Intermittent fasting

Clrwtrdlbud71-fl

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deleted924715

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OP, I learned about intermittent fasting years ago here:

Leangains.com

There's a lot of info out there now, but that was my first resource.

I struggled a bit at first with low energy but my partner had no problems. I've read since that IF effects men and women differently
 

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For me it begins with 12-16 hours a day without food which is evening + overnight and usually no breakfast.

I used to fast one day a week as part of my yoga practice but now it's every other week.

Fasting isn't about vanity, calorie counting or losing weight for me. It's about mind/body awareness.
 

twoton

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I tried IF, went several days in a row with 12+ hour fasts. The longest was the final day, when I went about 14.5 hours.

To be honest I didn’t notice changes. Well, maybe a slight decrease in my belly pad, and my weight was down about 2-3 pounds.

I was hoping to have a different experience in terms of mental clarity and energy but there wasn’t one. Maybe 12-14 hours isn’t long enough.

I’d done some reading and found out that people who are really into it fast for 2, 3 even 4 days at a time. Not sure I want to go that extreme, or even if it would be healthy for me.
 

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I've done it a few times in about 6 month intervals. When I started I did it 3 days a week and I wouldn't eat until my normal dinner time, which usually meant fasting for 20-24 hours. It was very difficult at first but got a lot easier once I got used to denying my hunger.

Eventually I was able to make it a daily process, or at least 5 of 7 days a week. I noticed that I was able to focus better and I felt more driven. Not eating all day became easy and it made the meal at the end of the day much more satisfying, though I found I had to eat less because the capacity of my stomach seemed to be reduced.

I did do it partly to lose weight in combination with some other things like quitting all alcohol consumption, and I was able to lose a lot of weight in a 6 months period. I took a break from that for about 6 months and then started again and was once again able to lose a significant amount of extra fat. All together I lost in the area of 50-60 pounds during the two 6 month sessions. Though, quitting drinking had a significant effect as well.

I wouldn't advise fasting for several days in a row. I'm sure you can do it, but you'll lose the mental benefits if you go that long and will probably actually have an effect in the opposite direction. Just like when you first start fasting, you will probably be almost obsessive about food. There are plenty of reasons not to go days without food that I don't think we need to go into here. I find the 20-24 hour fasting to be about the limit of what you should do with any routine.
 
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deleted924715

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I tried IF, went several days in a row with 12+ hour fasts. The longest was the final day, when I went about 14.5 hours.

To be honest I didn’t notice changes. Well, maybe a slight decrease in my belly pad, and my weight was down about 2-3 pounds.

I was hoping to have a different experience in terms of mental clarity and energy but there wasn’t one. Maybe 12-14 hours isn’t long enough.

I’d done some reading and found out that people who are really into it fast for 2, 3 even 4 days at a time. Not sure I want to go that extreme, or even if it would be healthy for me.

I remember reading ages ago that the other benefits of fasting don't kick in until around the 16 hour mark - but I can't remember where I read it, so not exactly reliable
 

twoton

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Two questions:
1. Can I have a small latte or does the milk violate the fast?
2. Why don't Muslims benefit from the fasting of Ramadan? I worked with a young Muslim guy who spent Ramadan being miserable with exhaustion and headaches. He didn't seem to lose weight or body fat.
 
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Two questions:
1. Can I have a small latte or does the milk violate the fast?
2. Why don't Muslims benefit from the fasting of Ramadan? I worked with a young Muslim guy who spent Ramadan being miserable with exhaustion and headaches. He didn't seem to lose weight or body fat.

1. No lattes, no milk. Nothing but water while you are fasting, no exceptions. Anything with caloric value and you aren't fasting.

2. I believe that during the fasting for Ramadan there is no eating during the day, but you basically have a feast at night. If you are feasting after getting as hungry as you will be for the first few days then you can easily eat as many or more calories as you would during a normal day. Ultimately, weight loss requires calorie reduction and nothing more, fasting is really just a way to help boost the effects. I also think that if you feast at night, then you're basically making every day like the first day of fasting. You don't get over the exhaustion and headaches until you let your body acclimate to the fasting.

When I was describing this in my earlier post, I may not have been too specific about it, probably because I don't really count calories. In order for this to work you still have to reduce calories, that is the only way to lose weight. For the average person it is nearly impossible to exercise enough to counteract the calories you consume in a day.

At the end of a day of fasting, I eat a regular dinner, maybe slightly larger than normal. However, it is still a net decrease in calories consumed during the day. If you consume as many calories after fasting as you would on a non-fasting day then you will be undoing any progress you might have made, will probably get a stomach and, and will make the next day of fasting even more difficult.
 
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I have been doing this for about 1 year now. I find it can be hard to do but worth it. I have a clearer mind and my recover time is faster I am 31 years old if that helps as well. I personally do it form around 8-9pm to 11-1PM the next day. For generally 14-16 hours depending on how I feel. The nice thing is it kicks your body into a bit of a Ketosis state and helps burn fat.
 

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I know this is bordering on necrothreading, but how are things going twoton?

I’ve started, and I’m almost in the swing of it. I’m right around 15 hours fasting, and shifting to nutritarian for the feeding window. I’ve got a bit more energy, and as long as I’m mindful of what and how much is going in during feeding hours, I see bloat reduction and I’ve lost a few pounds.
My goal is settling down with my insulin levels.
 
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twoton

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I know this is bordering on necrothreading, but how are things going twoton?

I’ve started, and I’m almost in the swing of it. I’m right around 15 hours fasting, and shifting to nutritarian for the feeding window. I’ve got a bit more energy, and as long as I’m mindful of what and how much is going in during feeding hours, I see bloat reduction and I’ve lost a few pounds.
My goal is settling down with my insulin levels.


I hadn’t been consistent enough to know if it makes a difference and kind of stopped. And wow—I had no idea it was back in December! Thanks for bringing it up again because it’s a reminder that I should really try it again.

I’ve been tracking everyday with MyFitnessPal to measure nutrition. Putting the two together, I.F. and MyFitnessPal would be the way to go for me.
 

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I hadn’t been consistent enough to know if it makes a difference and kind of stopped. And wow—I had no idea it was back in December! Thanks for bringing it up again because it’s a reminder that I should really try it again.

I’ve been tracking everyday with MyFitnessPal to measure nutrition. Putting the two together, I.F. and MyFitnessPal would be the way to go for me.
Happy to poke you in the motivation.