Intermittent Fasting, Yes it Works

[Rianne]

I've been intermittent fasting for over 2 years. My typical eating schedule ends by 4 pm. Then resumes at 6:00-7:00 the next morning. There are times I eat later b/c of social situations. I just started listening to Dr. Peter Attia podcast "The Drive", suggested on this forum. So impressed with the in depth discussions on this podcast. Dr. Attia fasts on a regular basis.

-My energy level increased, a lot
-Weight loss and stayed off
-Digestion improved, drastically
-Yearly blood work excellent



Has anyone else tried this?

[Tetto]

I’m interested in doing this; did you change what you eat or only the frequency/quantity? If your a healthy eater, and eat three squares a day within moderation, what was the immediate benefit of fasting over that?

[6miths]

Congrats! Don't know if you were trying to lose weight but the rationale for IF makes great sense. I have been an inadvertent IF person for most of my life. Interestingly, that changed in the first couple of years of retirement when I started to eat more breakfasts and lunches. Now back more to an IF pattern of eating.

As I have said before on the forum, the idea that we would only eat for 9 or 10 hours of every day would hardly be considered 'fasting' 50 years ago. Seems like an effort to just get back to more 'normal' dietary patterns, just as the 'keto' movement or the Atkins diet are moves to get back to more 'normal' foods.

[Rianne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tetto I’m interested in doing this; did you change what you eat or only the frequency/quantity? If your a healthy eater, and eat three squares a day within moderation, what was the immediate benefit of fasting over that?

Yes, I changed what/how I eat. Smaller meals and typically eat a high fiber (fruit/fiber cereal/coffee/lots of water) in the morning. A couple of bites of humus and vegetable (raw peppers, cucumbers, squash or other). Then a light dinner, very little meat but I do eat dairy.

There is something to say about feeling hungry and a higher energy level. I enjoy feeling hungry and hate feeling full. Kind of weird. It feels like my body is operating on a higher level. And, let's say regularity (digestion) is better than it's ever been.

[Tetto]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rianne Yes, I changed what/how I eat. Smaller meals and typically eat a high fiber (fruit/fiber cereal/coffee/lots of water) in the morning. A couple of bites of humus and vegetable (raw peppers, cucumbers, squash or other). Then a light dinner, very little meat but I do eat dairy. There is something to say about feeling hungry and a higher energy level. I enjoy feeling hungry and hate feeling full. Kind of weird. It feels like my body is operating on a higher level. And, let's say regularity (digestion) is better than it's ever been.

Very interesting! I too get a weird enjoyment from feeling a bit hungry, sort of like I’m successfully staving off something big...I’ve never had a problem with regularity or digestion but with a reduced intake there may be more infrequent movements. Unless the tract adjusts with increased motility on a reduced volume. Interesting stuff.

[audreyh1]

Two things it’s supposed to from my listening to Fung:

1. Lower your blood insulin - high blood insulin is linked to all chronic metabolic diseases.

2. Allow the body self healing mechanisms to turn on.

Quote:

When we fast, the cells in the body initiate a cellular "waste removal" process called autophagy This involves the cells breaking down and metabolizing broken and dysfunctional proteins that build up inside cells over time. Increased autophagy may provide protection against several diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer's disease

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition...ittent-fasting

The second requires at least 12 hours without food, the first can be handled in several ways.

[Gremlin]

From my understanding the most powerful aspect of fasting is that it induces autophagy:
“It’s one way your body cleans house. In this process, your cells create membranes that hunt down scraps of dead, diseased, or worn-out cells; gobble them up; strip ’em for parts; and use the resulting molecules for energy or to make new cell parts.
In one 2012 study on mice, researchers found that autophagy protected against:

cancer
neurodegenerative disorders
infections
inflammatory diseases
aging
insulin resistance

Exciting, powerful stuff!

[street]

I fast 16 to 17 hours now before I went 18 hour fast. I start at about 11 am and nothing after 530 pm.
When I eat I try to stay between 2k and 3k calories but eat anything I like but try to stay in that threshold.

[Dtail]

Usually finish dinner by 6:30pm and then nothing until breakfast which is high fiber around 7:30am.
I do still eat a full dinner, as I can't get used to eating the main meal at lunchtime.

[Sittinginthesun]

The goal of IF is to provide long periods of low insulin. 2000 calories spread out into 3 meals and a couple of snacks will keep insulin up all day (making fat burning impossible and fat storage possible). 2000 calories between 4 PM and 6 PM will spike insulin once (less so if keto) but, for the majority of the day - fat usage (from diet and body) is possible due to very low insulin.

Same calories but very different outcome with IF vs. non-IF.

I do OMAD (one meal a day) usually around 5 pm. Keto, max 20g carbs but substantial and delicious food. Have lost 80 lbs since last summer. During the morning and day I just have black coffee and lots of water. Never hungry although I do look forward to my dinners and spend lots of time planning them.

[rkser]

I just started IF sort of, the way I do is

Eat my first meal at around 1 & the 2nd meal around 8.
But I cannot do without the morning tea(Chai) & yes it does have milk & sugar in small amounts.
This is essentially not much different than just missing daily breakfast except coffee, which I used to do in my College days.
I am a vegetarian but eat eggs & diary.

[FIREd]

Left to my own devices, IF is my natural way of taking meals. I fast 16-18 hours a day. I skip breakfast, I eat lunch around 2:00pm and dinner around 7:00-8:00pm. It has been this way since I was 18. And I was always told how bad a habit it was until IF became a thing. I believe in listening to my body. And my body never craves breakfast.

[Rianne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIREd Left to my own devices, IF is my natural way of taking meals. I fast 16-18 hours a day. I skip breakfast, I eat lunch around 2:00pm and dinner around 7:00-8:00pm. It has been this way since I was 18. And I was always told how bad a habit it was until IF became a thing. I believe in listening to my body. And my body never craves breakfast.

Based on the podcasts, reading etc., there are so many sources today, it's my understanding that water is the only thing you can ingest during the "fasting hours" because everything else involves digestion, even black coffee. My issue is to avoid feeling full at night. So even eating a peanut butter cracker or something really small starts the enzymes and acids in digestion.

All this started with a small bowel obstruction I had in November, 2017. One devastating experience changed my life for the better.

[ncbill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by street I fast 16 to 17 hours now before I went 18 hour fast. I start at about 11 am and nothing after 530 pm. When I eat I try to stay between 2k and 3k calories but eat anything I like but try to stay in that threshold.

One thing I'm curious about is there a marked difference between a 6-hour eating window and an 8-hour eating window, i.e. fasting for 18 vs. 16 hours?

[Rianne]

Here's a great 8 minute video/podcast to get a good idea. It's a discussion with Dr. Peter Attia who is devoting his life to longevity and how we can live healthier in older years.


https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/s...16&action=view

[meridiver]

Once I retired and my time was fully my own, I fell into something similar to IF naturally. I've finally found a way of eating that works for me, instead of my eating habits being dictated by work schedules and the boredom of sitting at a desk all day with nothing to look forward to other than food.

I'm usually up naturally by 5 AM, work out, run errands, and don't eat or drink anything but water until 10-11 AM. Then I eat breakfast (usually Greek yogurt and coffee), snack through the day when I'm hungry, main meal/dinner around 5-6 PM and stop eating around 7-8 PM. The stubborn 5-10 extra pounds that I always carried has literally melted off, I feel great, and I eat whatever I want within reason. I'm an omnivore with a relatively healthy diet, although I'll admit to at least one sweet item a day.

I don't call this IF since my food window is a bit larger than standard and I'm not consciously following any "rules", but I almost always get a solid 12-16 of fasting in overnight, so I guess it qualifies.

[samclem]

For me, going the IF route wouldn't be a case of listening to my body (at least the way it has always spoken to me). I don't enjoy being hungry, having low blood sugar makes me feel nervous/distracted. I will wake up in the middle of the night if I'm hungry. When I awake, I'm ready to eat. I'm not overweight now, so I'll probably stick with what I'm doing already (rigorous 8 hour fasting every night, with several 2-4 hour fasts during waking hours ) rather than try to alter my metabolism with a new eating plan. But I'm still interested in reading the literature on it.

[Dtail]

Since I usually play Pickleball from 9am-11/12pm, I can't skip breakfast as I need the energy to play mostly in 90 degree weather.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sittinginthesun The goal of IF is to provide long periods of low insulin. 2000 calories spread out into 3 meals and a couple of snacks will keep insulin up all day (making fat burning impossible and fat storage possible). 2000 calories between 4 PM and 6 PM will spike insulin once (less so if keto) but, for the majority of the day - fat usage (from diet and body) is possible due to very low insulin. Same calories but very different outcome with IF vs. non-IF. I do OMAD (one meal a day) usually around 5 pm. Keto, max 20g carbs but substantial and delicious food. Have lost 80 lbs since last summer. During the morning and day I just have black coffee and lots of water. Never hungry although I do look forward to my dinners and spend lots of time planning them.

Alternatively you can reduce your carb intake, and insulin will come down. You don’t have to do IF to dramatically lower your fasting blood insulin.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rianne Based on the podcasts, reading etc., there are so many sources today, it's my understanding that water is the only thing you can ingest during the "fasting hours" because everything else involves digestion, even black coffee. My issue is to avoid feeling full at night. So even eating a peanut butter cracker or something really small starts the enzymes and acids in digestion. All this started with a small bowel obstruction I had in November, 2017. One devastating experience changed my life for the better.

My understanding is that black coffee and tea are OK, but adding sugar or milk/cream is out.