Intermittent fasting

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Replies

  • AudreyJDuke
    AudreyJDuke Posts: 1,092 Member
    Very interesting thread!
  • MelG7777
    MelG7777 Posts: 14,002 Member
    I’m new here. Is this group for IF support or is it more of a “is IF good” debate type forum? I was initially looking for a IF weigh loss buddy and was recommended to go to the IF group. Is this IF support, IF debate, or kind of both? Thanks.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    MelG7777 wrote: »
    I’m new here. Is this group for IF support or is it more of a “is IF good” debate type forum? I was initially looking for a IF weigh loss buddy and was recommended to go to the IF group. Is this IF support, IF debate, or kind of both? Thanks.

    You're in the main forum area of the site, which covers all sorts of diet/health/fitness topics. If you're looking for the IF sub-group, here's the link to one of the more active IF groups

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
  • MelG7777
    MelG7777 Posts: 14,002 Member
    3DCAKE wrote: »
    Just started IF yesterday. One thing I have to have coffee with sugar free powder. I want to try to start drinking it just black but it so hard. Any suggestion to help me get to that point?
    I’m sure it highly depends on who you ask and how “strict” you plan to be with yourself. If it were me, I’d just have my coffee the way I want and see what kind of results I get over, say, a 4-6 month period. You can always tweak things down the road. I think it’s best to do changes you can live with. I drink coffee with half and half in the morning and since I don’t really care if others consider that to be “fasting enough” it works for me. I plan to do that indefinitely. I have no desire to change at this point. Do what works for you and change as necessary. And don’t be too hard on yourself. If you truly still want to drink it black, hopefully someone will have suggestions for you. I used to use a TON of sugar in my coffee. A ton. One day I just stopped and I don’t even know why. I can’t stand it in coffee now and I’m kind of a sugar addict. Best wishes.
  • MelG7777
    MelG7777 Posts: 14,002 Member
    zeejane03 wrote: »
    MelG7777 wrote: »
    I’m new here. Is this group for IF support or is it more of a “is IF good” debate type forum? I was initially looking for a IF weigh loss buddy and was recommended to go to the IF group. Is this IF support, IF debate, or kind of both? Thanks.

    You're in the main forum area of the site, which covers all sorts of diet/health/fitness topics. If you're looking for the IF sub-group, here's the link to one of the more active IF groups

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
    Awesome! Thank you so much for that. I appreciate it. I’ll check that out.
  • MelG7777
    MelG7777 Posts: 14,002 Member
    MelG7777 wrote: »
    3DCAKE wrote: »
    Just started IF yesterday. One thing I have to have coffee with sugar free powder. I want to try to start drinking it just black but it so hard. Any suggestion to help me get to that point?
    I’m sure it highly depends on who you ask and how “strict” you plan to be with yourself. If it were me, I’d just have my coffee the way I want and see what kind of results I get over, say, a 4-6 month period. You can always tweak things down the road. I think it’s best to do changes you can live with. I drink coffee with half and half in the morning and since I don’t really care if others consider that to be “fasting enough” it works for me. I plan to do that indefinitely. I have no desire to change at this point. Do what works for you and change as necessary. And don’t be too hard on yourself. If you truly still want to drink it black, hopefully someone will have suggestions for you. I used to use a TON of sugar in my coffee. A ton. One day I just stopped and I don’t even know why. I can’t stand it in coffee now and I’m kind of a sugar addict. Best wishes.
    Duh....I meant 4-6 WEEKS not months. Oops. But whatever works though.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,023 Member
    edited March 2019
    MelG7777 wrote: »
    MelG7777 wrote: »
    3DCAKE wrote: »
    Just started IF yesterday. One thing I have to have coffee with sugar free powder. I want to try to start drinking it just black but it so hard. Any suggestion to help me get to that point?
    I’m sure it highly depends on who you ask and how “strict” you plan to be with yourself. If it were me, I’d just have my coffee the way I want and see what kind of results I get over, say, a 4-6 month period. You can always tweak things down the road. I think it’s best to do changes you can live with. I drink coffee with half and half in the morning and since I don’t really care if others consider that to be “fasting enough” it works for me. I plan to do that indefinitely. I have no desire to change at this point. Do what works for you and change as necessary. And don’t be too hard on yourself. If you truly still want to drink it black, hopefully someone will have suggestions for you. I used to use a TON of sugar in my coffee. A ton. One day I just stopped and I don’t even know why. I can’t stand it in coffee now and I’m kind of a sugar addict. Best wishes.
    Duh....I meant 4-6 WEEKS not months. Oops. But whatever works though.

    Nah, you're just a VERY patient person :wink:

    It's weird the different things folks are particular about in their coffee. And what they can manage to change or not change. I bet FB could use what you put in your coffee for a personality test.

    When I was doing 16:8, I did have a large cup of coffee with about a quarter cup of milk in the AM, it didn't make me hungry, so I rolled with it!
  • mangofish44
    mangofish44 Posts: 57 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Reading Dr. Fung’s the obesity code changed my life. I’ve been consistently losing 2+ pounds a week and about to hit 35 lbs lost, and feeling a strong sense of satiety as I have not been depriving myself.

    I really feel that this is going to be a new lifestyle way of eating / living going forward.

    Why is there no biggest loser reunion? Because 10ish of 12 have put all the weight back on. There is simply more to dieting than a calorie in is a calorie out.

    Dr. Fung looks at the harmonal changes that happen to the body when you eat protien, fat, or carhbohydrate.

    There’s a reason why there is a glycemic index to help diabetics show which food spike your blood sugar causing the insulin reaction. If every calorie was simply the same why would thr glycemic index matter? Why wouldn’t diabetics eat any food they want, keep calorie count low, and disregard the effect that food item has on blood sugar? Simple, different food cause different harmonal reactions in body.

    Dr. Fung doesn’t “cherry pick” studies as a poster suggested. The book will change the way you think about eating. It’s a fascinating read and strongly recommended. For the poster who said it’s a “waste to spend 20”, that’s less than most people spend on a day. 15 dollars to change your life? Sounds worth it to me.

    I have read a lot of Fung's work, but I would never buy his book. The articles on his website alone don't provide me high confidence. The fact that he doesn't believe in CICO, despite thousands of metabolic ward studies, is the biggest turn off. Also, his belief that fast will help build muscle is a bit laughable. There are many reliable scientist that show the increase in growth hormone cause by fast is a result of metabolize fatty acids. This doesn't even get into the fact that GH has zero impact on cross-sectional muscle. In fact, there are several meta-analyses that show GH only increases water weight and in burn victims can improve connective tissue.

    In generally, I do not take nutrition advice from MD's. It's the same principle in that I wouldn't take cardiology advice from a dermatologist. Yes, they are both doctors, but they do not hold the same credentials. Can MD's help. Sure. Some even might be more educated. But if I am looking for why something is occurring and what are the true benefits (outside of weight loss), than I am looking for people who have PhD's or Masters in the field and actually develop and conduct experiments. Fung is full of theories, but hasn't shown them in a study.

    Like you, I also lost a good amount of weight (like 7 years ago and have kept it off), but on the completely different plan. I lost it on a high protein, high carb, low fat plan. I never felt hungry, nor did I feel deprived. Why? Because i ate foods I loved, that kept me full, and included treats as part of the equation. My triglycerides went from 220 down to 40, my HDL doubled, have no inflammation, my A1C is 4.3, and every marker is in a good position.

    As part of my journey, I tried IF, Paleo, Keto, and so many more (this was after I lost the weight and was aiming for vanity lbs). What I discovered is that none of those plans work for me. They all leave me starving and cause binge issues.

    Regarding GI. The bigger concern is actually glycemic load because people rarely eat foods in isolation after you have been fasting all night. Does GL even matter? Potentially, but I don't think there is evidence showing a huge impact. It might matter in terms of satiety for some. But what I found is that I never had the issues. Ironically, all my best days exercising have been after I have consumed very high sugar, moderate protein meals. Ultimately, I think it comes down to what supports your goals and helps you reach those objectives.

    Ultimately, regardless of the plan you follow, it's the one that helps you sustain weight loss that truly provides the benefits. Can we say that IF provides benefits over caloric restriction alone? I am not sure we have sufficient evidence currently to back that. So the question is, if one cares for the science, is what provides the health benefits, caloric restriction or IF. Because I am pretty positive, I received all the same benefits as people following IF and I did the completely different plan.

    That’s incredible you’ve kept the weight off so long. I have yoyod in years past and have a feeling this time will be different.


  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,373 MFP Moderator
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Reading Dr. Fung’s the obesity code changed my life. I’ve been consistently losing 2+ pounds a week and about to hit 35 lbs lost, and feeling a strong sense of satiety as I have not been depriving myself.

    I really feel that this is going to be a new lifestyle way of eating / living going forward.

    Why is there no biggest loser reunion? Because 10ish of 12 have put all the weight back on. There is simply more to dieting than a calorie in is a calorie out.

    Dr. Fung looks at the harmonal changes that happen to the body when you eat protien, fat, or carhbohydrate.

    There’s a reason why there is a glycemic index to help diabetics show which food spike your blood sugar causing the insulin reaction. If every calorie was simply the same why would thr glycemic index matter? Why wouldn’t diabetics eat any food they want, keep calorie count low, and disregard the effect that food item has on blood sugar? Simple, different food cause different harmonal reactions in body.

    Dr. Fung doesn’t “cherry pick” studies as a poster suggested. The book will change the way you think about eating. It’s a fascinating read and strongly recommended. For the poster who said it’s a “waste to spend 20”, that’s less than most people spend on a day. 15 dollars to change your life? Sounds worth it to me.

    I have read a lot of Fung's work, but I would never buy his book. The articles on his website alone don't provide me high confidence. The fact that he doesn't believe in CICO, despite thousands of metabolic ward studies, is the biggest turn off. Also, his belief that fast will help build muscle is a bit laughable. There are many reliable scientist that show the increase in growth hormone cause by fast is a result of metabolize fatty acids. This doesn't even get into the fact that GH has zero impact on cross-sectional muscle. In fact, there are several meta-analyses that show GH only increases water weight and in burn victims can improve connective tissue.

    In generally, I do not take nutrition advice from MD's. It's the same principle in that I wouldn't take cardiology advice from a dermatologist. Yes, they are both doctors, but they do not hold the same credentials. Can MD's help. Sure. Some even might be more educated. But if I am looking for why something is occurring and what are the true benefits (outside of weight loss), than I am looking for people who have PhD's or Masters in the field and actually develop and conduct experiments. Fung is full of theories, but hasn't shown them in a study.

    Like you, I also lost a good amount of weight (like 7 years ago and have kept it off), but on the completely different plan. I lost it on a high protein, high carb, low fat plan. I never felt hungry, nor did I feel deprived. Why? Because i ate foods I loved, that kept me full, and included treats as part of the equation. My triglycerides went from 220 down to 40, my HDL doubled, have no inflammation, my A1C is 4.3, and every marker is in a good position.

    As part of my journey, I tried IF, Paleo, Keto, and so many more (this was after I lost the weight and was aiming for vanity lbs). What I discovered is that none of those plans work for me. They all leave me starving and cause binge issues.

    Regarding GI. The bigger concern is actually glycemic load because people rarely eat foods in isolation after you have been fasting all night. Does GL even matter? Potentially, but I don't think there is evidence showing a huge impact. It might matter in terms of satiety for some. But what I found is that I never had the issues. Ironically, all my best days exercising have been after I have consumed very high sugar, moderate protein meals. Ultimately, I think it comes down to what supports your goals and helps you reach those objectives.

    Ultimately, regardless of the plan you follow, it's the one that helps you sustain weight loss that truly provides the benefits. Can we say that IF provides benefits over caloric restriction alone? I am not sure we have sufficient evidence currently to back that. So the question is, if one cares for the science, is what provides the health benefits, caloric restriction or IF. Because I am pretty positive, I received all the same benefits as people following IF and I did the completely different plan.

    That’s incredible you’ve kept the weight off so long. I have yoyod in years past and have a feeling this time will be different.


    Well hopefully this is the last time that happens.
  • MelG7777
    MelG7777 Posts: 14,002 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    MelG7777 wrote: »
    MelG7777 wrote: »
    3DCAKE wrote: »
    Just started IF yesterday. One thing I have to have coffee with sugar free powder. I want to try to start drinking it just black but it so hard. Any suggestion to help me get to that point?
    I’m sure it highly depends on who you ask and how “strict” you plan to be with yourself. If it were me, I’d just have my coffee the way I want and see what kind of results I get over, say, a 4-6 month period. You can always tweak things down the road. I think it’s best to do changes you can live with. I drink coffee with half and half in the morning and since I don’t really care if others consider that to be “fasting enough” it works for me. I plan to do that indefinitely. I have no desire to change at this point. Do what works for you and change as necessary. And don’t be too hard on yourself. If you truly still want to drink it black, hopefully someone will have suggestions for you. I used to use a TON of sugar in my coffee. A ton. One day I just stopped and I don’t even know why. I can’t stand it in coffee now and I’m kind of a sugar addict. Best wishes.
    Duh....I meant 4-6 WEEKS not months. Oops. But whatever works though.

    Nah, you're just a VERY patient person :wink:

    It's weird the different things folks are particular about in their coffee. And what they can manage to change or not change. I bet FB could use what you put in your coffee for a personality test.

    When I was doing 16:8, I did have a large cup of coffee with about a quarter cup of milk in the AM, it didn't make me hungry, so I rolled with it!
    Lol...yes that’s it. Patient, we’ll stick to that story. Now I’m on to FROTHED 1/2&1/2. Why does it taste better frothed? A personality test would reveal: I perpetually make things more difficult than they need to be. 🤣
  • Karen_can_do_this
    Karen_can_do_this Posts: 1,150 Member
    Thanks to my insane workday, I don’t get to eat until dinner time. Because I have done this for so long, on days when I’m not working, I don’t get hungry until about 4pm. By then, I’m preparing dinner and nobody is allowed to eat after 4pm in my house until dinner - I have hungry children who want to graze and then are too full to eat lol.
  • Liamsm0m
    Liamsm0m Posts: 102 Member
    I do it by default because I’m so full from dinner usually (in a proper filled way) that it lasts until at least 8-10am. Sometimes I will break it with coffee but won’t actually eat until 9/10am. It’s not something I do consciously.

    I am new to low carb/keto and I googled and realized without trying I’m doing it lol
  • combsshan
    combsshan Posts: 47 Member
    I just started 15:9 fasting about 3 weeks ago. I haven't lost any weight, but I haven't been watching my calories either. What I have noticed though is that before IF, I always gained a couple pounds over the weekend (always overdue on my cheat days) with the IF I'm not doing that, I'm staying steady. So I think that if I really watched my calories during my eating window, I'd probably lose weight and keep it of even if I cheated on the weekends. I've also noticed that my sugar cravings are better. The other day someone brought homemade cookies to work (my big weakness) and I actually found myself saying no to them without feeling deprived. Maybe it's all a placebo, but I'm seeing a difference in my food cravings and appetite.
  • jewel3
    jewel3 Posts: 18 Member
    Hey y'all! I just discovered this thread while searching up posts on IF. I'm just starting today. Can you work out safely first thing in the morning if you don't eat until 11 or 12?