Intermittent Fasting

[doddg]

12 days into my intermittent fasting (IF) diet plan this January.
Started off with the usual 36 hour fast I do the 1st of every month.
2nd day began 16/8 Intermittent fasting (IF), but limiting to liquids till breaking 210.
IF = 16 hr fasting & 8 hr TRE (time restricted eating or as I call, eating window.
I'm doing 10 am - 6 pm.

Day 1: 36 hour fast from Saturday evening to Monday morning (coffee/herb tea)
Day: 2-11 = liquids only: protein shakes, V-8 juice, buttermilk, limited fruit juices w/o added sugar
(b/c diabetic) & broths.
Day: 12 = added tuna, sardines, eggs, Canadian bacon, salsa & jalapenos since under 210.
Day 13 = will add raw veggies.
I am combining no/low carbs this January during my TRE till 200 is broken.
2 yrs ago on Optavia (1200 calorie/day), I went from 216 to 196.
On Optavia you ate 6 very small "meals" per day!
I was angry the whole month, haha!

Weight:
- Day 1: 225
- Day 12: 209
- Total loss so far: 16#

Notes:
- 1st week always better than the 2nd week where weight loss slows down.
- stuck on 214: day 5 & 6
- stuck on 211: day 8, 9 & 10

 

[thatpat451]

My wife does this, she is almost back to her high school weight. Takes alot of resolve but this has done wonders for her. I hope all you out there don't give up and keep on going. There will be set backs but keep moving forward!

 

[bwframe]

I find that if I can stay busy enough to push the fast from 16 to 24 on occasion, I can knock of 3-4ish pounds in that time period. Moving off of that plateau can sometimes motivate me to bump up exercise in the next few days to keep it off. Get me out of the chair and into the jump rope...

 

[doddg]

I find that if I can stay busy enough to push the fast from 16 to 24 on occasion, I can knock of 3-4ish pounds in that time period. Moving off of that plateau can sometimes motivate me to bump up exercise in the next few days to keep it off. Get me out of the chair and into the jump rope...

That's an awesome approach & a logical way keep weight under control by monitoring weight closely.
In the past 2 yrs, gaining 1#/mo on avg using my intervention methods of 1x/mo fasting, liquid days, denial of sugar foods and high carb foods, didn't get it done.
Portion control of healthy foods is my nemesis.
My main goal with eating is a low glycemic diet b/c of the diabetes but weight loss is a bonus, haha!

I have a long time friend who has been doing the 1 meal/day with success.
He took off 12 pounds judiciously, but more impressive to me is that he has kept it off for 3 months!

I chose the 16/8 intermittent fasting approach to couple with my fondness of a "liquids only" to start off with in January.
I thought about doing an 18/6 or manning up to the 20/24 IF.
I find that I can barely do the 16/8, haha!
Probably b/c I'm eating lean with no/low carbs when I am eating.

A big motivator me is my annual physical in February & getting my blood test after I have lost
25-30 pounds like 2 yrs ago.
Then the big battle of keeping it off starts, haha!

 

[MinuteManMike]

IF works for me. I don't miss eating 3 meals a day at all. I usually do "breakfast food" around noon and it's usually a lot of food to most people. Then I eat dinner according to how hungry I feel.

Thought I recently read your body burns calories better the earlier you eat, so I am going to try and move to an earlier breakfast and then maybe also a really early dinner.

If my lazy self would get back to lifting weights, I'd probably shed pounds easy.

 

[doddg]

IF works for me. I don't miss eating 3 meals a day at all. I usually do "breakfast food" around noon and it's usually a lot of food to most people. Then I eat dinner according to how hungry I feel.

Thought I recently read your body burns calories better the earlier you eat, so I am going to try and move to an earlier breakfast and then maybe also a really early dinner.

If my lazy self would get back to lifting weights, I'd probably shed pounds easy.

I'm 70 & I found out I couldn't out-exercise my eating as I aged, haha!
I tried, though! haha!
I like eating a decent breakfast of 4 eggs around 10-ish with turkey bacon & then supper 5-ish.
My issue is the snack of nuts and/or cheese between times, haha!

 

[MinuteManMike]

I love cheese.

 

[doddg]

I love cheese.

The wife & I discovered Havarti cheese at Costco this past year & we really love it.
Comes sliced with little holes in it.

Bought some at Sam's Club, but it came as a solid block that didn't have the same flavor.
Never bought there again.

Havarti Cheese Product Details:
Sliced
2 lbs
Brand Arla
Sliced
Weight2 lb.

 

[bwframe]

 

[doddg]

I saw that & have it saved in my YouTube Library!!!

While I'm here: I've been stuck at 206 (-19# since January 1st) for 4 days!).
2 yrs ago on Optavia (1200 calorie/day diet where you eat 5-6 times per day), I was stuck for 5 & 7 days.
At least I knew it was coming & not discouraged!

 

[chipbennett]

How did I not know this thread was here?

I lost over 100 lbs through intermittent/alternate-day fasting. Also cleared up multiple health issues related to metabolic syndrome - impending diabetes and over a decade of gout being at the top of the list. I discuss it here.

I've successfully kept it off, too. I have taken over a year being... not super-strict, just living my normal life, to prove to myself that I could keep off what I lost. Now, I'm ramping back up to lose the last bit of weight that I still need to lose.

 

[chipbennett]

Changing your diet is changing your lifestyle. If a diet works and cuts weight and the person fails to keep with it, it's not the diet that failed it's the person. People bash diets because of this "so and so failed doing it" as if that alone discredits dieting, and that is not the case. A person can relapse into unhealthy habits for any number of reasons, as with any addiction.

I'm not going to go back through 18 pages and respond to everything, but this deserves a response. It is absolutely, demonstrably false. The "diet" (high-carb, low-fat) was always the problem. "Eat less, move more" was always a failed approach, because weight gain or loss, including fat gain or loss, has next to nothing to do with "calories" and everything to do with hormonal balance (namely, insulin).

There is a reason that there are no reunion shows for The Biggest Loser.

 

[chipbennett]

Fasting will **** you up long term too. Going without food totaly or with very little food over time actualy changes your bodies chemical makeup. It's a fact. Your metabolism will slow. You will cram food and when your body gets it, it will store it in a bad way. You get fat.
Anyone who's done this is military training or a religious reason whatever, you will notice putting on weight fast. That's why.
I'm no doctor, and I do not know medical terminology but I know it's not good

Untrue. Fasting actually increases base metabolic rate, and I can cite the studies to prove it.

 

[chipbennett]

Been watching this thread for awhile. Those keto/carnivore plans end up being an elimination diet of whatever is causing a health problem and the person believes it is the final solution.

Keto can be an elimination diet, especially when the underlying issue is related to gluten and other FODMAPs. Whole 30 and strict Paleo can achieve the same end.

I can't see how it'd be healthy long term to not eat a balanced diet. Everyone is different and not one thing works for everyone, which you'd never know from all the diet crazes and My Method Only exercise programs.

Define "balanced" though? From a macronutrient perspective, the human body literally needs absolutely nothing from carbohydrate.

So, balanced nutrition requires protein and fat. But, a balanced lifestyle can and often does include carbohydrates.

As for exercise: it has myriad health benefits, but driving fat loss is not among them.

I've read a lot of differnent eating/food books the last few years and the one I always recall is the Warrior Diet, which you may be familiar with. For me it was good general guidelines and the famine and feast seems to work.

Fat seems to have been demonized by the food industry in order to sell their vast quantities of "low fat" yet highly processed foods. Some good healthy fats are essential for brain and body. Carbs are tolerated less by some individuals, including me, and homemade baked goods using flours like Bobs Red Mill are much better tolerated.

The truth is finally coming back around on this. Note that the latest USDA nutritional guidelines have dropped their strict stance on fats/saturated fats.

I've done time restricted eating for 5 years and like not eating till mid-day, some coffee in the morning, usually with an 8 hour eating window. The body does adapt and as mentioned, an elevated carb day every week or two seems to accomplish a healthy reset from the body adapting. Diabetics would need to be careful. Never give up on your goals and good luck.

Intermittent fasting and a ketogenic diet are both highly effective for diabetics - but all diabetics absolutely must consult with their doctors and only pursue such strategies under the supervision of their doctors, especially if they are taking medications and/or insulin to control the diabetes.

 

[doddg]

How did I not know this thread was here?

I lost over 100 lbs through intermittent/alternate-day fasting. Also cleared up multiple health issues related to metabolic syndrome - impending diabetes and over a decade of gout being at the top of the list. I discuss it here.

I've successfully kept it off, too. I have taken over a year being... not super-strict, just living my normal life, to prove to myself that I could keep off what I lost. Now, I'm ramping back up to lose the last bit of weight that I still need to lose.

I have been researching about IF, no sugar & less processed foods.
It is amazing the health benefits independent of weight loss that goes on when your body has a rest from food for over 12 hours (IF) & best if over 16 hours (IF).
Doing 18 (IF) or 20 hrs (IF) is not for the weak, haha!
I can barely do 16/8 IF & I'm really being strict in January, mainly focusing on low carbs & protein (tuna, chicken, eggs).

 

[doddg]

I'm not going to go back through 18 pages and respond to everything, but this deserves a response. It is absolutely, demonstrably false. The "diet" (high-carb, low-fat) was always the problem. "Eat less, move more" was always a failed approach, because weight gain or loss, including fat gain or loss, has next to nothing to do with "calories" and everything to do with hormonal balance (namely, insulin).

There is a reason that there are no reunion shows for The Biggest Loser.

In my reading, that is what the latest research is showing:
- low carbs
- more good (natural) fats
- much less processed foods

As a diabetic, the insulin production (or lack thereof) & glucose level & all that demands NOT eating frequently.

 

[chipbennett]

I have been researching about IF, no sugar & less processed foods.
It is amazing the health benefits independent of weight loss that goes on when your body has a rest from food for over 12 hours (IF) & best if over 16 hours (IF).
Doing 18 (IF) or 20 hrs (IF) is not for the weak, haha!
I can barely do 16/8 IF & I'm really being strict in January, mainly focusing on low carbs & protein (tuna, chicken, eggs).

I always advise people not to try to start with an 18 or 20 hour fasting period. In fact, I tell people just to start with eliminating snacks, and eating 3, discrete meals within a 12-hour period. Only once that adjustment is comfortable, start moving toward longer fasting periods.

I've seen way too many people fail (or, at least, struggle) related to two, specific things:

1. Trying to jump too quickly into longer fasted periods (and especially OMAD)
2. Trying to IF while maintaining an "eat less" (i.e. calorie-counting) paradigm

I follow a simple approach:

• Eat real, unprocessed foods
• Eat to satiety
• Aim for a minimum of 12 hours fasted every day (better yet, 14 hours)
• Finish eating at least 3 hours prior to going to bed
• For therapeutic purposes (weight loss, disorders, health, etc.), use a fasting strategy that you can follow, and don't beat yourself up if your strategy has to change to accommodate your life

For my own therapeutic purposes, I primarily gravitated toward ADF 3x per week. I am fully fasted Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday - generally around 38 - 42 hours. On feeding days, I roughly follow an 18:6 protocol, eating breakfast around noon, and then eating dinner by 6:00. I do this because it works best both for my family schedule (family/friend plans are always on Friday night and Saturday) and for my work/travel schedule.

I also like to experiment. I have a pretty decent idea what my optimal wine (basically the only thing I drink is dry, red wine) intake is now, for example. I know that legumes as a rule are no bueno for me, but cheese in moderation is just fine. I know that I can no longer sustain eating 3 meals a day for any duration (and I try, generally when on vacation, if for no other reason than to shake things up). I know that I can easily do longer fasts, when/if I need to. (I would still like to plan at least a yearly, week-long fast for health/longevity purposes.)

 

[chipbennett]

In my reading, that is what the latest research is showing:
- low carbs
- more good (natural) fats
- much less processed foods

As a diabetic, the insulin production (or lack thereof) & glucose level & all that demands NOT eating frequently.

If you haven't read it already, I highly recommend "The Diabetes Code" by Dr. Jason Fung.

 

[doddg]

If you haven't read it already, I highly recommend "The Diabetes Code" by Dr. Jason Fung.

I have seen him doing YouTube videos about Diabetes & just today, but forget the title.

 

[chipbennett]

I have seen him doing YouTube videos about Diabetes & just today, but forget the title.

He's pretty active on YouTube. His books "The Obesity Code" and "The Diabetes Code" were instrumental in my own weight loss. I'm now working my way through his third book, "The Cancer Code."