  • pamAndrade1
    pamAndrade1 Posts: 12 Member
    thank you - this is helpful!!
  • NGCam
    NGCam Posts: 1 Member
    Hi, IF is not necessary to follow a Keto diet and lose weight. In essence it reduces the amount of time during the day in which you eat, thus hopefully reducing your calorie intake. That said not everyone is cut out to do IF, especially if you get ravenously hungry during the fasting period which will inevitable lead to overeating. Most of us do some sort of "fasting" while we sleep, IF extends that period. If you are the type of person that cannot even think about breakfast when you get up it the morning you might be a good candidate to do IF, actually you might be unconsciously doing it already.. Many people try to start with a 16:8 interval window, but you can start slow...say 13 hour fast, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 am and grow from there. Also you really should be fat adapted before trying your hand at IF, so I'd say maybe wait until you're at least 6 weeks into Keto and are in fact in nutritional ketosis. As with everything diet related IF is a your milage my vary kind of thing. Which ever route you choose to follow good luck in your journey.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    It really depends on the person. Some people tolerate it very well, some people don't. You still have to have a calorie deficit, it doesn't do anything on its own.
  • amfmmama
    amfmmama Posts: 1,420 Member
    I looked into IF last year. I have friends that did really well on it. My version is I try not to eat after 7 pm (I never look for something healthy after 7) and not eat until my scheduled work lunch at 11:30. That's a 16:8 model. I have no idea about the science of it, but I do know that I find it much easier to stay within my daily calories... there is less time in my day to eat! I have also noticed that my blood sugars are better, but that could just be related to the weight loss.
  • HerFire
    HerFire Posts: 22 Member
    If it’s something you wanna try then go for it, but I don’t think it’s required. I’m not too update to date with keto stuff though.

    From my own experience with fasting, IF has been so SO helpful to my eating disorder. It’s helped me stay within my calorie limit and I’m finally losing weight, and feeling in control. I don’t have to worry about food but when I do eat, I eat well and I don’t binge.
  • Aint2Proud2Meg
    Aint2Proud2Meg Posts: 193 Member
    thepainmaker88 wrote: »
    Personally feel like fasting does more harm than good, as it's not sustainable and leads to bouts of overeating or even contributes to disordered eating behavior.... No good IMO

    Respectfully, this is really an individual thing. Lots of people feel better waiting longer to start eating. Personally, I'm not strict with fasting, and don't do keto, but IF works for me and I'm sharper before that first meal and for obvious reasons it's easier to hit my calorie goals.

  • amfmmama
    amfmmama Posts: 1,420 Member
    Respectfully, this is really an individual thing. Lots of people feel better waiting longer to start eating. Personally, I'm not strict with fasting, and don't do keto, but IF works for me and I'm sharper before that first meal and for obvious reasons it's easier to hit my calorie goals.

    [/quote]


    YES!!! I totally agree with the sharper thing! I feel the same way.
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,374 Member
    edited January 2019
    IF is not required, but some people find it helpful as a means of controlling their calories.

    IF works for me for several reasons:
    1. Never been a breakfast eater
    2. I enjoy larger meals - since my calories are now split between 2 meals (and maybe a snack), I get to eat larger meals.
    3. Eating lots of small meals during the day just leaves me hungry for the entire day.
    4. I workout in the morning and the 2 times I have tried eating before the workout resulted in me barfing at the gym - so now I workout fasted and it's great.
  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
    edited January 2019
    I pseudo IF (but not really fasting) in that I only really have 1 large meal a day at night when I'm naturally most hungry. I'm not strictly fasting but also rarely very hungry during the day so I'll have a coffee and maybe a yogurt in the morning and a bit of a snack mid-afternoon.

    Basically my calories are consumed 10-15% in the morning, 5-10% in the afternoon and 75-85% at night. It's just the eating pattern than I've discovered works best for me.

    Since I'm not governed by any strict rules of having to "fast" I can change this up as needed. If, for example, we're having a team lunch, I'll just eat lunch, skip the afternoon snack and have a slightly smaller dinner.

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