Intermittent Fasting

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Kikivadas
Kikivadas Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have started intermittent fasting alongside calorie control/deficit for weightloss. I’ve lost 8.6kilos this month! Yay.

Does anyone intermittent fast? If so how do you do yours?

What’s your thoughts on dirty fasting vs clean fasting?
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Replies

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,612 Member
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    Depends on what your definition of a "dirty" or "clean" fast is, what your goal in doing intermittent fasting is, and whether you enjoy "dirty" or "clean" (I hate those words) fasting more.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,623 Member
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    That much of a drop that quickly will be mostly water weight. IF works as a fatloss tool only if it causes you to take in fewer overall weekly calories than you were previously taking in.
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 739 Member
    edited August 2023
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    Hi Kiandra, I’m glad you’re finding success with IF, what is your preferred method? I’m also using it as a tool to keep my cals in check. You’ve dropped a significant amount in your first month! Just know it slows down more and more as you get closer to goal. Just keep at it, and remember it’s not a sprint it’s a marathon, and for many of us a way of life to maintain. As for “clean” vs “dirty” that (to me) is bro science and a term often used to sell programs. You should eat foods that you enjoy and also meet your daily requirements for health so you can sustain your life and your diet. That’s pretty much it. Wouldn’t hurt to throw some exercise in there as well for general well-being, strength, and extra wiggle room within your calories. We want to make this as simple and painless as possible so we reach our goal and stay there.
  • ambeyers2006
    ambeyers2006 Posts: 5 Member
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    I too IF and feel better eating somewhat cleaner. I am reading a lot and watching Dr. Becky (Utube) who explains simply about IF and Keto/Paleo and gives great advice on how to ease into cleaner eating. But if you’re eating just junk during the eating window, it sort of defeats the purpose, which is to stabilize your sugar. I did notice once I started to eliminate junk food, I wasn’t craving sugar as much. I do try and jot everything down on here, but there are days when it tells me I’m eating too little calories. Is there a way to set MyFitnessPal app to be on board with If? I basically skip breakfast, and only have 2 meals. But I eat enough.
  • buckeye213
    buckeye213 Posts: 52 Member
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    I have been doing IF for about 20 days not much weight loss but i feel a lot better. I am 57 so i know my metabolism has come to a standstill so i am tracking all foods and started working out weights and less cardio. I need to build muscle to lose the fat. I am doing either 16:8 or mostly 18:6 and not really all that hungry kinda shocked about that.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,623 Member
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    buckeye213 wrote: »
    I have been doing IF for about 20 days not much weight loss but i feel a lot better. I am 57 so i know my metabolism has come to a standstill so i am tracking all foods and started working out weights and less cardio. I need to build muscle to lose the fat. I am doing either 16:8 or mostly 18:6 and not really all that hungry kinda shocked about that.


    -Metabolism doesn't come to a standstill

    -Adding muscle doesn't burn fat

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,154 Member
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    buckeye213 wrote: »
    I have been doing IF for about 20 days not much weight loss but i feel a lot better. I am 57 so i know my metabolism has come to a standstill so i am tracking all foods and started working out weights and less cardio. I need to build muscle to lose the fat. I am doing either 16:8 or mostly 18:6 and not really all that hungry kinda shocked about that.

    No, your metabolism hasn't come to a standstill. Metabolism is surprisingly stable from our 20s until about 60, then decline is gradual. See:

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34385400/

    So you are logging food and calorie counting, in addition to doing IF? How many calories are you logging, on average If not losing weight, it's a little soon to tell if it's only been 20 days, but one possibility is that you're eating at/near maintenance calories. However, it is normal to add some water weight when starting strength training, and that can mask fat loss for up to a few weeks.

    Muscle mass gain is a really slow thing, especially as we age and especially when in a calorie deficit. Strength training is well worth doing, but muscle mass gain isn't going to happen fast enough to make a major contribution any time soon, sadly. (I wish it were not so: I'm female, 67, lost weight at 59-60. Keeping existing muscle mass while losing fat would be a good outcome.)

    I'm not trying to be a downer: Weight loss is very achievable, strength gains come before muscle mass gains and are very useful, fitness improvement is a good thing. You're doing good stuff. Keep doing it!
  • jessykab74
    jessykab74 Posts: 167 Member
    edited August 2023
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    I used to do dirty keto with 16/8 IF for about a year (off and on). I did lose weight and I felt good. But in the long run it did not work for me. I am a binge eater. When I travel I did not IF and I would eat some carbs, along with some favorite non keto drinks. I instantly would gain 10-15 pounds back quickly. Then that would start a downward spiral for me. That would trigger a F mode for me. Now since Nov I have just been watching what I am eating, lower carb, drinking 100oz of water a day, higher protein along with no eating from 7pm until after my morning workout (anywhere from 6:30-9am) and I feel great. I have not binged at all. And when I have gone off my diet, I was able to get right back on track the next day or right after my vacation. I think it is a great way for some people, but just not for me.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,898 Member
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    Since you are doing IF for weight loss, you have my blessing, FWIW, to dirty fast. :smiley:

    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/dirty-fasting

    ...What is dirty fasting?

    Before diving into what dirty fasting is, it’s important to note that the term isn’t used in the medical community. There’s no research on this practice or how it compares with “clean” fasting.

    Dirty fasting is a term used to describe consuming some calories during a fasting window.

    This differs from traditional fasting or “clean” fasting, which restricts all foods and calorie-containing beverages.

    People who practice dirty fasting will typically consume up to 100 calories during their fasting window. This may include some milk and sweetener in their coffee or a cup of bone broth.

    Again, there’s no set definition of dirty fasting, so some people may consume many more calories during a dirty fast, while others may consume fewer.

    On the other hand, people who practice traditional methods of fasting, or “clean” fasting, don’t consume any calories during fasting windows.
  • Livin_At_The_Gym
    Livin_At_The_Gym Posts: 39 Member
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    Hi.

    I have been doing IF for a while and am down 98.1 pounds. Idk how most people do it or if there is a norm but here is my routine:

    Black coffee in AM with morning vitamins, supplements, and meds

    Water all day

    Dinner at 430pm…very lite…keep it to under 300 calories

    Black Coffee again at 7pm (give or take)

    Between 8pm-9pm this is where I eat the vast majority of my calories. I usually have a few servings of fruit with a single serving of nuts, Organic Oats, Ezekiel Bread, Salad, etc

    Then I am done for the day

    My problem has always been binge eating and for whatever reason it always gets the best of me so instead of fighting it I found a way to embrace it. I have found it satisfying and over time have found that eating whole unprocessed food (for the vast majority of my calorie intake) has worked wonders. My food selections are vegan and also follow the Blue Zone diet. By incorporating all three elements (IF, Blue Zone, Vegan) I have found something that works great for me and turned my binges into something I can manage without fear/anxiety. I have also managed to fit in regular cardio and weightlifting (recently added these elements).

    Take care and Be Well,
    -J-

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,623 Member
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    Just understand that it’s a consistent weekly calorie deficit over time that is responsible for fat loss and not meal timing. If IF causes someone to consume lower overall calories then it’s a good way to go. If someone were to do IF and not lower overall calories then IF is a waste of time Fatloss wise.
  • amynebraska
    amynebraska Posts: 1 Member
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    I follow the fasting method on facebook-FREE!!! They have some great resources. I also listen to their podcasts and read some of the blogs. I'm attempting a 42 hour fast right now... and 19 hours in and going strong.
  • MacLowCarbing
    MacLowCarbing Posts: 350 Member
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    I didn't set out to IF but when I went high fat/low carb, I rarely got hungry or cravings. I realized that with only two meals or maybe one big meal, I was satisfied and didn't even think about food until the next day.

    So I think the end of July or so I added the IF in the form of Time Restricted Eating (TRE), I wake up around noon, I have my first coffee & meal around 3-4, I eat dinner around 9 and have my last coffee by around 10, and then I don't eat again. I go to bed around sunrise and when I wake up I'm still good.

    I can't do multiple day fasts yet because I'm still on the last bit of diabetes meds (hope to be off by Dec.)... if I don't eat at least once per 24 hours my blood sugar will plummet. So a couple times per month I do a 72 hour sardine fast, I've been doing that since August and I really like how it's going.

  • MacLowCarbing
    MacLowCarbing Posts: 350 Member
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    tomcustombuilder wrote: »
    Just understand that it’s a consistent weekly calorie deficit over time that is responsible for fat loss and not meal timing. If IF causes someone to consume lower overall calories then it’s a good way to go. If someone were to do IF and not lower overall calories then IF is a waste of time Fatloss wise.

    This is very true; IF isn't magical, you still gotta stay in a calorie deficit.

    For me it's more about controlling my impulse eating. I hate giving into munchies or mindless snacking when I'm not hungry, just because I'm bored and want that food high, or doing stuff where in the past I'd be munching.

    There is one pretty good benefit though, in that IF can put you in a deeper state of ketosis, and if you work out in the day before your first meal, it's a great fat burner.

    If you're eating more often and not in ketosis, your body is burning more of the things you just ate, the readily available fuel. If you've been fasting for for 16 hours, your body has most likely already run out of that fuel, and it's burning stored fat.
  • MacLowCarbing
    MacLowCarbing Posts: 350 Member
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    My problem has always been binge eating and for whatever reason it always gets the best of me so instead of fighting it I found a way to embrace it.

    Yeah, I relate. I always had a big appetite and could easily binge. The small frequent meals/snacks up to 6 times per day didn't work for me, it drove me a bit nuts. For me, it just left me always hungry and always craving and counting down till the next meal. Raised temptations to take more. And on a practical note, I hated stopping what I was doing to constantly run & get food. it just felt so fussy and distracting.

    While I went opposite dietary-wise than you did (low carb in the range of keto/carnivore), I decided to stop fighting my body's natural inclinations and just eat a satisfying meal once or twice per day. I walk away feeling satiated, and that feeling can last until well into the next day.

    I personally love not having to think about food as much on and off. My time starts, I eat till I'm happy; my time is ending, I eat again (maybe a meal, maybe just a snack) and I'm good to go for 16-18 hrs.
  • SOIJ20
    SOIJ20 Posts: 30 Member
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    I've been IF on and off for well over a decade now,
    It was part of my everyday life when I was 16/17, I would never have breakfast, then a little bit of lunch and then a bit of dinner, but I was never hungry and my body was fine with it.
    I went through a period and gained a lot of weight, only started IF again about 6/7 months after having my child.
    So now it's been over a year and I weigh less than when I was 17.
    I don't calorie count, I make sure what I eat is healthy, I listen to my body. Some weeks I don't fast then others I will not eat breakfast and lunch but only dinner. (I always miss lunch if I eat breakfast and vice versa, in between I'll have coffee to keep me going 😅) and now I limit my eating till 9pm I only have a small snack after dinner and then fruit tea, if I'm still hungry I'll go to bed to sleep it off 😅. Most importantly during the fasting I'll also do some walking.
    With the help of coffee ha! I've learned to listen to my body and if I'm thirsty or tired I just go to sleep if I feel hungry, compared to before I would just snack anyways.
  • cupcakegirl81
    cupcakegirl81 Posts: 2,030 Member
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    I've been doing 12:12 IF as recommended by my doctor for the last four months and I haven't lost a single pound. I talked to a pharmacist and he said that wasn't enough fasting to lose weight, which is quite discouraging for me as a nighttime binger who has stopped binging at night to pull off the 12:12.

    What kind of fasting in the best? Thanks.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,623 Member
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    Fasting doesn’t work for fat loss if there isn’t a consistent weekly calorie deficit. 4 months no loss means you’re eating at maintenance calories.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,634 Member
    edited September 2023
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    Not binging, if this has been a problem in the past, is a win on and by itself. Think of it as building blocks. If you've built up to not binging, now try lowering your calories by a little bit. Have a look at the first meal you're having after your fast for example. Maybe you can reduce the calories of that meal by two or three hundred.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,898 Member
    edited October 2023
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    cupcakegirl81 wrote: »
    I've been doing 12:12 IF as recommended by my doctor for the last four months and I haven't lost a single pound. I talked to a pharmacist and he said that wasn't enough fasting to lose weight, which is quite discouraging for me as a nighttime binger who has stopped binging at night to pull off the 12:12.

    What kind of fasting in the best? Thanks.

    @cupcakegirl81 the good news is that you aren't GAINING weight and you are no longer binging.

    However, as the posters above said, not losing weight for four months means you're not in a calorie deficit.

    In addition to 12:12, are you also logging your food? If not, that's where to start.

    If so, there are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public. In the app, go to Settings > Diary Setting > Diary Sharing > and check Public. Desktop: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

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