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Intermittent Fasting...can anyone explain it?

I hate dieting with a passion. I just absolutely hate it. But, I understand the necessity of controlling what I eat. I've recently been hearing about all these different types of fasting methods that people do as part of a diet regimen. I've heard people say that they fast on alternating days and some fast all day except for an 8-hour period where they can eat whatever they want. And the best thing about it is they lose weight using this method.

Anyone have any experience and can explain it in simple terms? What have been your results?
 
I hate dieting with a passion. I just absolutely hate it. But, I understand the necessity of controlling what I eat. I've recently been hearing about all these different types of fasting methods that people do as part of a diet regimen. I've heard people say that they fast on alternating days and some fast all day except for an 8-hour period where they can eat whatever they want. And the best thing about it is they lose weight using this method.

Anyone have any experience and can explain it in simple terms? What have been your results?

My wife is really into keto eating, basically low carbs and no sugar. To encourage her, I have 'mostly' joined in, with the occasional few fries or other "forbidden" foods. Intermittent fasting is used. I have seen it described in only one way; eat between certain hours of your choosing and only between those hours. Most recommend between 1:00 pm and 8 pm, noon to 9:00 or a similar variation. The difference between intermittent fasting and regular fasting is that you are not going all day with out eating. We can maintain this as a healthy diet and have kept weight off for a couple years now. My wife weighs about what she did when we were married, over 28 years ago. I have lost 20 pounds, and am a healthy weight. We both have added regular workouts three times a week and walking or jogging, depending on the day.

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mrlandpirate

Got lucky with dead badgers
I watched his videos and follow his program , I'm 2 years in and have lost 40 lbs but more importantly my body fat% has dropped to mid teens. once I got to the OMAD [1 meal a day] it' was easy to do
 
I'm shooting for an 18:6 regimen as we speak. So I only eat between these hours of 12 PM-6 PM. I give myself a little leeway for life and generally end up around 16 hours fasting 8 hours eating. I have lost 22 lbs this time around and am working toward my goal of another 20. Not only is fasting great for weight loss/management, but there are also some early scientific studies that show a host of other benefits (autophagy, insulin sensitivity) as well.
 
If you're doing Keto, intermittent fasting is almost a natural consequence of it
rather than something you have to consciously adhere to.

Keto switches your body's energy source to fat instead of carbs and the body can sustain
itself on fat a lot longer, so you dont feel hungry every 3-4 hours.

I have an intermittent fasting period of almost 16 hours daily without even thinking about it.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Anyone have any experience and can explain it in simple terms?
This video might help.


Basically, everything you eat, you eat within an 8-hour window during the day, and nothing outside that window. IIRC, best to have the eating window start early in your day, rather than at the end (so you don't eat right before bed, but rather right when you get up.)

If you're doing Keto, intermittent fasting is almost a natural consequence of it
rather than something you have to consciously adhere to.

Kind of. Personally I do both, and do need to make the conscious effort to not eat outside my "window". But I find that IF is easier when combined with keto, because the insulin spikes and crashes, and resulting hunger pangs, are not nearly as bad.

Certainly, the results of keto and IF are complimentary. So each works well, but they work best when combined together. (I would generally suggest starting keto first, and then moving to add IF once keto-adapted, as that really helps with controlling the hunger pangs and eating urges outside the eating window. Eventually, you can look at fasting even longer. I didn't eat today or yesterday, for example.)
 
Ever notice how every diet that becomes trendy is soon replaced with another trendy diet? That's because they don't work. The dieters gain the weight back, perhaps because the body fears it's starving and gets hungry. You might be familiar with Chris Bailey, who makes shaving videos. He went on that diet in which you fast every other day, got thin, and I've noticed in his recent videos that he's gained it back.

And yes you can lose weight by eliminating carbohydrates from your diet, but I don't think it's healthy doing that permanently. And if you then break that diet by eating carbs again, I'll bet the weight creeps back on your waistline.

I've found that for me at least, the only way I could lose weight permanently was to change my eating habits once and for all. I reduced my intake of calories slowly and gradually so I didn't get too hungry, and I've lost 25 pounds in the last two years. And I don't get much exercise.

The first thing I did was eliminate my after-work cocktail, which I'd made myself every day for 40 years. I thought I'd miss it dearly, but it was no big deal. That cut out about 300 calories a day.

Then I broke another bad habit and stopped snacking every night after dinner, which eliminated about another 300 calories.

And I made one more change in my eating habits. Every time I eat, I look for a way to eliminate 100 calories from my meal ("Do I really need to add those crackers to my chili)"?

I also find that it's best if I weigh myself only once a month. If I do so too frequently, the little ups and downs can discourage me. The name of the game is "patience."
 
I normally eat once a day. It's just what works easiest for me. Your body just becomes accustomed, eventually. Eating once a day is nothing for me, and I make one big, awesome meal for dinner.

Intermittent fasting is definitely nothing magic, though. In my opinion, some of the benefits are a bit oversold. What it does, however, is allows your digestive system some time to relax. My digestion is far better than it ever was. And if you have any appetite control issues, IF is a great way to combat them, especially paired with a ketogenic style diet. The 'metabolic enhancement' benefits are a bit sketchy, at best. There's really not enough to conclude if there's any quantifiable effect on metabolism for a majority of people.
 
Ever notice how every diet that becomes trendy is soon replaced with another trendy diet? That's because they don't work. The dieters gain the weight back, perhaps because the body fears it's starving and gets hungry. You might be familiar with Chris Bailey, who makes shaving videos. He went on that diet in which you fast every other day, got thin, and I've noticed in his recent videos that he's gained it back.

And yes you can lose weight by eliminating carbohydrates from your diet, but I don't think it's healthy doing that permanently. And if you then break that diet by eating carbs again, I'll bet the weight creeps back on your waistline.

I've found that for me at least, the only way I could lose weight permanently was to change my eating habits once and for all. I reduced my intake of calories slowly and gradually so I didn't get too hungry, and I've lost 25 pounds in the last two years. And I don't get much exercise.

The first thing I did was eliminate my after-work cocktail, which I'd made myself every day for 40 years. I thought I'd miss it dearly, but it was no big deal. That cut out about 300 calories a day.

Then I broke another bad habit and stopped snacking every night after dinner, which eliminated about another 300 calories.

And I made one more change in my eating habits. Every time I eat, I look for a way to eliminate 100 calories from my meal ("Do I really need to add those crackers to my chili)"?

I also find that it's best if I weigh myself only once a month. If I do so too frequently, the little ups and downs can discourage me. The name of the game is "patience."
+1 for this approach. It worked well for me and it’s really quite simple. Throw in 45 minutes of exercise a day and it’s a winning combination.
 
I forgot to mention the main benefit! You get to actually see everything that goes in your mouth. It's an accountability diet. I like keeping my diet basic and simple, so it's right up my alley. Are you a snacker? Then IF might be just the ticket for you.
 
"Dieting" means eating less. But "fasting" means eating nothing. And the O.P. says he hates dieting. So imagine how he'd feel about fasting. I don't think he'd do it. I know I couldn't.
 
"Dieting" means eating less. But "fasting" means eating nothing. And the O.P. says he hates dieting. So imagine how he'd feel about fasting. I don't think he'd do it. I know I couldn't.
I know it is called fasting, but it is primarily skipping breakfast and not snacking at night. I had to fast for a colonoscopy. I hated it (the fasting was worse than the colonoscopy). I wouldn't do it if it was anything like real fasting.

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The are multiple forms of intermittent fasting.
Time Restricted Feeding (only eating during an 8 hour window every day)
Whole day fasting (Not eating a day or two days during a week, the rest of the days you just eat normal)
Alternate day fasting (24 hours of eating, the next 24 hours you eat, and then the after that you don't eat, and do so on (fasting every other day))



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IF is lame. If you want to lose weight, eat a high protein diet (150 grams) and make sure with each meal you are eating 1-2 cups of veggies per meal. I do a meat , veggies and a serving of rice . If you eat the veggies first , you won’t be able to eat all of your rice . No snacking on between meals. Track every meal in my fitness pal ,and keep calories at about 1500 calories. Not losing fast enough ? Add in gym / some form of cardio like walking . Not losing fast enough still? Shave off 150 calories.
 
"Dieting" means eating less. But "fasting" means eating nothing. And the O.P. says he hates dieting. So imagine how he'd feel about fasting. I don't think he'd do it. I know I couldn't.
@Carson West Even though I hate dieting, I have a strong will. I'm currently dieting and have been for over a month. As a result, I've lost about 15 pounds. My method for this has been limiting the amount of calories I consume. 1,200 calories or less per day. I do this a few times per year to 'trim the fat'. It works. But, I dislike it. I can handle intermittent fasting. I can handle one meal a day. I can handle a day or two without eating. It would suck, but I could do it and I would if I found that it's the right thing for me.

I wasn't looking for dieting tips with my post here. I'm asking about intermittent fasting. I do appreciate all of the feedback, though. Very helpful. Thanks, gents.
 
I am currently doing the 5/2 IF diet. 5 days a week, I eat normally. 2 days per week (Mon and Thur) I eat ~600 calories per day. I will lose 1-3 pounds per week doing this. Once I get to my ideal weight, I will cut back to 6/1 to maintain.

This has worked for me for the most part.
 
I currently am doing 18/6 and have no issues, i keep my carb intake under 30 and at first it was pretty tough but it gets easier and easier.

From my understanding when you do say the 18/6 and limit carbs your body has no choice but to burn fat as there are no carbs to burn for energy and when you eat carbs your body uses them for energy and what’s not used is broken down and stored in your fat cells and when you go really heady on say white rice, taters, etc... you end up storing more and more in your fat cells.

I am not a hard fast keto dieter ( under 20 a day ) but I now find out if I eat to many carbs I don’t feel well and get very sleepy with no energy, my day normally starts with butter coffee and that easily holds me over for many hours then I just for 70/20/10 on fat, protein, carbs and sugars and don’t count calories and so far I’ve the past 6 weeks I have lost 20 pounds and don’t go hungry, this lifestyle choice is no for everyone but for me it works
 
@Carson West Even though I hate dieting, I have a strong will. I'm currently dieting and have been for over a month. As a result, I've lost about 15 pounds. My method for this has been limiting the amount of calories I consume. 1,200 calories or less per day. I do this a few times per year to 'trim the fat'. It works. But, I dislike it. I can handle intermittent fasting. I can handle one meal a day. I can handle a day or two without eating. It would suck, but I could do it and I would if I found that it's the right thing for me.

I wasn't looking for dieting tips with my post here. I'm asking about intermittent fasting.
I do appreciate all of the feedback, though. Very helpful. Thanks, gents.
4 years low carb. The last year I have been intermittent fasting. Often OMAD during the week. It really kickstarted weight loss and helped with muscle growth. I work out about an hour a day 6 days a week. Down a total of 110 lbs, but i have replaced a lot of fat with muscle as well that doesn’t show up in the loss numbers. I love it, and I also earned a lot from Dr. Fung. I stay low carb but high protein. Working out at the end of a fast before my OMAD is working very well. You cannot overeat during your window. You still have to keep track of calories to some extent.
 
You cannot overeat during your window. You still have to keep track of calories to some extent.

Sorry, I felt the need to comment. This is absolutely untrue. If it were true, the last statement would be irrelevant.

In the end, total calories are what matter. Yes, it's not as easy to gain body fat on a lower carb diet, but that doesn't mean that you can't overeat.
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
I've been doing IF (18/6: Noon -- 8pm) for the last 6 weeks and have lost 22 pounds.

Most weekends I am OMAD, with the one meal being mid-afternoon.

For me, personally, restricting entire food groups (especially, as I am Italian, pasta) just flat doesn't work. Doomed to failure every time.

IF fits the lifestyle of both my wife and me so IF is what seems to work best.
 
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