Intermittent Fasting - your experiences

[JuanFitbit]

Hi everyone! 

Hoping you are doing great!

In the latest times I've seen a new concept for me. Maybe it's because I got to read more about weight and health. 

Intermittent Fasting

I've read a bit about it and how it should work. But I'm more interested on your experiences. 
Has it helped you? 

How long have you done it?

How fast have you seen changes?

What changes did you experience?

What was difficult/easy about it?

I'll be glad to read more about it. 

[Heather-S]

I loosely follow Intermittent Fasting, but not strictly.  I am not a breakfast person, so I usually skip breakfast and have only coffee.  Then I have lunch around 12pm-1pm, followed by dinner typically between 5:30pm to 6pm.  Women shouldn't stretch their fasting windows as far as men due to hormones.

My husband typically fasts from 9pm-2pm.  He will have a protein bar in the late afternoon, then dinner with me, and then he'll have more food after our regular dinner.  He's been doing it for over a decade now.  

I definitely can see where this doesn't work for everyone, but it can be great, especially for people who don't really like breakfast.  If I am hungry in the morning, I will eat something light (a piece of toast with some jam).  I follow my hunger cues and try to listen to my body.

[coegalon]

I started doing Intermittent Fasting, IF, on 09/11/2019: I eat only between 12:00 noon and 6:00 pm so I am in an 18 hours IF schedule.  So far I lost 28 pounds in the last 20 months: it really works for me and I wish I had discovered IF long time ago.

Before starting with IF, I tried lots of things: skipping dinner; counting calories; eat healthy food; track what I ate during the day; increase my uptake of protein and, needless to say, none of that worked. And I was doing all of that while working out and jogging (always exercised throughout my life).

I am 5'9" tall, I was 199.4 lbs on 09/11/19 and lost 21 pounds in the first 6 months. Then I gained 8 pounds between March and July 2020 (when the pandemic started) and, 10 months later, I lost another 13 pounds. I noticed it has become more and more difficult to loose pounds maybe because there is a limit of how much weight you can loose doing IF.

[JuanFitbit]

@Heather-S Thank you for sharing your experience! I didn't know about the difference between the schedule according to the gender. It makes sense, but I didn't think about it before. 

@coegalon Thanks for sharing your information and insights. You've had big changes, and mostly positive ones. I'm glad that you found what worked for you with IF. 

Let's see what other Community members have to share. 

[Heybales]

It's helped me to be able to have a more normal sized dinner which just feels more satisfying, and increases the options available.

I've been doing it for 6-7 years now. I'm not a morning person so no early workouts, and even when I tried eating prior to them wasn't great idea or needed for endurance cardio anyway, so breakfast was never needed really, and unless high enough protein just made me tired anyway. Same with lunch for the afternoon.

Depends on what changes means, it's merely a style of eating. People have unintentionally been doing IF and still been overweight, so it's no magic sauce, me included.

I saw improvements to my insulin response barely, which is one potential benefit. I got over not eating until night time in about 3 days. I was coming home from work, doing lifting workout, then 1-2 hr bike ride, at the end of longer ride would start feeling tired if lifting was leg day.

Changes are that some dinners still are around 10 pm no problem, that shocks me sometimes. But I tested the IF out of skepticism anyway. I may have extra sized liver for glucose stores though, and I already knew my muscles stores a lot for the cardio workouts, but it still surprised me.

Biggest change that was a potential benefit in studies was no more migraines. Used to be eating late and lack of sleep was trigger. Working out 3-5 hrs a week would make it not be a trigger, but with IF I haven't gotten them even during sick or busy times and weeks of no workouts, despite eating late.

Nothing difficult about it, not in the scheme of difficult. I've missed meals before, so no too hard.

When you read up on it just make sure you are separating the woo of those trying to sell something from the science, might search under time restricted feeding too since studies seem to call it that.

[JuanFitbit]

@Heybales ! Thank you for participating and sharing your experience. 

I totally agree with you to be careful what and where we take our information from. 

As changes I meant, all kind of changes, like your with your insulin levels or migraines or body, mind weight, mood changes. I'll like to hear what have you seen that  IF could be beneficial. 

I don't want to talk about science, as for that there are a lot of experts and articles out there that can provide that info. But the real results, what people have experienced.  

Every body is a different world, and some practices may work for some and for some not. And that is what I would like to read about, what the Community members can describe for someone who is very unfamiliar with this practice. 

Thank you for your information. 

[coegalon]

I once read that if you are diabetic, you need to be careful about IF since it may interfere with the glucose in your blood. Does anybody know anything about that?

[Heybales]

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@coegalon wrote:

I once read that if you are diabetic, you need to be careful about IF since it may interfere with the glucose in your blood. Does anybody know anything about that?

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Interfere? depends on what that means, you use glucose as needed and blood sugar drops, the liver releases more to increase your blood sugar. Insulin and it's release is related to eating and then blood sugar goes up, that's where the diabetic aspect comes up, during the feeding window.

Anyone can get low blood sugar during the IF part, shoot, many have it and don't do IF.

If tolerated usually the opposite - that is one of the few actual improvements it makes for certain people - improved insulin response.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5394735/

But it really depends on how well your diabetes is being managed.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/intermittent-fasting-type-2-diabetes

Really it seems the major take away of IF as an eating style for diabetes - if it helps you adhere to a diet and you lose necessary weight - that is the major reason for the improvement - weight loss, not the IF. But you have to be able to handle that style with your diabetes.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413118302535

That last one actually shares that an early eating window appears to be better. But does show improved health markers even without weight loss.

[JuanFitbit]

@Heybales ! Thanks for the clarification and links provided. Found a lot of useful info on them. 

[DavideFitbit]

Just as @Heather-S mentioned earlier, I don't follow Intermittent Fasting strictly, I've done it for periods of 1-2 weeks when I want to loose some extra weight that I've gained after Christmas or any other holidays.

I do feel it's been effective for me to loose some extra pounds and I usually find it easier to skip dinner than breakfast or lunch, but it becomes more and more difficult for me if I try to do it for more than 2 weeks. although I'm aware this could change if one gets accustomed to it. 

[Grahammarch]

Ive been following IF since last September. I am two stone down and still heading in the right direction, albeit quite slowly now. I try not to eat anything two days a week (normally a Monday and Wednesday). I then dont eat on a Friday but have an after work drink or 10. Saturdays I indulge in food and eat whatever I like . On Tuesdays , Wednesdays and Sundays I heat healthily.  

The biggest advantage of IF is that it is sustainable. The programme I have now will be something I can stick to for the rest of my life. 

[Grignak]

@coegalon You have to be careful with fasting if you are a type 1 diabetic or if you are type 2 and taking any medication that directly lowers your blood glucose like Insulin. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes March of 2019 with an A1C of 11.1. I refused all medication and dropped my A1C to 5.4 by my three month follow up using fasting and IF. I continue to this day to control my diabetes with IF and fasting. I'm always in the mid to low 5's on my A1C. I could get it lower if I didn't allow any cheats. But what fun is eating if you don't ever enjoy it. IF and fasting are great tools for type 2 diabetics that want to get off their medications. Of course there are some medical conditions that could prevent someone from using IF or fasting so it's always good to talk to your doctor before attempting it.

[Raynna]

Hello,

I am just getting started with fasting.  Last week I did a 28 hour fast and felt much better than expected.  In an attempt to rid myself of an unhealthy relationship with food, I have been doing a lot of research on fasting and have decided to try alternate day.  As of right now, I am 14 hours into an attempt at a 48 hour fast. My purpose is to reset my body and find out exactly how my body will react to this.  There are about 60 excess pounds that need to be lost but what is more important for me is to hopefully gain mental strength and clarity.

I welcome any advice from those of you who are much more experienced in this arena.  Thank you in advance.

[CJ_Tan]

Hey Raynna,

Having tried many diets... the key is building it into a lifestyle and sustainable routine, otherwise may end up binge eating n dropping the whole diet, that's what I would recommend rather than extended fast...

Like what happens once you attain the ideal weight? Still continue 48 hours? 

Don't know about you, but after about 20 hours... I start to feel a bit off, so dunno how you manage 48 😱...

I loose about 5kg within 10 days with alternate days exercise to give you an idea of how fast you can loose weight, do you really need to loose so much? pace yourself for healthy living 😉👍

[Raynna]

Good morning CJ_Tan,

Thank you for your reply.  You are definitely right about the 20 hour mark being the point of feeling a bit off.  I did manage to make it through the entire 48 hours--it was not easy.  I'm glad I tried it but there will not be a second attempt.  I think what might be more workable for me is to do 18:6 and make better food choices in my 6 hour window.

Sunday morning was my first day back of early morning 3 mile walks with a friend. It is 5:50am for me right now and at 6:30 my dog and I will leave to go meet my friend and her dog at the park.  The trail we walk is marked with posts every 1/4 mile and the park has many interesting trails totalling 12 miles. Each loop is marked.  Last night, I tried kickboxing with another friend and we have signed up to go back this Friday.  

Your results with alternating days exercise are fantastic, way to go!  I think that daily 3 mile walks and kickboxing twice a week will be plenty of exercise for me.  Also, you may be right that I might not need to lose as much as I think; and, may see better results making better food choices and keeping up a regular exercise routine.  The class last night was more intense than anything I have done before and this morning my body is sore. It was so much fun though and what was really nice was the class was a mix of men and women aging from young adults to senior citizens.

What type of workouts are you doing?    

[CJ_Tan]

Wow, love your new plan... 

It not only sounds fun, but also exciting 😅

For me I jog every 1,3,5 about 3 to 5km.

2 & 4 I will try some skateboarding, skipping and swimming "after a wash 😅" in case you're wondering 😝

[Raynna]

Hello CJ_Tan,

Thanks for the reply. It has been almost two weeks and I am still walking every morning with my friend. We are up to 3.25 miles every day with 3 dogs (I wasn't sure that walking with 2 dogs was going to work but was "puppy eye guilted" into bringing them both).  Today is also the start of week 3 with kickboxing. It is so much fun.  It is great that every exercise can be modified.  My knees cannot take high impact anything anymore.  Your plan sound fun too and it's great that it works for you.  I had a skateboard when I was a kid; but that is a very long time ago. 😀

Modified the eating plan a little bit:  20:4 seems to work best. Last week I did a 36 hour accidental fast-had a couple crazy workdays and I just forgot to eat.  Funny enough, there were no hunger pains and it was easier than when 48 hours was the intentional goal!  This morning the thought occurred to maybe try to take one day a week to simply skip eating altogether.

I took my Altra HR off.  My skin was burned under the HR sensor and the mark lasted three days.  Haven't got around to putting it back on. I'm not sure what caused that after wearing it for so long.  There has never been an issue before.

[bengerv]

WHEN I do it, it helps a lot. 

After a couple days of following, say, a 16:8 fasting strategy, I will not be hungry during the 16 hours. I find I lose weight too. Changes seem to occur in a day or two (but I have a lot to lose). Weight loss. It's easy when you get by that first two days about. You'll feel like you are "starving", but you have to remind yourself that you're not and are burning your sugar stores, lowering insulin and burning fat, ultimately!

Good luck!

Ben

[ella218]

I started doing Intermittent Fasting, IF three days ago - on July 2: I eat only between 11:30 noon and 7:30 pm so I am in 16 hours IF schedule.  So far, I lost 1 pound. It really works for me, and I wish I had started IF much earlier. I heard about IF before, but I thought that since I always skip breakfast anyways, it could (kind of) count as IF. It was such a mistake on my part.

The main benefits in three days: I finally drink enough water, I sleep much better and for longer as I stop eating at 7:30, my BPM resting heart rate went from 76 to 69, and in the 8 hours window, I eat much less than before and I am more aware of what I eat. I am not that hungry after fasting (maybe due to drinking enough water?), and it’s easier to work out. I use the app Fastic (the free version) and it helps a lot.

I think that eating healthy in the 8 hours window is crucial. I monitor calories and macronutrients with Fitbit. I am happy so far, and I look forward to improving my health and losing weight. I will update after I complete the first month of IF.

[SunsetRunner]

I've been during Intermittent Fasting for since May (~3 months) and I've lost 25 lbs. My fasts are usually 16-18 hours long. I started out by stopping eating at 8 pm and breaking the fast at 12 moon. (That's referred to as a16:8. It's a form of restrictive eating where you drink water, tea, coffee during the fasting period.) In the past I would eat from 7:30 am to 11 pm at night and have snacks between meals. I've now cut out night time eating and I'm drawing on my fat stores. I will have coffee in the morning with 2 tablespoon of milk or half/half.  At night I will either drink mint or camomile tea, or water. 

I drink water during the day and use unsweetened electrolytes or sometimes add sea salt to water. Lately I've noticed that I can have dinner at 6 or 7 and stop eating earlier. I have to say that I'm also watching my overall energy intake so I have set my calories to a 2 lb a week calorie deficit.  Normally I would find that challenging as I was eating 3 meals and snacks. With IF, I can consume those calories in more satisfying meals and not continue to fuel insulin production with snacks and late night eating.  So far, so good. Fasting actually curbed your appetite and cuts the cravings. You can combine it with any diet. I'm personally a vegetarian.

In general, I have cut out junk food, added sugar and cut down my bread consumption. I eat the lower carb fruits (berries). Occasionally I have a feast day with family and friends and then go back to my routine. As I start to plateau, I will tweak it.  I created calendar events that repeat daily and notify me of the closure of my eating window at 8 and one that prompts me to break my fast at 12 moon. Now I use a free app as a timer. I should add that I use Cronometer to track micronutrients and macros. It syncs with Fitbit for steps.

I read the Obesity Code and Guide to Intermittent Fasting by Jason Fung. I also watch Youtube videos.