Anyone ever tried alternate day fasting?

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Hey everyone,

So ive been reading about aternate day fasting, where you fast every other day. Just wondering if anyone has ever tried this and if it worked for them?

Does it really matter what days you eat as long as you hit your weekly calorie goal, like eating a lot more one day and eating much less another?

Any thoughts or opinions on this?

Replies

  • TriciaZ944
    TriciaZ944 Posts: 317 Member
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    You should not fast at all unless under a doctors care. Your body needs food to nourish itself and when you starve yourself your body goes into starvation mode and slows down. You may lose weight quickly at first but eventually you will gain it all back and it will be that much harder to lose. My suggestion is to follow the recommended calories mfp gives you. There needs to be a balance between your diet and exercise.
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
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    I vary my calorie intake but don't fast. so i have a couple of very low cal low carb days then have a spike day, then a couple more low cal/low carb days.. occasionally do 2 spike days in a row to mix things up, I try and exercise everyday but especially on spike days. It seems to have worked for me only got 3lbs to go now!
  • Becky_Boodle
    Becky_Boodle Posts: 253 Member
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    I vary my calorie intake but don't fast. so i have a couple of very low cal low carb days then have a spike day, then a couple more low cal/low carb days.. occasionally do 2 spike days in a row to mix things up, I try and exercise everyday but especially on spike days. It seems to have worked for me only got 3lbs to go now!

    I have a similar diet and exercise routine...
    cardio almost everyday and on spike days I do strength training
  • TerriKim
    TerriKim Posts: 9
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    I don't know what your primary purpose is for the fasting but I can refer you to a book that I have read on fasting. Try reading Fasting by Jentezen Franklin. The author gives lots of great information about the practice. Fasting is actually good for our bodies and if you're doing it for worship reasons you can certainly benefit your body, mind, and soul. Good luck!
  • Quickster34
    Quickster34 Posts: 209 Member
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    Your describing intermittent fasting to a degree however completely fasting every other day seems a bit much, if im doing intermittent fasting I'm either doing one full day a week or every 2 weeks, or im doing a periodic fast which basically shrinks your eating window so for example you would eat all your calories in a 6 or 8 hr window instead of the whole time you are awake. there are many varying theories and a bunch of research out there, good luck
  • Need2bfit918
    Need2bfit918 Posts: 133 Member
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    im curious if people on here who are so convinced fasting harms your body actually have proof to back up these claims. i have read plenty of articles one being from the mayo clinic hat show people who fast regularly have lower rates of heart disease, and lower cholesterol. they even think it improves the way your body metabolizes sugar. Because of my religion i know people who fast regularly, and when i say fast i mean no food, or liquid and they are healthy and not over weight at all so it doesnt seem to have damaged their metabolism at all.
  • Need2bfit918
    Need2bfit918 Posts: 133 Member
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    although I agree every other day seems too much
  • Maystar80
    Maystar80 Posts: 85 Member
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    yes, and I HATE it. Sure you can do it, it's not too difficult to just not eat all day. But you'll see that you're allowed to start eating after 24 hours. So once you can eat again that night (assuming you go from evening to evening) you are just starved and you gorge on everything in sight and then you feel sick! Not to mention the fact that you've been cranky and tired all day from not eating. And it really doesn't affect the scale at all. That's what my experience has been. And I did it multiple times too, hoping it would work this time. Not so. So my advice is don't even try it, you'll probably regret as I did.