Intermittent Fasting

Trusylver

Trusylver

Sport and Exercise Coach
Staff member

What is Intermittent Fasting

“Intermittent fasting” is a way you can manipulate your eating patterns. It involves not eating for specific periods of time, with the intent to lose weight and improve health. Intermittent fasting can include anything from multi-day fasts to skipping meals a few times a week.

Pros

improving the body’s sensitivity to insulin
lowering inflammation
improving the digestive system
reducing body fat

Cons

fatigue
dizziness
low energy
trouble concentrating

If you are considering this type of diet, make sure to discuss it with your doctor. Skipping meals and severely limiting calories can be dangerous for people with certain conditions, such as diabetes. People who take medications for blood pressure or heart disease also may be more prone to electrolyte abnormalities from fasting.

Fasting Methods

The 5/2 method

In this version, you restrict your calories on two consecutive days of the week.

Pick two days of the week, such as Monday and Tuesday. On these two days, only eat 500-600 calories total.

On the other days, you can follow your regular diet.

Alternative approaches that have been studied using the 2-day approach include following a complete fast on 2 non-consecutive days.


The 16/8 method

In this version, you only eat during an eight-hour period each day.

Skip breakfast every day.
Eat only during a set 8-hour period, such as between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. You should keep this time consistent every day.
You should base these hours on when you need food for energy, such as when you’re at work and when you exercise.

Fast for the other 16 hours.


Eat-stop-eat

In this version, you fast for 24 hours at a time.

Once or twice a week, you don’t eat from dinner time to dinner time the next day. You fast for 24 hours straight. You can drink calorie-free beverages during these hours.
You can follow your normal diet the other 5 to 6 days per week.
 
Hi. I am completely new to intermittent fasting (on purpose).
If I will start with 16/8, how long do you think it will take to see some results?
 
i have been on an intermittent fast for close to 3 months now. it has been extremely effective.

starting weight... varied between 215 and 225. i made a few attempts to lose previously through increased exercise, and that got me to ~210 a few times, but it never lasted.

start intermittent fasting... i think i had two benefits here already. i was never much of a breakfast eater often putting my first meal of the day to 10-11am anyway + i am not much of a sweet eater. rarely have dessert as part of a meal. oh yeah, the other thing i did was drastically cut sugar consumption from all food. 6-8 gm/ day max.

i started basically by just ending my eating day at 8pm and not eating anything until the next morning around 10. this only lasted a few days until i got on a 6/18 schedule. start my eating window at ~11am and ending it at 5pm. in a few weeks i cut that back even farther and many days my eating window will end at ~3pm... a 4/20 schedule.

month one... definite physical change. clothes started fitting more comfortably and the belt buckle started moving in the good direction. about an 8lb weight loss, but the best part was finally breaking through that 210 barrier.

month two... things accelerated just a bit. averaged about 2.5lb loss/ week. i usually squeeze in two small meals into my eating window. i haven't given up carbs, but have, and still trying to, find ways of shifting some carb calories to fat calories. after so many years of having "LOW FAT" pounded into my head it's not an easy change.

month three... continued with the 2-2.5lb/ week loss up until last week. last week (Thanksgiving) i probably had a few 10 hour eating days, and as i approach a healthy BMI i considered my progress might slow, but this week i went back to my 4/20 schedule and hit a new low this morning. the bad news this month came a few days ago when i had my actual height measured for the first time in probably a few decades and i've shrunk a bit. my BMI jumped nearly a whole number... the old adage of "they keep moving the finishing line!" came to mind.

today... this morning i saw 189 on the scale. at my worst, maybe a year ago, i remember hearing 107kg at the doctor's office ... 236lbs. something that both made me smile and slightly horrified me the other day... when i returned home from grocery shopping i stepped on the scale holding two heavy bags... it read 225lbs. i couldn't help but think that a few months ago i was walking around everyday with the weight of those two bags.


i've got to take exception with the "cons" listed above...

1) i am rarely tired even though i only tend to sleep 6 hours at night and mix that in with a few random naps during the week (being retired it's easy to randomize my schedule).

2) i do get dizzy.... sometimes... but i had my BP checked the other day and it was 99/67. last month i was told by my doctor to stop the cholesterol lowering drug i was taking (114 last blood test), but i also think i might ask about the BP med i am still taking. other good numbers came up in my most recent Lipid Panel... triglycerides were very low and my A1C has dropped substantially.

3) low energy?... i walked down to get a newspaper a few days ago... wound up walking to the ocean... once there walked out to the end of the fishing pier... i was thinking about taking a bus back home (uphill), but discovered they stopped running Saturday buses now... round trip for an impromptu walk?... about 4 miles.

4) i'm retired so i really don't have to concentrate on anything in particular. i've always been on the forgetful side, but don't seem to misplacing my keys any more than normal.


the thing i miss sometimes is eating at night. i often eat half of something i had made the previous day, so snacking is usually a mere 2 minutes in the microwave away, but then i quaff a glass of water or make some coffee and the feeling fades. will power on a fasting diet cannot be zero, but it's never been a problem to control. one thing i do that most seem to frown upon is weigh myself at least a few times a day. i have seen it change +/- 5lbs in a single day, but i log them on a spreadsheet and when i look at a month vertically, i can see a steady drop. that has been a great encouragement.
 
The Con are only possible cons, some people have a poor reaction due to underlying medical condition or poor nutrition during meals, there is no perfect diet that fits all people, while I do support this method of weight loss, the cons are there and should still be mentioned.
 
Intermittant fasting has always helped me alot, but I think it really depends on how you get used to fasting. I noticed having low carb food decreased cravings. Combine inter fast with high fiber and protein intake. I will try the Trusylver schemes for sure!
 
Thought for the Day...
"Fasting is the best diet you will NEVER hear about."

fasting isn't about eating or drinking a miracle cure for melting away fat.
fasting isn't about doing anything... it's about NOT doing anything... it's about nothing.

there is nothing anyone can sell you.
there is no money to be made in a diet program centered around fasting.
 
for sure. ive been doing 16/8 recently as well too and feel overall better an that i can control hunger. it's helpful as a sustainable weight loss method!
 
Not sure about the fasting element in a diet, is it like the 5:2 diet? I read some stuff on Keto on this website,Spam Link Removed - is anyone able to advise if doing a Keto Style diet is a good idea?
 
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Hi, I do intermittent fasting to maintain my weight loss result and to ensure I balance my indulgent days.
It works for me, however to really lose weight I am not sure that 5:2 is enough.
 
Hi all,
I don't know if I am fasting, however, I do have 1 or 2 days replacement meals to balance indulgent week end and to maintain my weight. It works for me for a while now as I lost weight 3 years ago, and I have been able to stay on track this way. However, the last months I took some weight due to will decrease, and I am agree with you Andy it is not enough to really lose weight .
 
Hi Courtney,
absolutely right. to lose weight did you try Low carb diet long term? It works for me so far, as I have been lazy these last month and increase weight . I have 10 lbs to lose. I will start a Low carb diet from Monday to achieve it before Christmas!
 
the benefits that come from intermittent fasting, without alternate exercise (the gym), will kick in around 13-14 hours after your last ingestion of anything with calories. now in maintenance mode, i typically fast for 16 hours daily and within the other 8, eat all the food for that day. if i have breakfast at 10-11am (very early for me), i stop at ~6pm. more typically i will have breakfast at ~2pm. i could eat until 10pm, but depending on what's on the menu or how physical i might plan on being the following day, i'll often roll that stop time back an hour or two.

IF doesn't have to follow a rigid schedule, and the benefit of working even a minimal 14 hour fast into any day can be effective in weight control and your general health.
 
I am four days into a 16/8 IF. I am losing weight every day (the first week is always easy for me). I have started to notice my energy levels are a bit low in the morning, harder to wake up at my normal time.

The best thing about IF is I am thinking more about what I am eating, and it is very hard to over eat for me in an 8hr window.
 
Bflat said:
... it is very hard to over eat for me in an 8hr window.
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:iagree: + well done...!

i could suggest one other thing if you haven't already figured this out. often hard to resist the urge, but try not to overdo it with breakfast (whenever that is). when that happens to me, i find it quite difficult to get in another meal before the window closes... at best it is less enjoyable. severely cutting sugar was definitely part of my success as a combination with IF.
 
Thanks for clarification. I think I was not clear about what is exactly intermittent fasting. From my part as I was more about the 5 2 method it was quite different. As I want to lose weight before Christmas, I do follow a method I know well and that gives result for me: low carb plan. I started last Monday and already see some Results
Because I am lazy and don’t have time to cook proper low carb meal 3 times a day, I buy low carb plan with the 3 meals pack, I just need to add veggies or salad for my diner. I already have it in the past and it works, I have Pickslim products. I chose my meals , you can have pre packed bundles but I prefer to chose products I like.
 
I've been doing 16/8 since January. I have Type 2 diabetes (on meds for it but no insulin) and I've had no issues thus far with my blood sugar bottoming out. Fingers crossed.
 
Agent Jay said:
I've been doing 16/8 since January. I have Type 2 diabetes (on meds for it but no insulin) and I've had no issues thus far with my blood sugar bottoming out. Fingers crossed.
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curious whether you have discussed this with your doctor. when i mentioned to mine that i had lost the weight through IF, he didn't seem all that knowledgeable about it, though he was impressed at the results. after my last visit he did order a bunch of blood work/ labs and i got feedback that he was ok with the results. one reason i started IF was my A1C hit the 6.x point. last test it was just north of the 5.6 (i think) he said was back into the normal range.
 
overlandflyer said:
curious whether you have discussed this with your doctor. when i mentioned to mine that i had lost the weight through IF, he didn't seem all that knowledgeable about it, though he was impressed at the results. after my last visit he did order a bunch of blood work/ labs and i got feedback that he was ok with the results. one reason i started IF was my A1C hit the 6.x point. last test it was just north of the 5.6 (i think) he said was back into the normal range.
Click to expand...
I mentioned to my doctor last week that I was doing intermittent fasting because I weighed 436 in January and weighed 418 last week. He asked me what I had been doing differently. When I told him about the fasting, he acknowledged it, but neither approved nor disapproved. I had my A1C checked and it was down to 8% (used to be 12%). I'm still eating too much garbage though.
 
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