Intermittent Fasting - anyone doing this?

[Ns1]

I'm surprised by the lack of topics on this subject, as many people I know are doing it.

I'm looking at 5:2 diet or fast-5 diet, both look appealing in their own way. Anyone here got any experiences, one way or another?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5:2_diet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast-5_Diet

 

[smackababy]

A few people have posted some stuff about it, but I think there just isn't a lot of real research yet that is being popularized. You don't see the new research showing IF isn't as bad as was previously thought.

 

[BeeBoop]

There's actually a lot of research into intermittent fasting and fasting in general but the area of IF that does not have a lot of research in is, how does it compare to a standard calorie restriction? The basic premises you can take away from IF is that eating 5 times a day does not rev up your metabolism and nor does eating breakfast boost your metabolism.


I do IF because there's some evidence to suggest that it can reverse diabetes.

 

[PenguinPower]

I've done 16/8 IF for most of my adolescent/adult life simply because I don't get hungry until around 12pm. I physically cannot eat breakfast.

 

[Kaido]

Once a month, 24 hours, no food or water. Usually on a low-energy day where I'm not outside running around.

Although I don't believe in juice cleanses or anything like that. I don't think our bodies were designed for a "detox". I just think it's good to give your body a break once in awhile.

 

[mple]

I fast between 12-20 hours. Mainly for convenience and because I prefer eating very large meals.

 

[Pantlegz]

I've found it works well for non-athletes, similar to keto type diets for non-heavy lifters. You can cut some fat while maintaining muscle mass fairly easy and you get to skip breakfast which is a huge plus for me because I'm not a morning person. Alas, I don't have the time to eat 2-3 huge meals. Mostly due to time constraints and needing energy mwf evening for BJJ but not being so stuffed I can't spar without feeling sick.

I've been reading a lot more about carb timing and trying to keep them as low as possible after working out, and in some extreme cases basically only eating them during lifting. It's amazing what something as simple as that can do to your body composition. I'm half assed following it and seeing some changes, maybe if I get the motivation/dedication to stick to it full-time for a month or 2 I'd be more willing to suggest it, but it's something to look into if you're more of an athlete and not just looking to make body comp changes without regard for performance.

 

[Ns1]

I think I'll gear up and try the 5/2 diet. I don't think I can make fast-5 work - I'm just too goddamn hungry all the time.

Will report back.

 

[Druidx]

I did IF for 12 weeks and lost around 15lbs without any other changes. It was easier to plan meals and count calories when it's only 2 meals plus a snack. I think IF is another possibility people can try to see what works for them. One nice benefit was getting to stuff yourself as some meals without having to worry about killing your diet.

While I don't do IF any more I still do a 24 hr fast every 3-4 weeks just as a reminder than I don't need to eat all the time and to watch what I eat.
Most peoples eating habits are just that a habit, not becuase they are actually hungry.
When I fast, I rarely feel hungry but I crave food the same way I craved a cig when I quit smoking.

 

[Koing]

I did IF for 12 weeks and lost around 15lbs without any other changes. It was easier to plan meals and count calories when it's only 2 meals plus a snack. I think IF is another possibility people can try to see what works for them. One nice benefit was getting to stuff yourself as some meals without having to worry about killing your diet.

While I don't do IF any more I still do a 24 hr fast every 3-4 weeks just as a reminder than I don't need to eat all the time and to watch what I eat.
Most peoples eating habits are just that a habit, not becuase they are actually hungry.
When I fast, I rarely feel hungry but I crave food the same way I craved a cig when I quit smoking.

Do you think you ate less on IF? Just wondering.

A friend had some good results on IF but I don't really do it. I'll eat 2.5-3x a day but sometimes I'll wait a few hrs after I've woken up as I'm generally not as hungry in the morning as soon as I've woken up. I get hungrier in the evenings so the less time in the day I can eat the better. But I'm also dropping overall cals as well which is the main cause of my fat loss as I definitely don't do 16hrs without food!

Koing

 

[smackababy]

How does one eat 2 and a half times per day? I have never only half eaten. >_> Maybe just put the food in your mouth and spit it back out?

 

[Druidx]

Do you think you ate less on IF? Just wondering.

A friend had some good results on IF but I don't really do it. I'll eat 2.5-3x a day but sometimes I'll wait a few hrs after I've woken up as I'm generally not as hungry in the morning as soon as I've woken up. I get hungrier in the evenings so the less time in the day I can eat the better. But I'm also dropping overall cals as well which is the main cause of my fat loss as I definitely don't do 16hrs without food!

Koing

I think I ate a little less because it completely cut out any snacking besides what I planned on. There was no snacks in the evening because my fast started when I finished dinner, that was the only way I could work a long enough fast (14hrs) into my scheduled lunch at work.

Martin Berkhan information on the leangains site was great. Berkhan did a fantastic job destroying the myths surrounding needing to eat 6 small meals to keep your metabolism up, etc...
I got a lot of laughs reading other sites where they would dismiss IF and Berkhan, claiming he was disregarding all the science that said the opposite. When the truth is Berkhan was the only one linking to actual studies that support his claims. I liked that Berkham was also honest enough to say do whatever works for you, IF is not a magic bullet.

 

[Koing]

How does one eat 2 and a half times per day? I have never only half eaten. >_> Maybe just put the food in your mouth and spit it back out?

Half a meal size, not really a full meal . This is for pre training. Should have phrased it as meal sizes and not frequency.

Koing

 

[Koing]

I think I ate a little less because it completely cut out any snacking besides what I planned on. There was no snacks in the evening because my fast started when I finished dinner, that was the only way I could work a long enough fast (14hrs) into my scheduled lunch at work.

Martin Berkhan information on the leangains site was great. Berkhan did a fantastic job destroying the myths surrounding needing to eat 6 small meals to keep your metabolism up, etc...
I got a lot of laughs reading other sites where they would dismiss IF and Berkhan, claiming he was disregarding all the science that said the opposite. When the truth is Berkhan was the only one linking to actual studies that support his claims. I liked that Berkham was also honest enough to say do whatever works for you, IF is not a magic bullet.

I see.

Cutting out snacking completely is a HUGE THING to do Great job.

Looks like IF helped you do that so great job. Snacking calories are also usually very dense as well.

Koing

 

[KidNiki1]

I think I'll gear up and try the 5/2 diet. I don't think I can make fast-5 work - I'm just too goddamn hungry all the time.

Will report back.

i have done this, and it's actually pretty easy to do. i did my regular calorie count every day except tues and thurs, where i ate between 500-600 calories. and i while i am not going to say i never felt hungry on the low cal days, i was still able to plan it pretty well to get a lot out of those 500 calories (veggies veggies veggies!). and on the non-low cal days, i never found myself feeling the urge to super stuff myself or anything either.

the main reason i haven't gotten back into it is i suck at meal planning and trying to put together a good low cal day takes a little bit of planning a day or two before.

good luck!

 

[Druidx]

I guess I should add in I didn't follow the calorie cycling from lean gains, just the fasting timeline. I usually ate about the same amount of calories each day. I tend to keep a closer eye on my ratios then overall calories.

 

[The Sauce]

I do a 36 hour fast about once a week. I was close to ideal weight but it helped me drop the last 10. My workouts were fine on it, maybe better. I did not lose any strength. I continue to do it because it helps me to focus and discipline myself and keep from sliding back into bad eating habits.

 

[Coldfusion]

I do it all the time.

Leangains.com is a good resource on IF.

 

[ed7walsh]

I generally try to take in calories only during my last 4 hours awake, seven days a week. A lot of weight loss information just suggests the "scientific" basis for why this or that will work for you without giving you any realistic projection of how you can expect your weight to vary. I did a 2-year case study with daily weight measurements that showed an exponential loss of excess fat, resulting in an ideal weight (BMI of 23), even with all kinds of disruptions. I used that data and some medical studies to generate graphs of how anyone could expect their weight to vary, depending on the amount of excess fat they started with. Check out LOSING WEIGHT IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE at amazon.com.

 

[TheDarkKnight]

Once a month, 24 hours, no food or water. Usually on a low-energy day where I'm not outside running around.

Although I don't believe in juice cleanses or anything like that. I don't think our bodies were designed for a "detox". I just think it's good to give your body a break once in awhile.

You don't think our bodies were designed for a detox? What does that mean exactly? Our bodies were not designed to eat half of the junk we put in it, on it, and around it. The body is alive and it generally uses what it needs and gets rid of what it doesn't. Some people who have abused their bodies for years need to detox. Toxins are stored in fat cells in the body. I am no expert on the human body but your statement sounds completely wacky. As in whacko Jacko whacky. "No Offense".