How beneficial is IF?

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MaryWitherell
MaryWitherell Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 5 ft tall and 164 lbs. Looking to get down to 135. I was just wondering if IF would be more beneficial than calorie counting. I have a thyroid issue and struggle with weight loss.

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  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,355 Member
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    The benefit of IF it's that some people find it helps their hunger level, makes it easier to stick to their calorie goal, controls their blood sugar level... For others it causes binge eating (not eating for a longer time causes excessive hunger, leading them to overeat when they break their fast.) So it's not a good idea for everyone.

    For the same number of calories, with or without IF doesn't make a difference in how much weight is lost.

    Doing IF without calorie counting is like flying blind: there is no guarantee that you'll be in a calorie deficit (you can still overeat during a shorter eating window).
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,674 Member
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    One other caveat... and it's a big one... if you are prone to binge/restrict behavior, it is really.... and I mean really, easy to gain weight fast on IF. For most people, I would recommend just calorie counting.
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,588 Member
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    As far as weight loss goes, it's CICO. If you can adhere to a calorie deficit with IF and you find it works for you, carry on. Time restricted eating or not, if you consume the same amount in the day/week, your weight will be the same.

    Something to consider is workout schedule. You may need some calories before a workout to get the best workout done.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,868 Member
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    You still have to count calories. The overall weeky amount determines body weight and not meal timing. If IF causes you to eat less and be in a weekly cal deficit then it works for you. If you end up with the same overall calories as before then there is no benefit. If you don't count you have nothing to go by.

    Some people don't count and lose however the ones that do count have a much higher success rate. If you've had a terrible diet of junk food and clean things up you'll generally lose without counting however once you get to a certain point then to continue progressing counting is almost inevetable
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,872 Member
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    Is your thyroid issue some form of hypothyroidism (low thyroid), and treated? If so, it shouldn't make much difference to your weight management. If untreated, calorie needs may be less than for an average person, but the difference should be fairly small. Calorie counting should still work, as long as you adjust calorie goal based on your average loss over 4-6 weeks if needed.

    This is a good thread about hypothyroidism and weight management, written by a guy who's a scientist in the field, himself hypothyroid, who lost weight by calorie counting:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10767046/hypothyroidism-and-weight-management

    I'm severely hypothyroid, properly medicated, lost weight fine by calorie counting, have stayed at a healthy weight for 7+ years since.

    If you have one of the (rare) cycling thyroid conditions, sometimes hypo (low), sometimes high (hyper), shifting unpredictably, that could make calorie counting a less effective method for you.

    There's a lot of nonsense on the internet about thyroid conditions and weight loss, much it from people who want to sell us some "secret" or "hack". Don't fall for that.

    Proponents of IF say that it has certain health benefits, and there are some provocative studies, but I personally haven't seen anything yet that was significant enough to make me adopt an eating schedule I would find pretty annoying. (Maybe I missed something.)

    I haven't seen anything that suggests it has significant advantages for weight loss, other than that possibility that it helps some people manage their appetite or other aspects of eating habits more easily. That last will be individual - we couldn't answer for you.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,021 Member
    edited July 2023
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    You need to see what works for you and you won't know until you try.
  • MaryWitherell
    MaryWitherell Posts: 12 Member
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Is your thyroid issue some form of hypothyroidism (low thyroid), and treated? If so, it shouldn't make much difference to your weight management. If untreated, calorie needs may be less than for an average person, but the difference should be fairly small. Calorie counting should still work, as long as you adjust calorie goal based on your average loss over 4-6 weeks if needed.

    This is a good thread about hypothyroidism and weight management, written by a guy who's a scientist in the field, himself hypothyroid, who lost weight by calorie counting:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10767046/hypothyroidism-and-weight-management

    I'm severely hypothyroid, properly medicated, lost weight fine by calorie counting, have stayed at a healthy weight for 7+ years since.

    If you have one of the (rare) cycling thyroid conditions, sometimes hypo (low), sometimes high (hyper), shifting unpredictably, that could make calorie counting a less effective method for you.

    There's a lot of nonsense on the internet about thyroid conditions and weight loss, much it from people who want to sell us some "secret" or "hack". Don't fall for that.

    Proponents of IF say that it has certain health benefits, and there are some provocative studies, but I personally haven't seen anything yet that was significant enough to make me adopt an eating schedule I would find pretty annoying. (Maybe I missed something.)

    I haven't seen anything that suggests it has significant advantages for weight loss, other than that possibility that it helps some people manage their appetite or other aspects of eating habits more easily. That last will be individual - we couldn't answer for you.

    Thank you for the link. I'll definitely check it out.

    My dr and I are trying to get my thyroid back under control, but I still alternate between having to force myself to eat anything and having trouble stopping eating. Makes it extremely hard to lose weight or even exercise (no energy or hyper)
  • MaryWitherell
    MaryWitherell Posts: 12 Member
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    Thank you all for the replies. I think I'll stay with the way I'm doing it now.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,708 Member
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    It's really only beneficial if you can keep within the calories you need to so you can lose weight. If you're famished after a fast of 12-16 hours and end up eating more than you need to, then it's not beneficial at all.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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    Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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