Intermittent Fasting, Yes it Works

[tulak]

But maybe you should investigate your fasting blood insulin, A1C, etc. instead of arguing how it couldn’t be working that way. If you really want to understand what happens physiologically, you need to read material by Dr Fung, etc.

Sorry, I didn't intend my post to sound argumentative. It wasn't at all intended that way, it's more me trying to understand what's happening and you are completely right, I need to read up on the physiology.

I'm only shocked that my BP is noticeably lower. This leads me to believe that IF is helping more than limiting carbs. In the past, I've tried limiting sodium/carb intake, etc, but was never able to lower my BP.

Evidently, I didn't try hard enough!

 

[audreyh1]

In your case, if you ate grains and legumes previously, I think you are benefiting from both lower carb and IF.

Initially on keto my not high blood pressure dropped suddenly for a while (below 100, even had to be careful with getting up quickly), before stabilizing in the 105-115 range - lower than previously. I was not doing IF.

 

[Big_Hitter]

so I'm down to about what I weighed in high school, maybe about 5 pounds heavier.

I think I've lost about 35 pounds since the pandemic, just carrying my clubs on the front 9, about 4 days a week, and not eating, regardless of whether I golf or not, until after 2pm. I do not eat after 10 pm.

 

[JP.mpls]

COCheeswhead,
Does having coffee with cream in the morning break the fast?

I have no problem skipping breakfast, but I sure like having cream in my coffee.

JP

I am about 3 months + into a 16/8. I find it very easy. There have only been 2-3 occasions over that time period where it didn’t work because of social engagements or travel.

I haven’t changed my workouts or much else. I just don’t eat breakfast and I don’t eat after 7-8pm.

 

[rkser]

Need help to solve

I DO NOT want to loose any more weight, I never thought I would be saying this, but here is where I am at today.

Long story short, my goal weight was 140 lbs, lost a couple more & my weight now is 138, want to learn how to stop loosing any more ?.

I & DW are both on 18/6 on Intermittent Fasting since about 6 month now.

I am 5' 5", I started at 162 Lbs (BMI of 26.5) & am now at 138 Lbs( BMI of 23) i.e lost 24 lbs in 6 months.

My fancy scale now shows the main Body Fat of 18.9% & a Muscle Mass of 106.8 lbs.(It gives some other numbers too)

- I am a vegetarian but eat Eggs (+ Diary), an Asian Indian American with smaller bone structure, no alcohol intake, on Meds for Diabetes (A1c has long been normal) High Cholesterol & Triglycerides.

- My main meal is my Lunch at 1 PM & a Light Dinner is at 7.

I eat around 1500 cal a day trying to maintain my basal metabolic energy expenditure.
I try to keep my Carbohydrates for the day around +- 100 gms (My fitness pal) I take in some fats in way of Butter, Ghee & eat some cheese & a Fruit at 4 daily. I know no keto here, but try not to over do carbs.

DW has another 50 odd lbs more to lose, so I do not want to disturb our 18/6 regimen.

Given my details above I will be very thankful for any ideas/suggestions in maintaining my weight.

 

[COcheesehead]

COCheeswhead,
Does having coffee with cream in the morning break the fast?

I have no problem skipping breakfast, but I sure like having cream in my coffee.

JP

My understanding is anything with calories will break the fast. So if you can find a zero calorie creamer, you might be good.

 

[Rianne]

I DO NOT want to loose any more weight, I never thought I would be saying this, but here is where I am at today.

Long story short, my goal weight was 140 lbs, lost a couple more & my weight now is 138, want to learn how to stop loosing any more ?.

I & DW are both on 18/6 on Intermittent Fasting since about 6 month now.

I am 5' 5", I started at 162 Lbs (BMI of 26.5) & am now at 138 Lbs( BMI of 23) i.e lost 24 lbs in 6 months.

My fancy scale now shows the main Body Fat of 18.9% & a Muscle Mass of 106.8 lbs.(It gives some other numbers too)

- I am a vegetarian but eat Eggs (+ Diary), an Asian Indian American with smaller bone structure, no alcohol intake, on Meds for Diabetes (A1c has long been normal) High Cholesterol & Triglycerides.

- My main meal is my Lunch at 1 PM & a Light Dinner is at 7.

I eat around 1500 cal a day trying to maintain my basal metabolic energy expenditure.
I try to keep my Carbohydrates for the day around +- 100 gms (My fitness pal) I take in some fats in way of Butter, Ghee & eat some cheese & a Fruit at 4 daily. I know no keto here, but try not to over do carbs.

DW has another 50 odd lbs more to lose, so I do not want to disturb our 18/6 regimen.

Given my details above I will be very thankful for any ideas/suggestions in maintaining my weight.

I can share what I do, I've been the same weight for the last 2 years...within 2 lb either way.

I weigh myself every morning at the same time 6:30-7:00 a.m.
If I'm up/down 2 lbs. I think about what I ate yesterday. Fiber is a big part of my diet. All fruits (except pineapple or oranges, use common sense) veggies keep the skin. I always see a change when I've had bread, pasta, ice cream but only a lb or a fraction of a pound. I eat nuts and seeds daily. Meat, not so much, very little. Once my big meal is complete @ 2-2:30 I'm done eating for the day until 6:30-7:00 the next morning. I maintain the 16/8 pretty well.

I can always gauge from what I ate the day before. Lots of water of course.

 

[SilentWalker]

I started keto & 19/5 intermittent fast combination about three weeks ago. The weight dropped nearly 10 lbs during the first week, but after that I have been gaining couple of lbs back. Wondering what should I change to restart the weight loss? Some facts for background:

- Male 55, obese for the past 20 years. Tried various weight loss diets but only achieved nothing but short term weight swings. Currently 234 lbs, target 174 lbs.
- Several health issues that could be improved by a weight loss (heart, cholesterol, sleep apnea, pre-diabetes, etc.)
- I eat two meals at 3 pm and 7 pm. Zero sugars, zero fruit, no grains or other starches, only above ground vegetables. Meals consist of fatty meats and fish, low carb dairy products and low carb vegetables.
- Random tests with ketosis strips show moderate to high ketones in my urine.
- Started taking psyllum husk capsules to keep my digestion from slowing down with keto.
- Physical activities: daily short bike rides and other outdoor activities with my kids.

So, what might be a problem? What should I try to change? Considering that I now eat much smaller quantities every day than before I should be continuously losing weight at this point. Or is it really just a matter of calories? Am I actually getting the same calories than before due to much higher fat content in my food? My physical activity is pretty light, but I don't have time to add to it right now and in any case the consumed calorie impact would be pretty minor.

Any suggestions? Especially from people who started as obese?

 

[COcheesehead]

I started keto & 19/5 intermittent fast combination about three weeks ago. The weight dropped nearly 10 lbs during the first week, but after that I have been gaining couple of lbs back. Wondering what should I change to restart the weight loss? Some facts for background:

- Male 55, obese for the past 20 years. Tried various weight loss diets but only achieved nothing but short term weight swings. Currently 234 lbs, target 174 lbs.
- Several health issues that could be improved by a weight loss (heart, cholesterol, sleep apnea, pre-diabetes, etc.)
- I eat two meals at 3 pm and 7 pm. Zero sugars, zero fruit, no grains or other starches, only above ground vegetables. Meals consist of fatty meats and fish, low carb dairy products and low carb vegetables.
- Random tests with ketosis strips show moderate to high ketones in my urine.
- Started taking psyllum husk capsules to keep my digestion from slowing down with keto.
- Physical activities: daily short bike rides and other outdoor activities with my kids.

So, what might be a problem? What should I try to change? Considering that I now eat much smaller quantities every day than before I should be continuously losing weight at this point. Or is it really just a matter of calories? Am I actually getting the same calories than before due to much higher fat content in my food? My physical activity is pretty light, but I don't have time to add to it right now and in any case the consumed calorie impact would be pretty minor.

Any suggestions? Especially from people who started as obese?

I would think it’s related to your calorie burn. Short bike rides may only burn a 100 calories. I would try for at least an hour a day of some sort of physical activity.

I listened to a podcast from a panel of doctors related to insulin issues, diabetes and prediabetes and they all agreed that the one thing you can do to improve your health is exercise.

 

[VungTau]

I have never been obese but thought I would share a few ideas - walk whenever you can to stores, dentist, etc. or ride your bike. Always take the stairs at buildings, subway stations (my favorite), work. Park the car a little farther from your destination even at the far end of the parking lot at the mall and walk around the block once or twice before you go in. I do 100 pushups and situps everyday. Doesn't take long but really gives me strength. Start with 10 or 20 and build it up over time. The hard part is getting in the habit but it can be done. These ideas will save you a little money, cost nothing, help the environment and are good for you!

 

[SilentWalker]

I would think it’s related to your calorie burn. Short bike rides may only burn a 100 calories. I would try for at least an hour a day of some sort of physical activity.

I listened to a podcast from a panel of doctors related to insulin issues, diabetes and prediabetes and they all agreed that the one thing you can do to improve your health is exercise.

With 11 hour work days I really can not find more time for exercise except weekends (which I will be doing). During the week I spend 60 to 90 minutes every evening playing sports with my young son. Biking, shooting hoops, batting practices, kicking soccer ball, etc. Does not really break the sweat for me but at least it is physical movement.

I have now moved to 20/4 IF and reduced portion sizes, especially for meat. My morning weight is still going up. The past few days 0.5 lbs per day. I passionately hate the idea of having to weigh all my food and counting calories, but I guess I have to do it for a while to see if I am still getting too many calories. Food is my work and I have lots of training in food composition and nutrition, but trying to get 70% of my calories from fat is so novel thing for me that I find it very challenging to figure out the calories with typical rules of thumb/eyeballing tricks now after moving to higher fat foods.

Not sure if I have any question here. Just wanted to share my struggles. For some reason I was under impression that when starting 60 lbs overweight and 30+ over obesity limit the early weight loss would be a lot easier with this diet.

 

[Rianne]

I have now moved to 20/4 IF and reduced portion sizes, especially for meat. My morning weight is still going up. The past few days 0.5 lbs per day. I passionately hate the idea of having to weigh all my food and counting calories, but I guess I have to do it for a while to see if I am still getting too many calories. Food is my work and I have lots of training in food composition and nutrition, but trying to get 70% of my calories from fat is so novel thing for me that I find it very challenging to figure out the calories with typical rules of thumb/eyeballing tricks now after moving to higher fat foods.

I'm 5'4" 131 lbs. There was a time in my life when I was 200+ lbs. Health issues drove the incessant eating and I stayed that way for @ 5 years. My current weight has been stable for over 8 years. I believe portion control and the right calories drive stability. I practice the 16/8 IF but just started that a couple of years ago. I eat potato chips, ice cream, pie but sparingly. I focus on vegetables, fruit, grains (fiber), beans and very little meat. A serving of ice cream is 1/2 cup and 2 oz. of potato chips is a serving. It's hard to turn off binging but once I figured that out, the weight melted off.

 

[Andromeda]

With 11 hour work days I really can not find more time for exercise except weekends (which I will be doing). During the week I spend 60 to 90 minutes every evening playing sports with my young son. Biking, shooting hoops, batting practices, kicking soccer ball, etc. Does not really break the sweat for me but at least it is physical movement.

What's your workday like (at a desk, with others, moving around, standing, etc)? The reason I ask is that I'm working 10-12 hour days, too - at home these days because of the pandemic. When we shifted to working from home, I decided that I'd take the opportunity to get more activity into my day and to eat better, as well. I started by just moving for 10 minutes every two hours by pacing around our house. Then I started walking on the treadmill in our basement for that 10-minute period, which has now stretched into 15 minutes every two hours during the workday.

I've discovered that I feel more energetic and refreshed when I get back to work - and I've been losing weight and feel motivated to eat better. I lost 20 pounds in about 2.5 months and have kept it off so far.

My goal, when we go back to the office, is to keep up a similar pattern, although I think I'll have do fewer of them during the business day in order to minimize time in elevators etc. Maybe 15 minutes before work, 15 minutes after work, and two other sessions during the work day.

 

[SilentWalker]

What's your workday like (at a desk, with others, moving around, standing, etc)? The reason I ask is that I'm working 10-12 hour days, too - at home these days because of the pandemic. When we shifted to working from home, I decided that I'd take the opportunity to get more activity into my day and to eat better, as well. I started by just moving for 10 minutes every two hours by pacing around our house. Then I started walking on the treadmill in our basement for that 10-minute period, which has now stretched into 15 minutes every two hours during the workday.

I'm working from home as well. Back in the office I got some 5000 steps per day just from walking from meeting to another one. Now everything is video conferences which actually fits much better to me personally, but no walking. I actually do some short (0.5 mi) walks for a break or just go play Frisbee with my son for 20 minutes, so I have a little bit of that already going too. Again, just nothing that really consumes significant calories. Unfortunately I don't have space for a treadmill right now. Otherwise that would a great option as I could actually walk through some of my meetings.

 

[SilentWalker]

I'm 5'4" 131 lbs. There was a time in my life when I was 200+ lbs. Health issues drove the incessant eating and I stayed that way for @ 5 years. My current weight has been stable for over 8 years. I believe portion control and the right calories drive stability. I practice the 16/8 IF but just started that a couple of years ago. I eat potato chips, ice cream, pie but sparingly. I focus on vegetables, fruit, grains (fiber), beans and very little meat. A serving of ice cream is 1/2 cup and 2 oz. of potato chips is a serving. It's hard to turn off binging but once I figured that out, the weight melted off.

I have only been on this diet for a bit over three weeks now and I have been extremely careful about not breaking any "rules". Two moderate size meals, in the beginning and at the end of my 4-5 hour eating period or alternatively one big and one small meal. And zero snacks in between the meals. Definitely no binge eating as I already fill up nicely with my regular meal that is 75% vegetables.

I just learned from some website today that in regular keto diet also eating too little can stop the weight loss. That is obviously complete opposite to what typical human nutritionists would know. Go figure.

 

[bobbyr]

I have only been on this diet for a bit over three weeks now and I have been extremely careful about not breaking any "rules". Two moderate size meals, in the beginning and at the end of my 4-5 hour eating period or alternatively one big and one small meal. And zero snacks in between the meals. Definitely no binge eating as I already fill up nicely with my regular meal that is 75% vegetables.

I just learned from some website today that in regular keto diet also eating too little can stop the weight loss. That is obviously complete opposite to what typical human nutritionists would know. Go figure.

we follow the 21 day bone broth diet (with a 5/2 fast schedule)...the author pushes a keto diet when not fasting and there is portion talk about proteins and fruit, but not about veggies. She says eat to your hearts content (of the right stuff). The fast days are bone broth only until a light dinner. The broth is pretty good and does wonders for our skin. Also no alchohol unless on maintenance phase.

My amateur advice is to expand your eating time from 4-5 hrs to 8 hrs and have healthy snacks if you are hungry (lean meat, veggies). I cook chicken or filet to have available with some veggies when i am hungry. On her diet, we aren't hungry too often. Lost 50 pounds 2 yrs ago and doing maintenance plan now.

 

[SilentWalker]

we follow the 21 day bone broth diet (with a 5/2 fast schedule)...the author pushes a keto diet when not fasting and there is portion talk about proteins and fruit, but not about veggies. She says eat to your hearts content (of the right stuff). The fast days are bone broth only until a light dinner. The broth is pretty good and does wonders for our skin. Also no alchohol unless on maintenance phase.

My amateur advice is to expand your eating time from 4-5 hrs to 8 hrs and have healthy snacks if you are hungry (lean meat, veggies). I cook chicken or filet to have available with some veggies when i am hungry. On her diet, we aren't hungry too often. Lost 50 pounds 2 yrs ago and doing maintenance plan now.

It seems I was actually eating too much lean protein. It is important part of the keto diet to get 70% of the calories from fat and too much protein can push you off ketosis. It pretty much means that typical lean meats that I was accustomed to before dieting are out of the picture. After moving to even higher fat part and reducing the protein portiOn sizes I started losing weight again. 4 lbs over the past 7 days now!! Still holding the 19-20 hour fast periods. I feel a few hunger bangs in the morning but I have no urge to break the fast at all.

 

[bobbyr]

It seems I was actually eating too much lean protein. It is important part of the keto diet to get 70% of the calories from fat and too much protein can push you off ketosis. It pretty much means that typical lean meats that I was accustomed to before dieting are out of the picture. After moving to even higher fat part and reducing the protein portiOn sizes I started losing weight again. 4 lbs over the past 7 days now!! Still holding the 19-20 hour fast periods. I feel a few hunger bangs in the morning but I have no urge to break the fast at all.

good point...I left fat out accidentally. I typed 'lean' and generally do lean meat but I eat ribeye, sausage (no nitrate), burgers, etc. without concern...just not as frequently. I feel like my body lets me know when fat infusion is needed. Thanks for your comment and glad you are doing well.

 

[camfused]

Hi all. I just saw this thread. I have been doing IF for about a year. I basically eat the same stuff, and amounts, I did prior to that, but just skip a meal. So typically, I eat brunch around 10:30-11:00, and dinner around 18:00. I have lost 15 lbs (194 to 179), and 1.5 inches circumference.

At first you feel mighty hungry in the morning and late afternoon, but after a few weeks, you get used to it.

 

[bobbyr]

At first you feel mighty hungry in the morning and late afternoon, but after a few weeks, you get used to it.

That is the key.

 

[COcheesehead]

I have been on a 16/8 now since January. I rarely, if ever get hungry during the fast portion of the day. If we are out playing golf or some other activity, the 16 hour portion can easily slip into 17, 18+ hours and I don’t even notice.

 

[vafoodie]

I think I remember one poster saying he or she successfully did IF despite having morning coffee with cream out of hours. Was that wishful thinking?

 

[bobbyr]

I think I remember one poster saying he or she successfully did IF despite having morning coffee with cream out of hours. Was that wishful thinking?

i do that without issue, although i use plant based creamer -- no appetite spike at all

then I have bone broth (2 or 3) - total calories for day ~300

 

[JP.mpls]

i do that without issue, although i use plant based creamer -- no appetite spike at all

then I have bone broth (2 or 3) - total calories for day ~300

I'm doing IF very casually. I have coffee with cream in the morning, lunch after noon, and try to not eat dinner late. Typically in the 5-7 range.


The biggest change for me is not eating late in the evening. I was having ice cream in the evenings too often.



I'm eating most anything I want, but I am trying to avoid eating extremely large meals like I'm a 20 year old kid. I can get carried away with pizza.



I'm trying to walk or ride my bike some each day too. It doesn't happen every day.



I'm surprised that my weight is going down. I don't feel like I'm doing enough for this to happen. I started at 212, and I'm down to 193 (morning weigh ins). My guess is over two to three months. Very slow.



Most of my excessive weight is around my midsection. I would be thrilled to get down to 180 or 185.


Good luck. JP

 

[John Galt III]

I'm doing IF very casually. I have coffee with cream in the morning, lunch after noon, and try to not eat dinner late. Typically in the 5-7 range.


The biggest change for me is not eating late in the evening. I was having ice cream in the evenings too often.



I'm eating most anything I want, but I am trying to avoid eating extremely large meals like I'm a 20 year old kid. I can get carried away with pizza.



I'm trying to walk or ride my bike some each day too. It doesn't happen every day.



I'm surprised that my weight is going down. I don't feel like I'm doing enough for this to happen. I started at 212, and I'm down to 193 (morning weigh ins). My guess is over two to three months. Very slow.



Most of my excessive weight is around my midsection. I would be thrilled to get down to 180 or 185.


Good luck. JP

Congratulations, JP. I allow myself all the coffee and milk I want in the morning. Otherwise I fast from 6 PM to 11 AM. Over the last 3 months or so, I have slowly gone from 185 to 170. I don't suffer from hunger pangs. In fact I have to force myself to eat stuff, like yogurt, salad, oatmeal, and lots of fruit, just because I know it will benefit my intestinal situation. Just got my annual blood test, at 170 pounds. I am hoping my glucose, lipids, and cholesterol numbers are all improved.