Anyone intermittent fasting?

[aprildh]

just curious how many are doing IF? I am a work in progress lol 

Moderator edit: format

[SunsetRunner]

I stop eating after dinner, usually around 5:30, then eat again at breakfast. I find I sleep better on the empty stomach. I’m working to lose weight. It has been coming off slow but steady. I’m not seeing the yo-yo, even if I splurge at dinner now and then.

[DavideFitbit]

Hi everyone!

I've been doing intermittent fasting for a couple months now, and I have to say that I've seen great results, especially with the fat around the stomach that is usually very hard to get rid of. I usually stop eating at 5 PM.

I do think it's hard to stick to it, but when done properly and combined with moderate activity, like walking (and I also swim), I think it can be quite effective.  😀

[bornasusa]

Hi April. I have been doing IF for about a month. I do 16:8, but it's more often 17:7. I haven't lost a ton of weight, but I also indulge every day and have NOT gained weight. I try to make sure I always also have at least a 500 calorie deficit each day.

[Anita3jade]

Hi ive been doing the IF for about a month now. I calculate my calories on the my fitness pal...This app, after you put in your vitals already gives you your calorie deficit so u can very easily calculate to stay on target. I work nites and sleep during the day so my meals are easy to consume with 16/ 8. I'm down 8lb in my first month 

Hope all goes well 

[Kaelami]

Thinking about giving it a go Kroger ESS Schedule

[SunsetRunner]

Good for you, @Kaelami . For me, the biggest advantage of IF is that it helped me break the bad habit of snacking in the evenings. After a while, I did not even miss it. 

[DavideFitbit]

Excellent, let us know about your progress @bornasusa @Anita3jade @Kaelami! 😀 

[JaveaJim]

Yes. Started 8-16 IF on November 1st. I have two or three 6-ounce cups of black coffee with a packet of Splenda between 7:00 - 10:00 a.m. I eating my first meal between 10:00 - 10:30 a.m., lunch between 1:30 - 2:00 p.m., dinner between 5:30 - 6:00 p.m. I eat nothing between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. the next morning. During my 8-hours of consuming, I'm eating an amount of calories recommended by Fitbit (1780) which is 500 calories below my BMR. I have not increased my exercise activity. So far this month, I'm burning an average of 2416 calories a day. As of today, I've lost 11 pounds. It will be interesting to see if that weight-loss rate continues into December.

May you always be happy. May you always be well. May you always be comfortable and at peace. 🙏

[garden5]

I did 18:6 for a year or so, I lost a little weight, and it stabilized, so I read Fung's Obesity Code, and started 36 every 3rd day and dropped 30 lbs in 4 months. I feel great and highly recommend it!

[jbhmac]

Hi! I have also been doing IF for a few months now. I started with 18:6-then I read Gin Stephens book: Feast, Fast, Repeat and have stuck to a 20:4 schedule. I lost 5 pounds during the first month but have stabilized over the past month. I am feeling great and seeing definite results. I would like to lose about 15 more pounds.  I am going to try my first 36 tomorrow and wondering if that will shake things up a bit. It was nice to hear about your results doing more extended fasts. Do you have an "up' day after fasting? I was avoiding counting calories, but have noticed that I might need to since my weight loss has stalled.

[garden5]

I've not read that book, I'll have to get it! You'll be surprised how easy the 36 is, it sounded intimidating to me at first, but I've kept it up quite easily. What do you men by an 'up' day? I don't count calories ever, I eat mostly keto/lchf but on Thanksgiving I ate it all!

[jbhmac]

In the book (and Gin's podcast) she says to make sure the day after a day (and night) of no food that you should consume your allotted calories for the day, not in a weight loss deficit. This way, your body doesn't get into starvation mode. I fast clean, so I am totally looking forward to coffee and milk on Tuesday morning!

[garden5]

Good to know! I have made sure to eat enough to cover my fasting day because in Fung's books he talks about calorie restriction slowing your metabolism, which is the opposite of what I want to do! It's easy to get quite a few calories with keto because of the fat content. I'm assuming a clean fast is just coffee, tea, and water with no additions? That is what I always do just because I don't see the point in fasting if I'm going to be consuming calories or boosting my insulin with fake sweeteners. 

[DavideFitbit]

Thank you for sharing all this information and your experiences with intermittent fasting @JaveaJim @garden5 @jbhmac. Welcome to the new users in the Community forums!  

[EmeraldDove]

I just started!  

I was talking with a friend who is super into IF and sees great results.  She told me to start with a 12 hour fast one week, the second week do a 14 hour fast, and the third week do a 16 hour fast.  She said that I could stay at 16 or tweak it to what works for me. I think that she said she is doing a 15 hour fast to maintain. I JUST started my second week, so this is my first day of a 14 hour fast 🙂  I get up and go to the gym early, like 430am, so by the time I do that and get to work at 8am, I am super hungry. I try to tweak my times so that I can start eating by 930 am. You lose time in the evening, but I figure its fine since its more time to digest and adjust before bedtime. 

Anyone else have thoughts on this? 

[DavideFitbit]

Great! Thank you for sharing your experience with this @EmeraldDove. 

I had to adjust my times a few months ago because I was felling very dizzy after going to the gym, I really need to eat something before and after the workout, but I know that some people are totally ok without doing this, it really depends on your body and how you feel. 

For what I've read online about IF, it's recommended to either skip breakfast or dinner, in my case I skip dinner and I moved my workout time to mid-morning. 😎

[garden5]

That starting slow advice is good. One thing I've found with IF is that if I'm eating carbs for dinner, I'm more hungry in the morning. If I just eat meat and vegetables, in the morning I can work out without feeling weak and if I have a cup of coffee or some bone broth, I can still skip breakfast even if I've exercised. I think this is all due to my insulin levels being higher if I eat carbs at dinner, which will rise again when I wake up and then I feel hungry in the morning, ravenous post workout. When I'm fat adapted from no carbs at dinner, I'm now burning body fat to fuel that morning exercise and I've got plenty of that, so my body doesn't send me the signal to eat. Try all sorts of things, you'll figure out what works best for you!

[SunsetRunner]

I agree, @garden5 - One of the reasons I started IF was to avoid going from Pre-Diabetes to Type II Diabetes. I’m tracking carbs, avoiding most processed foods and eat a protein and a veggie at dinner.  After trying different variations, I currently fast from 6:00 pm to 8:00 am. The best news is that when keeping carbs under control, not only are my sugar levels point on ... but I no longer crave carbs like I used to. It’s motivating in two ways:

• I don’t want to have to take meds for diabetes, or do the finger pokes
• And after testing the “no cravings” theory a couple times, I find I stay on track because I know it will take about three days of miserable cravings before my body re-adjusts. Don’t want to go thru that!