Intermittent fasting

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Replies

  • 143tobe
    143tobe Posts: 620 Member
    IF without cutting carbs will be hard. You will crave food all day long.

    This wasn't the case for me. I did non-keto OMAD (one meal a day) for a few months and my fasting window was 23/1. I ate a "balanced" diet including carbs and one reasonably portioned dessert every single day. I did not crave food the whole time. If I saw something I wanted to eat, I bought it, but ate it during my OMAD.
  • shunrei18
    shunrei18 Posts: 1 Member
    So motivated by all this comment. I would really appreciate your comments and suggestions.

    I need to loose weight by end of March (about 10 kg), to reach that target it was recommended that i stick to 1200 cal per day. So 7 x 1200 = 8400 calories per week.

    I'm thinking of mixing this with intermittent fasting with a mix method
    "Regular" day: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday --> IF 16:8 with calorie count at 1500 cal = 7500 calories
    "Real Fasting day": Monday, Thursday --> calorie control at 500 cal per day = 1000 calories
    Total 8500 calories per week

    I know I'm starting this at the worst time somehow (December month of festivities + 2 weeks of business trips...), but i'm thinking that if can pull that off at the hardest time of the year, it will be easier to become steady from January. B)

    I have a question though regarding the app, i tried to set up those different daily goal in the app, but i couldn't do it. because somehow it's not matching my overall goal ?
    Anyone has an idea how to set up in the app?

    Thanks in advance
  • lgfrie
    lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
    shunrei18 wrote: »
    So motivated by all this comment. I would really appreciate your comments and suggestions.

    I need to loose weight by end of March (about 10 kg), to reach that target it was recommended that i stick to 1200 cal per day. So 7 x 1200 = 8400 calories per week.

    I'm thinking of mixing this with intermittent fasting with a mix method
    "Regular" day: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday --> IF 16:8 with calorie count at 1500 cal = 7500 calories
    "Real Fasting day": Monday, Thursday --> calorie control at 500 cal per day = 1000 calories
    Total 8500 calories per week

    I know I'm starting this at the worst time somehow (December month of festivities + 2 weeks of business trips...), but i'm thinking that if can pull that off at the hardest time of the year, it will be easier to become steady from January. B)

    I have a question though regarding the app, i tried to set up those different daily goal in the app, but i couldn't do it. because somehow it's not matching my overall goal ?
    Anyone has an idea how to set up in the app?

    Thanks in advance

    Well, different approaches work for different people and maybe this will all work for you, but it sounds pretty complex. As someone who has done 16:8 seven days a week for over six months now (and lost 67 pounds doing it), I totally get the interest in IF as a way to diet. But I think mixing that with a 5:2 approach is perhaps not a great idea, or maybe try it for a week but be ready to discard it quickly if you find it depriving. Honestly, just getting in the groove of 16:8 and repeating it consistently takes some self-discipline and determination, and adding onto that two days a week of basically starving yourself is not the easiest way to go about things. You might wanna think about just getting things up and running with 16:8 for a while. Your 1 lb per week weight loss goal as expressed does not require anything as extreme as 500 calorie per day fasts.

    As for the 1200 calories, you probably already know that is the rock-bottom minimum, lowest level of calories that is even considered safe, for the smallest, most sedentary possible person. Why did you pick that number? Suggest you make a trip to the MFP Goals tool, set your goal for one pound a week, and eat however many calories it tells you to eat, which will likely be a lot more than 1200 and will lead you straight to your weight loss goal by end of March. Then, with all those additional calories on tap, there will be no reason to starve yourself twice a week, something that sounds doable in theory but in practice leads many people to throw in the towel and binge. Straight-up 16:8 on the other hand is for a lot of people sustainable and successful over time without the starvation/binging problems of 5:2.

    By the way, you don't need 16:8 either. Personally, I really like it as a dieting system, but you could just get your calorie figure from the MFP goals tool, and eat those calories however you want, whenever you want.

    In a nutshell: I would simplify things a bit if it were me and just focus on the calories for now. I've learned that with dieting, simpler is usually better. The more rules and rigidity, the more onerous and tiresome it becomes and the easier it gets to just walk away from the whole thing. That all said, I do like 16:8 as a way to organize my eating day - basically two big meals instead of three or more smaller ones, and no snacking at night. For me, that works. I think 16:8 is worthy of being tried out, but again, you don't really need it - you can just eat the calories MFP allots you and you will lose the weight.
  • rajikaurbajna
    rajikaurbajna Posts: 21 Member
    Can some one please tell me if during your eating window can you eat 1200 calories recommended by MFP? I am planning to start 16:8 . What time should I exercise?
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Can some one please tell me if during your eating window can you eat 1200 calories recommended by MFP? I am planning to start 16:8 . What time should I exercise?

    MFP doesn't "recommend" anything. The calorie goal you get is determined by your stats that you enter and the weight loss goal you select. Without knowing your stats, it is impossible to say whether this is a sensible goal for you or not. 1200 calories is the nutritional minimum for women.

    That being said, it is fine to do 16/8 and the timing of your exercise is really up to you based on preference and schedule.
  • natasor1
    natasor1 Posts: 271 Member
    I started doing IF long before it got it's term. I m now 65 y/o, but I got on habit to skip my breakfast or even lunch for some 30 year or longer. I don't even remember how many years past since that. It's become very natural and easy when you get in this habit, than you change the length of your fast all the time. I can go without food from 16 hrs thru 100 hrs and doing just fine. My body get used to the feeling of emptiness and take it as pleasure. Feeling of hunger don't bother me at all. The body is so smart, it releases special types of hormones which called sympathetic: adrenaline, nor-adrenaline, growth hormone and many others ( may be around 45 of them). They help our body to release glucose for feeding brain and red blood cells. It also creates ketones which are preferable fuel for muscles, organs and brain. And the best part of these transformations that the building material of the mentioned particles is our body fat. So. go ahead use the IF for weight loss, for feeling your best and for longevity!!!
  • Craig_King_1967
    Craig_King_1967 Posts: 93 Member
    Hi all, a friend has showed me the diet he has been following, intermittent fasting on a 16:8 ratio. Never done anything like this before as generally a bit of an evening grazer. Anyone have any pointers that would help out ?
  • durhammfp
    durhammfp Posts: 494 Member
    tigrig wrote: »
    I do go between the 20:4 and OMAD version of fasting and focus on getting high protein intake during my feeding period. It works for me cause I'm better at controlling over eating doing it this way. Ive been dropping anywhere from a pound to two pounds a week and have been maintaining muscularity while increasing some of my lifts. Needless to say I love it

    What is it with people hitting "disagree" on this post or others like it?

    I personally do not do any type of IF but I don't see how I or anyone else could disagree with a person's direct experience. IF apparently works for some people. More power to them, IMHO.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Hi all, a friend has showed me the diet he has been following, intermittent fasting on a 16:8 ratio. Never done anything like this before as generally a bit of an evening grazer. Anyone have any pointers that would help out ?

    @Craig_King_1967

    It's as simple as you choose to make it.

    Choose when you want your 8hr feeding window to be - eat your daily food allowance within that 8hrs. Clearly it would make sense to make that eating window when it's convenient for you and when you are typically hungriest.
    (Alternate approach would be pick your fasting window to encompass the time you would miss eating the least, I skip breakfast as that's a very optional meal for me, some might prefer to skip their evening meal.)

    If your evening grazing is problematic (takes you over your calorie allowance) then maybe an evening cut-off time would help you? Of course the alternative is save calories from another part of the day so that evening grazing is just part of how you prefer to eat and no longer takes you over your allowance.

    How strict you want to be outside that feeding window is up to you as regards drinks with calories - some like to be ultra strict, some don't. IMHO a few calories here or there really isn't going to make a big difference either way.

    There's no need for special foods, special macro ratios, rules about number of meals or grazing/snacking within your eating period - all that is down to your choice. It's just an eating / not-eating time schedule that may make managing your food intake easier.


  • sal10851
    sal10851 Posts: 171 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    IF without cutting carbs will be hard. You will crave food all day long.

    Based on?

    It really depends on the type carbohydrates consumed. If you eat a donut versus an apple, chances are you will be hungrier sooner. People have turned into carbophobes but for the wrong reasons. Yes processed sugar and carbohydrates are not ideal. Instead of drinking apple juice eat an apple! Orange juice with your breakfast??? Eat the freaking orange instead!!!
  • Craig_King_1967
    Craig_King_1967 Posts: 93 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Hi all, a friend has showed me the diet he has been following, intermittent fasting on a 16:8 ratio. Never done anything like this before as generally a bit of an evening grazer. Anyone have any pointers that would help out ?

    @Craig_King_1967

    It's as simple as you choose to make it.

    Choose when you want your 8hr feeding window to be - eat your daily food allowance within that 8hrs. Clearly it would make sense to make that eating window when it's convenient for you and when you are typically hungriest.
    (Alternate approach would be pick your fasting window to encompass the time you would miss eating the least, I skip breakfast as that's a very optional meal for me, some might prefer to skip their evening meal.)

    If your evening grazing is problematic (takes you over your calorie allowance) then maybe an evening cut-off time would help you? Of course the alternative is save calories from another part of the day so that evening grazing is just part of how you prefer to eat and no longer takes you over your allowance.

    How strict you want to be outside that feeding window is up to you as regards drinks with calories - some like to be ultra strict, some don't. IMHO a few calories here or there really isn't going to make a big difference either way.

    There's no need for special foods, special macro ratios, rules about number of meals or grazing/snacking within your eating period - all that is down to your choice. It's just an eating / not-eating time schedule that may make managing your food intake easier.


    Thank you, that explains it in just the right level of detail that helps me out a lot. Was wondering with working 12 hour shifts how I might fit the lot in but now skipping a meal makes the most sense. I will adjust my plan accordingly and give it a try out .