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.

[BusyBibi]

Hi Hawkinsblake, sounds very interesting indeed.  I've been drinking my own veggie juices for a while now as a tool to lose weight and its really been very effective. However, I too often then eat too much when my guard is down and I'm looking to buddy up with like minded people to encourage me to keep on track. If this could be of interest to you I'd be delighted to hear from you and happy to work towards my goal (and even more health beyond!)

tx

Busy Bibi

[hawkinsblake]

I did juicing a while back and found myself running to the grocery store so much cause I keep running out of produce seeing as you go through so much. Are you using a juicer or a blender? Lets do this!

[JammieLeigh]

I read so much into this and wanted to give it a shot, but I came across articles saying that it is not effective for woman as it is for men. Something to with our hormones blah blah.

[BusyBibi]

I use a Juicer not a blender and I think that is where some people dissagree with juicing as you only get the 'juice' of the veg and fruit you use not the fiber.  I did read about it alot before I embarked and I can agree, you must be prepared to buy lots of ingredients. Also, you must be prepared mentally before you embark or you simply won't stick to the plan -I did 7 days and lost 7 lbs and is why I've managed to get down, over time, to 9st from 10st 8lbs.  Its the last 7lbs I'm having real problems with as going on the plan is a mental as well and physical commitment. 

Having you guys interested is having the desired effect and already I'm spured on and will begin my plan tomorrow so happy to let you know how I do. 

Not sure about its less effective for women and hormones and stuff but I'm fine.

[hawkinsblake]

Yeah you're right! I watched a video on Youtube with a Health Guru who has been doing a study and the results they came up with were 80% effective for men and around 20-25% effective for women. The odds are not entirely in your favor but I would give it a shot. I am on day 6 and feel incredible. It has done wonders for my appitite! After on of two days of hunger pains in the morning they have seemed to go away. I have not tested them with temptation since it's been a quiet week in the offfice but mind you one of these days there will be hot Krispy Kreme and that will be the ultimate test  But to get back to what I was saying I am on day 6 and already have dropped 5.6 pounds but the best part is I have dropped 2% body fat which excites me that those 5 pounds are not water weight and are actually fat pounds. I would read more into it cause I know going through some of the results pictures I have seen a couple women who have seen fantastic results. I swear I read something that to combat the hormone issue women should just extend their eating window. I will look for that article and try to post it here.

[hawkinsblake]

Bibi, Right you are! It is very much a mental thing when it comes to juicing. YOU GOT THIS! I GOT YOUR BACK! Just watch the fruit juice intake. I say stay close to the rule of Juice your veggies and eat your fruit cause you really do miss out on all the good fiber in the fruit with a juicer. PS I will have to send you a recipe I make carrot cake cupcakes with the carrot shavings after I juice them. 

[Alicat2104]

I've been doing 16/8 IF combined with a ketogenic diet for the last month (ish) and have lost over 11lbs since starting. My total loss since Feb is 23lbs so 11 in the last month is impressive.

[NatashaP]

You really have to try it out for yourself to find out. For some women it works just fine, myself included.

I did the 5:2 version of IF for a while because while taking care of my daughter (who has special needs) I was only getting 2-4 hours of sleep a day and trying to eat my exhaustion. I had nearly 0 willpower and no extra time to plan every meal, cook or count calories all the time. After balloning up 50 pounds in 3 years, my doctor suggested that I try IF.

2 days a week (not back to back!) from dinner the night before until breakfast the day after (36 hours) you only eat 500 calories. I would skip breakfast, then have lean protein and vegetables for lunch and dinner. It was easier for me because it was one day, if I wanted something I could always tell myself that I could have it tomorrow and sometimes I forgot that I wanted it. It's not a miracle, it's just forcing you into a calorie deficit for the week. I lost about a pound a week for several months then baby got sick and sleeping got worse so I fell off.

Now I just calorie count each day because we found the doctor that gave us the solution to make sleeping better and I have much willpower to use for this!

[hawkinsblake]

Alicat2104! WOW that is awesome! I have been reading into ketogenic myself but have been doing good with results thus far just from IF. I tend to make pretty healthy choices so that helps. Question though did you seem to loose you appitetite during your eating window? Like I said I make pretty good choices but sometime trying to meet my macros with lean protein and veggies can be hard and by the time dinner rolls around I am not really hungry anymore. I have read so much that you want to meet you recomended calories but I fall short. Am I doing damage by not eating enough you think? On a positive note I love how I really don't crave anything and in the mornings before noon during my fast I don't really grumble for food. 

[hawkinsblake]

NatashaP, 

Kudos to you for being an incredible mother it sounds like. Lack of Willpower? It sounds like you have plenty or you wouldn't be able to do what you do! I have done some research on the 5:2 version and in my opinion it seems to be the best one that would work for a female since that would just shock you body for a day or two and you body would combat that compared to 16/8 everyday where you body would get used to the fasting state and is where it effects your hormones. I am just amazed you doctor suggested it! Godspeed. Love this conversation!

[Alicat2104]

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@hawkinsblake wrote:

Alicat2104! WOW that is awesome! I have been reading into ketogenic myself but have been doing good with results thus far just from IF. I tend to make pretty healthy choices so that helps. Question though did you seem to loose you appitetite during your eating window? Like I said I make pretty good choices but sometime trying to meet my macros with lean protein and veggies can be hard and by the time dinner rolls around I am not really hungry anymore. I have read so much that you want to meet you recomended calories but I fall short. Am I doing damage by not eating enough you think? On a positive note I love how I really don't crave anything and in the mornings before noon during my fast I don't really grumble for food. 

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I do tend to eat less calories yes. Some days I was struggling to hit 1000 but have adjusted things to make it work better. Eating hours used to be 1300-2100 but this wasn't working as my calories were too low, so now changed to 1100-1900 so I break the fast at 1100 with 50g of nuts and have two meals later in the day. The nuts give enough calories to ensure I get what I need. 

I know on keto there's meant to be no need to calorie count, but I still like to make sure I at least hit 1000-1200 so as not to be too far below my BMR.

[BusyBibi]

Hi Natasha

Really good the 5:2 worked for you but looks like you have your hands full with your daughter which is fully understandable

.

Best of luck with more 5:2 or counting calories.  I used the Fitbit calorie counter for a while which I found very useful but now I use my 'Juicing' during the day (which I find more than filling) then eat normally in the evenings  It takes a bit of preparation re the veg/fruit shopping but losing weight and keeping it off has has been the pay-off.

I'm still not at my weight goal (only 7lbs letft to go but this seems to be the hardest bit!) so this week I'm doing just Juicing again as I lost 7lbs last time and hoping for more of the same!  I find having an important goal (for a special event etc) really helps with getting my head in the right place to stick to the weeks plan (but its still hard!!)

[hawkinsblake]

Hey everyone. I know we all dropped off and stopped writting in here but I had to share my progress because this morning I am grinning from ear to ear . As of this morning I have completed 1 month with this Intermittent Fasting and the results are in! I have lost 14 pounds and the here's the best part....4% body fat which tells me I actually lost fat and not water weight! I think I am hooked on this! I really am going to try and read and do more research on how the best way to approch this is for women. I would love to be able to share this new found solution with all of you gals but want to make sure it is from a health perspective. Don't want any of you getting sick trying it without doing the research. I don't think I am going to be stopping this any time soon. I can say the first couple of days were hard but it gets better and better everyday. I wake up after probably 10 hours fasted (Thank goodness I am asleep) then I go to the gym for about and hour. Come home have a cup of black coffee and water then have another cup when I get into the office. Have alarms set on my Fitbit so when 12 comes around my arm starts buzzing and I can break my fast. What has happened over time though is I have lost all my cravings for sweet. Even when my arm buzzes telling me to eat I usually push my fast another hour or so due to not even really being that hungry. The true hard work of this dieting method in my opinoin is working on getting your recomended amount of calories in. I know it doesn't sound hard but trying to get 2000 healthy calories in is very hard. I have been living at Chiptole since in my area of South Carolina it seems to be the only place with a healthy and clean menu. Anyways had to share the good news! Hope you gals are all doing well!

Blake

[Keith2112]

Hi HawkinsBlake,

I've just started the 16/8 IF on Saturday and searched the topic here and was happy to see your posts and the reports of how well its working out for you.  I started the LCHF diet a few months back and have dropped 30+ labs and now am adding IF to try to keep losing and more BF as well.  Thanks for your posts.

Keith

[hawkinsblake]

Keith2112,

Glad you're going to give it a try. Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions. I am not an expert but coming up on Month 2 and I am so happy with the results and the control I feel I have on my diet and energy.

[Keith2112]

Thanks.  May I ask, how much weight have you lost in 2 months with 16/8 IF??

[hawkinsblake]

This saturday will officially be 2 months and surprisingly I haven't logged the final number up to this point till I got your notification but get ready for this (Drum Roll)...........Since July 11th to today.....20.6 lbs and dropped 5% body fat. The 20 pounds is impressive but I am the most excited about 5% reduction in body fat in 2 months. I have just recently adjusted my diet to get a little more carbs in there as I feel I was not getting as much as I should and put too much focus on protein. I still try to hit as close to 200g of protein a day and try not to break 100g with carbs. We will see how my body reacts to that. Wish me luck though the lady and I are vacationing in Puerto Rico this weekend and this will be the ultimate test on my fast I feel since they will probably have me eating everywhere we go. Not to mention about 90% of PR's diet is fried foods. I will prevail though!!!!!!!! I will try to add you to my friends on Fitbit here after I finishing typing this to help if I can answer anymore and need a word of encourgement from you!!!!! hahah Thanks Keith!

[divedragon]

I am on day 1 of IF.  I had a beet juice smoothie at around 4 pm today and will not eat again until lunch tomorrow.  I've attempted a day or two of this in the past couple of weeks, but I haven't gotten serious about it until now.  I'm going to give it a month to see the gains.

I too am juicing.  I use a juicer and blender together and make two basic juice types, beet root based and cruciferious vegetables.  I mix both of the these with Kefir and protein powder as a smoothie.  With the beet juice in the blender, I add pomegranet and with the cruciferious vegetable I add blueberries.  The beet juice really reves up my energy level.  I sometimes throw a raw egg into the mix too.  For supplements, I add a liquid organic multivitamine and mineral to the smoothie and take chelated zinc, lecithin, funegeek, CLA and krill oil.

My juicing strategy is to increase testosterone to support my resistance training.  I'm 57 and have declining T levels.  Based on the increase energy (anecdotal as it is) I'm pretty sure its working.  I spent Satuday cleaning the garage and Sunday cleaning the basement - at the end of each day, I went for at least a 30 minute walk.  Monday, I had 5k steps in by lunch and when I did my resistance training at lunch, I spent the time between each set doing polymetics around the basement.

[Keith2112]

that's awesome!  I will stick to this 16/8 IF and check my results after 1 month.  Have fun in PR.