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Intermittent Fasting - Is it a good idea?

cheryldumais
cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
edited December 21 in Debate Club
Thought this was well written and wanted to hear others' thoughts on it.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide#benefits
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Replies

  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
    pierinifitness wrote: »
    cheryldumais wrote: »
    I'm thinking of trying it as I find I'm hungry all the time. I'm in maintenance but seems like food is all I ever think about. Last night I had a larger than normal dinner and didn't eat anything else. I went to bed without feeling deprived at all. I'm beginning to think all my snacks and little meals are just making it harder to stay on track. We'll see if it makes any difference.

    I understand what you mean. I recently tested the OMAD waters for 45 consecutive days during Lent 2019, fasting 22 hours each day and then eating during a very small feeding window of 2 hours, until the sun set. What I discovered is that I enjoy eating big when I eat rather than nibbling all day long with little bitty meals. I went to bed full, slept well and, after a good cup of morning coffee, was good until the following evening when the feeding window opened again.

    You'll quickly discover whether it'll work for you.

    Thanks for sharing that. It's helpful.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    cheryldumais wrote: »
    steveko89 wrote: »
    I have an issue with it suggesting that IF inherently "causes" weight loss; you still need a caloric deficit. Just because someone skips breakfast doesn't guarantee a deficit.

    The article I suggested made the statement more than once that you still have to take in fewer calories to lose weight I believe. I understand your point though. I'm in maintenance so my goal is more keeping weight off and feeling more satisfied when I do eat.

    I was referring to the bullet list at the beginning where it says "intermittent fasting can help you lose weight and belly fat, without having to consciously restrict calories". That could be easily be misconstrued by a casual reader.

    I'm also a firm believer that IF can be helpful in managing calories; anytime I've tried it I've had positive results and better adherence to my calorie deficit but I find it doesn't align with my training and lifestyle needs so it's not sustainable for me. Between weight training early in the morning before work during the week and the frequency of breakfast gatherings with my wife's family the possible benefits are outweighed by detractors personally.
  • PapillonNoire
    PapillonNoire Posts: 76 Member
    16:8 is my natural and preferred way to eat; it's how I ate while gaining and losing weight, and still how I eat while maintaining (going on 7 years). In my case, I still had/have to consciously restrict calories. If I were to eat the portions I actually want to, I would absolutely gain weight regardless of IF.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    cheryldumais wrote: »
    I'm thinking of trying it as I find I'm hungry all the time. I'm in maintenance but seems like food is all I ever think about. Last night I had a larger than normal dinner and didn't eat anything else. I went to bed without feeling deprived at all. I'm beginning to think all my snacks and little meals are just making it harder to stay on track. We'll see if it makes any difference.

    Hungry ALL the time may be a problem - daily time restricted windows often work best when someone is hungrier part of the day and less hungry at other times of the day.

    e.g.
    Someone like me that can easily skip breakfast without being any more (or less) hungry until later in the day so that I can eat more of my daily allowance at my preferred time of day (big dinner + snack).
    I like breakfast but most of the time I don't actually need it.

    Personally though I disliked the rigidity of strict 16:8 fasting and it made me less satiated for the same calorie allowance compared to my more natural breakfast optional style of eating.

    Worth a try though. As would simply be worth trying different numbers, sizes and timing of your meals. (My wife can save a load of calories by skipping or having a very small lunch.)
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    I like IF but it just doesn't work for me when I work out in the mornings. I'm not going to get up at 5am, work out, and have nothing to eat until noonish. Just isn't going to happen. If I don't work out in the mornings, skipping breakfast is wonderful. Interesting to read about the adverse effects it can have on women though. (Well, female rats anyway) Never had any issues with fertility or my cycles though.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    I'd much rather have two biggish meals than a bunch of little ones. I do get hungry midday, but I know I'm getting enough food so I have to work through that. Little meals frustrate me.

    IF works for me for that reason. I'll have 800 calories in the morning, a couple hundred midday, and 800-1000 a couple hours before bed.

    I'd much rather have 3 decent-sized meals than a bunch of little ones (grazing would make me miserable and I dislike snacking), which is why I tend to break meals up into 3 generally similarly-sized ones (breakfast is a bit smaller than dinner when I'm not on a deficit).

    On days when I plan to have a larger dinner (restaurant plans), I commonly skip breakfast and have an early lunch instead, so 2 meals.

    I think this gives me benefits pretty similar to the ones people who like IF experience from IF even though quite often I am far from an IF schedule (I eat before I go to work, so before 7, and I cook dinner after I come home, which means I often eat dinner around 9).

    I think meal schedules tend to be personal and about what works for people, so especially for those who don't feel hungry in the morning IF can be a great plan. Since I like breakfast and like cooking and eating dinner at home, it doesn't work for me, but I get the appeal as I think it's not that different from my preference for not snacking.
  • Bodyopus
    Bodyopus Posts: 25 Member
    IF has a lot of benefits aside from weight loss. Well that’s what I’ve read anyway. Personally I just find it easier to eat in an 8 hour window. I’m never hungry in the morning so skipping breakfast is easy for me. But IF is not magic. You still have to maintain a deficit to get results.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    Hungry_Shopgirl wrote: »
    I find it interesting that for a lot of people IF=skipping breakfast. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day so when I IF I stop eating by 4, so I skip dinner and the eat-all-the-sweet-snacks-before-bed danger zone. Fasting between 4pm and 7ish the next morning works best for me. I love that I can feel very full midday, make sure I get all my nutrition and cals in, and then forget about food for the rest of the day. I have more time too now that I'm only prepping and cleaning basically 2 meals a day.

    I often skip dinner. You are good.
  • cemetree
    cemetree Posts: 17 Member
    I think it works for some, but not all. It might work for me, but I know it isn’t sustainable because I’m a food addict and being that hungry just doesn’t work well for me.
  • Bodyopus
    Bodyopus Posts: 25 Member
    @Hungry_Shopgirl I work out in the evenings so skipping dinner is not an option for me.
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