Intermittent fasting for weight loss?

LucyStillman
LucyStillman Posts: 2
edited October 5 in Food and Nutrition
Hi MFPers! This is my first post, i'm usually a lurker around here, but I've been reading a bit about intermittent fasting and the LG method and wanted to know what you think about it.
The thing is: I'm a 17 year-old girl and I definitely don't do hardcore weight training like the people who usually follow these diets. I've been eating healthy for about 2 months (i've been lacking in exercise, but I'm going to fix that as soon as school ends) and I haven't weighed myself in a while, but I feel like I'm stuck in a plateau. I've been craving a lot of stuff lately and I'm afraid I might get off track. I don't know if my body is getting used to the same amount of calories...

Anyways, I'm eager to lose 20/30 pounds and to get decently lean. In this case, what do you recommend in regards of intermittent fasting?

Replies

  • rochey1098
    rochey1098 Posts: 285
    You might not like the idea but try to build up your cardio sessions. If your calorie deficit is large then remember to take a vitamin supplement to avoid malnutrition, finally get plenty of good sleep :smile:

    I'm not saying that intermittent fasting wont work but it's not a good lifestyle choice to make because it's harder to maintain in the long run. The body doesn't like to starve and has some pretty neat defenses against it because it has been a recurring problem in humans during evolution.

    Best of luck to you though
  • tina2222
    tina2222 Posts: 94
    i think if you just exercise youll find that it comes off easily. dont do the fasting instead of the exercise, which it sounds like you are going to do. Its meant to be paired with exercise for best results.
  • 2live4ever79
    2live4ever79 Posts: 79 Member
    I certainly would like to know more on this topic. Been seeing a lot on this lately.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    You might not like the idea but try to build up your cardio sessions. If your calorie deficit is large then remember to take a vitamin supplement to avoid malnutrition, finally get plenty of good sleep :smile:

    I'm not saying that intermittent fasting wont work but it's not a good lifestyle choice to make because it's harder to maintain in the long run. The body doesn't like to starve and has some pretty neat defenses against it because it has been a recurring problem in humans during evolution.

    Best of luck to you though

    how are you starving if you're eating the same number of calories per day, just in a condensed eating window?

    OP i follow IF and i like it a lot, it's not magic bullet for weight loss but i personally found it more convenient to eat larger less frequent meals
  • Rompa_87
    Rompa_87 Posts: 291 Member
    If you are going to attempt intermittent fasting then only do a light session (e.g. walking/light jogging) while you are in the fasted state. If you try doing hard runs or interval work then you will feel terrible and the quality of your workouts will be poor. Remember whenever you are fasted you will never perform optimally.

    However, if you are doing intermittent fasting you definitely need to add in some really heavy lifting days in order to build/maintain lean body mass. Otherwise you will likely waste away your muscle and not get a toned look at all. Make sure you are not fasted during the heavier lifting days and you are always aiming to eat above your basal metabolic rate whether you are fasting or not.
  • annbennett
    annbennett Posts: 4
    Don't start. Go on a healthy diet. Use fitness pal calorie counter. Many of us older chicks will tell you a similar story. We crashed dieted ourselves into an low metabolism and obesity. Be patient. Record what you eat. Exercise with weight training, calisthenics and aerobics. Thanks for posing your question. It gives me some satisfaction to be able to say all of this. I weighted 121 pounds at 5'9" at you age and when I graduated college. Last year, I peaked at 285 pounds. I was able to slowly drop 40 pounds. I have had a plateau for about 8 months. I sincerely hope you take the practical route and not follow in my footsteps. Take care. Ann
  • snkeller24
    snkeller24 Posts: 459
    If you're 100% sure you want to try check out NerdFitness ... there's some info on there and an 80 page ebook on the authors personal trial/error with it and information. Do all your research ... IMO just a great lifting and cardio routine with clean eating will be sufficient enough for the average person.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Don't start. Go on a healthy diet. Use fitness pal calorie counter. Many of us older chicks will tell you a similar story. We crashed dieted ourselves into an low metabolism and obesity. Be patient. Record what you eat. Exercise with weight training, calisthenics and aerobics. Thanks for posing your question. It gives me some satisfaction to be able to say all of this. I weighted 121 pounds at 5'9" at you age and when I graduated college. Last year, I peaked at 285 pounds. I was able to slowly drop 40 pounds. I have had a plateau for about 8 months. I sincerely hope you take the practical route and not follow in my footsteps. Take care. Ann

    i'm curious as to what is not healthy about IF?
  • rochey1098
    rochey1098 Posts: 285
    You might not like the idea but try to build up your cardio sessions. If your calorie deficit is large then remember to take a vitamin supplement to avoid malnutrition, finally get plenty of good sleep :smile:

    I'm not saying that intermittent fasting wont work but it's not a good lifestyle choice to make because it's harder to maintain in the long run. The body doesn't like to starve and has some pretty neat defenses against it because it has been a recurring problem in humans during evolution.

    Best of luck to you though

    how are you starving if you're eating the same number of calories per day, just in a condensed eating window?

    OP i follow IF and i like it a lot, it's not magic bullet for weight loss but i personally found it more convenient to eat larger less frequent meals

    If you deprive the body of food you will begin to starve, the next post on here uses the term "fasted state" if you feel more comfortable with that
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    You might not like the idea but try to build up your cardio sessions. If your calorie deficit is large then remember to take a vitamin supplement to avoid malnutrition, finally get plenty of good sleep :smile:

    I'm not saying that intermittent fasting wont work but it's not a good lifestyle choice to make because it's harder to maintain in the long run. The body doesn't like to starve and has some pretty neat defenses against it because it has been a recurring problem in humans during evolution.

    Best of luck to you though

    how are you starving if you're eating the same number of calories per day, just in a condensed eating window?

    OP i follow IF and i like it a lot, it's not magic bullet for weight loss but i personally found it more convenient to eat larger less frequent meals

    If you deprive the body of food you will begin to starve, the next post on here uses the term "fasted state" if you feel more comfortable with that

    i see and generally speaking how long in a fasted state before you start to see a metabolic slowdown? and might there be mult peer reviewed studies showing a metabolic increase in the short term while fasted to to increases in plasma norepinephrine?
  • rochey1098
    rochey1098 Posts: 285
    You might not like the idea but try to build up your cardio sessions. If your calorie deficit is large then remember to take a vitamin supplement to avoid malnutrition, finally get plenty of good sleep :smile:

    I'm not saying that intermittent fasting wont work but it's not a good lifestyle choice to make because it's harder to maintain in the long run. The body doesn't like to starve and has some pretty neat defenses against it because it has been a recurring problem in humans during evolution.


    Best of luck to you though

    how are you starving if you're eating the same number of calories per day, just in a condensed eating window?

    OP i follow IF and i like it a lot, it's not magic bullet for weight loss but i personally found it more convenient to eat larger less frequent meals

    If you deprive the body of food you will begin to starve, the next post on here uses the term "fasted state" if you feel more comfortable with that

    i see and generally speaking how long in a fasted state before you start to see a metabolic slowdown? and might there be mult peer reviewed studies showing a metabolic increase in the short term while fasted to to increases in plasma norepinephrine?

    I'm not regurgitating a book, I'm offering my own view based on personal experience. If you want to argue then find another mug
  • rochey1098
    rochey1098 Posts: 285
    More importantly if you open your eyes and read my original post I clearly said "I'm not saying intermittent fasting wont work"
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    More importantly if you open your eyes and read my original post I clearly said "I'm not saying intermittent fasting wont work"

    then followed by " The body doesn't like to starve and has some pretty neat defenses against it because it has been a recurring problem in humans during evolution. "

    and i asked how you would be starving if you were taking in the exact same amount of kcal per day
  • dandur
    dandur Posts: 267 Member
    Don't start. Go on a healthy diet. Use fitness pal calorie counter. Many of us older chicks will tell you a similar story. We crashed dieted ourselves into an low metabolism and obesity. Be patient. Record what you eat. Exercise with weight training, calisthenics and aerobics. Thanks for posing your question. It gives me some satisfaction to be able to say all of this. I weighted 121 pounds at 5'9" at you age and when I graduated college. Last year, I peaked at 285 pounds. I was able to slowly drop 40 pounds. I have had a plateau for about 8 months. I sincerely hope you take the practical route and not follow in my footsteps. Take care. Ann

    Sounds like you're implying that IF is unhealthy, a crash diet and will cause low metabolism and obesity. Are you kidding me?

    Have any of you people trashing it in this thread looked into IF at all? Even a bit? Doesn't sound like it.

    To the OP: A great resource about IF is www.leangains.com. Also check out books like Eat Stop Eat and Fast Five. The great thing about IF is it's versatility and long term sustainability.
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
    You might not like the idea but try to build up your cardio sessions. If your calorie deficit is large then remember to take a vitamin supplement to avoid malnutrition, finally get plenty of good sleep :smile:

    I'm not saying that intermittent fasting wont work but it's not a good lifestyle choice to make because it's harder to maintain in the long run. The body doesn't like to starve and has some pretty neat defenses against it because it has been a recurring problem in humans during evolution.

    Best of luck to you though

    how are you starving if you're eating the same number of calories per day, just in a condensed eating window?

    OP i follow IF and i like it a lot, it's not magic bullet for weight loss but i personally found it more convenient to eat larger less frequent meals

    Ditto - that statement was silly. your body isn't STARVING because you don't eat for 16 hours. If we starved every time we didn't eat for a day humanity wouldn't have survived.

    I KIND of follow IF.....most days. Meaning that I frankly just hate to eat tiny meals so in order to have meals I actually enjoy and feel satisfied by I do something like 2 meals and a snack, generally lunch, dinner, and sometimes a bit of somethin here or there, with coffee in the morning and about 16-18 hours between my last evening meal and my first day meal.

    I do strength train 2x a week (sometimes 3x) and honestly if you aren't doing ANY strength training you should. You'll see more benefit in adding 45 minutes of strength training 2x a week than you will from changing WHEN you eat.

    WHEN you eat is not as super duper relevant as how much you eat total - a lot of people get very good results eating 6 times a day and feel great, others of us like eating 2-3 big meals and not snacking all morning and evening.

    So - I know you probably don't want to hear this but IF isn't going to be a magic bullet. I personally like it and you should certainly try it and see how you feel, but adding more exercise is probably going to give you more value than changing the times you eat.

    I personally find it much easier to stick to my diet that way though and if you are like me then it may help you stay on track.
  • 30charlie
    30charlie Posts: 4
    I've actually fasted several times for health reasons under a doctors supervision and have known many people who have as well. I think a lot of people believe it's starving yourself because that is the popular opinion, but i don't think many people have researched it for themselves. Fasting is proven to have many healing benefits, but if you do fast, you should be resting when you feel tired or weak, and not working out. And I would recommend researching the subject for yourself and possibly talking to a holistic doctor.
  • NeonNikki
    NeonNikki Posts: 87 Member
    There are different diets for everyone- the best bet-find what works for you and what you are most comfortable with in the long run. Some individuals would rather eat small meals and never be too hungry-others find that tedious and would rather eat a satisfying meal then allow the body to rest- and some would like to eat to satisfactory for a day and fast for another. - I really enjoy fasting but 24hrs for me personally is a bit far- I usually fast for 18-20 2-3 times a week-it allows me to not constantly be thinking about food and calories which is great-if I over eat no stress I can take a break from food for awhile. Also- some may have the type of body that hates the feeling of being deprived and will cause one to binge eat-so if that is you then many small meals would be better.

    Anyways-there is no right or wrong answer-IF is not for everyone because it may cause some to overeat-especially if they have an unhealthy relationship with food - I personally stop IF when I find I begin binge eating-once that is in control and I am happy with myself I can go back to IF no problem-never use a fast as a punishment or back up plan-just have it be part of your life style.

    best of luck!
  • LucyStillman
    LucyStillman Posts: 2
    Thank you all for the quick answers. I guess I'll have to give it a try to see how my body copes with it, and improve my workouts. Finding the right regime is difficult because we're all different, not only physically but on how our "relationship" with food is. I'm on my way to learn to "coexist" with food. I love cooking, and I love new tastes, but I think about food way too much for my liking. That's what I'm worried about: can I go through a whole day of not eating?

    @NeonNikki binge eating is my problem sometimes, and I find it difficult for me to not binge if i'm restricting certain foods. And I'm not talking solely of junk food...because I can live without that. But I'm of italian heritage and my mom loves to cook homemade, so all of our usual meals are big sized and nutritive, but way over in calories.
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