intermittent fasting

[JLC614]

Is anyone here trying intermittent fasting? I have just been doing the 24 hr fasting 3 days a week for almost a month now. I have not weighed myself yet to see if I have lost any weight yet. I decided I will only weigh myself once a month. I will say that my jeans feel loser around my belly and my energy level is much improved and my mind seems much clearer as well.

I will keep everyone updated if they are interested. My first weigh in will be this Saturday.

[mickjam]

I just started back today, using the 16/8 model.  If I was single, I would run on a 4pm to 8am cycle, but eating as a family is really important, so for now it's 7pm to 11am.  Really, it's the idea of fasting that is daunting, not the actual fast itself.  

I have played with 20/4 IF using the Eat/Fast/Eat model, but I found the afternoon to be quite long.  I'd like to build back up to it, but for now this is a good system for me.

I have a friend who has done 5:2, and enjoyed it a lot.  I guess that's the secret, finding what system works for you.  Good luck with your weigh-in!

[Daves_Not_Here]

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@JLC614 wrote:

Is anyone here trying intermittent fasting? I have just been doing the 24 hr fasting 3 days a week for almost a month now. I have not weighed myself yet to see if I have lost any weight yet. I decided I will only weigh myself once a month. I will say that my jeans feel loser around my belly and my energy level is much improved and my mind seems much clearer as well.

I will keep everyone updated if they are interested. My first weigh in will be this Saturday.

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@JLC614 - please keep us updated.  Very interested in your increased energy and mental clarity.  Can you let us know your level of physical activity and how strong your hunger cravings are?

[Dominique]

First of all, there’s nothing magical about intermittent fasting with regards to weight loss: it’s only going to work if you can create the required caloric deficit. If someone is prone to snacking, and constant grazing is what caused them to gain weight (or prevented them from losing it), then IF may well be a better way of eating, for them. As @mickjam said, whatever floats your boat: it’s important you can find an approach you’re able to stick to, as consistency/adherence is the most important factor of success. Same with weighing frequency (we have different relationships to the scale😞 I personally prefer weighing daily and looking at the moving average (visible via the link in my signature), as it allows me to fine-tune my eating the next few days if needed. Some prefer weekly, some monthly and some never weigh.

[mickjam]

While I do agree that a part of IF is caloric deficit, my understanding of is that it also pushes your body into ketosis, so that for a period of time you are burning fat instead of glucose.  

People all over the world fast for a number of reasons.  When it is done in a stress-free situation (unlike Sudan, for example), I don't see the problem.  I contend that North Americans are brainwashed by the food industry into thinking that anything less than three meals a day is somehow dangerous.

[Dominique]

Ketosis is a state you reach if/when you cut carbohydrates below a very low level (about 20-50 grams per day), for several days in a row. In other words, it’s the extreme form of a very low-carb diet. Intermittent fasting, OTOH, doesn’t stipulate that you have to eat a low-carb diet: it only restricts the period of time when you are "allowed" to eat. That "eating window" can vary between the different IF protocols, but I’m sure many intermittent fasters eat far more carbs than would be required to put them into ketosis. Intermittent fasters who eat a normal amount of carbs will have these carbs stored as glycogen and available for energy (in addition to fat) during their fasting period.

I personally don’t see problems with people fasting, whether it’s for religious reasons or out of personal preferences. It’s just not for me (and yes, I’ve tried it). I think the food industry doesn’t care how many times a day people eat, as long as they eat that food (or at least buy it, since we know a huge part ends up being thrown away).

Bottom line: if your daily expenditure is 2500 calories and you need a 500 calorie deficit to lose one pound per week, it doesn’t matter whether you eat your daily allowance of 2000 calories in a single, huge meal, in five meals of 400 calories each (these would be rather small meals) or anything in-between. Where you would have a problem is if you eat five meals or 500 calories each: then you no longer have a deficit.

[JLC614]

I actually don't have any hunger cravings at all surprisingly. I work an office job but it is very quite here and I am the only one actually in the building 95% of the time so I actually walk around the building all day, currently averaging about 7 miles a day. When I am not working I am a single mother to a 3 yr old and 18 yr old and am fairly active just in that regards. I working on increasing my activity level as far as exercise goes as my health permits.

My mind I can't explain it...it just seems so much clearer and more focused...constantly looking for projects and things to work on since I started fasting. I read the Obesity Code and found it very helpful and interesting.

[mickjam]

Interesting stuff, thanks!  I will concede (after researching the topic!) that you are not in ketosis while fasting; however, the info I find is there is not enough glucose stored in your body to last through the fast, so there will be some fat burned as fuel, even if only nominal amounts.

I read part of the 8 hour diet, written by the author of Men's Health.  He really tried to push the notion that you had a pretty liberal 8 hour eating window, and could lose weight regardless of what you shoved into your maw during that time.  To me, it seemed to be magical thinking.  I fell pretty sure that left to my own devices, I could down way too many calories in an 8 hour window.  A poor diet is a poor diet, no matter how it is divided up.

I will argue though that there is tremendous lobbying on the part of the food industry.  Kellogg's and their push that 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day'.  The dairy industry and their contention that any milk products are healthy.  The list goes on and on.  

[JLC614]

Thank you! I will let you know how the weigh in goes. I am very happy with how I am feeling and how my clothes are feeling on me so I am not as concerned about the number on the scale. I eat dinner with my family every night...that is actually the way the 24 hour fast works it is dinner to dinner. That is why I picked that one so I could have dinner with my family.

I am at work during the day and was never a big breakfast person anyway so they days and afternoons don't really bother me much. I also work alone in my office so I spend as much time as I can actually walking around my office which distracts me as well. 

[mickjam]

Three times a week is about the outer limit that I can manage too. I need to have it work around my life, so that it fits organically. Otherwise it is doomed to fall by the wayside.


For better or for worse, I weigh myself every day. I don't obsess on the number, but it is a yardstick I can use to help with my day's planning. I have seen that Whole Food 30 says to not weigh yourself during the program; if I ever did it, that would be the one area I would 'cheat' on.


Good luck, Saturday is coming up soon!

[mickjam]

Second day of IF on the 16:8 cycle.  No real hunger issues to speak of.  I did lick a spoon of plain yoghurt as I was preparing my lunch.  No a big deal, but it is a reminder of how much mindless eating occurs in a day.  It was only after I licked it that my brain clicked.

Does anyone have any experience with Bulletproof coffee?  People seem to swear by it.  The idea of butter and oil blended with coffee seems a bit odd, but who knows?  I'm willing to give it a try.  I ordered the oil and will be picking up some grass-fed unslated butter tomorrow, and take it from there.  Details to follow!

[Dominique]

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@mickjam wrote:

Does anyone have any experience with Bulletproof coffee?  People seem to swear by it.  The idea of butter and oil blended with coffee seems a bit odd, but who knows?

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It’s total non-sense, except for the guy who "invented" that and made a lot of money from it.

[mickjam]

I'm not sure that the answer is that cut and dried.  The name, I will concede, is Tim Ferris', who can be a bit too much at times.  The idea of caffeine mixed with easily digestible oils is not new though.  Sherpas, Mongolians, Ethiopians, etc., many cultures have used it for many years as a source of energy.

[Cafern]

The quickest way to get into Ketosis is by fasting - but it takes about 3 days. If you go from that fast to a VLC diet you can stay in ketosis as long as you like (or can stand). It's hard, but it's easier than trying to eat less than 20g carbs per day for a long stretch whilst dealing with cravings, brain fog and the low energy levels that go along with Keto adaptation haha. I found Keto very difficult. IF is much simpler and easier to keep up.

[emili]

Hats off to anyone and everyone who can fast and be happy. If I go too long between meals I turn into a toddler in a candy store who was just told no. My daughter calls my behavior "Hangry".

I also honestly do not understand diets that restrict certain foods or fasting for the sake of losing weight. To me its intentional torture. I lost 65 pounds 3 years ago. I ate within a certain calorie range and consistently lost weight. I am old to boot. Again, if you can do it and thrive- hats off. Me, I would be on a wanted poster.

[mickjam]

Congrats to your sustained weight loss!  Not an easy thing to do.  I get your point on the restriction element of IF.  I have done 20:4 cycles, and didn't really enjoy them that much; I was quite hungry by the end.  16:8 is much softer.  Since I don't eat at night, it's basically skipping breakfast and having an early lunch at 11.  Then I try to eat light the rest of the day.  I do find it changes my metabolism, and forces me to spend a few hours three times per week putting hunger into its proper perspective.  This is not true hunger, just prolonged for a few hours.  It's an interesting mental exercise.

[Dominique]

@mickjam: no, the "inventor" of "Bulletproof coffee" (and the "Bulletproof Diet") is a guy called Dave Asprey. There is no science whatsoever to back the silly claims he’s making. That some groups of people around the world may be doing or may have done something similar doesn’t constitute evidence that it has a positive impact on weight loss or enhancing your health. But feel free to experiment on yourself and do report if you see a 20% jump in your IQ.

[mickjam]

Congrats on the awesome results!

[Dominique]

@mickjam: I didn’t call you names, nor said you were an idiot. I didn’t make up the IQ thing either: it’s mentioned in the Wikipedia article and referenced here:

Asprey claims that drinking the coffee and other health hacks helped boost his IQ by more than 20 points. (Marjorie Nolan Cohn, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, says improvements in mental clarity “can’t be scientifically substantiated,” though “fats are beneficial for brain function.”)

I still maintain bulletproof coffee is non-sense (I welcome scientific evidence proving it’s not the case). You’re entitled to have a different opinion on the matter, and it’s perfectly OK with me. We don’t have to agree on everything.

[JLC614]

Ok folks here is the update after my first weigh in update but let me give you a quick summary first:

on 8/16 was at Dr's for check up and weighed 189.2

Started Intermittent fasting with 24 hours fasting 3 times a week on 8/21

Started actively walking - meaning for me walking a minimum of 5 miles a day 9/11

Decided I am only weighing in once a month because I don't think the scale is most important measure.

ok...drum roll please...as of this mornings weigh in the scale says I am 176.2 🙂