Intermittent Fasting, do you do it? (1 Viewer)

[El Caliente]

So I saw my doctor the other day (checking up on my diabetes) and she was startled by how much weight I had lost, and how good my numbers were (went from a 22 a1c to an 11, 180 glucose to 110, etc.). I mentioned that I wanted to lose more weight (I am down to 180 from 220 in January) and she recommended that I should try intermittent fasting.

She recommended reading the book “complete guide to fasting”. I will read it over the holidays when I have down time, but can someone give me a cliff notes version until I am able to read the book? What am I looking to do in terms of when do I need to fast, for how long, and are certain foods off limits when I’m not fasting?

Thanks for any insight you guys might have.

 

[SystemShock]

It's a euphemism for "skipping a meal".

 

[Clarkey]

I’ve tried it and was surprised how well it worked, despite what I thought it would be like. I went with the 16-8 approach; 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for my eating window.

(1) Drink plenty of water, and keep busy. Boredom or stress will push you into eating and breaking the fast.

(2) I’d do occasional gym/cardio sessions on an empty stomach in the morning and eat breakfast after. The need to eat before working out is a cultural myth. I didn’t collapse, nor did I get sick or become weak.

My issue is eating food after supper/dinner. There really is no need to eat; people do so out of habit, boredom or as a result of watching TV. Intermittent fasting helped me phase out these unneeded calories. I slept better, felt better and was more alert.

A lot of this is psychological, as well as breaking old habits and learning new ones. Stick with it for a few days, then a few weeks. The success will surprise you!

 

[gavinj]

Does the 4 hrs between breakfast and lunch count?

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

It’s called being poor
I don’t recommend it

 

[0rion]

Are you sure on those a1c numbers? That's exceptionally high....like the highest I've ever heard of. Even say an a1c of 13 which is pretty much at the top of the chart is a 336 average glucose.

About a month ago I had blood work done and my a1c was 10.8 (260's average) and glucose was 330's. Wake up call. Doc put me on metformin. In 3 weeks I've lost 20 pounds, started exercising, and bought a glucose meter. I check it once a week and this week my glucose was down to 114 so if I maintain that it works out to a 5.6 a1c. I cut pretty much all carbs and sugar out. It's tough to do zero carbs but I just have a few a day in vegetables and what not. No breads and no pastas anymore. I don't fast complete days but what I've done I consider pretty close to fasting haha. I'll have something small in the morning like a P3 with my pills because I tried them on an empty stomache once and regretted it. That's it until dinner then nothing else the rest of the night. Some days I can't take it and need some kind of snack so I'll eat a hand full of pork rinds. It's working so far.

 

[kcirdor]

there is a whole thread on this subject I believe... and I went from 270 to 200 last year doing IF and playing hoops and running.

The Science of Fasting

Happened upon this documentary and have worked my way up to being able to fast for 2-3 days out of the week. Initially, it was difficult to get past those 'hunger pangs', but that gets easier as you learn to just fill yourself with water until they go away.I do see the higher energy, better...

saintsreport.com

 

[kcirdor]

You shouldn't.. but you can really eat whatever the hell you want. You just have to make sure you are not over eating when you do eat.. You fast 16 hours a day.. most people start with 12 and work their way up. Drink water to help combat the hunger pangs. There are plenty of videos discussing the subject.

 

[Poison]

I do the 5:2 diet and have done since around early 2018. Basically, it's 600 calories or fewer two days per week, and (theoretically) unrestricted eating at other times. I have definitely observed that my stomach "shrinks" however, so I am not as hungry on non-fasting days. I remember the first few days I did it the hunger pangs were unbearable and I was waking up in the middle of the night. However, after a week or so they subsided, and now it's really no issue at all.

I am not really overweight, although after a month travelling around the US in November eating badly and drinking too much my girlfriend observed I had definitely put on a few pounds. I obviously didn't adhere to it on vacation but am back doing it pretty strictly now. Indeed, it's 6.30pm on Thursday evening and I have not eaten anything since dinner last night. I get by with black coffee and like to save my calories for dinner.

I haven't really had my bloodwork done as a point of comparison although I have genetically high cholesterol. Overall it seems to at least keep me around the 165lbs mark (I'm 32 and 5'9) and still enables me to go out for plenty of weekend beers/takeaway McDonald's breakfasts when the Saints are playing Monday mornings here.

 

[Saintslfc13]

I started doing intermittent fasting after reading the "Warrior Diet" by Ori Hoffmelker the summer before my senior year of high school. I lost about 75 lbs or so starting from about Spring that year and kept it off for a few years. That was all basically just with the 16-18 hour fast, cardio (mostly 3 mile jogging with some sprints when I didn't have times to get the jog in) and some a cutting program I found on ABCBodybuilding (which I believe is no longer a website). I then got complacent and got off track, had some life events not go my way and reacted poorly to them, and let myself go over the years. At some point I got back on the IF before I got sick and tired of being fat (again) and I truly think that style of IF kept myself from developing more serious issues and even more out of control weight gain, with the one caveat being that even before the IF I never really liked sweet and sugary foods so obviously that helps with craving control.

As far as the fast itself typically black coffee, unsweetened tea, and water are whats allowed, I wouldn't consider bone broth a fast breaker and I don't consider fish oil caspules (which usually come in at 9-10 cals per capsule) or most supplements to be a fast breaker with the exceptions being a protein shake and anything that's designed as a meal replacement or has a lot of fat or sugar in it. Fats themselves are debatable, for most people fat intake isn't going to spike your insulin (which is part of the point of fasting) and there are people out there who don't think of it as breaking your fast. Personally, I might consider like a tablespoon or so of coconut or MCT oil as fine (although I don't take either in that way myself) but if you're one of the people that are getting their coffee up to 400+ calories then I'd say not only did you break your fast but you might as well have eaten the 3 egg omelette instead.

Like Kcirdor said you shouldn't but if you're not overeating during your eating window then you can pretty much eat whatever you want. I don't personally follow that approach anymore, and I can tell you it's certainly possible to even gain on IF if you're really eating like a pig but I'd say what really more likely is that you'll just end up not lasting through the fast because salt can get addictive and carb burning (which is what most trash food is) leads to carb cravings which makes fasting harder. Some people combat this with planned cheat days, others go Veggie/Vegan, Primal/Paleo, or the Whole 30 route. Whilst others still go keto (which can be done whilst also adhering to those other specialized diets though I imagine a vegan ketogenic diet would be ridiculously draconian).

 

[saintmdterps]

I’ve tried it and was surprised how well it worked, despite what I thought it would be like. I went with the 16-8 approach; 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for my eating window.

(1) Drink plenty of water, and keep busy. Boredom or stress will push you into eating and breaking the fast.

(2) I’d do occasional gym/cardio sessions on an empty stomach in the morning and eat breakfast after. The need to eat before working out is a cultural myth. I didn’t collapse, nor did I get sick or become weak.

My issue is eating food after supper/dinner. There really is no need to eat; people do so out of habit, boredom or as a result of watching TV. Intermittent fasting helped me phase out these unneeded calories. I slept better, felt better and was more alert.

A lot of this is psychological, as well as breaking old habits and learning new ones. Stick with it for a few days, then a few weeks. The success will surprise you!

I've done sunrise to sunset fasts, but I'm so lame I do it this time of year due to the shorter days

I too am a snacker, and if I limit portion sizes and snacking, I usually find that extra 10 pounds of winter weight (just another reason to hate winter) will go away.

Another effect of fasting is remind me of how many times a day I think of food, and the fact that for many, fasting is not an option, it's a way of life. They have no choice.

 

[0rion]

I've done sunrise to sunset fasts, but I'm so lame I do it this time of year due to the shorter days

 

[St. Geezy]

I too have gone from about 225 to 185 this year, with a similar regimen. I usually workout on an empty stomach every other morning at home (weights and ab exercises, but not much cardio), and I drink a protein shake after that for breakfast.

For lunch, I will either have a smoothie, or I bring an apple and/or some grapes to snack on. Maybe once a week or so I'll treat myself to some quick junk food, but I try to limit that as well as limit indulging in what seems to be a weekly birthday cake at the office. Some days, if I am very busy, I can power right through lunch with no meal, but find my brain isn't as sharp when I skip altogether, so I try not to do that often.

For dinner, I crush whatever, but my wife and I tend to only prepare meals containing strictly just a protein and a vegetable most days. Every once in awhile we might indulge in some spaghetti, or red beans and rice, or even some Popeyes or pizza for a big football game, but typically, we try to stick to a protein-veggie combo like non-fried chicken and corn, steak and broccoli, etc.

I turn 40 next month, and I feel good and feel young again. Looser, less restricted, athletic again, etc. Also find myself getting second and third looks here and there from the ladies. It's an overall great feeling.

 

[Snakehead]

I have done it one day a week before, usually a Sunday into Monday. I read somewhere that hitting the 18 hours was key as that gives your body time to digest everything and essentially resets your body. It made sense and the BM after that 18 hours was normally a good one.

I am currently looking for options and this might be what I need to do. I retired from the AF effective 1 Oct 19, but I took a contracting job here in Afghanistan and arrived in the middle of August. I was already gaining some weight on terminal leave and during the move from AZ to the MS Gulf Coast, but once I arrived here I have probably put on another 15 pounds. Food variety is minimal as the German dining facility serves every bread option, cheesecake and other pastry treats for breakfast so no protein option. Lunch is extremely carb heavy with rice, noodles and potatoes with only minimal protein options and no vegetables at lunch. Dinner has some vegetables, a protein and of course the carb overload.

I think IF is probably what I need to do. I can eat dinner when I get off work so between 6-7pm and then my lunch varies, but it is between 11 and 1. That would give me and 8 hour window between 11am and 7pm to eat and would fall right in line with the 16/8 break down.

On a positive note, I have started going to the gym almost daily anywhere from 0330/0400 to 0500 which gives me enough time to get to work at 0600. Rinse and repeat everyday 6 days a week.

As I type this and about to get off my shift in about an hour, I am going to start IF tonight. Thanks for the thread and motivation.