Weight-Loss Alternate Day Fasting A Viable Weight Loss Option
- Thread starter jgreen48
- Start date
Weight-Loss
Jericho
New member
jgreen..it is and it isn't.
If you take a bit of time and do some research outside fad diets, you will see that weight loss is calories in vs calories out. This alternate fasting only works to a point if after a week you take in less calories than you burn over the week. If you are suppose to have a total of 21000 to maintain and you still over eat on the non-fasting days and take in 21010..you still gain weight.
It's not really a good method for weight loss because the best methods are those you can do for the rest of your life.
If you take a bit of time and do some research outside fad diets, you will see that weight loss is calories in vs calories out. This alternate fasting only works to a point if after a week you take in less calories than you burn over the week. If you are suppose to have a total of 21000 to maintain and you still over eat on the non-fasting days and take in 21010..you still gain weight.
It's not really a good method for weight loss because the best methods are those you can do for the rest of your life.
Jeanette401
New member
If you want to read up on it, I believe the basis of it's all explained in "Eat, Stop, Eat" ... I don't remember who by.
The reason it's good for weight loss is that for many people, if you only eat 3000 calories in the day you're eating, then it averages to 1500 calories a day, which is a 'weight loss' caloric intake for most people. I'm going to bet that although I don't have/haven't read the book, they don't recommend that you go down to a buffet on the days that you're eating. For some people even eating 5000 calories every other day might still get them fewer calories on average.
If you really are interested in the whole fasting thing, you may find you do well long term on the leangains intermittant fasting approach. It's less extreme than the every other day fast, but has some of the same benefits. Basically that you restrict the window of eating and therefore (hopefully) eat less, plus there are supposedly some advantages to fasting for more than 12 hours. Not sure if that's true, but if you like fewer big meals rather than the small 6 meals a day, it's a possibility. It's also supposed to work well with giving you a surplus right after you do weight training, but a deficit most of the rest of the time, so you could potentially gain muscle while losing weight. It seems to work well for some people, and not so well for others. YMMV.
The reason it's good for weight loss is that for many people, if you only eat 3000 calories in the day you're eating, then it averages to 1500 calories a day, which is a 'weight loss' caloric intake for most people. I'm going to bet that although I don't have/haven't read the book, they don't recommend that you go down to a buffet on the days that you're eating. For some people even eating 5000 calories every other day might still get them fewer calories on average.
If you really are interested in the whole fasting thing, you may find you do well long term on the leangains intermittant fasting approach. It's less extreme than the every other day fast, but has some of the same benefits. Basically that you restrict the window of eating and therefore (hopefully) eat less, plus there are supposedly some advantages to fasting for more than 12 hours. Not sure if that's true, but if you like fewer big meals rather than the small 6 meals a day, it's a possibility. It's also supposed to work well with giving you a surplus right after you do weight training, but a deficit most of the rest of the time, so you could potentially gain muscle while losing weight. It seems to work well for some people, and not so well for others. YMMV.
gonnaweigh105
New member
Alternate day fasting doesn't necessarily produce weight loss but it produces similar longevity effects as calorie restriction I think so it's supposed to be really good for you, just not particularly feasible in my opinion... I would get so hungry! haha
Here are some interesting medical journal articles about it:
Here are some interesting medical journal articles about it:
If your body adapts to restricted caloric intake (i.e. eating only 1,000 calories every day means that eventually you'll be burning only 1,000 calories every day), then taking a day to eat 5,000 calories could be beneficial. Right? It means your body won't adapt to the restricted caloric intake as much, if at all, and the day of fasting counteracts the excess calories from your "cheat" day.
Frankly, I'm all for it, but only for someone who is looking to lose weight quickly and temporarily, say, for a reunion or a wedding. I couldn't really recommend it for any longer than a month or two.
Frankly, I'm all for it, but only for someone who is looking to lose weight quickly and temporarily, say, for a reunion or a wedding. I couldn't really recommend it for any longer than a month or two.
Two years ago I decided to undertake a modified version of this diet. I fasted two days a week (from 6pm on the "eating day" before my fasting day until breakfast on the next "eating day" after the fast) and I lost 11 kilograms in the first few months. I was nineteen when I started the diet and I'm twenty-one now; I'd never tried to diet before.
After a year of this my weight was unchanged (apart from the initial loss). I decided to add a third day and see the result because my weight was sliding up a tiny bit, but nothing changed. I did this for a while and then decided to fast every other day. I would fast as I had been doing, from the evening of the "eating day" before fasting until breakfast on the next "eating day" after the fast.
I am still following this diet and have been for a few months, the only result being that I am gaining weight and feel unhealthy mentally and physically. I just don't know how to eat normally anymore or how to maintain my weight.
My "eating days" are much more difficult now. The fasting itself is quite easy and enjoyable, but I seem to have lost the ability to restrict how much I consume on non-fasting days. I eat too much when I do eat and feel like this diet has done me more harm than good, especially mentally, as it is now quite hard to break this routine of fasting and overeating without potentially gaining all the weight back.
As of next week I'm going to try to go back to eating regularly and hope I can find some sense of order again.
This is not to say that it's bad or that it won't work for other people; I just thought I would share this experience in case anyone is interested in this diet in the future. Sorry this was so long and boring though!
Edit: I should add that I'm not trying to lose weight anymore, just maintain what I lost; the reason I changed the diet around is that I was starting to gain and didn't know what else to do.
After a year of this my weight was unchanged (apart from the initial loss). I decided to add a third day and see the result because my weight was sliding up a tiny bit, but nothing changed. I did this for a while and then decided to fast every other day. I would fast as I had been doing, from the evening of the "eating day" before fasting until breakfast on the next "eating day" after the fast.
I am still following this diet and have been for a few months, the only result being that I am gaining weight and feel unhealthy mentally and physically. I just don't know how to eat normally anymore or how to maintain my weight.
My "eating days" are much more difficult now. The fasting itself is quite easy and enjoyable, but I seem to have lost the ability to restrict how much I consume on non-fasting days. I eat too much when I do eat and feel like this diet has done me more harm than good, especially mentally, as it is now quite hard to break this routine of fasting and overeating without potentially gaining all the weight back.
As of next week I'm going to try to go back to eating regularly and hope I can find some sense of order again.
This is not to say that it's bad or that it won't work for other people; I just thought I would share this experience in case anyone is interested in this diet in the future. Sorry this was so long and boring though!
Edit: I should add that I'm not trying to lose weight anymore, just maintain what I lost; the reason I changed the diet around is that I was starting to gain and didn't know what else to do.
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wishes
Coffee Addict
ouch that must be hard not being able to control what you eat on the off days. I find eating 6 times a day, but much smaller meals (200ish calories) makes life extremely easy to loose weight, in fact ive been rather surprised that i can now withhold eating things like cake a LOT easier than i used to.
I never had any self control before regarding things like cake, pies, etc. took a bit to get used to eating 6 smaller meals. mostly because the meals were small i never quiet felt 'full' , however i wasnt hungry either. Hot cups of tea etc helped with that though, and within 3 weeks now im just never hungry at all. I had 3 meals yesterday accidentally instead of the usual, one i plain forgot (late evening one). Another i was busy and forgot (i was cycling home when i was supposed to have it), and the third i was busy during at work.
Luckily its not a usual state of affairs to miss them, but yeah lots of small meals means your body does not think its starving and stops craving tons of odd foods at odd times so much!
I never had any self control before regarding things like cake, pies, etc. took a bit to get used to eating 6 smaller meals. mostly because the meals were small i never quiet felt 'full' , however i wasnt hungry either. Hot cups of tea etc helped with that though, and within 3 weeks now im just never hungry at all. I had 3 meals yesterday accidentally instead of the usual, one i plain forgot (late evening one). Another i was busy and forgot (i was cycling home when i was supposed to have it), and the third i was busy during at work.
Luckily its not a usual state of affairs to miss them, but yeah lots of small meals means your body does not think its starving and stops craving tons of odd foods at odd times so much!