Intermittent fasting

[LJsapphire]

I am considering having a go. I'd be happy to lose a stone, ecstatic to lose 2. I go for wedding dress measurements at the end of May and realistically I just want to lose 1-2" off my waist/tummy and a bit off my hips. I've also got clothes that have become a bit too snug in the last year or so.

My questions are:
When I'm at work I start to get hungry around 11am and I have a piece of fruit. My tummy growls and everything.
Some times if I'm hungry I get quite irritable (hangry). Does your body adjust to both of these issues and how long does it take?
I could probably try the 12:12 first and increase the fasting time.
What kind of times do you have meals if you're doing IF?
Do you skip breakfast and just go for lunch and dinner or do you eat a later breakfast and fit it all in a shorter space of time?
Having set break and lunch time at work, and my commute means my schedule isn't very flexible.

 

[chrono]

I do 9 am to 5 pm, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I travel, so when I do, I stop IF temporarily.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

During normal times of the year I'll do 5:2 which is 2 days of 500cals only. On fasting day I'll skip breakfast and start eating at noon. I usually end up eating a small lunch and veg for dinner.

During school holidays because I have to run around with the 6yo and he likes to lunch I'll eat one meal out with him on fasting day (at whichever restaurant he chooses) and that's it for the rest of the day. This is probably over 500 cals but I don't seem to put on weight from it.

If we're on holidays then no fasting but sometimes (usually) I'll skip dinner if lunch is huge.

I find it so easy to maintain and I'm not pining after food or hungry at all.

 

[chrono]

500...I don’t know how you all do it. I don’t count calories but I’m probably around 1500 per day?

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

500...I don’t know how you all do it. I don’t count calories but I’m probably around 1500 per day?

I got a shock when I first started cuz even the most innocuous things are worth a lot of cals!

But pretty soon I got used to it and developed my own hacks for feeling like I ate decently on 500.

Plus I started to enjoy the "not stuff with food" feeling on my fast days.

 

[House Cat]

Well for one thing, it's what I did to lose 80 lbs. I didn't start IF to lose weight although I was hoping that would happen. I started it because I was intrigued by the other health benefits associated with fasting such as autophagy -- the process whereby cells repair themselves. There is evidence that autophagy improves metabolic function, reduces risk of neurodegenerative diseases, assists in fighting infectious diseases, and improves muscle performance among other things.

If you want answers to your questions about this WOE (way of eating) you have to read The Obesity Code and The Complete Guide to Fasting. Explore https://idmprogram.com/ and https://www.dietdoctor.com/ also. Weight is the product of insulin resistance; hunger is the product of hormone activity. Understanding how these 2 processes work and their effects on one's body is crucial. Understanding how foods affect weight and hunger is crucial.

The most important thing to know is that there is no panacea that works for everyone. When one begins this WOE, one has to learn to identify the factors causing weight gain and retention and then find which tools work best to permanently change the situation. Some are successful with IF, some with EF (extended fasts), some combine keto or paleo with a fasting protocol.

Thanks M. This is the kind of information I was looking for.

I am blown away by your weight loss. You look fantastic!

 

[Begonia]

So much good information here.

I’m finding it pretty difficult to be honest. Always been slender and could eat whatever I wanted to (but didn’t really) until menopause and an injury. I snacked through a 15 hour window. It’s early days though and I am encouraged by my lowered cravings.

Can anyone give tips on how to come out of the fast wisely??

 

[Matata]

Can anyone give tips on how to come out of the fast wisely??

From https://idmprogram.com/practical-fasting-tips-part-12/:
Try breaking your fast with a handful of nuts or a small salad to start. Then wait for 15-30 minutes. This will usually give time for any waves of hunger to pass, and allow you to gradually adjust. Short duration fasts (24 hours or less) generally require no special breaking of the fast, but certainly for longer fasts it is a good idea to plan ahead.

I'll be breaking my first 42+ hr fast tomorrow morning and will do it with a smoothie made from whey protein, yogurt, coconut & peanut butter.

 

[LJsapphire]

I couldn't do 5:2. 500 calories is so little!

 

[Matata]

500 calories is so little!

Yep. IF is not about calories. It's about a balanced healthy (healthier) WOE. Many IFers don't count calories. They eat two meals per day when not fasting and stay within a reasonable ratio of protein and carbs.

 

[kmoro]

Yep. IF is not about calories. It's about a balanced healthy (healthier) WOE. Many IFers don't count calories. They eat two meals per day when not fasting and stay within a reasonable ratio of protein and carbs.

They don’t need to count because this regimen automatically reduces calorie intake. I am in the opposite camp .. I do not believe in shocking my body constantly with fasting ... I eat constantly, especially before bed to keep my body from thinking it’s starving and clinging extra hard to any calories. I think any diet will help if you want to lose weight quickly and IF will do that, But as a healthy lifestyle, constantly knocking your blood sugar to fainting levels or zero? Not in my opinion.
Also, I’m sorry but I tried 600 calories a day, and I remember how small one oz of chicken at a meal is, and I can not imagine staying healthy long term on that. An adult body needs more than 500 calories a day, even if overweight.
I lost 25 pounds on an extreme IF plan as a teenager ... I gained it back and more within two weeks of stopping ... and I can’t imagine IF
for life ....
Since using nothing but portion control my weight fell
off and has been off for 21 years ... less calories in than out ...
If any of you can keep this up for the rest of your lives ... well ... more power to you!!
I wish you all the best in your efforts ...
Most of all .... please stay healthy!!!

 

[Begonia]

I can’t deny that I am concerned about rebound weight gain if this WOE should not work for me. Very concerned. This approach may not be for everyone, absolutely, in my case I’m not able to exercise very much currently due to a muscular and mechanical back injury. Some of us are trying the least rigorous approach, 16:8. I can’t say my blood sugar has been at fainting levels but that is possible with more restrictive fasting windows I suppose. That would indicate to me to narrow the fasting window and see if that helps? Small meals throughout the day did work for me for many years, until now.

 

[Matata]

They don’t need to count because this regimen automatically reduces calorie intake. I am in the opposite camp .. I do not believe in shocking my body constantly with fasting ... I eat constantly, especially before bed to keep my body from thinking it’s starving and clinging extra hard to any calories. I think any diet will help if you want to lose weight quickly and IF will do that, But as a healthy lifestyle, constantly knocking your blood sugar to fainting levels or zero? Not in my opinion.

Your opinion is uninformed otherwise you would not have made such erroneous assumptions about IF. There is a significant difference between starvation (which you apparently equate to fasting) and actual fasting. There is indisputable scientifically conducted longitudinal studies that disprove the myth that one's body clings "extra hard to any calories" when fasting. Those studies have shown that caloric reduction, typical with most diets, causes the body to retain weight or gain weight during/after the diet period. And those same studies indicate that fasting is a healthy lifestyle choice.

In the Intensive Dietary Management group on FB, there are many people who are clinically obese and also have Type 2 diabetes. All of them have chosen a fasting regimen that suits their lifestyle and many have chosen to combine fasting with a low carbohydrate/high fat eating plan. Some have reduced their caloric intake and lost weight and either reduced their need for medication or eliminated the need for medication. Some have not reduced their caloric intake and lost weight and either reduced their need for medication or eliminated the need for medication. Nearly all of them are fasting not to lose weight, although that is often a happy occurrence, but to get their insulin resistance under control. Most overweight people are insulin resistant. When their insulin resistance is under control, they naturally lose weight.

 

[Matata]

I can’t say my blood sugar has been at fainting levels but that is possible with more restrictive fasting windows I suppose. That would indicate to me to narrow the fasting window and see if that helps?

Electrolyte imbalance, which causes all sorts of icky stuff including lightheadedness, is the culprit with extended fasts -- fasts longer than around 36 hrs. People who do long fasts add salt, magnesium, etc. to the fluids they consume during the fast to avoid electrolyte imbalance. IF for shorter periods such as 16:8, 18:6 or fasting usually no longer than 24 hours does not typically produce an imbalance.

 

[Begonia]

Thanks Matata!

 

[House Cat]

@Matata how did you feel during your 42 hour fast? What are the benefits of fasting for such a long period of time?

 

[Slickk]

This is an interesting thread. I have been unintentionally intermittently fasting for years. It has helped me keep my weight down after my parents passed when my weight loss was the only pleasure I had. I had no idea it was a ‘thing,’ but I do get a lot of flack from those who know of my eating habits.
Good luck to all! I like to say to my DD, ‘Nothing tastes as good as thin.’

 

[Begonia]

Yeah. I’m finding this approach is best kept under wraps for me. I’ve told my family cuz they know I’m unhappy with the weight gain but that’s it.

Can I just say...that first meal after the fast is almost a religious experience for me? And the first (and only) cup of coffee afterward? Ambrosia!

 

[LJsapphire]

I had read that IF helps prevent insulin resistance and it actually makes you more sensitive to insulin.

 

[Matata]

@Matata how did you feel during your 42 hour fast? What are the benefits of fasting for such a long period of time?

I feel great. There seems to be no limit to the uptick in my energy level and mood. It's sort of scary to have so much energy after being moderately sedentary for a large portion of my life. If you want to know about the benefits of extended fasts, explore the links I've given upthread.

 

[Matata]

it actually makes you more sensitive to insulin.

Yes, that's what you want. Fasting significantly improves insulin sensitivity. https://idmprogram.com/fasting-physiology-part-ii/

 

[LJsapphire]

I've managed 14:10 most days this week purely because I've been on holiday from work and I haven't needed to get up as early (about 10am instead of 7). A leisurely breakfast, yesterday I had overnight oats and I missed lunch but wasn't hungry. Then we had a bbq with my parents.

 

[LJsapphire]

Yes, that's what you want. Fasting significantly improves insulin sensitivity. https://idmprogram.com/fasting-physiology-part-ii/

I was going to add that it was a good thing, but didn't think I needed to.

 

[Matata]

I was going to add that it was a good thing, but didn't think I needed to.

I didn't want people who may read this thread and have no familiarity with fasting or who have wrong assumptions about it, to think it was a bad thing.

 

[LJsapphire]

I didn't want people who may read this thread and have no familiarity with fasting or who have wrong assumptions about it, to think it was a bad thing.

Good idea.

 

[monarch64]

This whole thing is an amazing ED trigger and I irresponsibly love it.

 

[Begonia]

ED trigger? What does the acronym stand for?

 

[chrono]

I'll presume Eating Disorder?

 

[monarch64]

Yes--ED = eating disorder. I was treated for ED when I was a teenager. My comment was in jest, although it isn't something to joke about. (I feel I can kind of laugh about it now, but I'm 20 years post-treatment.) I "irresponsibly" love this thread, and intermittent fasting, because it reinforces old, die-hard habits for me. Fasting is such an anorexic thing. I'm surprised it wasn't brought up earlier, and last night I was kind of laughing to myself that it hadn't, even though people are commenting that 500 calories along with fasting is totally ana. Not something to laugh about, and I apologize to everyone participating in this thread and everyone reading it. It is probably a giant trigger for some.

 

[Begonia]

I googled and read eating disorder or exotic dancer.

Thought I’d let Monarch own it.