Has anyone done/is anyone doing intermittent fasting?

[Ellen]

mellow, thanks for the berry tips! I never heard that. I had heard of parsley, apparently that's why it appears as garnish on your plate (or used to) when you eat out. It cleanses the breath. I'd rather eat berries though. lol


Great point to your hubby Stephanie, good for you. And you're welcome. So glad to hear you're going to introduce the iodine. It's so important to our health, though we never hear about it. Please let me know how you get on.


omd, thank you so much for sharing. I don't think I could do what you did, and it sounds like maybe that shouldn't be a consideration anyway. I sure don't want to sabotage myself, and, I need to do something that is sustainable for life.

I agree we need to eat clean and healthy, I think that's half the battle right there. And I totally agree with the weight training for a couple reasons. One is because as we age we lose the muscle mass and two, I didn't know until recently that WT affects our hormones in a good way. And actually it's good for keeping our bone density up too, which is really important to me as my mom has severe osteoporosis. :/ I would sure like to avoid that.

I was really surprised when I started WT and exercising to find at 58 how much balance and agility I had lost. It was really kind of shocking....lol So I think I'm going to benefit in lots of ways.

And, I'm hoping I can be an example to my SIL. She has lost a lot of weight, but it's a lot of muscle mass besides what bit of fat she had. I hate to say it, but she looks awful, like a stick person. She's not skin draped over bones, but close. So close her husband went to her doctor with her to make sure she wasn't sick and was not telling him. And her 3 sisters went to her husband about her with concern. So I am really hoping when she sees me next (she's out of town) she might be inspired to approach things in a healthier manner.

 

[ame]

I have fallen so far off track with my prescribed keto diet that I have not only gained ALL 70lbs back, but more. I can't even fit into my fat clothes.

One of my last rounds of serious pneumonia royally screwed me up, and I just could NOT get it together after that. So for a year, I have been like...halfassing it. Some days I am great, others I suck. My husband is basically on IF without even realizing it, but my doctor just suggested I start working up to only eating in a 4-6 hour window as a "reset", while I try to get my shit together.

I so far cannot seem to get beyond about 14 hours though.

For those with experience in fasting, did you notice your breath becoming bad? I don't know what to do, as any real or artificial sweeteners can evidently spike your insulin. So no gum or breath mint.... I guess I could carry parsley around with me.

Yes. That plus low carb is death breath!

 

[House Cat]

I tried intermittent fasting for a month. I did 16/8 and didn’t lose a significant amount of weight. The moment I discontinued, the four pounds I lost jumped back on my body with a vengeance.

I learned there are no gimmicks with weight loss.

At this point, I am realizing that a sensible and sustainable lifestyle will be the only thing that works for me. Anything else is a yo-yo diet.

 

[Ellen]

Amy, good to "see' you neighbor, but so sorry to hear you're struggling. I hope you find a path that works long term for you. (might want to look into the book I linked up thread, just a thought!)

lol@ death breath. You ain't a kiddin.


Housecat, I wouldn't particularly call this type of eating lifestyle (16/ "gimmicky". There's many scientific articles to back it up. I normally go about 14ish hours between dinner and following breakfast. So I'm pushing it 1-2 more hours, and trying to cut out stuff no one should really be eating anyway..... where's the gimmic? And, I honestly feel this IS sustainable (at least for me), verses many other approaches.

But, in the end, we all must follow our convictions.

EDIT The post will not let me type the sixteen/eight in parenthesis.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Ellen, I have been incorporating this into my life for the last year and a few months. I have lost about 25 pounds and could stand to lose a few more. Being post menopausal it has been difficult to lose the weight and it is pretty darn slow going. However, it has also been easier than it has ever been, and I feel healthier. I don't deal with the same kind of cravings and haven't eaten sugar in all that time. I try to do the 16:8 fasting pretty much every day. Some days it is harder than others, mostly depending on what I ate the day before. I find I do much better with no snacking and eating a full meal (protein, fat and veggie) the evening before. If my last meal is super light I am much hungrier the next morning. I am wanting to lose weight but my greatest desire is to remain as healthy as I can for as long as I can. I believe eating clean with no processed food, keto and intermittent fasting will help me do that but only time will tell.

 

[HappyNewLife]

I recently did IF for about 10 days, mostly out of curiosity. I started at 126.8 lb, ended 2 lbs lighter. I had bulletproof coffee (coffee + MCT oil + butter in blender) in the AM, but didn't eat until noon. Didn't eat after 8pm. It works, but as soon as I said "F IT" and gave it up, I gained the 2lbs right back. Oh well. It wasn't that hard. The BP coffee kept me from getting hangry. I can see it working for people with more weight to lose, or if they plateau during a weight loss plan.

 

[Ellen]

luv, thanks for chiming in. Glad to hear it's basically been working for you, even if a little slow. BRAVO on no sweets!! Wow, I hope I can say that some day. :/ I just don't want to totally give them up.... Maybe though, if I start seeing enough progress and feel that good. And I am with you, definitely want to lose weight, but my health is at the top of the list. Thanks again for sharing!

Happy, I'm going to say what I almost said to Housecat. I'm wondering if the poundage you lost was really water weight? Yours in particular, because bulletproof coffee will break a fast. So you weren't truly fasting. Maybe read up a bit on the rules of the road and try again? Just a thought. I'm posting a 10 minute video I just found and was in the middle f watching. It's on what will and won't break a fast.

HTH

What Breaks a Fast and What Does NOT Break a Fast - The Official Video

 

[Ellen]

I will say, I disagree with him saying Aspartame is safe, don't think so. Pretty sure it spikes insulin.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Ellen, it is easier than ever now to give up sugar. I have not given up eating sweet things, I just sweeten them with a combination of stevia and erithritol called Swerve. I do limit treats to maybe once a week. The surprising thing is, once you get rid of all things that have sugar in them you don’t crave it nearly as much. Just the other day, I made Creme Brûlée for my hubbys birthday. I ate one,he will eat the other five. So now if I want something sweet, I make it a different way. I can’t even believe how easy it is and how great it tastes.

 

[susan498]

I've lost 70 pounds on it. I do the 6-7 hour eating window variety. Other than that, I haven't given up eating anything that I like. I eat from 5 a.m. to noon and then stop. I find it very easy.

a book to look at is "Buddha's Diet"

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I have tried things with Stevia and I can't tolerate it, gives me terrible gas and makes my tongue tingle, I wonder if this is common?

I remember when Splenda came out, gave me terrible headaches. Was touted as the diabetic miracle sweetener at the time and DH had just been diagnosed so we had a lot of stuff with Splenda that all got thrown out.

Won't let my kids go near artificial sweeteners, gum is hard because almost all of them have aspartame but sometimes I will get them gum from the health food store, no artificial sweeteners, doesn't last as long but they don't seem to mind.

 

[Ellen]

luv, I have also experienced the lessening of cravings when I have abstained from sweets, you are right there. I guess what I struggle with is sheer will power. I often cave, even after being off them for several days. :/ I started eating dark chocolate, 85%, which my husband says "tastes like that chocolate you bake with". I'd say it's one step below it. lol But if I haven't had anything else sweet lately, it actually tastes pretty good (plus it's good for me). I think if I could limit sweets (fake) to once every 2 weeks that would be a good goal. IF....


susan, thank you so much for sharing! Do you even assess your caloric count, or do you just just however much of whatever you want? And does this include sweets? How long did it take to get that weight off? And thanks for the book recommendation!


stephanie, your experience is not uncommon. I personally don't use any artificial sweeteners after watching the documentary Sweet Misery several years ago. It's a real eye opener. And you are right about the gum. I chew Wrigley's spearmint or double mint as it's still made with real sugar. And I will chew it to death so I can get out of having to chew a new piece all the time. It keeps it's flavor pretty well. Of course, if you read up on what's in gum...lol Where's my cave?

 

[ame]

Amy, good to "see' you neighbor, but so sorry to hear you're struggling. I hope you find a path that works long term for you. (might want to look into the book I linked up thread, just a thought!)

lol@ death breath. You ain't a kiddin.
.

Good to see you too!

Yea my last go around with pneumonia was like the death of my self control.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Sorry this is a delayed reply...busy week! I haven't read all the replies.

I am doing IF combined with ketogenic which basically gets rid of sugar and processed carbs. It's SO easy once you know the foods you can eat and not eat. I skip breakfast other than coffee, and all food is basically eaten in a 7-8 hour window, so 16-17 hrs. fasting. I don't believe in crash diets, so our change is basically permanent until we can slightly increase the healthy carbs to maintain goal weight.

I look forward to getting to a point that I want to maintain my weight rather than lose, but it really has been the only change in eating that has made a difference for me. IF alone is unlikely to make much difference, but it does make a difference when you are sticking to mostly eating protein, some fats, and healthy (low) carbs from vegetables.

 

[Ellen]

Hey ds

Have you done it long enough to comment on any substantial weight loss and how long that took?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Hey ds

Have you done it long enough to comment on any substantial weight loss and how long that took?

I am not doing it in an extreme way just because I know that rapid weight loss generally ends up being gained back. But I lost 17 lbs in 3 months, but a couple of weeks were vacation and I made a lot of exceptions those times! I will continue, and my goal is just 2-4 pounds a month. I hope to keep it off that way.

 

[DiaDiva]

I stopped eating dinner in March of this year and have lost 7kg since then.

My day starts with a light breakfast, usually white rice porridge accompanied with stir-fried vegetables or congee, sometime 2 small pieces of pancakes or a piece of cheese toast. Lunch is whatever I feel like eating. If I'm feeling peckish at night, I might have some soup or a hot beverage with a few crackers.

It wasn't easy at first but now that I'm used to it, I can't really eat dinner any more. I might have very light dinner to be sociable on weekends, but I really prefer not to eat any dinner at all.

To kickstart this, I went on a fasting retreat organised by my Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner where we didn't eat for 5 days except for beverages and Chinese herbal pills. That helped to kick-start my metabolism and reduce the amount of food I actually needed to eat.

I feel great and if I occasionally have cravings, I do succumb to them. Not superhuman. Hahaha...

 

[DiaDiva]

I've lost 70 pounds on it. I do the 6-7 hour eating window variety. Other than that, I haven't given up eating anything that I like. I eat from 5 a.m. to noon and then stop. I find it very easy.

a book to look at is "Buddha's Diet"

This is me! My TCM practitioner swears by skipping dinner. I noticed that if I don't eat dinner, I continue to lose weight. But the moment I eat anything at night, I will put on half a kg to 1kg.

 

[AGBF]

My husband has been doing the Atkins diet for many years. Sometimes he goes off for a meal or two, but he knows how to make all sorts of Atkins specialties for himself and largely lives by Atkins "rules". Recently he discovered fasting and his been telling me about his experimentation with it. Nothing about it appeals to me. I believe that he is trying it because he has some physical problems that have been cutting into his ability to go to the gym which he used to do religiously every morning before work.

I have enjoyed this thread, but I know that fasting is not for me! I have been staying on what is more or less an Atkins lifestyle (with breaks for bad behavior) for about three years and my weight has stayed within 10 pounds for those years: between 110 and 120. When I went into binging on carbs for a couple of weeks my weight spiked up to 127, but that was short-lived.

I like to be able to eat salads where I pile on everything but the kitchen sink, and that is what I have been doing this summer. I never know what is going to wind up in them, but with Atkins they can have so many things and I play a little fast and loose with my carbs (allowing myself a few cranberries a candied walnut or two, etc.) along with avocado slices, diced cucumber with olive oil, a little diced eggplant from a salad bar, lots of greens, some mozzarella cheese, etc.!

Don't make me fast!

 

[Ellen]

ds, thanks for elaborating. I would definitely take 17 lbs. in 3 months! For me, that IS rapid weight loss. And that would be close to what I need to lose period. I have just gotten to a point where the weight won't budge at all. Even with weight training and doing stuff at home plus somewhat watching what I am eating, in 2 months I've lost ONE pound. Granted, my shape is changing and I have shrunk slightly, but still, it's kinda ridiculous imho.


DiaDiva, thanks for chiming in. Interesting that you have cut out dinner instead of breakfast....I guess it doesn't really matter as long as you have that good long fasting window. Something to think about! And yeah, I think we all need to give in once in awhile. Although, I have a friend who gave up sweets 10 years ago and hasn't eaten them again. At all.


Deb, so good to "see" you friend! I have been reading your thread on Hero and hoping things work out for the best!

I did Atkins years ago when they were ridiculously strict (they're slightly more realistic now) and lost 11 pounds in as many days, but I could never sustain that type of eating regimen. Crazy, and not healthy, at least then.

It sounds like what you are doing is definitely working for you, so I say bravo. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

Your "fast and loose" comment on carbs made me laugh out loud. And I would want to eat everything you mentioned in your salad, save maybe the candied walnut. But everything else is healthy, and no one is going to tell me I can't eat it. I tend to look at food this way. If God made it, I'm eating it.

Don't make me fast! After I read that, I was like, "Don't fast me bro". (Don't taze me bro. If you're unfamiliar, look that up) lol SO good talking with you.


Thank you ALL for commenting, this really is encouraging.

 

[DiaDiva]

ds, thanks for elaborating. I would definitely take 17 lbs. in 3 months! For me, that IS rapid weight loss. And that would be close to what I need to lose period. I have just gotten to a point where the weight won't budge at all. Even with weight training and doing stuff at home plus somewhat watching what I am eating, in 2 months I've lost ONE pound. Granted, my shape is changing and I have shrunk slightly, but still, it's kinda ridiculous imho.


DiaDiva, thanks for chiming in. Interesting that you have cut out dinner instead of breakfast....I guess it doesn't really matter as long as you have that good long fasting window. Something to think about! And yeah, I think we all need to give in once in awhile. Although, I have a friend who gave up sweets 10 years ago and hasn't eaten them again. At all.


Deb, so good to "see" you friend! I have been reading your thread on Hero and hoping things work out for the best!

I did Atkins years ago when they were ridiculously strict (they're slightly more realistic now) and lost 11 pounds in as many days, but I could never sustain that type of eating regimen. Crazy, and not healthy, at least then.

It sounds like what you are doing is definitely working for you, so I say bravo. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

Your "fast and loose" comment on carbs made me laugh out loud. And I would want to eat everything you mentioned in your salad, save maybe the candied walnut. But everything else is healthy, and no one is going to tell me I can't eat it. I tend to look at food this way. If God made it, I'm eating it.

Don't make me fast! After I read that, I was like, "Don't fast me bro". (Don't taze me bro. If you're unfamiliar, look that up) lol SO good talking with you.


Thank you ALL for commenting, this really is encouraging.

Ellen, I have tested and noticed that even if I skipped breakfast and only had lunch + dinner, the weight-loss is less than if I cut out dinner and kept to breakfast and lunch. I actually put on weight even if I eat only a bowl of soup at night.

According to my TCM practitioner, it's about how long the body takes to process and digest the food. By not eating after lunch, the body has more time to to digest the food properly whereas the window is smaller if one has dinner.

I don't think of it as fasting but more as a change in my lifestyle. So no dinner Mon-Fri but possibly something very light on weekends if I'm with friends.

 

[Ellen]

Ellen, I have tested and noticed that even if I skipped breakfast and only had lunch + dinner, the weight-loss is less than if I cut out dinner and kept to breakfast and lunch. I actually put on weight even if I eat only a bowl of soup at night.

According to my TCM practitioner, it's about how long the body takes to process and digest the food. By not eating after lunch, the body has more time to to digest the food properly whereas the window is smaller if one has dinner.

I don't think of it as fasting but more as a change in my lifestyle. So no dinner Mon-Fri but possibly something very light on weekends if I'm with friends.

Maybe I am missing something. I'm wondering how that is different than if you ate dinner but didn't eat the next day until late morning-noonish? (so no "breakfast", that is what I"ve been doing) See what I mean? It's just this long window of time where you don't eat, regardless of what meals would go in it.

Fascinating on the results of your own personal testing/results!!

 

[chrono]

I think everything slows down when we sleep, so sleeping with an empty stomach versus half digested/half full stomach might make a difference?

 

[Ellen]

That's a thought chrono.

 

[PierreBear]

Hi everyone! There is a fasting documentary that is free on Amazon prime. Just wanted to throw that out there for people who want to check it out. After watching it, I was a bit intrigued but am doing a very minor version of it where I just try to eat dinner as early as possible and delay breakfast by eating it at the office instead of at home. Nothing much to report yet as it has only been a week but so far I "feel" better by letting my food digest longer with an early dinner.

 

[Ellen]

Thanks for the video PB!

 

[Ellen]

I found this review worth posting. It's on the book I linked earlier, The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss. Plus, out of the hundreds of reviews I've read so far (there's 1700+), so many people went one farther than this gal. They actually reversed their Diabetes.

I am a PA with decades of experience with diabetes and it's ill effects. I have watched through my career, type 2 diabetics listen to medical advice and never get any better. When my daughter, who was a gestational diabetic with her first pregnancy had a fasting blood glucose of 288 mg/dl, it became personal for me. They gave her the usual Metformin script and sent her on her way. Knowing that these meds do nothing to cure the disease and that it would only head her to a life on insulin and further weight gain I asked her not to take the meds, stop all carbs for the moment and let me do some research. That was when I came across Dr. Fung's lectures on the internet. As someone who has been studying holistic medicine for 30 years it made complete sense to me.
What makes this book and his lectures so valuable, is that he approaches everything from a medical model and shows why modern medicine is getting it all wrong.
He explains the process of glucose metabolism in a way I feel most lay people can understand. It's important for every overweight or type 2 diabetic to understand this process to better understand what they have been doing to their bodies...and unfortunately what we in medicine have been doing to their bodies.
What was most valuable to me was him quoting studies that are considered standards in the field of medicine...not studies on rats or studies that have 15 subjects...but studies conducted over years with thousands of participants...like the Frammingham study or the NHANES study. I had seen these studies in the most prestigious medical journals like JAMA...funny how some of the aspects of the studies that he cites just weren't included or stressed in the outcomes.
After going over all the metabolism...the studies on why reducing calories and increasing exercise just doesn't work...he presents a series of plans to reverse (yes I said reverse) type 2 diabetes. There are several options and one is bound to be workable for most people.
My daughter has a hectic schedule and always complained about diets that required 3 or more meals a day...she doesn't like to eat breakfast and has no time to schedule multiple meals. The four hour intermittent fasting plan worked great for her. After an initial adjustment of about 2 days (headaches which were not relieved by increasing her sodium, my guess was sugar withdrawl), she had no hunger, no cravings and felt great. Within a week her blood sugar was normal. She started this right before the holidays and was concerned about missing holiday dinners...my answer was that of Dr. Fung's: have your dinner, enjoy it and get back on track the next day. She did just that and got through the holidays effortless and satisfied that she wasn't deprived of a thing. She remained on her fasting protocol and just had her meal within that time frame. Her blood glucose was higher the next morning but normalized after one day. She chooses now to have one "cheat meal" each week and for 4 weeks the next morning her blood sugar was higher...but got lower each week and after 4 weeks her morning after a cheat meal her blood glucose was normal!
Within 10 weeks she has lost 46 pounds and is thrilled with her progress. Her doctor is shocked and initially thought the diet was nuts but now wants to know more about it...hence why I ordered 3 copies of this book...perfect for the medical mind.
This diet is basically a ketogenic diet on steroids...great for so many ailments and used by many cancer patients.
I started on the diet myself and found similar results with the exception of my cheat day...maybe because of my age, I do not get into ketoses for days after my cheat day which slows down my weight loss. I have still managed to lose 16 pounds in 3 weeks effortlessly with the exception of the 2 day sugar hangover like my daughter experienced. I have since found a product that will put you into ketoses in a day, but it is very expensive and the taste is...not so great. I use it once a week and it allows me to have that cheat meal once a week without sacrificing my progress.
My guess it that Dr. Fung will become villified for several reasons:
1. His plan works without medicine
2. The drug companies will lose a tremendous amount of money
3. No special foods or supplements to buy
4. No added expenses...in fact my food bills are much lower.
5. He exposes the fact that this information has been available to the medical community for a long time and no one has acted on it.
I highly recommend this book and highly recommend you read through all the facts and figures he goes over...it makes managing your weight and your diabetes much easier over your lifetime without much thought once you know how your body reacts to food.
I also recommend getting an extra copy for your doctor because they will surely think you are nuts when you tell them what you are doing.
I will be eternally grateful to Dr. Fung for giving me the tools to cure my daughter and better serve my patients.
UPDATE: My daughter continues to do well with blood sugars that remain normal, her biggest complaint is that she has to keep buying new clothes. She has found her weight has stalled and after some investigation I realized why...she had been taking MCT oil, about 3 tablespoons a day in pill form (she doesn't eat breakfast and doesn't like the taste of coconut) and she stopped it at the same time her weight loss halted. MCT oil...and there are several like coconut and hazelnut, stay liquid at room temperature. They can be added to food like coffee or smoothies, even salads. I found that I can get back into ketosis at warp speed when I started using it. Amazon has several brands here and I like the 32 ounce Viva labs coconut MCT. I found that although the craving weren't horrible, I missed my sweets. There is a new book from Martina Slajervoa called "Fat Bombs" that I highly recommend. Tons of sweet treats that are keto friendly. I will say I hate stevia and it's aftertaste, but found Swerve to be a great substitute. I will also warn you that if you don't use MCT oil in many of the recipes and sub coconut oil in it's more solid form, the results are not nearly as good. The chocolate hazelnut smoothie does it for me...sometimes I sub ice for all the water and I get a soft serve like ice cream that tastes like I'm cheating. The MCT oil helps me get right back into ketosis after my cheat days without buying that expensive, horrible tasting powered drink I was using. She also has a book on ketogenic recipes in general that I found very helpful as she has many dinner recipes that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. I have taken my blood sugar both before and an hour after eating these "Fat Bomb" treats, (I'm not diabetic) and my blood sugar stayed the same or went lower...that was using the Swerve, which is expensive but worth it and a bit cheaper if bought in the 3 pack as I do.

 

[AprilBaby]

I’m doing great with the swimming. I can now do 40x 25 yds in 32 minutes. Today I was in the pool longer and also worked and I burned 1575 calories. I’m not losing weight but I am losing inches. My bust is shrinking and the fat is gone from my legs. My tummy is still too big but Rome wasn’t built in a day. I still have till April till the big birthday! I’m eating reasonably but today I had a bit of a splurge. It makes me think about how many laps I have to swim to burn off those calories.

 

[DiaDiva]

I think everything slows down when we sleep, so sleeping with an empty stomach versus half digested/half full stomach might make a difference?

That's it. Food doesn't get full digested when we're sleeping.

 

[Ellen]

April, you go girl! You're going to be positively svelte by the big day. lol@Rome.