My original response was defending the NIH research that I thought you considered too old or was just only about young females. I thought there was a potential wider application, even though young females may be more at risk.
And binge eating can be obsessive behavior, which is what I was talking about.
This^^^. If there was conclusive proof ON HUMANS, that IF significantly increased life expectancy, and allow me to train as hard as I do now, building and maintaining muscle, then I’d switch in a heartbeat.
Thanks @IxnayBob ! There is already a thread about exercise that is supposed to be about diet too but that topic is often just overwhelmed by the exercise discussion. That’s fair. But Another thread that supposed to be about a specific diet that gets dominated by an exercise discussion? No thanks. But I’ve used IF in combination with what works for me to successfully take off more than 70 pounds and would like this to stay on topic.
I’ve lost probably 50 pounds doing IF and low-carb. I say probably, because at my peak weight, I just couldn’t deal with knowing, so I can only estimate based on my trajectory. I think it’s more. I would ordinarily be proud of having lost 50 pounds, and keeping them off (although I’d like to lose another 20 or so), but that’s been dwarfed in my mind by the health changes I’ve experienced. And, fwiw, I only lost the weight when my emphasis shifted to keeping glucose in bounds rather than making what the scale said a lower number. I don’t really “need” my continuous glucose monitor any more, but to me it’s more a life saver than thr scale is/was.
I am appreciative of this IF thread, and am learning from more experienced IFers. Thank you to all who are sharing their experience.
I also have a health-based focus, versus a number on a scale. For me, High Blood Pressure is my motivation to improve my health.
Removing stress, adding in enjoyable ways to move my body, and finding conversations and activities with positive people are Goals, right along with continuing my IF lifestyle.
For me, IF helps keep me from bingeing. It is easier for me to say no when I have a plan in place. There is no escape clause to “just eat one piece” at 11 pm, which for some of us ends up meaning “eat the rest of the cake”.
IF eating plans vary widely, and I am choosing to eat balanced percentages of the 3 macros. Slightly lower carbs, slightly higher good fats.
I am losing inches and pounds, and am confident I am regaining my health. My BP monitor tells me I am making good progress over time.
I agree that IF is not for everyone, and that sustained good health is the best goal to be working for, not just a number on the scale.
IF works better for ME than concentrating on macros. Moreover “balanced meals” were a disaster for me weight loss wise. I was ALWAYS hungry. If you are not interested in doing IF no need to chime in.
Maybe I’m a bit “over my skis,” but I think there might be some Puritanical distaste for IF because it’s too easy. Not too much willpower required. Nothing to weigh. Doesn’t cost much (arguably costs less). Nothing to count. Many proponents suggest not even weighing yourself.
I am definitely interested in the positives and negatives of intermittent fasting. I don’t need just part of the story. I am very curious if this sort of eating would be appropriate for my concerns, which are not diabetes or losing weight, but for losing body fat. I feel like I have way too much body fat, though I consistently exercise, my weight is good, and eating is reasonable. I know part of it is hereditary, part is because I’m getting old, but I want to fight it.
In fact, my first officer on this trip talked me into doing it right now. Stop eating at 8pm, and start up at noon, for a 16 hour fast. A cup of coffee is acceptable during the fast (otherwise it ain’t gonna happen). Do aerobic exercise before breaking the fast. That actually sounds pretty sustainable to me.
My question is, and I have an open mind and won’t be offended…is this going to work to help me lose body fat? Or am I wasting my time and need to go eat breakfast right now?
Maya, what you are doing is not IF - not even close. The proper term for your eating is “time-restricted feeding.” Also coupled with caloric reduction, based on what you said. As we scientists would say, your experiment is poorly controlled because you changed 2 variables at once.
@busdriver11, a 16 hour fast IMO (really, just my opinion!) is good for convincing yourself that it’s easy, and not a bad “way to live,” but I don’t think you’ll get that much from it. Start there, but add fasting time until your eating window is smaller (2-5 hours). Again, just my opinion. During the holidays, fwiw, my fasts often weren’t longer than 16 hours, but as I joked with the kids, that’s not a fast as much as “sleeping in.” ?
Once you’ve made it to noon, you’re probably over the GI upset phase, and making it to 3 or 4 (heck, go to 6) is pretty easy.
And be conscientious in getting sufficient calories of nutritious food. You’re not going for calorie restriction. In the beginning, you might actually have to keep track, but I found after a while that I had a sense of when I’d eaten sufficiently.
Thanks for the information, @IxnayBob! I don’t think I could do such a restricted window, maybe for a week, but I doubt I’d sustain that. I do too much exercise, and I like to eat. And have my glass of wine at night. I think I would end up giving up pretty quickly, I really have little willpower. I could understand why someone could maintain that schedule if their health depended upon it, though.
Just did a 30 min aerobic workout after a 15 hour fast, and found it more difficult than ever. Don’t think I’ve ever done a workout on an empty stomach before. I’d keep doing that if it actually is burning fat, but maybe it’s not doing anything useful at all.?
@busdriver11 , I am the king of lack of willpower. Honestly, if this relied on willpower, I’d still be injecting insulin. ?. Of course it takes some willpower, but if you have the gumption to do cardio, that’s tougher than this. It takes a while, maybe a month or so, before you are comfortable getting past the occasional reminder that “this is when I eat,” which in my case was 60+ years of habit forming; it would be silly to expect that a new timetable would become habitual overnight.
@busdriver11 - here is my anecdotal example (in addition to personal anecdotes of those who posted here). I know two folks without any underlying health conditions like @IxnayBob 's. They are eating one meal a day most of the time - started doing that after reading about rodent studies demonstrating that rodents on a BMR diet lived longer. These folks have been doing it for years, restricting their calories that way to probably close to just above or at their BMR. They are skinny, for sure, but I would not trust either of them to help me carry a bag of kitty litter. Those two are interesting characters and are IMO exceptions from the general rule. The folks who have had a health scare have an extra heap of motivation to keep doing whatever it takes to keep them going. IMO, if the motivation is primary for vanity purposes, it has a lot less strength.
@busdriver11 my IF experience is with 16 hours fasting/8 hours eating. From November 1 until I had knee surgery in January, I followed a nutrition based diet, eating real whole foods.
I also went GLuten, dairy, and sugar free, so those lifestyle limitations may make my fat and weight loss less an IF result, and more a diet result? I will let others more knowledgeable speak on that.
I have had to tighten my belt 4 notches. I tried not to weigh, but jumped on a few times. At least 13 pounds weight loss. But fitting into pants I have not worn in years, and feeling energized has been a positive encouragement.
I could not manage IF along with my prescription pain meds after surgery, but am slowly working back to IF.
IF (or basic time restrictions) saved me from late night binges. So even if what I am doing is not true IF, I find great value in time restriction eating.
Give the 16/8 a few days and see how it works for you. It is at least a first step. Check your measurements soon so you have something to compare over time.
Ixnay, if you’re the king, I’m the queen.? I’m also forgetful, have an irregular schedule, and am often tired. I tend to lose track or what or why I was doing something, and go back to old habits. Fortunately old habits include exercise.
The irregular work days, sometimes work nights, sometimes have access to food, sometimes not, can make eating schedules challenging. Maybe I’ll try the 16 hours (which doesn’t seem that tough) for awhile, and see how it goes.
Really, your challenges with short fasts like 16 hrs and short workouts like 30 mins are mental. New habits take weeks to form. 30 mins of exercise won't even burn your glycogen stores, this is not starvation. Those of us that stay fat with a lot of exercise are still eating too much. you can see that on any road bike route, any running route, any marathon. We are dedicated to justifying diet because of exercise and we are undoubtedly fooling ourselves LOL. I am the poster child for will do XXXX miles for cookies. We humans have big brains and unfortunately we are going to have to engage those brains.
@Sybylla, I get from your post that think that’s not enough of a fast, and enough aerobic exercise to make a difference. So the question is, how much is enough?
My goal really isn’t to lose weight (I’m 127 lbs, and not short), I am in good physical condition and I eat reasonably, most of the time. But I would like to decrease my body fat, preferably without too much torture. Maybe IF isn’t the way to do it.
