Intermittent Fasting, Yes it Works

[Sojourner]

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

I have heard from several podcasts and other sources devoted to IF (and time-restricted eating) that black coffee does technically break your fast, particularly in regards to autophagy. This is because the body has to break down and digest the compounds in coffee, and this requires the release of digestive enzymes, etc. However, from a blood sugar/insulin standpoint, I think black coffee is not considered a problem since no insulin (or very, very little) is secreted.

Check out this video for a brief discussion. They discuss the coffee issue in some depth starting around 07:18.

 

[bclover]

Ok I've never heard of this. what is "intermittent" fasting? is it different from just every day fasting, say like at lent?

I did get a chuckle when Dr. Fung compare Jesus to Col. Sanders

 

[audreyh1]

I am curious about IF, but I wonder how a more active lifestyle fits in.
I work out usually an average of 90 minutes a day. I am not sure I can go that long without meals. Anyone have thoughts on how to incorporate fasting with regular exercise?

Since going keto I have no trouble doing a 60 minute workout on an empty stomach. I have no glycogen stores, but my body easily taps into my fat stores as needed. No, I’m not doing sprints, but I’m doing combination weight lifting and cardio. Plenty of endurance athletes including long distance runners use ketogenic diet and they no longer hit the wall because they’ve retrained their bodies to burn mostly fat.

 

[audreyh1]

I have heard from several podcasts and other sources devoted to IF (and time-restricted eating) that black coffee does technically break your fast, particularly in regards to autophagy. This is because the body has to break down and digest the compounds in coffee, and this requires the release of digestive enzymes, etc. However, from a blood sugar/insulin standpoint, I think black coffee is not considered a problem since no insulin (or very, very little) is secreted.

Check out this video for a brief discussion. They discuss the coffee issue in some depth starting around 07:18.

I’ve read several articles that state otherwise. In fact I’ve even read that black coffee can induce autophagy. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-coffee#basics

 

[COcheesehead]

Since going keto I have no trouble doing a 60 minute workout on an empty stomach. I have no glycogen stores, but my body easily taps into my fat stores as needed. No, I’m not doing sprints, but I’m doing combination weight lifting and cardio. Plenty of endurance athletes including long distance runners use ketogenic diet and they no longer hit the wall because they’ve retrained their bodies to burn mostly fat.

Thumbs up

 

[street]

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?

That is a good question if there is any advantage. They one program is 16 hours so I make sure I don't eat before and it usually is 17 to 18 hours before I eat. I do always go 16 before I eat though.

 

[Kelor]

I'm guessing fasting is out for a guy like me that enjoys a cocktail in the evening?

 

[audreyh1]

I'm guessing fasting is out for a guy like me that enjoys a cocktail in the evening?

You just have to skip breakfast?

 

[6miths]

Fasting 16-18 hours a day and occasionally overnight to make it 36 hours. Never really feel hungry. Water, Mio flavored water and Diet Coke. The idea that people need to eat carbs at all, especially simple sugars, is just untrue. The body is very happy to use free fatty acids and ketone bodies from fats if one only lets it. Have never had any problem leading a very active life with this eating pattern though don't really do low carb - just try to minimize simple sugars to some degree. Though just ingested a piece of apple pie and a banana muffin so definitely not a religion. Interestingly DW routinely cuts the called for sugar in recipes by 1/2 to 3/4 and everything still tastes delicious.

 

[Marita40]

I have found that a very natural way of eating for me is two meals a day, one about 7:30 a.m., and one about 2:30 or 3:00 p.m. So essentially that's IF with about an 8 hour window. Also, I've successfully done 36 hour fasts (coffee, water, tea only) every other day--alternate day fasting--with no problems whatsoever. It is a great way to "tune-up" if you feel sluggish from overeating, say at the holidays. One thing that helped is knowing that hunger pains are not cumulative. They may hit once or twice during a fasting period, but go away quickly with a glass of water or if I keep busy.

 

[nativenewenglander]

I am curious about IF, but I wonder how a more active lifestyle fits in.
I work out usually an average of 90 minutes a day. I am not sure I can go that long without meals. Anyone have thoughts on how to incorporate fasting with regular exercise?

I have been incorporating fasting for a little over a year now. The fasting is part of my low carb diet I have done since 12/17. The fasting came about because eating more protein made me far less hungry eventually seeing I could skip meals or sometimes now food for an entire 24 hours. Since last January I have reintroduced alpine skiing and now that I am back at my former high level I need to have a snack of nuts and raisins during my 3-5 hours I am out on the slopes. I found I was getting sluggish without the extra calories, since I ski 5-6 days each week it also keeps my weight stable. I got into the high 170's lbs last winter which is a little thin for me. Currently I am holding around 186 lbs.

 

[street]

I am curious about IF, but I wonder how a more active lifestyle fits in.
I work out usually an average of 90 minutes a day. I am not sure I can go that long without meals. Anyone have thoughts on how to incorporate fasting with regular exercise?

I am very active with outdoor activities, hiking, biking, working at the ranch and IF hasn't been an issue with timing of eating or any other inconveniences and have worked well doing both.
I don't eat till after 10AM so if I'm out and about I have something with me to eat after that time. When I eat a lunch at 12PM I may be hiking at 1PM and then get back at 430PM and eat my meal before 530 or 6PM and then nothing else till 10 or 11AM the next day.
There has been occasions where I have some doings/meeting and things like that don't work to the exact time but I don't get concerned about the little things.

 

[COcheesehead]

I am giving it a shot. Last food was last night around 6pm. I got up at 4:40am. Did my regular workout. Feel fine now. Won’t eat anything until lunch. Curious to see how this goes.

 

[NgineER]

I am giving it a shot. Last food was last night around 6pm. I got up at 4:40am. Did my regular workout. Feel fine now. Won’t eat anything until lunch. Curious to see how this goes.

You can do it - it is just a mind over body game at this point. I remember the first couple of days being harder however.

 

[street]

^ awesome! It is like anything else once you get into a pattern and body adjusts, it is actually becomes the norm.

You are fasting for 18 hours the way it looks. I did 18 hours for about 6 months then went I changed and I'm about 17 hours now. I didn't see any change from those hours so that is what I do now. Weight is staying the same and feel very good.

 

[audreyh1]

I am giving it a shot. Last food was last night around 6pm. I got up at 4:40am. Did my regular workout. Feel fine now. Won’t eat anything until lunch. Curious to see how this goes.

I expect it might take a couple of weeks adjustment. That’s great that your first day was so encouraging.

 

[Rianne]

I am very active with outdoor activities, hiking, biking, working at the ranch and IF hasn't been an issue with timing of eating or any other inconveniences and have worked well doing both.
I don't eat till after 10AM so if I'm out and about I have something with me to eat after that time. When I eat a lunch at 12PM I may be hiking at 1PM and then get back at 430PM and eat my meal before 530 or 6PM and then nothing else till 10 or 11AM the next day.
There has been occasions where I have some doings/meeting and things like that don't work to the exact time but I don't get concerned about the little things.

Follow up on this: daily practice, right? Or is this schedule 5, 6 days a week? Surely, you allow exceptions. I'm at approx. 14 hours. I sleep so much better on an empty stomach, so to speak. I'm always miserable after a social thing where we eat after 7 pm.

 

[DayDreaming]

Just for kicks, I gave it a try and stopped eating at 5pm last night. 'Breakfast' this morning was just a few cups of hot water. I kind of missed my morning coffee & chocolate, but not too badly. I didn't really feel hungry until just now and had my breakfast at 11am, so that's an 18 hour fast and it was actually very easy. Most of the time I feel that I'm eating out of habit rather than any need.


I don't need to loose weight but might try to stick with this for a while for the other benefits, and to break my bad habit of constant snacking while watching TV in the evening.

 

[audreyh1]

I did IF - at least 16:8 often longer - for at least 6 months. I didn’t lose any weight at all. But I really did it to try to stop any nighttime digestive discomfort while sleeping and waking up in the morning and it absolutely took care of that long standing problem.

When I significantly reduced my carbs, then the weight melted right off. My digestion was even happier! The carb reduction (ketogenic diet) was to address some very marginal but creeping insulin resistance issues, and that was immediately nipped in the bud. I wasn’t concerned about my weight, as I was just slightly overweight, but went to normal weight quickly.

I still avoid eating late when I can. But I haven’t really been doing IF since I went low carb. It’s still an option. I might use it again to see if I can kick some autoimmune problems.

I do agree with using a couple of days partial fasting after an overindulgence period like holidays or vacation. I had no trouble sticking to low carb, but ate a lot more and drank a lot of wine, and I felt much better after eating light and abstaining from wine for a couple of days.

 

[COcheesehead]

You can do it - it is just a mind over body game at this point. I remember the first couple of days being harder however.

I've had to do fasting for colonoscopies. It has to be easier than that.

3 more hours until lunch and I don't even notice it. Piece of cake, no pun intended.

 

[sengsational]

Time Restricted Feeding - Definition of what you are doing?

One meal a day (or two) really should not be called intermittent fasting IMO. It's "time restricted feeding". This is Dr Attia's definition preference, BTW, so I'm just on the shoulders of giants on this. If it ain't 36 hours or more, it's not fasting.

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.

I fell into TRF about 5 years ago. I didn't read or hear anything, I just wanted to give my digestive system a break, so kind of my "natural way of taking meals" too. It started out as a low carb lunch, and whatever the heck I wanted for dinner. So that was 18/6. Then I started skipping the handdull of walnuts (or whatever) at lunch, so typically I've been doing TRF 22/2. My body has changed; it's much easier now.

The biggest problem is I often don't get enough food. At home, I eat until I'm stuffed. Just shy of uncomfortable. Even then, I might wake up in the wee hours and think a snack might help get back to sleep, but have never tried eating then. The other problem is going out to eat. I basically need 2x meals, and they either provide low health food, or I'd pay a fortune for two dinners. So eating out is not what it used to be. When I know we're going out, I'll force a lunch on myself, just so I don't feel half-fed at dinner.

 

[Kelor]

Ok. I'm interested. Is there a book or a specific website I should be looking at? Does black coffee count?

 

[Rianne]

One meal a day (or two) really should not be called intermittent fasting IMO. It's "time restricted feeding". This is Dr Attia's definition preference, BTW, so I'm just on the shoulders of giants on this. If it ain't 36 hours or more, it's not fasting.

The more I listen to Dr. Attia, I hear his specific categories of fasting. He's an MD and gets into the minutia of bodily functions. He shares so much information, it's overwhelming. I'm grateful I found him, thanks to this forum.

 

[sengsational]

I'm a huge Peter Attia fan. I learned of him through Tim Ferris and remember thinking how fantastic it was that Tim kind of pushed him into doing the podcast. I've listened to almost every one (I'm 3 or 4 behind right now). Much of it goes completely over my head, but I figure that even if I "get" one or two concepts, it worth the time.

 

[COcheesehead]

The more I listen to Dr. Attia, I hear his specific categories of fasting. He's an MD and gets into the minutia of bodily functions. He shares so much information, it's overwhelming. I'm grateful I found him, thanks to this forum.

Ok, just downloaded a bunch of his podcasts for my 4 hour drive on Thursday. I am curious to hear his thoughts.