Intermittent Fasting

[hawkinsblake]

Hello,

Hey everyone just wanted to start a quick topic to see if anyone else has tired, failed, or is curious about Intermittent Fasting. In the case of intermittent fasting (IF), the "diet" actually refers to periods of fasting, meaning you are restricted to eating very little—or nothing at all—for periods of time lasting anywhere from 16-24 hours. It may sound a little crazy, but intermittent fasting has been suggested as an effective weight loss tool, with research supporting its ability to increase fat oxidation, reduce body weight, and accelerate fat loss. 

The central idea behind the implementation of intermittent fasting is to reduce overall calorie consumption, ideally resulting in weight loss. Typically, IF protocols will have the individual undergo a period of intentional severe calorie restriction (ranging from 0-25 percent of the individual's normal daily caloric intake) for a period of 16-24 hours. Following the restrictive phase, the individual returns to relatively normal energy intake for 8-24 hours, depending on which version of IF they are following.

I am doing the 16 hour fast where I consume nothing but water and a cup of black coffee in the mid morning to hold me over. Then I eat my normal range of calories for the day in an 8 hour window. For me this is from Noon to 8pm. I am on my 5th day so can't atest to being an expert but I am loving all the research I have found and was just curious to see if there is anyone else out there.

[Ashley5683]

Okay so I started this on Thusday. Thursday and Friday weren't hard. I cant really say I was hungry during my fasting times so it made it much easier. Today however, I feel like I am starving. I'm shaky and weak. I hope it isnt always like this. I am happy though because my Aria says I've lost two pounds since my weigh in last week. Not sure if thats just from my normal workout routine or IF or both. I'll keep you all posted next week and let you know about my progress. Thanks Blake for putting yourself out there. You definantly motivated me to take a stand!!

[Littlera]

Good on ya Hill Runner

Sliding with friends is just that a small slip and if you feeling a little tied take a nap this I think is your body needing time to process whats going on….
This 3 meals a day has been drilled into us since before birth by governments and huge food companies with 1 goal in mind profit……and unfortunately its is not only consciously but sub consciously were they have done the most damage….. you now know that you don’t need to eat 3-6 times a day but your friends don’t and sometimes its easier to join in with those you know and trust than to be on your own and be right….. funny how it works..
Good luck and let us know how you feel on you alternating day fasting….

[Littlera]

Hi there I am happy you are going to give it a shot….. I think sometimes the hardest thing is lack of education on how we choose to make decisions. We consciously choose to do the right thing because we think its right but no matter how hard we try we need to understand that subconsciously we have been hammered and continuously are by government and big business. The game they play is focused on not thing and that is profit……and there are some rules they need to follow but these are to loose and need tightening…so they advertise to us and use feelings to sell product then they pack these products with as much addictive stuff as they can hide and get away with….try adding hypnosis into your routing and start getting the results you want…. you can do this….let me know how you go,,, Ray

[Littlera]

Hi Ashley

I think if your trying to lose weight keep it simple and consume less….. the fast five IF is working well for me I have lost 500g of lean muscle mass and about 10 kg of fat and I drop a kg each week. I think this is a great compromise I no longer need to carry that 10.5kg around any more and Im feeling great..

My wife says I’m starving my self but I’m no longer hungry I feed like an animal in a zoo for a set period of time each day…..

Try this out go to the supermarket and pick up 30 pounds of butter put it in a basket so you have to carry it do a lap of the mall analyse how you are feeling are you a little puffed out and tied now put it back and do another lap now analyse how that lap felt much easier…. this is only a glimpse on how much better you are going to feel all the time by not having to carry around that 30 pounds..

I don’t need to bulk up for this you are already carrying it…. That 30 pounds you are caring around is your petrol tanker in todays world we don’t need one you can get petrol/energy form everywhere….Good luck let me know what you think…

Ray

[Littlera]

Ha Ashley

Congratulations Ashley you are on you way…

Being shaky and weak for the first few days is totally normal the body is going through a change and getting rid of the crap thats been lurking around. Stay strong it will pass very quickly. I took a few naps at the beginning that seemed to help the body healing process..

Ray

[Ashley5683]

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@Littlera wrote:
Ha Ashley

Congratulations Ashley you are on you way…

Being shaky and weak for the first few days is totally normal the body is going through a change and getting rid of the crap thats been lurking around. Stay strong it will pass very quickly. I took a few naps at the beginning that seemed to help the body healing process..

Ray

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Yeah I took a very long nap today. Although I'm kind of regretting it bc it was during my feeding time and now i'm in my fast with only having eaten about 500 calories today. I couldnt help it though. I did a few loads of laundry, knocked out household chores, and went for a 3 mile run so I was exhausted. I'll hold steady and do better tomorrow. Thanks for the encouragement.

[DaleS]

Hi Ashley,

You may have felt better if you had eaten something else even tho it was past your feeding window. That's one of the great things about IF, it's flexible. You may feel even weaker tomorrow since you only had 500 calories today, especially since you just started IF.

edited for structure

[Corney]

Getting rid of what crap that has been lurking around?  Are you talking about cleansing?  Unless you have liver and or kidney problems your body naturally cleanses itself.

[Corney]

Oh No, another conspiracy heard from.  Why would the government advocate what they call a healthy diet, only to make us sick.  It would just cost them more money in the long run due to medicare and medicaid costs.  I agree with you about big business, but Government makes no profit from feeding us false information.  Do any individuals make a profit from publishing books, programs pushing fasting, IF, and cleansing.  Where is the hypnosis.  I think the conspiracy bug has infected your reasoning and rational thinking.

[Ashley5683]

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@DaleS wrote:

Hi Ashley,

You may have felt better if you had eaten something else even tho it was past your feeding window. That's one of the great things about IF, it's flexible. You may feel even weaker tomorrow since you only had 500 calories today, especially since you just started IF.

edited for structure

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My husband talked me into eating some sushi last night a few hours before bed. I'm glad I did bc I'm not so weak and shaky today. I do notice that it was much harder for me to force my legs to work during my run. I'm sure thats probably just from not getting enough protein over the last couple of days on top of adding an extra mile to my routine. I'm back on schedule today with my eating and this may sound really funny, but I actually feel lighter than uausal. Thanks for the advice.

[DaleS]

Feeling "lighter" isn't funny at all. Half the battle is feeling like getting up and doing something. The lighter you feel the more active you will be. I know it works for me. Everyone knows the "Thanksgiving dinner" feeling. Don't see many people out running around after that dinner, lol.

[Raviv]

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@Corney wrote:

Oh No, another conspiracy heard from.  Why would the government advocate what they call a healthy diet, only to make us sick.  It would just cost them more money in the long run due to medicare and medicaid costs.  I agree with you about big business, but Government makes no profit from feeding us false information.  Do any individuals make a profit from publishing books, programs pushing fasting, IF, and cleansing.  Where is the hypnosis.  I think the conspiracy bug has infected your reasoning and rational thinking.

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I'm not big on conspiracy theories, but I will admit that what's best for the of the general public is usually tempered by what's best for certain corporations and lobbies.

As examples, just take a look at foods like eggs and saturated fats that were demonized for decades, and now they're suddenly admitting they weren't bad after all.  On the other hand, they pushed margarine decades as well, and then - oops!  Maybe trans fats are the ones killing you, not butter.

And it's not like the data wasn't there.  Other groups have been saying it all along, but any time you go against the food pyramid, you get the reputation for being a loon, or lose your license if you're a practicing professional.

Back in the 1970s, they wanted to set a limit for sugar, but that's a money making crop, so it was pushed aside.  I think it's a bit naive to think no one is making money off these decisions, both in government making the decisions and those in business that profit from them.

[jonileecoberly]

I have been doing IF since January 3 and am down 18 pounds so far. I eat once daily, generally between 5-6 pm, and have water the rest of the time; so a 24 hour fast pretty much daily. My husband follows the same regimen, though he doesn't fast every single day as I tend to do, and he has lost 16 pounds in the same timeframe. This fits our lifestyle and is much easier than it sounds, though some people may need to start with a shorter fasting time and a longer eating window. We consider this a lifestyle and not a diet and it's definitely working for us! Best of luck to all!

[DaleS]

That's great results!!!! A one hour window every day would be really difficult for me, I just can't get enough calories in that small time frame. Keep on keeping on.

[Ashley5683]

So here's a question for everyone. I start my day very early (2:30am) due to opposite schedules with my husband and me being the one who shuffles my kids around. I've structured my fast so that I eat later in the day so I can atleast have a meal with my children. I feel that's important bc it's really the only time we have together. My question relates to my pre workout powder. It contains calories and a whole bunch of other stuff. I usually only use it when I feel like I need a little extra push to get through my run. Should I avoid that during my fast? Will it be breaking my fast? I would be taking it 8.5 hours before I'm supposed to break my fast.

[divedragon]

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 Should I avoid that during my fast? Will it be breaking my fast? I would be taking it 8.5 hours before I'm supposed to break my fast.

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The limit I've read is no more than 50 calories or your fast is officially broken.  I would not take the powder prior to your exercise, but you might try scheduling your exercise just before you break your fast.  The reason to exercise in the fasted state is your growth hormones are at their highest at this point and will help you recover rapidly and better.  You're also a peak fat burning, so the energy to expend during your exercise will consume more fat for the increased energy needs.

[Corney]

How is the Government making money off suggesting a balanced diet and eating 3 healthy meals a day?

I hope we are all adults and realize when Big Business is pushing alot of B.S. just trying to make money.  Yes the Government made some mistakes concerning eggs, saturated fats, trans fats, but were quick to remedy their mistake, when new research proved theem wrong.  But to say they did that because they wanted to make money is just ridiculous.  As I said before we are all adults, and have a free will to go along with Big Business or not, but when the poster mentioned we were being hypnotized, that was just too much!  Talking about Big Business, are there and business's or individuals making money advocating fasting, IF, or cleansing, or our they just providing all that information for the betterment of mankind?

It seem to me from what I reading here, most people are practicing fasting, or IF to lose weight, but I will ask again, will losing weight make them more physically fit?

[Corney]

What works for me is the high I get from exericse.  I don't exercise because I feel lite, I exercised today because it felt good yeaterday, I'll exercise tomorrow because It felt good today.  I exercise just as much today at 125# as I did when I weighed 140#, I didn't lose weight by fasting, or IF, I just started eating cleaner.  I doubt anyone eats a Thanksgiving dinner everyday!  I know alot of lite people who don't exercise and use every labor saving device they can buy, so the lighter you fell the more active you are may work for you, but it doesn't work for everyone.

[Ashley5683]

Thanks divedragon. Unfortunately I workout way before I break my fast because I work ten to twelve hour days and I don't have time to work out after work. I'll just avoid using it during my fast. I kind of like not eating or drinking anything but water anyways otherwise I'm tempted to indulge in something else. I made it through my run this morning without my pre workout so I think I will be okay. Mind over matter right!

[hawkinsblake]

Hey Ashley! 

Great Question. I am in the same boat as you as in I am also a couple hours into work before I break my fast so the eating after I workout is not in the equation for me except on the weekends. I like you am a fan or pre-workout and why I don't need it all the time and 50% of it might just be a placebo effect I still like to use it and do so all the time before my 5AM workout during my fast. I know they are expensive and hate to tell you to discontiune use but  I would suggest trying to switch to one that has a sweetner substitute. While we can get into a lengthy discussion about the bad facts that go along with artificial sweetners I let this slide and my poor excuse is at this point what doesn't kill us! hahaha. Anyways I try not to break 20 cals durning my fast but don't think I have ever gotten that close. I recomend brands like BPI, Optimim Nutrition, and Cellacor for Pre-workouts that arn't going to add to your calories in the morning. 

Blake