Intermittent Fasting and healthy eating

urbanlegend11

Intermittent Fasting. Who has heard of it? Who is doing it? What are people's views on the subject ?

Ive been on IF for over 2 years and I personally think it is the best eating program/lifestyle that is enjoyable and sustainable long term. Without going into the finer details I fast from 7pm until 11am the following day and then have an eating window of 8 hours. In a nutshell is basically skipping breakfast which allowed for bigger satiating meals in the 8 hours window rather than reducing calories with smaller meals.

Ive never felt better. Lost body fat and gained lean muscle.

benten69

urbanlegend11 wrote: »

In a nutshell is basically skipping breakfast which allowed for bigger satiating meals in the 8 hours window rather than reducing calories with smaller meals.

That in itself is not a good idea. It's well proven that you should eat several small meals throughout the day rather then 2 or 3 big ones. Look at any professional athlete who had a nutritionist to tell them what to eat. You'll never see them skipping breakfast in order to have 2 large meals instead and for good reason.

fairy_lights

benten69 wrote: »

That in itself is not a good idea. It's well proven that you should eat several small meals throughout the day rather then 2 or 3 big ones.

No it's not.

kathrynha

I've done intermittent fasting before, pretty much same as how you are doing it. I like it, but don't seem to have managed to get back in to it since holiday.

There have been lots of studies about different eating patterns and diets, and although some are definitely not good for anyone, most are good and work for people. It's finding the best one for you.


If you do an active job then IF probably isn't that good, but for a more sedentary lifestyle I think it's fine, and actually fits better with how humans used to eat.

Angry_Bear

I've been intermittent fasting (5:2 for me) for probably 4 years now. Originally it was too lose weight, and that was really successful. But I also just feel great with this as my standard diet and plan to keep it up forever (unless there is some proper research that shows it has negative effects).
Getting to the point of feeling actual hunger rather than eating out of habit was a real eye opener for me.

And for the record, I still exercise and cycle to work as usual on my fasting days.

Toothsmith

benten69 wrote: »

That in itself is not a good idea. It's well proven that you should eat several small meals throughout the day rather then 2 or 3 big ones. Look at any professional athlete who had a nutritionist to tell them what to eat. You'll never see them skipping breakfast in order to have 2 large meals instead and for good reason.

And that can be disastrous for your teeth.

Athletes often have terrible teeth for just that reason.

FBaby

ha ha, I didn't know it has an official name! This is what I've done for some time and definitely what works for me. The less I eat, the less I crave food. Most of the advice (including proper medical advice) is that to have a balance diet, one should eat a proper breakfast.

I am not challenging the expert advice but it just doesn't work for ME. I feel much more alert and perform better, physically and mentally, when I don't have anything in my stomach, and that is a fact for ME.

I remember reading an article from a GP in the states who was trying to demonstrate that the idea that our body needs to eat regularly was a fallacy and that our body could regulate intake of food for much longer.

People have told me that they can't skip breakfast or go that long without eating because their blood sugar go down. My MIL in diabetic, so I asked if I could use her machine and got some strips. I tested three times a day for a week and my blood sugar was perfectly stable around 6, that included an hour after eating, or when I hadn't eaten for 10 hours and even after a 10k run (without eating before).

One thing is sure, if I feel as good as I do and have been able to run half marathon distance breaking my record, I must be fine so will continue with it.

System

I began last September and have lost 4 stone so far. For me it has become a lifestyle and I enjoy it. I barely notice it anymore.

PasturesNew

I prefer my method: Think about pies every day ... eat one just a few times a year

I weigh 8 stone 7 before anybody nods and thinks "bet she's a biggun"

I stick to a regime of eating what I like the look of - but keeping at the back of my head that more than 1000 calories/day means I grow. I don't look at other things/values etc, I can see/understand calories, so I stick with what I know.

thriftylass

Just do what works for you. DH does IF it seems as he doesn't snack, just lunch and dinner (his teeth are poorly). I on the other hand am a grazer, eating all the time small portions and breakfast (with good teeth btw). Both a healthy BMI and fit.

Bottom line, choose what works for you

FBaby

Bottom line, choose what works for you

That is exactly what it comes down to. OH and I have very different eating habits too yet maintain our weight our way. He couldn't go without breakfast as he would be starving by 11am. I am starving at 11am when I've had breakfast before! It seems that the moment I have food, my brain is asking for more. If I don't, it shuts down and I don't want any.

We're all different and should spend more energy in working out what is right for us than listening to all the advice on the one 'true' method we keep hearing about all the time.