Is anyone intermittent fasting?

[KidsHappen]

If so, how long have you been doing it? What is your schedule? Are adding any other elements to it like keto? Have you had any problems with it? And most importantly, is it working? How much have you lost? Are you keeping the weight off?

[Minerva]

I was doing intermittent fasting for a few years. In my case it was because I was pre-diabetic despite eating a very healthy diet. I didn't eat until noon every day and stopped eating around 6:00 in the evening. I did occasional 24 hour fasts. It didn't help with the prediabetes, and I didn't lose significant weight, so I stopped. My dh started intermittent fasting out of solidarity with me but has continued because he lost about 15 ponds, and it's a very easy way for him to keep the weight off. 

(I am finally out of the prediabetes range and have lost some weight having switched to a more plant based diet. I find my body likes the consistency of meals, even with lots of whole grains. I also started resistance training which may have also contributed to finally getting my blood sugar numbers down.)

I hope you figure out what works for you.

  

[kbutton]

I did for a while for prediabetes (barely into that range). Like Minerva, I was already eating healthy. I ate noon to 8 PM, and I eat fairly low carb gluten free (and also have MCAS, and at the time couldn't eat things with tomatoes, peppers, citrus, gelatin, etc.). I had more energy. I rarely weigh myself because I have a lot of fluctuation with retaining water, but I was dropping clothing sizes. I was also walking about five days a week except when it was at its coldest and hottest outside, and then I usually managed to squeeze in something at least a couple of times per week or would tackle a physical project inside the house. I kept that weight off consistently for a couple of years (about 15 pounds), but I don't know how much I lost and regained by starting/stopping the intermittent fasting because that timeframe didn't coincide with a doctor's visit.

I got all messed up when my son had major surgery with major complications and then later developed blood clots leading to a second hospitalization. At first the disruption was just the schedule and not being home for meals, but then the stress kicked in after it was all done and dusted. Cortisol is a very large part of my mix of problems with weight and with blood sugar. My son is doing well now, but there are just so many things that have imploded in the last year.

I am hoping to get back to it.

[wintermom]

I'd look to scientific research on this issue, especially if you are introducing it as an attempt to lose weight. Avoid anecdotal "data" from limited and biased sources.

Listen to your own body and become friends with it. Be kind to yourself. There is far more involved in a healthy mind and body than the number on an imperfect scale.

All the best going forward!

[regentrude]

I am, unintentionally, since I stopped having breakfast eight or so years ago since I was no longer hungry in the morning. 

I eat my first meal at noon, and don't normally eat after 7 pm, so there's 15 hours of fasting.

It has made absolutely *no* difference for my weight. I wonder whether weightloss from IF only works for overweight people? My normal weight has been mostly stable for decades, and I think the loss of appetite for breakfast is my body telling me that metabolism is slowing down in perimenopause. 

Edited August 3, 2023 by regentrude

[Katy]

Intermittent fasting worked really well for me before kids, and really badly afterwards. Probably bc little kids want to graze almost constantly, and when I’m tired I don’t remember not to eat when food is constantly around.

The fastest I ever dropped weight I was eating one meal per day (sometimes with one snack if I felt shaky). At the time I was walking a lot (prob 12-15 miles per day) between an active, on my feet nursing job and intentional exercise. I dropped 4 sizes in about 3 weeks. At the time I’d start a meal with protein and vegetables (usually scrambled eggs or a vegetable omelette or steamed or grilled fish), have 1-2 servings of vegetables, and then eat whatever else I wanted until I felt satisfied but not full. But it wasn’t much. I was single and eating out most days so I’d have some fruit or grits or a small fry or a small ice cream cone. My whole 1 meal would probably fit on a small salad plate. Afterwards I switched to two meals and maintained bikini shape, more or less, until I went on steroids for autoimmune issues. 

I also do much better on plant based than keto.

I have considered doing IF again, but I’m not starting until the end of the month when the kids are in school.  

[lmrich]

My understanding is  that every BODY is so different that you  are just going to have experiment and see how you are. I think it is important to learn to listen to your body - I have not mastered that task at  all, but  I am trying. 

[Laura Corin]

36 minutes ago, regentrude said:

I am, unintentionally, since I stopped having breakfast eight or so years ago since I was no longer hungry in the morning. 

I eat my first meal at noon, and don't normally eat after 7 pm, so there's 15 hours of fasting.

It has made absolutely *no* difference for my weight. I wonder whether weightloss from IF only works for overweight people? My normal weight has been mostly stable for decades, and I think the loss of appetite for breakfast is my body telling me that metabolism is slowing down in perimenopause. 

I'm very similar.  I eat at 12 noon, 4pm and 6pm - I have always been hungry at 4-ish, for some reason.  My weight is stable.  If I am going to exercise in the morning, I eat breakfast, but not otherwise.

The studies on the gut microbiome being benefitted by a longer gap between meals once a day are interesting.  But this is for general health, rather than weight loss.

[kbutton]

3 minutes ago, lmrich said:

My understanding is  that every BODY is so different that you  are just going to have experiment and see how you are. I think it is important to learn to listen to your body - I have not mastered that task at  all, but  I am trying. 

This is great if you know what it's saying and why, lol!

I knew a lot of people who did great with eating only when they were hungry, etc. (my husband is the poster child for this). Well, I was hungry all the time, even when I was at an ideal weight, ate a heart healthy diet rich in complex carbs and veggies, and exercised well. No doctor cared that my blood sugar was always at the top of the normal range or sometimes even in the no-man's land between normal and prediabetic. When I brought it up, they said to eat better and exercise more. I was already eating well, and I exercised when I could (I had a really challenging child that didn't like me doing anything he didn't want me to do). Well, after I got a blood sugar monitor as suggested on the forums and learned what spikes my blood sugar, I realized that listening to my body being hungry all the time was my blood sugar bullying me around. When I fixed the spikes, I stopped feeling like I was about to gnaw my own arm off even though I'd just eaten.

The only time that my body regulated itself weight-wise was when I was pregnant. If I was hungry, I really did need to eat, and I actually had times I was not hungry (for the first time in a really long, long time). 

You can look perfectly healthy, eat quite well, and have your body telling you it needs something it does not.

Basically, I'm just saying that if normal stuff doesn't work for you, then you might have something going on that takes some investigating, and you might need a new doctor if yours doesn't like to dig. I likely have PCOS that didn't present the typical way or affect my cycles/fertility until I was in my mid-thirties, and my ovaries are normal (not that anyone checked those either). I have really high testosterone, but that was not tested when I was young enough and skinny enough to maybe stay ahead of all the metabolic effects, but from what I understand, they are thinking now that the high testosterone is the defining feature.

[Kassia]

@kbutton  my experience is so similar to what you posted - even with pregnancy changing my appetite and weight.  

[Pawz4me]

Regarding IF and weight loss -- I suspect that it's just another way of restricting calories that works for some people and not for others, depending on how they consume their daily calories. My layman's guess is that if you need 1800 calories to maintain your current weight it doesn't make a significant difference whether you eat those calories in an eight hour window or a twelve/sixteen hour window. But if restricting your eating window also means you reduce your calorie consumption significantly then weight loss is likely to occur.

I do think there are health benefits to giving your body's digestive system a significant daily break.

[kbutton]

3 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Regarding IF and weight loss -- I suspect that it's just another way of restricting calories that works for some people and not for others, depending on how they consume their daily calories. My layman's guess is that if you need 1800 calories to maintain your current weight it doesn't make a significant difference whether you eat those calories in an eight hour window or a twelve/sixteen hour window. But if restricting your eating window also means you reduce your calorie consumption significantly then weight loss is likely to occur.

I do think there are health benefits to giving your body's digestive system a significant daily break.

I didn't eat fewer calories when I was doing it, but I suspect it worked because it gave my body a longer break from blood sugar/insulin fluctuation. The longer I did the fasting, the less hungry I was overall. I didn't set out to do IS, but once I realized I was close to it, I just tweaked the timing of some meals to make it fit.

[GailV]

I stop eating at about 5pm, mostly because so many foods and herbs keep me awake at night, then don't get around to breakfast until 7 or 8. So my light version of intermittent fasting is just a desperate attempt to get some sleep.

It works somewhat, btw in regards to my sleep. But if I have collagen, gelatin, or most "keto" products any time of day, even early morning, I won't be able to sleep at night. Same with most beans after about noon. Collagen and gelatin also make me somewhat anxious.

So, not at all what you were asking about, but might be interesting for someone else. Although I vaguely remember some sort of tie-in between not getting enough sleep and weighing more, I'm pretty sure that's a lot more complex than just "sleep more at night and automatically weigh less".

 

[Pawz4me]

1 minute ago, GailV said:

I stop eating at about 5pm, mostly because so many foods and herbs keep me awake at night, then don't get around to breakfast until 7 or 8. So my light version of intermittent fasting is just a desperate attempt to get some sleep.

 

Ditto. This is what I've done for several years, although my stop time is usually closer to 5:30 or 6:00. As I've gotten older I noticed that eating later than that wrecked my sleep and made my tummy feel terrible the next morning. It hasn't had any effect on my weight, though.

[wintermom]

22 minutes ago, kbutton said:

This is great if you know what it's saying and why, lol!

Well yes, there is that. Anytime my tummy hurts, I want to eat. Sometimes the "hurt" is due to hunger, but sometimes it's something else. I keep hoping that feeding the tummy ache will get rid of the pain. 

Satisfying appetite is a whole other world. Are we eating to feel happy, eating to forget out our pain or feelings, eating because we are actually hungry? Does the food we eat actually do something toward satisfying one's appetite? I'm sure that there are masses of books on this.

[regentrude]

10 minutes ago, wintermom said:

 Anytime my tummy hurts, I want to eat. Sometimes the "hurt" is due to hunger, but sometimes it's something else. I keep hoping that feeding the tummy ache will get rid of the pain. 

Which it will if you suffer from a duodenal ulcer! If you have stomach pains that are eliminated by eating,  you might want to have that checked out. 

[kbutton]

18 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Well yes, there is that. Anytime my tummy hurts, I want to eat. Sometimes the "hurt" is due to hunger, but sometimes it's something else. I keep hoping that feeding the tummy ache will get rid of the pain. 

Satisfying appetite is a whole other world. Are we eating to feel happy, eating to forget out our pain or feelings, eating because we are actually hungry? Does the food we eat actually do something toward satisfying one's appetite? I'm sure that there are masses of books on this.

I really can't believe you said that directly in response to me, especially given that I stated that monitoring my blood sugar with an actual monitor and changing what I ate fixed it. 

You have NO IDEA how often I heard people say this, and it was simply not true for me. 

My morning blood sugars would be high after fasting all night. I would wake up ravenously hungry, and I would sometimes stay that way until noon or later, even after exercising first thing in the AM. My blood sugars correlated precisely with all of that. Eventually I was able to bring this under control most of the time, and I no longer experience that desperate level of gnawing hunger on a regular basis.

The next time you speak for yourself, don't bother to address me directly. 

17 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Which it will if you suffer from a duodenal ulcer! If you have stomach pains that are eliminated by eating,  you might want to have that checked out. 

I agree. I had a family member with one that perforated, and she could've died. I have no idea what her symptoms were prior to the perforation, but she was in good shape and ate well. No indication that she ate her feelings either. I think she smoked her feelings, buried them in her large veggie and flower garden, or took them out on golf balls.

[regentrude]

25 minutes ago, kbutton said:

 

I agree. I had a family member with one that perforated, and she could've died. I have no idea what her symptoms were prior to the perforation, but she was in good shape and ate well. No indication that she ate her feelings either. I think she smoked her feelings, buried them in her large veggie and flower garden, or took them out on golf balls.

Ulcers are not caused by poor diet or eating your feelings but by a bacterial infection. 

[BeachGal]

3 hours ago, KidsHappen said:

If so, how long have you been doing it? What is your schedule? Are adding any other elements to it like keto? Have you had any problems with it? And most importantly, is it working? How much have you lost? Are you keeping the weight off?

My husband and I have been intermittent fasting for years. We begin Sundays after our last meal, usually an early dinner, and end it Tuesdays around 10:00 am. Both of us drink water, black coffee and herbal teas while fasting. I have done longer fasts as well but the shorter ones are easier and good enough for me.

When not fasting we sometimes eat low carb for periods of time. Low carb for us means reducing grains and legumes and eliminating sugar as well. We eat a large variety of vegetables that are low carb. Our low carb diet is for periods of time, not forever.

Both of us are slim. We don't fast and eat keto for weight loss. Our interest is in trying to reduce senescent cells, induce aptosis and generate stem cells that can be used throughout the body. We both monitor our body composition -- fat, muscle, etc. -- and neither of us have lost muscle or bone. We are both in ideal ranges. My husband is in his mid 60s and I'm almost 60, fwiw.

As a bonus, I find that mentally I feel amazing when I fast and it stays good. I sleep very well, too. Fall asleep easily, don't wake during the night and wake up around the same time feeling well rested. I actually look forward to fasting for these reasons. I think it's the higher ketones especially that contribute to this. (Btw, Dan Huberman recently did an almost 4-hour long interview with Dr. Chris Palmer, a Harvard psychiatrist who has been using diet to treat patients. Palmer used it on himself initially to treat his prediabetes, found that it helped his mental disease, which eventually led to his trying it with patients.)

Is it right for everyone? Probably not. For some it can cause very high levels of cortisol which can make it harder to lose weight. Hormones have a huge effect on weight gain and loss. There has been too much focus on only calories but both are involved, as is likely the microbiome. Having said that, I feel the benefits have outweighed the drawbacks for me personally, so for now, I'm going to continue doing it.

Scientists and MDs I follow are

• Valter Longo -- fasting researcher
• Thomas Seyfried -- fasting and keto researcher
• Dom D'Agostino -- keto researcher
• Jason Fung -- fasting and keto MD. He has a ton of info on his site.
• Diet Doctor -- a site that Fung contributes to but includes others as well. Tons of info.
• Ben Bikman -- insulin researcher

Edited August 3, 2023 by BeachGal

[kbutton]

19 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Ulcers are not caused by poor diet or eating your feelings but by a bacterial infection. 

I understand that. I just needed to let out a bit of snark for the other person in the conversation who insinuated that I don't know the difference between hunger and feelings even when I see it written on a blood sugar monitor.

[JennyD]

I did various versions of intermittent fasting for a number of years.  I found it quite helpful for weight loss/control but unhelpful for my personality.  i am just not as good a mom when I'm fasting.  I finally decided not to try it again until my kids are out of the house.  In the meantime, I am focusing on limiting carbohydrates.  

 

[Arcadia]

I did intermittent fasting when I get feelings of heartburn, else I sleep much better with light supper. I do tend to lose weight when I get a few days of sleep, basically rest and recover. When I lack sleep, I feel bloated and tired.
For me, priority is not so much when I eat but what I eat. My oncologist told me to remember my proteins and I had to trial and error to see which protein source works well for me. I am the kind who lose appetite when stressed so my focus is more of making sure I do eat. I am at my healthiest stage when eating salmon, shrimp and oysters frequently but that’s costly so pork is the cheaper alternative for me. 
So if intermittent fasting is for the sake of weight loss, my opinion is that it is better to figure out what food suits your body nutrition needs, get good quality sleep and exercise in whatever way you can. 

[mathnerd]

4 hours ago, kbutton said:

I didn't eat fewer calories when I was doing it, but I suspect it worked because it gave my body a longer break from blood sugar/insulin fluctuation. The longer I did the fasting, the less hungry I was overall. I didn't set out to do IS, but once I realized I was close to it, I just tweaked the timing of some meals to make it fit.

I have a similar experience: I don't eat much in general, never eat any sugar and don't prefer fruits and eat them occasionally - but I can not lose weight due to insulin resistance. Which is why IF is the method that works for me amongst all the methods that I have tried - my body goes into fat burning mode only when sugar levels are depleted. I do a longer fast once a week (24 to 42 hours). I eat during a 5 hour window for the rest of the week, which is TMAD (two meals a day). I drink black coffee during my fasting periods, don't take any electrolytes as I don't find it necessary and don't modify my eating habits. I am at my goal weight and have maintained my weight loss using this method.

[importswim]

Yes since January 1, 2022. I have lost 20 pounds (but have a large amount I could still lose). I haven't experienced the weight loss that I was hoping for but my sugars have decreased and ALL (yes, ALL) of my mental health issues have gone. I think that high blood sugar ( I was not diabetic but on my way there when I started) had affected my brain. I can also string sentences together, remember things easier, finish thoughts, and generally have a pretty capable mood. I will continue to fast for life for these benefits.

I look at what my week looks like and change up fasting to work with that. I feel best at a 4-6 hour eating window but have done a couple of ADF (Alternate Daily Fasts) over the years. 

My best advice is to read Fast, Feast, Repeat by Gin Stephens. I also like her Intermittent Fasting Stories podcast. I first heard about her from here (WTM) in December of 2021 and it has radically changed my mental health and my approach to eating (there's no guilt anymore). I'm not sure who that boardie was but I'm forever grateful to them.

[wintermom]

7 hours ago, kbutton said:

I really can't believe you said that directly in response to me, 

 

My bad. I shouldn't have add the piece about the appetite there. It was not meant to be directed at you at all. It was a general comment. 

[wintermom]

7 hours ago, regentrude said:

Which it will if you suffer from a duodenal ulcer! If you have stomach pains that are eliminated by eating,  you might want to have that checked out. 

Interesting. I have had regular lab check for blood in the stool, and nothing going on there.  For me, I finally discovered that dairy triggers tummy pain, as well as gluten. 

[Not_a_Number]

I've done it before and am doing it right now. 

It works better for me if I don't feed the kids breakfast -- it's hard not to eat when feeding other people. 

It doesn't result in weight loss for me unless I otherwise restrict calories. But I do like the break from eating -- it kind of resets my system to remember that being full is not the normal state. 

[Corraleno]

I lost 40 lbs (160 to 120) over the course of a year by combining intermittent fasting with a plant-based diet. I aimed for a 10-4 eating window, although occasionally my last meal was closer to 5 or 6; in that case I would delay the next day's first meal to keep the fasting window at about 18 hrs. When my weight loss seemed to plateau, I would go to a "5/2" plan, which is a modified fast (500 calories or less) on two non-consecutive days per week.

IMO many of the studies on time restricted eating are of limited value because they compare people eating ad libitum within an 8-10 hr window to people who are eating ad libitum without restriction, but if you look at the actual eating schedules most of the control group are eating in about a 12 hour window — so it's hardly surprising that there's no statistically significant difference in weight loss between people eating in a 10 hr vs 12 hr window. Other studies that compared an afternoon eating window (e.g. 12-8) to calorie restriction found that both groups ended up consuming about the same number of calories. For example, Gil Carvalho (Nutrition Made Simple on YouTube) recently mentioned a study in which both the IF and calorie restriction groups reduced caloric intake by roughly 400/day, even though the IF group were not consciously restricting calories.

However, there is also some evidence that restricting the eating window to earlier in the day does improve weight loss; one study that compared an early eating window to a late eating window found that the early eaters lost more weight although they were eating roughly the same number of calories. One explanation is that the body may burn calories more efficiently in the morning and become less efficient as the day goes on, but another possibility is that people who eat most of their calories earlier in the day may simply have more energy and be more active than those whose main caloric intake is in the afternoon and evening as activity is winding down.

[KidsHappen]

Except for pregnancy, I have weighed 135 lbs. most of my adult life. My mother passed when I was in my mid 40s and I lost 20 lbs. from grief. It took me two years to regain that weight. A few years later (right as I was going into menopause) my doctor put me on a med that caused me to gain 50 in less than 2 months. As soon as we realized what was happening I went off that med but did not lose any of that weight for many years. I was actually comfortable at that weight and didn't make any effort to lose any weight but did eventually lose about 10 lbs and stayed at 175 for awhile. 

Sometime in close relationship to my neurological problems I lost another 10 lbs. I am not sure if that happened before I went in the hospital but when I got out of rehab I was down to 165 and they were making me eat three times a day which was unusual for me. I normally only eat once a day and pretty much always have. How many calories I consume has never really had any effect on my weight. 

Since rehab I have been considerably less active than before but that didn't seem to have any effect either until I had the surgery for my hiatal hernia. During recovery (which lasted much longer than expected) I was required to eat a small amount of food every two hours. This caused me to gain back the 20lbs and an additional 20 more lbs. so that I was at 205 which was uncomfortable for me and made getting around even more difficult.

Once I was on my normal diet again I dropped down to fluctuating between 185-195, which happens to be right between sizes for me. So I have to keep two sizes in my closet. I would be happier if my weight was between 175 and 185 and solidly in one size spectrum. Over the last year my oldest dd and her husband started IF/Keto diet. She has lost 100 lbs and he has lost 75 almost effortlessly. 

So I decided to give it a try and I am not having any luck at all. I started with a 12-14/2 hour schedule without success. Then I read I needed to go at least 16 hours so I changed to a 16-19/5-8 hour schedule which didn't help either. So now I am doing 2, 24 hour fasts each week and still not seeing results. I am eating keto and low restricted calorie. But as usual how many calories I eat seems to have no effect on my weight. Further concerns are that I am not eating enough calories during my eating windows because as I said before I habitually eat only once a day. I have also had problems with malabsorption in the past and I am not eating near as many fruits and veggies as I used to.

My doctor is convinced that the weight gain is due to my bi-polar meds which not only are notorious for causing weight gain but also cause more gain the longer you are on them. The weight is not causing any health problems. I have been thoroughly checked out by a cardiologist and my heart is healthy, my blood pressure is good and my lab numbers are good. He doesn't really think that there is much I can do about it given my physical state. We did try a weight loss med that worked but had serious side effects so I had to stop it. He offered to prescribe one of the new meds but my insurance won't cover it and I can't afford it. 

There is also a concern that my weight fluctuating so much (even though unintentional) may have caused me to gain weight much like yo-yo dieting does. And the possibility that not consuming enough calories because I only eat once a day may have slowed my metabolism causing me to gain weight. His advice is to basically eat healthy and not worry about my weight so much and just wait and see if it doesn't slowly go down like it did in the past.

My hubby is happy with me just the way I am and to tell the truth if I could take the ten pounds off my mid section and rearrange it into a more typical female weight distribution I would probably be fine with the number as well especially if I knew I wouldn't gain any more. But I carry it all in my belly and I honestly look like I am 7 months pregnant. 

At this point I am trying to decide if I should continue with the two days of fasting per week and give it a little while longer to work or if I should just go back to my regular eating schedule and hope to slowly lose it over a longer period of time. I am not having any side effects positive or negative from the fasting but I do have periods of hunger which I have never had before. It is hard to know what to do with all of the fluctuations and various health issues that I have had over roughly the last 15 years. It has basically been a roller coaster and therefore hard to know what things have had what effects.  

[fairfarmhand]

20 hours ago, JennyD said:

I did various versions of intermittent fasting for a number of years.  I found it quite helpful for weight loss/control but unhelpful for my personality.  i am just not as good a mom when I'm fasting.  I finally decided not to try it again until my kids are out of the house.  In the meantime, I am focusing on limiting carbohydrates.  

 

I get this. My kids have politely asked me after I’ve snapped t them “mom why don’t you go have breakfast?”

[KidsHappen]

I just wanted to bump this as I posted my response kinda late and I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on my particular situation.

[importswim]

8 hours ago, KidsHappen said:

I just wanted to bump this as I posted my response kinda late and I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on my particular situation.

How long (time frame) did you do each type of fasting? How many weeks consistently for each type (12/14, then 16, then 24 hour fasts)?

 

[KidsHappen]

7 hours ago, importswim said:

How long (time frame) did you do each type of fasting? How many weeks consistently for each type (12/14, then 16, then 24 hour fasts)?

 

About two week for the first two and going on two weeks for the last. Since I started the 2, 24 hour fasts I noticed that I have lost 3 lbs. so maybe that is the key. 

[importswim]

On 8/7/2023 at 7:23 PM, KidsHappen said:

About two week for the first two and going on two weeks for the last. Since I started the 2, 24 hour fasts I noticed that I have lost 3 lbs. so maybe that is the key. 

That's a really, really short amount of time. I would give it at least 3 months of trying each window before moving it. If you've got other things going on your body might be working on healing some other areas in your fast before you lose any weight. I really recommend Gin Stephens' book Fast Feast Repeat. She puts what Dr Jason Fung (and other fasting doctor/researchers) has to say into layman's terms and it's an easy read.

I'm editing to add that I just pulled 3 months out of thin air. I'd actually give it 6 months of consistent fasting in a consistent window before changing it up. Sometimes it takes our bodies a while to adjust. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by importswim

[KidsHappen]

7 hours ago, importswim said:

That's a really, really short amount of time. I would give it at least 3 months of trying each window before moving it. If you've got other things going on your body might be working on healing some other areas in your fast before you lose any weight. I really recommend Gin Stephens' book Fast Feast Repeat. She puts what Dr Jason Fung (and other fasting doctor/researchers) has to say into layman's terms and it's an easy read.

I'm editing to add that I just pulled 3 months out of thin air. I'd actually give it 6 months of consistent fasting in a consistent window before changing it up. Sometimes it takes our bodies a while to adjust. 

Thanks. I originally read two of Dr. Fung's books before deciding to start this and I don't remember him saying how long to try a certain schedule before trying a different one. The two 24 hour fast seem to be the easiest for me and I am finally seeing a little bit of loss so I think that I will stay with that for awhile. I guess I was just comparing to how incredibly fast my dd lost weight.

[WendyLady]

I am doing intermittent fasting now. I have had great success with it in the past but things are moving much slower now. I'm older now and have a history of yoyo-ing and I feel like my body just wants to make sure I'm serious. I have been doing this for about a couple of months - I generally eat one meal a day and I track my fasting using the "Window" app (do not pay for anything, use the free "Manual Plan" version) and fast about 20-23 hours a day. This does not create fast weight loss for me - maybe a pound every 2 weeks. When I started I was glad to not be gaining, but it would be nice to lose faster - I just know I am not ready to make additional changes that create faster loss for me... 

I previously worked with a weight-loss coach who encouraged fasting, and when my weight loss was not happening, she pushed me to eat more low carb or keto, along with one or two longer fasts of 36-48 hours each week. That combination helped me lose about 30 pounds really quickly but I just don't want to do that right now. I am working toward cutting out sugar, and maybe in a few weeks I can add in a longer fast. 

Writing that out makes me realize that I am not "all in" for weight loss. I keep hoping that a short eating window, eating whatever I want, will let me lose weight. But in my heart I know that isn't going to work... waaaaaaa! 

Podcast recommendation: Fasting for Life (Dr. Scott Watier and Tommy Welling). Helpful ideas that help keep me on track.

I have listened to Gin Stephens book (mentioned in a couple posts above) and follow her advice of having a "clean" fast, but I don't like her voice and just can't listen to her podcast.

All this to say that fasting isn't always the miracle weight loss advertised. You are not alone!

 

[hshibley]

Ladies who fast for long periods 20+ hour periods. Are you dizzy going that long without food? Do you do strenuous exercise ie long runs during your fasts? 

[Grace Hopper]

On 8/3/2023 at 9:23 AM, regentrude said:

I am, unintentionally, since I stopped having breakfast eight or so years ago since I was no longer hungry in the morning. 

I eat my first meal at noon, and don't normally eat after 7 pm, so there's 15 hours of fasting.

It has made absolutely *no* difference for my weight. I wonder whether weightloss from IF only works for overweight people? My normal weight has been mostly stable for decades, and I think the loss of appetite for breakfast is my body telling me that metabolism is slowing down in perimenopause. 

I am the same, it seems to have come naturally with age that I’m just not as hungry. I prefer two meals a day, I don’t feel the need for the standard breakfast-lunch-dinner. So I probably get a 12-15 hour overnight “fast” on a regular basis. A few years back I did actively IF but it was combined with intense regular exercise so I can’t say what may have had the bigger effect on weight loss. I was not monitoring glucose levels. 
 

However, a lot of people seem to think that within an IF eating window, one can eat and graze all through it. Based on my own experience and advice from my med team, even in that window there needs to be a 3-4 hour break between meals to let the insulin response happen and settle back down between those meals. I’m sure I’m not describing this as scientifically as someone else could, but I know for me and my blood sugar and weight maintenance, not eating/snacking between meals is the best way to go. It’s also when I most run into trouble because I tend to want to carb load when I am (a) stressed, (b) bored, (c) have a schedule derailed by work/activities, and (d) have easy access to processed carbs like cookies and crackers and snacky foods or crave a sugared drink. 
 

OP did you proactively buy glucose monitoring tools or did your physician prescribe it? This is sort of a side question and I’m wondering about doing such myself. 

Edited August 10, 2023 by Grace Hopper

[WendyLady]

1 hour ago, hshibley said:

Ladies who fast for long periods 20+ hour periods. Are you dizzy going that long without food? Do you do strenuous exercise ie long runs during your fasts? 

I don't seem to have any issues with dizziness. Generally, any discomfort I am feeling goes away if I distract myself and have some water. I am not a runner, but I enjoy walking/jogging and I haven't noticed feeling worse with fasting. I live in the south and have been playing pickle ball almost every evening in the heat while fasting and I have been okay. I am sure it is an individual thing, though, and I'm sure having dizziness would make it really hard. I do notice that I feel better when I have more protein the day before. 

[KidsHappen]

1 hour ago, Grace Hopper said:

I am the same, it seems to have come naturally with age that I’m just not as hungry. I prefer two meals a day, I don’t feel the need for the standard breakfast-lunch-dinner. So I probably get a 12-15 hour overnight “fast” on a regular basis. A few years back I did actively IF but it was combined with intense regular exercise so I can’t say what may have had the bigger effect on weight loss. I was not monitoring glucose levels. 
 

However, a lot of people seem to think that within an IF eating window, one can eat and graze all through it. Based on my own experience and advice from my med team, even in that window there needs to be a 3-4 hour break between meals to let the insulin response happen and settle back down between those meals. I’m sure I’m not describing this as scientifically as someone else could, but I know for me and my blood sugar and weight maintenance, not eating/snacking between meals is the best way to go. It’s also when I most run into trouble because I tend to want to carb load when I am (a) stressed, (b) bored, (c) have a schedule detailed by work/activities, and (d) have easy access to processed carbs like cookies and crackers and snacky foods or crave a sugared drink. 
 

OP did you proactively buy glucose monitoring tools or did your physician prescribe it? This is sort of a side question and I’m wondering about doing such myself. 

I am not monitoring my glucose on a daily basis because my numbers are always good when we do lab work. 

For the person that asked, I don't get dizzy, weak or fatigued when I do 24 hour fasts but I do make sure to maintain adequate hydration. 

The days that I don't fast I either eat a breakfast of avocado toast, keto yogurt and a small breakfast meat in the morning and then small snack at dinner or just some v8 in the morning and a small dinner at night. 

I would like to add in some more fruits and veggies but I have a small stomach and find I can't really eat anymore than I already do.

[importswim]

On 8/9/2023 at 6:49 PM, KidsHappen said:

Thanks. I originally read two of Dr. Fung's books before deciding to start this and I don't remember him saying how long to try a certain schedule before trying a different one. The two 24 hour fast seem to be the easiest for me and I am finally seeing a little bit of loss so I think that I will stay with that for awhile. I guess I was just comparing to how incredibly fast my dd lost weight.

Yeah, comparing to others' loss will always leave me disappointed! Definitely read Gin's book or listen to her podcasts if you're interested in more info on other people's experiences. They really run the gamut even with the exact same fasting regimen based on what's going on in our individual bodies. Super weird how that works. 

[importswim]

On 8/10/2023 at 2:58 PM, hshibley said:

Ladies who fast for long periods 20+ hour periods. Are you dizzy going that long without food? Do you do strenuous exercise ie long runs during your fasts? 

No, not at all! I actually have gotten to the point where my body has adapted and sometimes if I'm distracted I can forget that I haven't eaten in a long time because I feel so good. When I was first starting out, though, I did go through a stage of a couple of weeks where the fasting was HARD and I had headaches and felt dizzy. Once my body got used to fasting and my blood sugars lowered/regulated I didn't have any issues.

I'm not a runner and so can't answer that question from a personal standpoint. I have heard others say that they prefer to run and heavy lift while they're fasting even moreso than during their eating window, but I can't personally attest to that.

[regentrude]

On 8/10/2023 at 2:58 PM, hshibley said:

Ladies who fast for long periods 20+ hour periods. Are you dizzy going that long without food? Do you do strenuous exercise ie long runs during your fasts? 

I can't even do my regular fasts (18 hours) if I have a strenuous physical activity. I sometimes forget that I must make myself eat breakfast before, and then feel ravenous and lightheaded when I do farmwork or backpacking. Gotta stop and eat.

[Laura Corin]

3 hours ago, regentrude said:

I can't even do my regular fasts (18 hours) if I have a strenuous physical activity. I sometimes forget that I must make myself eat breakfast before, and then feel ravenous and lightheaded when I do farmwork or backpacking. Gotta stop and eat.

I'm the same. If I'm heading out for a hike, I'll eat a small bowl of unsweetened muesli with fruit, nuts and plain yoghurt. I find that keeps me going really well. On other days, I only drink tea before midday. 

Edited August 15, 2023 by Laura Corin

[BeachGal]

On 8/10/2023 at 2:58 PM, hshibley said:

Ladies who fast for long periods 20+ hour periods. Are you dizzy going that long without food? Do you do strenuous exercise ie long runs during your fasts? 

Some people will do strenuous exercise at the beginning of their fast in order to increase beta hydroxybutyrate. In my old fasting group there was a runner who would run as many as seven miles even during his multi-day fasts. He supplemented with electrolytes, though.

When I first started fasting a few years ago I would get weak and dizzy occasionally but not now. It can take awhile for someone’s body to easily switch to using ketones (from stored fat) as fuel. When I fast now (starting Sunday around 5 or so, ending Tuesday around 11 or so), I will usually have hunger pangs on Monday and then by Tuesday I am not at all hungry. I don’t feel weak or dizzy at all; in fact, I feel very energized and mentally very well. Mondays I usually keep myself busy with strenuous outdoor work and finish the day with a long walk in the evening.

[eve0806]

Yes, I have been on intermittent fasting for a long time, but before that I had a lot of mistakes ( I read about them here https://betterme.world/articles/intermittent-fasting-mistakes/, ) I did not eat much during those hours when it was possible to eat and I lost my muscles because of this and then my body was decrepit, so now I am already trying to maintain my body and avoid mistakes

Edited September 26, 2023 by eve0806