FASTING, love it or hate it?

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  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
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    youngmomtaz wrote: »
    Love it! It is teaching me that my “need” for fuel every few hours is all in my head, it is helping me learn not to grab things mindlessly, it is satisfying for me to eat a larger amount of calories in a 2-4hoir window instead of spreading it out through the day.

    Yeah, I think it's one of a variety of possible tools for preventing mindless eating, and for those who find it useful for that, I think it can be great.

    And again, that's basically the same reason I eat only meals no snacking. For me (although not everyone) it is an easy way to prevent mindless eating and feels easier than other alternatives (as I assume IFing does for those who love it).
    ETA: I never really notice the dreaded “energy lag” that other people use for an argument against. If anything I am more energetic as my digestion sucks and if I eat earlier in the day I end up in pain.

    I don't think there's been a lot of talking about energy lags, let alone dread of them. On another thread someone was saying that IFing prevents energy lags for people who tend to feel tired after eating (I don't feel tired after eating unless I eat poorly). What is an issue for me is that I like to eat relatively soon after certain kinds of workouts. I am sure some of that is based on bro science (better to refuel within a period of time) that isn't really so important, and some is just habit and I wouldn't feel like I wanted to eat within an hour or so after if I broke myself of the habit, but since it's causing no issues and is how I feel it's a consideration for me -- and since I often run in the morning I like having breakfast after.

    I really think all this is personal, which is why the love or hate thing makes no sense. I love that IF works great for some people, and I love the (different) schedule that works for me. And for those who find lots of mini meals helpful, I love that for them, and don't think they are doing it wrong either.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    Did the OP ever come back to explain her question?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    Did the OP ever come back to explain her question?

    Nope.

    I IF 12/12.

    I did a week long juice fast about 20 years ago. While I enjoyed the experience, which was at a yoga retreat center, I don't recommend it as a weight loss method.
  • showjefb
    showjefb Posts: 109 Member
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    IF is totally a preference thing. Timing and frequency of meals has little to nothing to do with overall health and weight.

    I usually skip breakfast, because I am fine on just coffee in the mornings and it allows me to have larger meals later in the day. But if I am hungry in the morning, I eat.

    I am currently about 21 hours into a 36 hr fast though.. this is for spiritual reasons more than fitness.

    Play around with some fasting. Self experimentation (within reason) is a good thing.
  • frankiesgirlie
    frankiesgirlie Posts: 667 Member
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    I love it. I’ve been an intermittent faster since the 1970s, way before it had a name. Lol. It’s just the way I like to eat. I fast during the day, but drink coffee & water. First meal is between 3-5pm. I stop eating at around 10 or 11pm. In bed at midnight. I like it because I have crazy energy when I’m in the fasting period.
  • xmissxamyx
    xmissxamyx Posts: 70 Member
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    I've lost nearly 30kg from fasting 2 days a week it's the easiest thing I've ever done to lose weight.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
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    pierinifitness wrote: »
    Caralarma wrote: »
    I dont know why it has to be called fasting... it's more like just starting to eat a bit later

    It’s popularly called intermittent fasting to distinguish it from the other intermittent eating method many people practice called intermittent overeating or IO.

    I practiced IO for a couple years and gained weight. Since mid-September 2018 I resumed IF and lost the gained weight plus more. I’ve never gained weight practicing IF but I’ve learned here at MFP that some have.

    I've never gained weight eating only three meals, no snacking, even from 6:30 am to 9:30 pm, and I thus don't overeat doing that even though obviously it's far from IF as you certainly define it.

    And yet it's not IO, so clearly the options aren't IF/IO (and it's not hard to overeat eating in a shorter period of time if one is not otherwise doing things to control cals, like selecting more sating foods or caring about activity rate and food choice).

    The Eat Stop Eat guy prefers the term intermittent eating for his method, which I kind of like.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    What is IO?
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,998 Member
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    NovusDies wrote: »
    paperpudding wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    jenigennrich wrote: »
    I do intermittent fasting. The 16/8 schedule didn't work for me, so I do a 13/11 schedule. It has helped my stomach and I sleep much better.

    13/11? Isn’t that just... life? I eat dinner around 7:30 - 8, often don’t eat anything after dinner, go to bed around 11:30, get up at 5:30, work out in the morning, take conference calls from home till 8-8:30, get to work around 9 and usually have coffee and breakfast then.

    I had no idea I was an intermittent faster....

    Well, by that definiton we are nearly all intermittent fasters - I do something like 10/14 (if I have understood this numerical system correctly??) - my last food is around 10 pm, and then coffee/breakfast usually around 8:00 next morning.

    I mean, unless you eat absolutely last thing before sleeping and absolutely first thing on waking, (or wake up and eat in middle of night, I suppose) wouldn't most people do something similar?

    We ARE all intermittent fasters which is why it is such a stupid name. Unless you sleep walk and eat you are definitely fasting at some point.


    Well I don't know that it is stupid - but I guess posters need to define what they mean when they say they are doing it as there seems so many variations, some of which seem no different to non intermittent fasting eating styles.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    pierinifitness wrote: »
    Caralarma wrote: »
    I dont know why it has to be called fasting... it's more like just starting to eat a bit later

    It’s popularly called intermittent fasting to distinguish it from the other intermittent eating method many people practice called intermittent overeating or IO.

    I practiced IO for a couple years and gained weight. Since mid-September 2018 I resumed IF and lost the gained weight plus more. I’ve never gained weight practicing IF but I’ve learned here at MFP that some have.

    I've never gained weight eating only three meals, no snacking, even from 6:30 am to 9:30 pm, and I thus don't overeat doing that even though obviously it's far from IF as you certainly define it.

    And yet it's not IO, so clearly the options aren't IF/IO (and it's not hard to overeat eating in a shorter period of time if one is not otherwise doing things to control cals, like selecting more sating foods or caring about activity rate and food choice).

    The Eat Stop Eat guy prefers the term intermittent eating for his method, which I kind of like.

    I am a Eat Stop Eat kinda gal, too. Totes IO!
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