Intermittent Fasting

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.

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.

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-

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.

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.

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 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

I do IF. I will sometimes consume under 50 calories while fasting and it never seems to break my fast. Just a little milk in my coffee or tea. When in my eating window I try to eat healthy and not junk food

I do 16:8. No big special diet, just macro balance. I love it. I have a tendency to overeat in the evening, so I set my my window to stop around 5-6pm and it has really helped.