Jump to content

Menu

Intermittent Fasting?


egao_gakari
 Share

Recommended Posts

I'm trying to find a healthy and effective way to lose 15-25 pounds and keep them off. I keep hearing about IF but I'm a little confused by what I'm seeing online. Most people who are doing IF also seem to be doing keto. Does IF have to be combined with the keto diet in order to be effective for weight loss? I tried keto (non-IF) for a few months last year and I got The Stink and it never. went. away. I know people say it's supposed to last at most 5-6 weeks but that was not my experience. I did lose some weight, but DH didn't want to come near me because my breath was so bad! 

So would IF still help me lose weight if I cut down on carbs, but didn't do full keto? Anybody with experience, please share your wisdom!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, you don't have to do Keto. My DH has lost a decent amount of weight and looks much healthier doing IF, and hasn't reduced carbs at all. That said, for most people you do have to at least reduce carbs (think paleo rather than keto) both to control hunger and to stabilize blood sugar. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've done it both with keto and without. Let me preface by saying that neither was for weight loss. I have a lot of GI issues going on (mainly SIBO, IBS and gastritis) and gave both of these a try to reduce the symptoms.

I'm on Keto now and it's working wonderfully for my GI system. I have lost weight, but I don't really have much I need to lose so I'm happy. But I will say that intermittent fasting is MUCH EASIER when on keto (or paleo, as ktgrok suggested) because reducing the cards naturally keeps  your blood sugar regulated and leads to natural hunger reduction. When I tried IF on its own I would end up shaky and nauseated at various points and I could not stick with it. I did not limit my carb intake with it and that was my biggest downfall, but I didn't realize that until I went keto. 

Now that I'm on keto I find myself IF without trying simply because I'm just not that hungry. It's 9 am EST here and I last ate last night around 8 pm. I probably won't be hungry for at least another hour or two. I find myself IF without any effort or giving it any thought. 

So I would suggest that if you want IF to work you really need to consider your carb content. I don't think you need to go full blown keto. But having a big bowl of cereal as a snack in the evening isn't going to help in the morning when you are trying to fast. It may work for some people but IF is most successful when making dietary changes so you can stick with it. Try a reduced carb (maybe under 100, which is still much lower than the standard diet) or paleo/primal diet along with it and see how it goes. 

Edited by tdbates78
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I lost weight faster doing IF than anything else, including keto.  I usually ate one meal a day, but my job was on my feet so sometimes I'd have a 200-250 calorie snack if I got the shakes so bad I felt I couldn't function. My rule was that first I had to eat some protein and vegetables, and after that I could have anything I wanted.  I also walked about 10 miles a day outside of work.  I dropped about 6 sizes in 7 weeks and I loved it, because I could literally eat whatever I wanted in that one hour I was eating.  It was great.  I need to go back on it, but I'm having trouble remembering to fast first thing in the morning. Feed the baby some banana?  I finish what he won't eat and then remember I wanted to fast that day.  Maybe I need to make my one meal a day breakfast.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of my issues with keto was that I just couldn't mentally get past the idea that legumes or sweet potatoes belonged on the "bad" list.  

I switched to IF because I wanted an option that was more compatible with everything I've been reading about longevity diets.  I do believe keto is a very healthy intervention for people trying to lose weight, dealing with insulin resistance or diabetes, and especially people needing to see immediate improvement in glucose numbers, etc.  Yes keto!!!  But it's not a longevity diet, according to the research we have available.  

One of the nice unexpected benefits of IF is that I have an improved ability to "see" what I'm eating.  It's easy to sneak in "a little" empty carbs (white foods) at each meal and snack.  But if I'm only eating 1-2 meals, I have a strong desire to make every bite count.  Out goes bread, in goes lentils and sweet potatoes!  I've never head any fear of fat (thank you, long line of family matriarchs who resisted the margarine movement for 3 generations!!!) and happily toss things in butter, olive oil, and coconut milk or oil.  I enjoy meat, but dont' need nearly as much with the beans.  

I'm never hungry.  Even when I do 23hr fast and 1 hr eating (weekdays), I eat because I miss food.  lol.  I would like to go longer just to see when my hunger kicks in, but haven't yet.  I don't know if this is because I did do keto off and on for 6+ months so I have an improved metabolic flexibility (ability to switch easily between carb burning and fat burning without strong symptoms of discomfort/hunger) or because I'm still eating high fat and my carbs are "slow carbs", or beecause I just naturally have a lower hunger sensation.  I've also read a lot about how hunger works- it comes in waves and is often times a habitual feeling based on past meal timing.  So when I do get a bit hungry, I just wait and within 10 minutes of doing another task, I've generally forgotten.  

I'm still cooking 3 meals and 1 snack per day for my family, and unless it's one of my favorite foods, I'm not even tempted.  

Good luck!  Hunger should abate as you get used to the new schedule.  

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've lost 45 pounds with IF and following no other diet protocol other than I don't eat second helpings.   I eat sweets within my window, drink the occasional glass of wine or margarita,  normal amount of carbs, fats and proteins, etc.  I have no desire to eliminate any one food group from my diet. 

 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Lady Marmalade said:

I've lost 45 pounds with IF and following no other diet protocol other than I don't eat second helpings.   I eat sweets within my window, drink the occasional glass of wine or margarita,  normal amount of carbs, fats and proteins, etc.  I have no desire to eliminate any one food group from my diet. 

 

What window do you use?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, maize said:

What window do you use?

I pretty much don't eat anything between 7:00 pm and noon the next day.  I go to bed early and I can't sleep with a belly full of dinner.  Last night we ate quite late and I really regretted it.   Sometimes I'll decide I need a little something in the morning before noon, and I ditch the window for social opportunities (which are seldom and few).

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Patty Joanna said:

As an Orthodox Christian, I (and all of us) engage in intermittent "fasting," which is really abstention from all meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine, oil a couple of days a week and a couple of long fasts a year.  It is as easy to gain weight as to lose it on this path if the focus remains on food.  The thing I have learned over the years re: fasting is that it teaches you, habituates one to self-control.  I have learned that I will not die if I miss a meal, that feeling hungry (not starving, just hungry) is not going to kill me and if I ignore it for a few minutes, the hunger will usually go away.  

The result is that it becomes much easier to control portions, to power past an urge to grab a brownie or a burger or a potato chip.  Once the self-control is established, it is a lot easier to stick to any "diet" (as in "set of foods") you eat for whatever purpose.  It's put my will in charge of my body, instead of the other way around.  

We fast for reasons other than these, but this is the part of our fasting that I thought might be a little relevant to your question.  Fasting is about more than food. 

I think the bolded is a really important point that (at least if we’re talking about American culture) few people understand. I see a lot of people behave as though it is a dire emergency if they or their kids feel hungry. I think past generations of Americans were better about this. There was an expectation that, if you were hungry, that was okay (assuming we’re not talking about some dire problem); a meal would be coming along in an hour or two and you would be fine. 

My mom’s oft-repeated line when we kids said, “I’m hungry!” was, “You’ll survive.” 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Patty Joanna said:

As an Orthodox Christian, I (and all of us) engage in intermittent "fasting," which is really abstention from all meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine, oil a couple of days a week and a couple of long fasts a year.  It is as easy to gain weight as to lose it on this path if the focus remains on food.  The thing I have learned over the years re: fasting is that it teaches you, habituates one to self-control.  I have learned that I will not die if I miss a meal, that feeling hungry (not starving, just hungry) is not going to kill me and if I ignore it for a few minutes, the hunger will usually go away.  

The result is that it becomes much easier to control portions, to power past an urge to grab a brownie or a burger or a potato chip.  Once the self-control is established, it is a lot easier to stick to any "diet" (as in "set of foods") you eat for whatever purpose.  It's put my will in charge of my body, instead of the other way around.  

We fast for reasons other than these, but this is the part of our fasting that I thought might be a little relevant to your question.  Fasting is about more than food. 

 

36 minutes ago, Quill said:

I think the bolded is a really important point that (at least if we’re talking about American culture) few people understand. I see a lot of people behave as though it is a dire emergency if they or their kids feel hungry. I think past generations of Americans were better about this. There was an expectation that, if you were hungry, that was okay (assuming we’re not talking about some dire problem); a meal would be coming along in an hour or two and you would be fine. 

My mom’s oft-repeated line when we kids said, “I’m hungry!” was, “You’ll survive.” 

 

So that was the other question I had when I was looking at IF... I remember learning in health class long ago about BMR (?) or some minimum number of calories that it was unsafe to eat fewer than each day. (We learned about it in context of eating disorders.) Does that not apply with IF? Like I only ate about 1000 calories today, but I feel satisfied.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Eating under a certain amount for a prolonged period makes it very hard to get sufficient quantity of nutrients. A few low days here and there won't hurt you in the slightest (assuming a generally healthy person without other medical issues who is not overly thin). 

Eating at too much of a deficit will have some very negative effects on your health in the long run -- but it's important to note that it's the long run. So if you find yourself eating under 1000 a day for several days in a row, it isn't good. But it's pretty normal to eat different amounts on different days. If you don't feel hungry, and you haven't been deliberately undereating or distracting yourself from hunger, you're probably fine. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, egao_gakari said:

 

 

So that was the other question I had when I was looking at IF... I remember learning in health class long ago about BMR (?) or some minimum number of calories that it was unsafe to eat fewer than each day. (We learned about it in context of eating disorders.) Does that not apply with IF? Like I only ate about 1000 calories today, but I feel satisfied.

I don’t know, though there was definitely a phase - probably through most of the 1990s - where the thinking (in the US) was to never get hungry because that meant destabilized blood sugar. This was when grazing was touted. But even at the same time, I did not agree with that theory because people can feel hungry on cues and not from physiology, like Pavlov’s dogs. 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I successfully lost 10+ lbs some years ago doing 5:2 eating -- eat normally 5 days a week, 500 calories tops on the other two.

After a couple of years I  stopped doing 5:2 and gained the weight back (shocker).  I just could not get motivated to go back on the plan so I tried (1) low carb, on which I gained a few more pounds AND felt horrible; and then (2) 16:8 (eating within just an 8 hr period), which was a lot easier but did not result in my losing weight.  

So, as of a week ago I am back on 5:2.  Not my favorite state of being but I am confident that it will work, at least.  I am not overweight but would look a lot cuter (IMO) 10 or even 15 lbs lighter.

I know so many people who swear by low-carb or keto but I have finally concluded that it is just not for me.  Lots of carbs are no good, but I just feel my best on a moderate-carb diet.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, egao_gakari said:

 

So that was the other question I had when I was looking at IF... I remember learning in health class long ago about BMR (?) or some minimum number of calories that it was unsafe to eat fewer than each day. (We learned about it in context of eating disorders.) Does that not apply with IF? Like I only ate about 1000 calories today, but I feel satisfied.

 

 

I think there is still research to be done here, but here is the claim of Dr. Jason Fung who wrote the Complete Guide to Fasting :

- Calorie restriction in the presence of insulin will slow metabolism (i.e. small frequent meals that keep insulin constantly raised, but whose total calories are low)

vs.

Calorie restriction in the absence of insulin will have no effect on metabolism/BMR.  

So it's presence/absence of insulin which determines changes in BMR from calories.  

Most of the fasting "experts", Fung included, do not recommend having a tight window on a daily basis.  They instead recommend ADF (alternate day fasting) where you eat normally (meet your BMR requirements) on day one, then on day 2 you eat only one meal (or even zero meals), which should naturally cause calorie restriction as well as low insulin for most of the day.  Longer eating windows like 16:8 and 18:6 are fine as a general maintenance plan or during ADF on the feeding days.  The frustration with ADF is watching the scale make wild swings and only being able to see a long-term trend... this makes it harder to tweak things, so you have to commit to the long game.  

I have also seen recommended a daily fast with a stricter protocol (20:4, 23:1) with one re-feed/over-feed per week.  So let's say your BMR is 1500, you might eat 2000 on your re-feed day.  

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, egao_gakari said:

 

 

So that was the other question I had when I was looking at IF... I remember learning in health class long ago about BMR (?) or some minimum number of calories that it was unsafe to eat fewer than each day. (We learned about it in context of eating disorders.) Does that not apply with IF? Like I only ate about 1000 calories today, but I feel satisfied.

The research seems to show that eating low calorie does slow metabolism, but fasting does not. There are some research studies on this. 

4 hours ago, mathnerd said:

Fasting triggers acid reflux in me. Does anyone else have this side effect when doing intermittent fasting?

I'd think that you always have reflux, but are self medicating when eating normally. Reflux can trigger hunger, making you think you are hungry and eat to dilute the stomach acid. So my guess is that the reflux is always there, you are just diluting the acid with food normally, and so you only notice it when fasting. 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, mathnerd said:

Fasting triggers acid reflux in me. Does anyone else have this side effect when doing intermittent fasting?

 

I take slow sips of water for reflux whether fasting or not. Fruit tea or ginger tea also helps. When I did fasting (no food after dinner and no breakfast) for blood test, my glucose reading drop to the low 70s, very near the lower limit of normal range. 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do IF along with eating a mostly plant-based diet.  It's worked well for me, and I'm healthier than I've been in years.  My window for eating is usually 11-7 or so.   The longer days has caused us to eat a little later than usual so we need to get back into the habit of having an earlier dinner.   I was hungry in the mornings and evenings until adjusting to not snacking before  bed, but that's gone away.   Self-control as @Patty Joanna shared has been a wonderful unexpected side effect of my fasting.  I actually feel much better and more relaxed now that food has become a smaller part of my life, and I'm not so focused on it or dieting.  

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...