Intermittent fasting vs calorie counting for women
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seedrah6
Posts: 55 Member
I tried intermittent fasting before and hated it I am on a deficit and it’s easy for me to count calories. But I’m just wondering if there’s really a difference or even a point in intermittent fasting as all you’re doing is trying to reduce calories either way except if you don’t track with fasting you could overeat anyway
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Replies
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This is not an either/ or question. You still track calories with intermittent fasting. It doesn't magically cause weight loss. It is just a tool to help with calorie control.23
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To me, these two approaches aren't mutually exclusive.
I've been less rigorous lately, but for several months I combined (light) intermittent fasting with calorie counting.
Calorie counting to make sure I was in a deficit.
And intermittent fasting to make compliance to my calorie goal easier.
I found it was much easier to stick to my calorie goal when I completely skipped breakfast. I found that when I ate breakfast, I wasn't less hungry at lunch. If anything, I was more hungry for the rest of the day.34 -
I'm not actually intermittent fasting per say, but I did find that if I pushed breakfast to later in the morning, and ketp my breakfast light (under 250 calories), I was better able to stick to my deficit. I need as many calories available in the evening as I can because evening is when the munchies kick in and when my will power is at its lowest.
However, now that I've started getting up and using my elliptical in the mornings before I start work (I'm using the time I used to spend in commute on the elliptical), I found that I need to have something small before I start the workout; I don't do well trying to do it fasting. So I usually have a slice of toast with about 1/2 Tbsp of peanut butter on it, then wait until about 10 AM to have my "official" breakfast.
But the point really is maintaining a deficit, and finding the tool that works best for you personally in keeping to that deficit, whether its counting calories, counting carbs, counting points, eating later in the day, stopping eating earlier in the evening, whatever. The deficit is what matters; how you achieve that deficit only matters in relation to your health (meaning some means of maintaining that deficit are bad for you, such as starving yourself, eating only green cabbage every day, every meal, for a month, etc).8 -
I've dabbled with IF a few times and found it's just not a fit for me. I always tracked calories while doing IF and there was no discernible difference in scale weight or other intangible "benefits" from IF. Adherence is a little easier to come by when doing IF but nothing I can't match by being diligent with adherence eating throughout the day.8
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I've never done IF, maybe skipped breakfast a handful of times and it's definitely not for me. I seem to do quite well eating all day (and night).6
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It seems like fasting doesn't fit well with aerobic exercise.
Maybe some people can do it, but I've found that I can't. If I do the run in the morning (fasted) I'm mega hungry about an hour later and need to eat something. If I fast throughout the day, I can't run in the afternoon.
When I've fasted, it's been on a non-exercise day. I might walk around a bit, but I won't go on a 5 mile run!1 -
I tried intermittent fasting before and hated it I am on a deficit and it’s easy for me to count calories. But I’m just wondering if there’s really a difference or even a point in intermittent fasting as all you’re doing is trying to reduce calories either way except if you don’t track with fasting you could overeat anyway
IF doesn't necessarily default to losing weight or a calorie deficit. I can help some people better adhere to a calorie deficit, but that's not necessarily the default. I did IF last summer to help me maintain because we had just built a pool over the spring and I knew there would be lots of pool side cookouts and drinks.6 -
This is not an either/ or question. You still track calories with intermittent fasting. It doesn't magically cause weight loss. It is just a tool to help with calorie control.
That’s exactly my point. I already control my calories so don’t think intermittent fasting makes much difference.
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I've dabbled with IF a few times and found it's just not a fit for me. I always tracked calories while doing IF and there was no discernible difference in scale weight or other intangible "benefits" from IF. Adherence is a little easier to come by when doing IF but nothing I can't match by being diligent with adherence eating throughout the day.
Yeah I find restricting eating to a time is very obsessive and doesn’t work with my daily appetite. I have a small appetite anyway but it’s usually high in the morning/first meal plus IF throws off your hormones and doesn’t seem too fun
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This is not an either/ or question. You still track calories with intermittent fasting. It doesn't magically cause weight loss. It is just a tool to help with calorie control.
That’s exactly my point. I already control my calories so don’t think intermittent fasting makes much difference.
That really becomes a personal preference issue. If you are comfortable with your current eating pattern and hitting your calorie goals in a sustainable way, why change anything. There is no inherent weight loss benefit to IF.
For some of us, we are not that hungry in the morning and like bigger meals later in the day. For me, it suits my preferences and keeps me on track for my calorie target effortlessly.4 -
@seedrah6 Yeah, IF (also know as "skipping breakfast" or "not eating for an extended period of time before bed" is just a way that helps people control calorie intake! Nothing fancy about IF that causes expedited fat loss. You'll hear about hormone this and enhanced that but it's just a strategy used to limit calories easier. Works for some, not for others. Some feel great, others do not.
I have clients who stop eating at a certain point in the evening to help control snacking, boredom eating and overconsumption in general which has been a good tool to create and maintain a deficit. Again, depends on the person and what the enjoy and can adhere to though!10 -
This article has a lot of solid information in it for anyone interested. I also like how it mentions IF isn’t for everyone: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-20180629141562
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This article has a lot of solid information in it for anyone interested. I also like how it mentions IF isn’t for everyone: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156
Sigh this study has been debunked. It was performed on a very small number of people - 6 if I remember correctly - and they only logged what they ate for 4/7 days. It was a really really poor study design.
And even IF early morning eating was proven to be benefit, it was miniscule. Basically it worked out to about a week difference in the weight loss. Meaning that for people losing the same amount of weight, those eating in the morning took about a week less time to lose the weight than those eating in the evening. Personally, not enough to really make a significant difference and certainly not a magic diet.9 -
Whether you practice intermittent fasting or you are on whole 30 diet or keto diet or anything else....it comes down to calories. You need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. I do intermittent fasting only because it helps me with my calorie deficit. I wake up and drink black coffee and I’m not hungry until afternoon, which then leaves all my allotted calories for afternoon and night, when I’m most hungry. Do what makes you happy and allows you to be most consistent with your calorie deficit.14
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I have had sleep and digestive issues. I am hoping eating on an I.F. schedule will help ease those issues. Having a shorter window of time to eat can help you eat less, but not if you stuff yourself during your feeding time. You still have to monitor your intake vs. output.
Like some others on here, I prefer to save my calories for later in the day when I am prone to being more hungry - doesn't matter if I eat breakfast in the A.M. or not - I'm still hungry in the evening. Trying to stop eating by 8pm and into bed by 11. That's hard. But if I can eat the bulk of my calories by 8pm....I hope to stop over doing it on snacks.3 -
The comments above have summarized things well. I just wanted to add, as a person who does calorie counting AND IF, that not only are they not mutually exclusive but for the right person, they work well together. However, IF is only good when it makes things easier. There's no reason to even bother with IF (or other sorts of diets) if it makes things harder or more stressful; the whole point is to find a system that's as easy and unstressful as possible. IF makes things easier for me because I like having two large meals and am willing to sacrifice in other ways so I can have them while staying within my calorie goals for the day. But that is not something everyone needs or wants.I have had sleep and digestive issues. I am hoping eating on an I.F. schedule will help ease those issues.
IF has been phenomenal for my digestive issues, which are probably 95 % eradicated. But it's been quite bad for my sleep. It's a mixed bag.
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I am doing IF simply because I found it hard to stick to my calorie goals eating 3 meals a day + snacks. I would eat and then be hungry again.
I have no problems getting up and not eating for a while, I'm not even starving when it's time to eat. I do drink coffee in the meantime, so you could say I'm not really fasting I'm just eating really low calorie in the AM.
I don't expect any other benefits.2 -
I had no issues hitting my calorie goal with 3 meals, no snacks, however spread across the day (snacking or grazing makes me feel hungry all the time), but I started experimenting with earlier in the day IF before the corona shutdown (curious how it would feel, if my sleep would be better), and kind of liked it (I was doing 2-3 meals from 7-4). Weirdly now I'm home all day I tend to eat 2-3 meals without a traditional breakfast, and still with dinner by 7 at the latest. Today I ate at 3 and 7. I'm just going with when I feel like eating, and I tend to skip breakfast -- my weekend schedule used to be 12 and 6 (with 6 often a nice restaurant dinner before a play or concert), so this is more like that without the fun activities included).
I don't think what I'm doing is ideal for when working outside of the house for me, but I'm going with it so long as it feels right.
I still have to count cals when eating within a window unless I eat in a very mindful way -- and when eating in a very mindful way I don't have to count cals when eating 3 meals spread from 6 to 9, which was my old habit. It's about what keeps me mindful if not counting (obv counting does).0 -
IF or calorie counting? seems to me a question like library books or science fiction?
Ie you can have a way of eating that is both or neither.
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I just started skipping breakfast this week to see if I’m better on 2 larger meals.so far so good. I’m still counting cals tho.2
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