Intermittent Fasting

S

Scott Free

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Sep 15, 1999
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Anyone else tried "intermittent fasting"? I'm on Day 32, and have to say that I feel great. There's a few ways to do it, but eating all my calories within an 8 hour window and then fasting for the next 16 hours is the simplest and easiest for me. I don't eat after 9 PM and then don't start eating again until 1:00 the next afternoon (for a total fast of 16 hours.) Sometimes I make it an 18 hour fast. So far, I've lost 5 pounds, but a lot of people claim to lose 10 per month. That said, I'm not overweight and I don't gain or lose weight easily. Also, I'm not really doing this for weight loss as much as for the supposed other health benefits. Since I've started this, I have more energy, feel more focused, and getting more done each day. I don't feel the need for naps and I'm sleeping very well. I'm going to give it at least 3 months. I may go forever, though. I should add that according to all I've read, there is psychological hunger and real hunger. The hormone that causes psychological hunger goes away in a couple of weeks. I've not had too much trouble with any kind of hunger during the past month, though. It's okay to have coffee or tea as long as you don't use sugar or cream. If you're going to try this for weight loss, it's not a magical formula. You still have to cut back on the calories. The fasting, though, makes it easier to do.

Search Google and Youtube for "intermittent fasting" and you'll find lots. For now, though, here's a good introduction.

[video=youtube;8jfK8OQG22Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jfK8OQG22Q[/video]
 
Lol, it would be impossible for me.

I'm a light sleeper, so my stomach will wake me up and keep me up if I'm hungry. That's usually why I try to sleep within 2 hours of dinner. Regular hunger keeps me distracted enough throughout my day in college as it is. I don't see myself being very attentive or productive while I wait 2 weeks for my body to adjust.


I don't see a need to be honest. It's not hard for me to substitute almonds, whole wheat crackers, and maybe a protein shake for one meal. Given that my current level of exercise is zero, I have to work on that anyway for other health related reasons(like being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes). Losing weight through diet is no substitute for good old fashioned cardio.

zombieland-rule-1.jpg
 
Basically I do this anyway. I don't eat breakfast, usually don't eat lunch then eat dinner, a snack and theb midnight snack sometimes. However to be honest I don't think playing woth the hours you eat your food will have any real effect on weight gain or loss. The truth is that you just have to take in less calories than you burn and you'll lose weight.

You guys can lose weight if you want l. I find that it's very hard for me to stop eating sugars when I get into the habit of eating them. Once you go a while without sugar your body stops wanting it. Atleast that is the case with me. What really helped me to lose weight is when I just started finding eating boring, and stopped doing it to kill time.
 
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Lapedog said:
Basically I do this anyway. I don't eat breakfast, usually don't eat lunch then eat dinner, a snack and theb midnight snack sometimes. However to be honest I don't think playing woth the hours you eat your food will have any real effect on weight gain or loss. The truth is that you just have to take in less calories than you burn and you'll lose weight.

You guys can lose weight if you want l. I find that it's very hard for me to stop eating sugars when I get into the habit of eating them. Once you go a while without sugar your body stops wanting it. Atleast that is the case with me. What really helped me to lose weight is when I just started finding eating boring, and stopped doing it to kill time.
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Well I did read that normal fasting will slow your body's metabolism so you're burning less calories. Not sure if intermittent fasting has the same effect.

I generally find the best cure is to eat more whole wheat and protein. Basically the two things that are more "filling" given the same portions, but contribute less calories. Some whole wheat crackers between classes is usually enough to stave me off for a few hours, then I can eat some almonds when I get back home.

It's not a quick and easy solution given that I only lost 6 lbs over 3-4 weeks, but my exercise hasn't exactly increased since then. Only improvement is that I can easily do 90 minutes of cardio without much of a break, so it's been going much faster.
 
i've been on it for 2 mos. and lost about 15 llbs. I do the 6hr. eating window,I think its not too hard(you dont have to stress out what to eat every few hours,which is pretty liberating) ,usually for me about 2 hrs. before I can eat are the hardest-if I'm fairly strict I can lose the weight a bit quicker-my eating time is 10:30 am-4:30 pm.....so far so good
 
I'm a bit skeptical. There are so many eating fads, super diets, and holistic therapies that all guarantee results and yet our society is still pretty obese.
As Lapedog said: input < output = weight loss. I love to eat food and have never held back. 15 years in the military and I always made weight by sticking to that formula.
 
Most here seem to think this is only about weight loss. I suppose it is for a lot of people. As for me, I'm sleeping better, have more energy, and just generally feel great. I agree that no one is going to lose weight without a calorie deficit, whether fasting or not. Some people find it easier to achieve that calorie deficit with this method. There are many reasons that fasting is good for the body (and mind,) though.
 
Scott Free said:
Most here seem to think this is only about weight loss. I suppose it is for a lot of people. As for me, I'm sleeping better, have more energy, and just generally feel great. I agree that no one is going to lose weight without a calorie deficit, whether fasting or not. Some people find it easier to achieve that calorie deficit with this method. There are many reasons that fasting is good for the body (and mind,) though.
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Intermittent fasting has demonstrated benefits for mice, which has not been reproduced in long-term human studies.

You also need some control groups in order to ensure that the results you get aren't simply a placebo effect(you think it works, therefore it works).

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/08/05/4-reasons-not-to-try-intermittent-fasting.html


I would say cutting down carbs isn't exactly a difficult proposition. When I was suffering from severe back pain, I ended up going on a soup & salad diet instead of my usual meals(pretty much rice every 3 meals). I wasn't aware it was back pain at the time since I felt it in my abdomen and assumed I had a tumor or some other obstruction/inflammation. Thus I always felt "bloated" and had a difficult time keeping any food down. So I just ate something light and liquid for several months while scheduling multiple tests(got scoped from both ends before I was 30:thumbup:).

It wasn't terribly difficult to keep up, and I lost a pretty decent amount of weight at that time. It's just that fresh salads every day wasn't all that cheap, but I can definitely do it again when I have more disposable income.
 
The article posted was written by a woman and seems to be mostly directed toward women (or at least a warning to women.) It is indeed true that some women do not do well with intermittent fasting. I never mentioned that fact in my posts as this is mostly a men's forum. I probably should have, though. The article does mention that some men also have problems. I'm sure that's true.

I have considered that my positive results are indeed a result of the placebo affect. As the article states, though...

"That’s why I believe it’s so critical to listen to your body to determine what feels best and is sustainable for you."

So far (after admittedly only five or so weeks,) my body is telling me this is working well for me and is totally sustainable. It may not be long term. I just don't know. But so far, going 16 hours without food is really not a big deal.

I can think of at least two very successful religions (consisting of millions of men and women) which practice regular 24 hour fasts. I wouldn't call it a fad diet.
 
For one calendar month yes.

It's just my opinion that doing this instead of being mindful of carbs is what it is:

Taking drastic measures when a simpler alternative is available.
 
I do 24 hour fasts at least once weekly.
Kind of on purpose I guess.
It's the fact that I work nights in an environment that's not really conducive to snacking or meal breaks.
So, I usually grab a bowl of cereal around 10am and then eat a big dinner around 4pm.
That's a normal day but as soon as I find 2-3 extra pounds hanging of my posterior I forgo the cereal and just wait till 4 and eat dinner. Also I just exercise pretty much all day. Keeps my mind off of being hungry.
Then I eat dinner at the usual time.
This has benefits.
My stomach shrinks and I don't need as much to satisfy which means I have more money!
And that 2-3 pounds is gone.
 
Barman1 said:
I do 24 hour fasts at least once weekly.
Kind of on purpose I guess.
It's the fact that I work nights in an environment that's not really conducive to snacking or meal breaks.
So, I usually grab a bowl of cereal around 10am and then eat a big dinner around 4pm.
That's a normal day but as soon as I find 2-3 extra pounds hanging of my posterior I forgo the cereal and just wait till 4 and eat dinner. Also I just exercise pretty much all day. Keeps my mind off of being hungry.
Then I eat dinner at the usual time.
This has benefits.
My stomach shrinks and I don't need as much to satisfy which means I have more money!
And that 2-3 pounds is gone.
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Your stomach doesn't shrink in size without surgery, your body simply isn't driven to keep eating:
http://www.webmd.com/women/features/stomach-problems#1
2. Myth or Fact: If you cut down on your food intake, you'll eventually shrink your stomach so you won't be as hungry.

Answer: Myth. Once you are an adult, your stomach pretty much remains the same size -- unless you have surgery to intentionally make it smaller. Eating less won't shrink your stomach, says Moyad, but it can help to reset your "appetite thermostat" so you won't feel as hungry, and it may be easier to stick with your eating plan.
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As I said before, if you simply munch on some whole wheat crackers instead of a whole meal, why is that option not sufficient?
 
Noctis3880 said:
Your stomach doesn't shrink in size without surgery, your body simply isn't driven to keep eating:
http://www.webmd.com/women/features/stomach-problems#1


As I said before, if you simply munch on some whole wheat crackers instead of a whole meal, why is that option not sufficient?
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I was going to emphasize it as "shrinks" but figured my point was made.
Either way I don't need as much to fill me up after a 24 hour fast.
This realization was simply made for me when I was in the hospital a couple of years ago and they didn't feed me for 14 days.
When they finally let me eat a cup of that frickin' ubiquitous lime Jello I was stuffed.
 
I've been doing intermittent fasting on and off for several years, I just feel better when doing it.


Here are some of the changes that occur in your body during fasting:

Insulin levels: Blood levels of insulin drop significantly, which facilitates fat burning.
Human growth hormone: The blood levels of growth hormone may increase as much as 5-fold. Higher levels of this hormone facilitate fat burning and muscle gain, and have numerous other benefits.
Cellular repair: The body induces important cellular repair processes, such as removing waste material from cells.
Gene expression: There are beneficial changes in several genes and molecules related to longevity and protection against disease.
Many of the benefits of intermittent fasting are related to these changes in hormones, gene expression and function of cells.
 
I'm not qualified to argue the science, but my results are hard to argue with. I started doing this on December 1st, 2016, one meal a day. After research, I was convinced it was worth trying. So far, I have lost over 30 pounds. I don't get hungry, have more energy than before, I don't get food cravings anymore, just generally don't think about food or eating. I feel great, and even when my whole family was sick this winter, I was fine. It might not be for everyone (my wife tried it, didn't like it), but it's been working really well for me.
 
krakoa said:
I'm not qualified to argue the science, but my results are hard to argue with. I started doing this on December 1st, 2016, one meal a day. After research, I was convinced it was worth trying. So far, I have lost over 30 pounds. I don't get hungry, have more energy than before, I don't get food cravings anymore, just generally don't think about food or eating. I feel great, and even when my whole family was sick this winter, I was fine. It might not be for everyone (my wife tried it, didn't like it), but it's been working really well for me.
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When I first tried it about 6 years ago I felt horrible. This was from my body being so toxic, toxins leaving my body. Today I prefer not eating lunch or breakfast. No cravings either.
 
Sound interesting I will give this a try breakfast at 6:30am an dinner at 6:30pm . Can Fujitsu be eating in between ?
 
miltmaldo said:
Sound interesting I will give this a try breakfast at 6:30am an dinner at 6:30pm . Can Fujitsu be eating in between ?
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6:30 am to 6:30 pm is only 12 hours. You want to go for at least 16. I don't understand the "Fujutsu" question at all. :confused:
 
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