Intermittent fasting - anyone do it? If so, how?

[StaceyinLA]

I’m planning to do Whole 30 starting within the week. I’ve let myself get back to eating more sugar than I’d like, and I have to nip that. Whole 30 just always works well for me in that way.

I’m considering incorporating some intermittent fasting, and was thinking of something like food between the hours of 10 and 6, and then only clear liquids/bone broth before breakfast and after dinner.

Anyone have any pointers, or done much research into pros/cons of this? I’ve read some good things, but I’ll admit it’s not something I’ve researched heavily.

[Caraway]

I believe most bone broths will break a fast.  Reddit has a lot of great resources on IF if you’d like to research. 

[BeachGal]

The bone broth will have leucine in it which would take you out of autophagy. Autophagy is your body’s way of cleaning up broken or damaged bits of cellular debris which cause inflammation. You go into autophagy as you fast. So, you’d probably be better off avoiding the bone broth.

[Chris in VA]

I have. Just black coffee before 11. (I know you are trying to give up coffee.) My window was 11am to 7pm, which worked great for me. 

I did not have any hunger at night because I ate HFLC. Fat was extremely satiating. Combining the two strategies was fabulous. 

[regentrude]

I normally eat between 10 and 6. Dont see point  in bone broth or stuff, why would one do that?

I am not losing any weight by doing this though (and it's not my goal).

Exceptions when we host dinner parties.

[Noreen Claire]

I started easing into IF in April, and I've since lost about 25lbs. I started by not eating after dinner, then started delaying breakfast, then skipping breakfast entirely. After a while, I picked two days a week to also skip lunch. I now fast two or three days a week from after dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 3 (so, 36-42 hours or so), having only water or tea with a splash of whole milk. (I'm in it for the weight loss, I'm not so hung up on autophagy. I've tried to drink bone broth, but I don't like it.) It took about 6 months before I could go 24hours. Some weeks, if I'm not feeling well I may skip fasting days completely, or maybe just eat small lunch or dinner. I make sure to take my vitamins on non-fasting days, as I can't take them with an empty stomach. I used to have a serious problem with sugar, and intermittent fasting has helped tremendously. I would highly recommend reading any of Jason Fung's books. My regular diet still needs work (too many treats, not enough veggies, etc) and I don't exercise enough, but IF has helped me feel better.

[StaceyinLA]

59 minutes ago, regentrude said:

I normally eat between 10 and 6. Dont see point  in bone broth or stuff, why would one do that?

I am not losing any weight by doing this though (and it's not my goal).

Exceptions when we host dinner parties.

 

Well maybe I was looking at the image incorrectly and it was either just a plan veggie broth or other clear liquid showing. Like I said, I am not positive about details - just wanting others’ experiences.

Weight loss isn’t my goal either. I would like to drop 3-4 pounds to get back to my ideal weight, but that’ll come within a week or so of starting Whole 30 and ditching the trash.

[Lady Marmalade]

I think IF works spectacularly if you can make it work with your schedule.  I lost 45 pounds with intermittent fasting over the course of about a year (maybe a little longer). But the schedule worked for me.  It's very easy to not eat after 7:00 pm when you go to bed between 8 and 9 pm.   It's very easy to not eat breakfast when you are working through the breakfast hours and don't have time for a bite before noon.   My morning coffee preference was already black coffee, so it wasn't a change I needed to make. 

I think if you don't already have a schedule that you can easily adapt to incorporate that eating window it might be a struggle.  It's easy for me to eat between 1 and 7 pm most days, but I also allow myself grace to deviate for social purposes, OR if I just feel like my body needs something more, I'll go ahead and eat a smart breakfast or a snack when I need it.  Mostly, my days consist of two meals -  a sensible lunch and then a dinner meal.  I hardly ever feel the need to snack inbetween.  I feel healthy and like I have energy most days, and not being militant about sticking to the eating window makes it feel less like a diet than just how I have chosen to live my life.  My body seems to like this way of eating, so I plan to stick with it long term for the most part.  

[VaKim]

I have been doing it for almost 2 years now. Haven't really lost much weight other than the initial 5 pounds or so, but I don't carry a lot of extra weight either. I do it mainly for the health benefits. I have been reading about it since before I started, and there is tons of info out there. I mostly have a 6 hour eating window, but don't stress about which 6 hours they are. I have done as many as 24 hours, but more than that and I get a bad headache. I do what is called time restricted eating, and that sounds like what you are talking about. I have nothing but water during my fasting hours because I detest black coffee or tea, and that is really the only things you should have to keep from having an insulin response. I will continue this forever, Lord willing. I probably would lose weight if I would give up sugar and other junk, but I know I won't be doing that. The health benefits are still applicable.

[StaceyinLA]

18 hours ago, VaKim said:

I have been doing it for almost 2 years now. Haven't really lost much weight other than the initial 5 pounds or so, but I don't carry a lot of extra weight either. I do it mainly for the health benefits. I have been reading about it since before I started, and there is tons of info out there. I mostly have a 6 hour eating window, but don't stress about which 6 hours they are. I have done as many as 24 hours, but more than that and I get a bad headache. I do what is called time restricted eating, and that sounds like what you are talking about. I have nothing but water during my fasting hours because I detest black coffee or tea, and that is really the only things you should have to keep from having an insulin response. I will continue this forever, Lord willing. I probably would lose weight if I would give up sugar and other junk, but I know I won't be doing that. The health benefits are still applicable.

 

What health benefits drove you to do it? Like I mentioned above, I’ve seen snippets, so I’m really interested, but haven’t delved too deeply into it. One of my main things is I want to stop eating earlier in the evening, and maybe just sip a black chamomile tea or something between dinner and bed. I’d also like to have a bigger meal at lunch and work toward my lighter meal being at dinner. I am hoping to improve my sleep quality and just give my body some real rest during the night versus eating a heavy meal late and digesting it all night. I realize that doesn’t necessarily mean I have to do the IF, but I’m already used to having coffee in the mornings and having breakfast late, so I started thinking it might be something to consider. Now I AM trying to give up coffee, but I’m going to green or black tea, so I am hoping to be able to keep that “ritual” with delaying that first meal. In fact, my ideal would be to have my beverage when I wake up, have a late breakfast/brunch meal, maybe some type of healthy snack around 1, then dinner around 5-6 and be done, other than a potential cup of tea or something. I DO need to make sure my meals have enough calories, fat, etc. that two full meals are enough.

[HS Mom in NC]

I do.  I have nothing but camomile tea (no sweetener, no creamer) after 7 and a lightly caffeinated green tea (again, no sweetener, no creamer) before 11. It works well for me. The flexibility is good too.  If I end up with a later dinner for whatever reason, I just have a later lunch the next day. If I go to breakfast with my cousin (we have a standing breakfast date because that works with her crazy schedule) I just have an earlier dinner the evening before.

I gained 20 pounds, lost it, and intermittent fasting helps me maintain my weight.  I also cut back on sweets and increased my intake of very nutritious foods too. Fasting is so much easier if your body isn't craving important nutrients all the time.  Most Americans are overfed and undernourished.

This is not the same as religious fasting.

[StaceyinLA]

^ That’s what I’m thinking of doing as far as the tea after dinner/before breakfast. And yeah, I’m not looking at religious fasting at this point. 

[VaKim]

Here is a short article, with other links. 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156

A lot of things say that fasting is no more effective than any other diet, but I can not and will not stick to any kind of diet. I can easily do this for the rest of my life. I have maintained my weight in spite of eating more food than I ever have (I am only 5 ft. tall and 54 years old, so don't require much food, unfortunately), along with plenty of junk. The health benefits are mostly ones that can't be seen ( like stronger immune system, lower chances of getting diabetes, avoiding alzheimer's, and so on), so I am sort of just trusting the process. 

[Jaz]

My dh and I really like intermittent fasting. We've both felt better not eating for 16 hours. It's hard to explain. My dh says it feels like a great reset. It has also helped me to eat less during the day and lose the mid-life weight creep so I'm back to my ideal weight. 

ETA: We loosely follow the 16:8 method of only eating within an 8 hour time frame each day. 

Edited December 30, 2019 by Jaz

[Amy in NH]

I give myself a 4-6 hour eating window in the late afternoon each day.  I can only manage one meal and maybe a snack on this schedule. It is easier to make good eating decisions when you have to make that meal count.  I also take a good multivitamin and a few other supplements during my eating window.

I no longer feel hungry and/or bloated all day.

[ktgrok]

On 12/29/2019 at 1:50 PM, Lady Marmalade said:

I think IF works spectacularly if you can make it work with your schedule.  I lost 45 pounds with intermittent fasting over the course of about a year (maybe a little longer). But the schedule worked for me.  It's very easy to not eat after 7:00 pm when you go to bed between 8 and 9 pm.   It's very easy to not eat breakfast when you are working through the breakfast hours and don't have time for a bite before noon.   My morning coffee preference was already black coffee, so it wasn't a change I needed to make. 

I think if you don't already have a schedule that you can easily adapt to incorporate that eating window it might be a struggle.  It's easy for me to eat between 1 and 7 pm most days, but I also allow myself grace to deviate for social purposes, OR if I just feel like my body needs something more, I'll go ahead and eat a smart breakfast or a snack when I need it.  Mostly, my days consist of two meals -  a sensible lunch and then a dinner meal.  I hardly ever feel the need to snack inbetween.  I feel healthy and like I have energy most days, and not being militant about sticking to the eating window makes it feel less like a diet than just how I have chosen to live my life.  My body seems to like this way of eating, so I plan to stick with it long term for the most part.  

Ugh - yes! I think it must be much easier if you work outside the home, and you get to bed early. 

I am often not in bed until midnight or later. And that's a LONG time after dinner! I start getting hungry again around 10:30pm or 11pm. 

And as a stay at home mom, I'm cooking other people breakfast, but supposed to skip it myself, and that kind of blows, lol. 

It definitely works for my husband, and my hair stylist lost a TON of weight and looks amazing doing it. I am first trying to get back into healthy eating habits, then add in the IF. 

Oh, and I've read in a few places that for women a 10 hour eating window is advised, rather than 8 hours, due to hormones or something. 

[sbgrace]

I've done it for a couple of years. I think what works well for one person in terms of timing (or even IF generally), won't necessarily work for another.  

But I tend to feel hungry after I eat, so it's much easier for me to delay eating in the morning. i originally tried to stop eating in the evening. I found that much harder.

I stop eating about 3-4 hours before bed (longer and I get hungry) and then eat again starting with lunch in the early afternoon--generally around 1-2 pm. I pay attention to how my body is feeling for timing that first meal of the day. So my eating window is about 1-9 pm. Generally my last eating is a snack with a light protein with a little fat, often dairy like cottage cheese, rather than a meal proper. I don't like to feel hungry, and so I need a later snack. 

 

[StaceyinLA]

2 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

Ugh - yes! I think it must be much easier if you work outside the home, and you get to bed early. 

I am often not in bed until midnight or later. And that's a LONG time after dinner! I start getting hungry again around 10:30pm or 11pm. 

And as a stay at home mom, I'm cooking other people breakfast, but supposed to skip it myself, and that kind of blows, lol. 

It definitely works for my husband, and my hair stylist lost a TON of weight and looks amazing doing it. I am first trying to get back into healthy eating habits, then add in the IF. 

Oh, and I've read in a few places that for women a 10 hour eating window is advised, rather than 8 hours, due to hormones or something. 

 

I’m a night owl too, but I’m thinking/hoping that planning for a cup of chamomile tea or something around 8:00 might help ward off that “gonna pass out and die” hunger feeling if I’m up til midnight. I get up fairly early also, and one thing I’m hoping to do is start going to bed a little earlier, so I can try to get a full 8 hours of sleep.

[Amy in NH]

I've found that "hunger" is usually one of two things:

1. Thirst.  Many times your body will send a "hungry" signal when you are starting to become dehydrated; by the time you feel thirsty you are already there.  Drink more water, especially when you think you feel hungry. 

2. Habit.  When you have "regular" meals, your body gets used to an input of food at those certain times each day, and sends a "hungry" signal when the clock hands are in the right position.  After 2-3 days of skipping that mealtime, you've broken the habit and your body will stop sending the signal.

Many times, you can trick your body into giving up the hungry signal by chewing.  If all else fails, chew gum.

Edited December 30, 2019 by Amy in NH

[BeachGal]

7 hours ago, VaKim said:

Here is a short article, with other links. 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156

A lot of things say that fasting is no more effective than any other diet, but I can not and will not stick to any kind of diet. I can easily do this for the rest of my life. I have maintained my weight in spite of eating more food than I ever have (I am only 5 ft. tall and 54 years old, so don't require much food, unfortunately), along with plenty of junk. The health benefits are mostly ones that can't be seen ( like stronger immune system, lower chances of getting diabetes, avoiding alzheimer's, and so on), so I am sort of just trusting the process. 

 

Unfortunately, that article does not mention Valter Longo's research on fasting which he's done for several decades. It's showing promising results in helping to treat certain cancers and treat autoimmune diseases. The five-day fast destroys damaged immune cells and upon refeeding, new stem cells appear along the spinal cord, as many as 40%. That is astounding. Those stem cells can then go and rebuild the immune system or be used wherever they're needed.

Here's an article about the benefits of fasting on the intestinal tract that was done at MIT. They mention in the article that these are one-day fasts but they are talking about mice. For a human, an equivalent fast would be longer.

http://news.mit.edu/2018/fasting-boosts-stem-cells-regenerative-capacity-0503

I've been doing shorter fasts myself for two reasons: 1) to see if I can get rid of Dupuytren's nodules in my hand (I also occasionally take Serrapeptase for this) and 2) to try to close up a macular hole in one of my eyes. This is an area of the retina that gives you sharp vision. So... One Dupey node is completely gone and the other is about one-half the original size. The macular hole has closed. My eye doctor is very surprised and I am very happy to avoid having the operation. Now I just have to see if I can keep it away although I have other things to try for each as well if they continue to get worse.

I'm doing a two-day fast right now and will eat again tomorrow at noon. The reason I do shorter fasts is that I usually go into ketosis quickly. I gauge where I'm at with the Glucose Ketone Index (GKI). It's the ratio of blood glucose divided by blood ketones (mmol/L). Just a simple finger prick of blood using the Precision Xtra devices. A ratio less than 1 is what I aim for, which for me, usually happens fairly quickly, usually around day 2. If you're interested, the GKI was created by Thomas Seyfried. He has done some interesting research, too.

If you prefer, you can do a fast-mimicking diet for a few days and get similar benefits as a fast. Valter Longo developed it. USC, where he works, sells something called the ProLon diet that comes in a box and has the food you would eat. But, if you want to DIY, Longo mentioned what to eat in an article on the Daily Mail.

Just losing fat is beneficial especially around the belly area because the fat there is functioning almost like an endocrine organ that is churning out a lot of damaging inflammatory chemicals. You don't want that. So, if bone broth helps you, go ahead and have it. Bone broth also has electrolytes which is why some people like it.

Whatever you do, good luck!

Edited December 31, 2019 by BeachGal

[VaKim]

16 hours ago, peacelovehomeschooling said:

How long do you fast daily and eat daily?  Do you do any 24 hour fasts..if so how often?

I usually fast for 18 and eat within 6 hours per day. Sometimes I do 19/5 or 20/4. I have done several 24 hours. They are not really that hard. You still get to eat every day. It works for me because I am an all-or-nothing type person. When I am allowed to eat, I do. When I am not, I don't. This way I can eat enough to get full and have whatever I want. Whenever I have tried to diet by limiting my food, I end up feeling like I am starving and just can't stick with it. Plus I am just not willing to give up all sweets and the stuff that makes eating enjoyable to me. 

[Arctic Bunny]

How would one do this with shift work? Says 12 hour shifts, 2 days, 2 nights, 4 off?

[VaKim]

53 minutes ago, arctic_bunny said:

How would one do this with shift work? Says 12 hour shifts, 2 days, 2 nights, 4 off?

It would definitely be harder, but the work schedule itself would kill me. I would just figure out how many hours I wanted to have for my "eating window" each day, then, regardless of the actual time of day, stick to that many hours as best I could. Alternately, you could figure out how many hours you wanted to fast, and make sure there were at least that many hours in between eating, regardless of time.