Questions for those doing Intermittent Fasting

Hi guys,

I need some input.

I'm looking into the benefits of intermittent fasting, and I am trying to gather some info on the rules you guys go by, and what the ups and downs of the whole thing are.

EDIT: If you're curious about why I am asking, it's because I decided to dabble a little in this myself. I am trying to develop a system that will work for me, and hopefully also for others. Please check out this journal entry for further clarification. Make sure to read the comments - this is where it gets interesting. END OF EDIT.

I would greatly appreciate if you could answer a few things for me.

1. How many calories (if any) do you consume on a fasting day? What made you settle on that particular number? If you calculated it somewhere, then where?

2. How many fasting days do you have per week?

3. How do you handle your calorie intake on "the other days"? Do you count calories, or just wing it? Do you still restrict yourself, if you wing it?

4. What has made this type of weight loss journey easy for you?

5. What has made this type of weight loss journey hard for you?

6. What results have you gotten from this approach to weight loss?

I really appreciate if you guys would take your time to do this for me.

Thanks again,
kingkeld.

Heya KK: I'm not doing IF, but I know a lot of people that are over on my forum. They all recommend this thread over at Mumsnet:

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/big_slim_whatever_weight_loss_club/a1581821-Tips-and-links-for-those-practicing-Intermittent-Fasting-IF-5-2-or-Alternate-Day-Fasting-ADF

So-far as I understand it there are 2 camps:

Alternate day fasts: 1day on one day off.

2 day fasts where they take 2 days during the week and either completely fast for a 24 hour period or eat a minimal amount of no more then 600cal (500 for a woman)

this isn't really what you're asking, but here's my 2 cents...

breakfast is late, usually about 10am and almost always oatmeal, ground flax, butter/heavy cream & cinnamon. this gives me the "necessary" fiber for the day & keeps me full. this plus coffee (also with heavy cream) gives me about 400-500 calories.

typical lunch & dinner, but I don't eat after 6pm. no real restrictions on foods, but try to limit carbs & under 1800 calories. weekends are not as restrictive.
that gives me about 16 hours of fasting until breakfast the next day.
i haven't been on this that long, but i do sleep better on an empty stomach. i wake up easier & feel more rested.
a few years ago I tried the lemonade diet for about 7 days. I felt really great not eating, but couldn't handle the salt water flush. even now I can't handle a lot of salt, so maybe that's a good thing.

thanks for posting this. i'm interested to see what others have to say.

I was doing alternate day fasting. 675 cals for the down days normal for the up days for the first couple of weeks then upped the calories to 850 on the down days. I then found my calories came down on my up days as i wasn't hungry andmy stomach got educated in needing or wanting less. You have to calorie count as i found i had no concept of actual calories in food. I've reached a reasonable weight now and have slowed up, i still don't eat my rdi and the weight loss has slowed right down as Im working on about 1/2lb loss a week so that it stays off. That said i do yoyo around a lb but it doesn't worry me. You will get good weight loss but you need to be focussed and dedicated... Oh and its not for everyone. If alternate day fasting doesn't work then do it once a week at 600 calories with 200 calories off your rdi for the other 6 days and drink lots of water. The FS rdi i find is a bit of a fits all and you could knock 200 calories off straight away for a more realistic rdi. Good luck!

"Intermittent fasting" also means brief periods of fasting, not just full-blown fasts. I didn't realize until I read about intermittent fasting that it's what I've been doing for many years: skipping breakfast, and then eating 2 healthy meals for lunch and dinner. Now I carefully manage calories and macronutrients to make sure I'm getting what I need.

Eating breakfast makes me hungrier. It's like that for a lot of people.

It feels good to eat a real meal rather than smaller ones, and I have no problem waiting until noon or an hour or so later. Fasting from 6 one night until 6 the next wouldn't work for me. I get so hungry I can't stop eating, even if I eat somewhat fewer calories than my usual day's intake. And then I end up unable to sleep because my body stays awake digesting that heavy meal.

There is no scientific evidence to support IF read up on Anthony Colpo, s site

What does count is eating less than you burn, if missing the odd meal or meal timing helps that then fine otherwise there is no hidden benefit

I don't eat much in the morning I prefer to save my calories until later on when I tend to be more hungry no magic just meal timing

Intermittent fasting IS meal timing. You're doing intermittent fasting without even realizing it, Spacey.

Intermittent fasting as been researched in the states since the depression when they realised people were living longer after eating less. I'm not going to justify it when so many scientific papers have been written either supporting evidence. I don't agree with spacey and he needs to do some more research as its not just about weight loss but about the health benefits.

I think I already said that but there is nothing intrinsically magic about doing it,

If I ate my calories spread throughout the day based on the normal way people ate I would still
Lose the same amount of weight, but for me personally I prefer to eat most of my calories later in the day

Spacey47, I put a link to a video in my journal today. There are indeed something intrinsically magic about doing it. Not only from a weight loss point of view. If I wasn't sold entirely on the idea of doing this before I saw the video, I definitely am now!

I didn't really get too many answers, and I hope to get more. However, I appreciate those of you who pitched in, it's nice to hear from you and it is definitely helping me on my conclusions.

I love that we get all these different views on things here.

So far, my own conclusion, based on my own research here and elsewhere brings me where I want to try this out. I will be doing the 5/2 system, as usual in my own adjusted fashion. I will be my own guinea pig and see where it takes me. I had my first fasting day yesterday, and ended up consuming 225 calories of the 600 I had allowed myself. The day went without a hitch. Today, I am down 1100 grams. Of course, some of this is also "less food stored in your body"-weight. But still, changes happen. Also, I feel different today. I feel good in a way that I haven't for a long time. Life is indeed good!

Answers in bold.

Thanks, Diablo! I knew I could count on you. I appreciate the dilligent input.

No problem kingkeld! Also, here is my total deficit, weight I should be at according to deficit, and my actual weight as of Dec 1st.

Day 317
Total deficit 121903/3500=34.82 lbs.
Deficit weight 181.18
Actual weight on Dec 1st. 175.2
Actual weight lost 40.8

My highest weight was 220 which is how I got my 44-45 number above. But I had gained about 26 lbs back putting me at 216 on Jan 18th of 2012, so my weight lost since then is 40.8 as of 12/01. I am down to about 174.3 now so chalk up another 1.5 lbs for a total of 45.7 from my highest.

I have read and seen videos on the supposed benefits of IF. One was the increase in metabolism of 3-10% after so many hours(which is hilarious because people believe that small rabbit meals all day increases metabolism when it may actually be the opposite), and the increase of growth hormone to stop any lean mass loss. I do not know if these contributed to my extra loss, or the simple fact that my metabolism is higher than what fatsecret.com has it at, but it is nice to have lost more weight than the calculations show.

I'm totally with you on that. The first year I set myself up to lose 45 kgs. I ended up losing 65 "without doing anything extra", so to speak. I just followed the plan I laid.
I think this approach is super interesting. I wonder if I can handle maintaining it. My initial approach will be a twice a week 24 hour fast (from dinner to dinner), and I will see where that takes me. I read articles both for and against this. Some say it's super efficient, some say it's impossibly hard. I say I won't know unless I try. I can always cut back to one day.

Besides what Diablo does, I keep track of my protein levels to maintain them constant, while I eat fewer energy calories on rest days.

I had a bad experience with fasting some years back when regularly scheduled fasting became briefly popular in the bodybuilding community. The paradox is that while a fast/feast cycle can pump you up and give you tons of energy (there is no high like the one you get after breaking a 2 day fast!), doing regular fasts can cause loss of strength.

After a number of cycles of weekend fasting (every other weekend), I lost 30% of my bench press strength along with the weight. I also lost all my willpower to fast. I guess my body was trying to tell me something.

Interesting. That is the first I've heard of anyone losing strength that rapidly. Maybe you were taking it too far. The most I have waited to eat so far is 20 hours.

Test best

Hey Kingkeld im from the Uk and saw this programme months ago when it first came out.

This guy is well known for doing this kind of thing and previously did one on how exercising for 3 minutes a month was enough to keep you fit and healthy and lose weight!

Funny but he never mentioned that in this one did he?

Now he is going on about intermittant Fasting but he eats EVERYDAY so its hardly fasting whatever the true defintion of that word is ?

Do we fast overnight when we sleep? If so everyone who sleeps FASTS!

Are we fasting in between meals when we are not eating the list could go on and on

In the programme he makes a big fuss over losing 14lbs in a month or so as if he had discovered some amazing metabolic advantage JUST like he did in the previous 3 minute exercise programme that he did.

Big wow anyone who is somewhat overweight and reduces their calories below expenditure will experience weight loss especially if they have a lot of surplus weight.

All he has done is found a way to create a calorie deficit, not some amazing unknown super weight loss method

Has he done a follow up programme...NO! Is he still losing weight ...We dont Know. Did he carry out a scientifically verifiable study ......No WAY JOSE!

All he has done is carry out a reverse Super Size me personal experiment which let him lose 14 lbs colour me unimpressed

Since April i have lost 42lbs and most of that time i ate everyday 3 regular meals and exercised regularly creating a caloric deficit ...thats it no magic just consistent calorie burn

next year he will be bring out a another programme totally forgetting IF that states that shoving an Onion up your butt everday makes you ripped!

ONE scientifically backed fact burn more calories than you eat = weightloss........thats it

Hey Kingkeld im from the Uk and saw this programme months ago when it first came out.

This guy is well known for doing this kind of thing and previously did one on how exercising for 3 minutes a month was enough to keep you fit and healthy and lose weight!

Funny but he never mentioned that in this one did he?

Now he is going on about intermittant Fasting but he eats EVERYDAY so its hardly fasting whatever the true defintion of that word is ?

Do we fast overnight when we sleep? If so everyone who sleeps FASTS!

Are we fasting in between meals when we are not eating the list could go on and on

In the programme he makes a big fuss over losing 14lbs in a month or so as if he had discovered some amazing metabolic advantage JUST like he did in the previous 3 minute exercise programme that he did.

Big wow anyone who is somewhat overweight and reduces their calories below expenditure will experience weight loss especially if they have a lot of surplus weight.

All he has done is found a way to create a calorie deficit, not some amazing unknown super weight loss method

Has he done a follow up programme...NO! Is he still losing weight ...We dont Know. Did he carry out a scientifically verifiable study ......No WAY JOSE!

All he has done is carry out a reverse Super Size me personal experiment which let him lose 14 lbs colour me unimpressed

Since April i have lost 42lbs and most of that time i ate everyday 3 regular meals and exercised regularly creating a caloric deficit ...thats it no magic just consistent calorie burn

next year he will be bring out a another programme totally forgetting IF that states that shoving an Onion up your butt everday makes you ripped!

ONE scientifically backed fact burn more calories than you eat = weightloss........thats it