Intermittent Fasting OT

entremet · May 3, 2019

Psychotext said:
Fasting isn't generally recommended for women as it can mess with hormone regulation.

I know this is a late reply, but it's actually gaining a lot of ground with women of late.

Not a doctor or scientist, but I believe a lot of the fasting issues women reported earlier on was due to under-eating. Women, as a cohort, a notorious under-eaters when they diet. This is not sexism. Women also are more prone to eating disorders.

Not a study, but check this out:

https://christinaricewellness.com/are-you-eating-enough-food-the-undereating-epidemic/

Moreover, many combine fasting and intense exercise, which is a terrible combination. Obviously, like the warning in the OP, people should consult a medical professional before they consider fasting.

Here's another good article with some recommendations tailored toward women.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-for-women

And obviously no one needs to fast. I do it more due to convenience by now. The added health benefits are gravy.

ResetGreyWolf · May 3, 2019

MrH said:
I can't seem to find a clear answer on if they're OK or not.

Well, because there isn't any ^^

Researching the effect that foods and drinks have on human bodies is very, very, very difficult, and thus most research on diets and the like are actually presumptions or based on incohesive data. Most research regarding diets should be taken with a bit of salt, as most of it is impossible to determine for sure. It took 30 - 40 years for scientists just to prove that sugar is bad for your teeth, and even now that it is common knowledge is it actually not fully proven scientifically.

To answer your question though, no one really knows. It might depend on your body, however even though zero calorie drinks obviously contain no calories, they are still very sweet, which could trigger insulin and thus ruin your fast. Me, I've been doing OMAD (24 hours fasts) since August last year and I've been drinking zero-calorie drinks while fasting. I still lost ~1kg a week (started at slightly below 80kg) for the first couple of months.

h1nch · May 3, 2019

MrH said:
I'm in a rather unique and frankly shitty situation so going to the gym isn't an option, long story short I'm dealing with mental health issues and I don't leave the house. Right now I literally spend the entire day laying or sitting down, so just walking up and down the stairs would be big for me.

My main goal is to lose weight, my back and knees are really bad and I need to lessen the load on them ASAP.

Just make sure that if you start IF, when you are in your eating window you're eating healthy foods. I don't believe IF will help you if you fast, then eat a bunch of junk food in your window.

Deleted member 16452 · May 3, 2019

The first week of IF I would definitely drink diet sodas, but I've basically eliminated that by now.

Still drink them during my eating window tho.

entremet · May 3, 2019

Diet soda gets too much hate. I think dropping diet soda if you want to optimize health is a great thing, but it could be a great stepping stone for those with a non-diet soda habit.

Syder · May 3, 2019

entremet said:
Diet soda gets too much hate. I think dropping diet soda if you want to optimize health is a great thing, but it could be a great stepping stone for those with a non-diet soda habit.

There's a lot of debate in IF circles about the body's response to various sugar alternatives.

As far as I know, Stevia, for example, in a black coffee is not gonna elicit a response from the body and I drink cold brew black coffees with Stevia most days during fasts. Basically, most experts answer the question 'does X alternative trigger a response?' with '..maybe?'.

Deleted member 16452 · May 3, 2019

I loved black coffee even before starting IF, so I think that has made the transition to this so smooth for me.

Some people are super used to cream and lots of sugar in their coffee and I can imagine that being a hard habit to break.

Hybris · May 3, 2019

2Bee said:
I loved black coffee even before starting IF, so I think that has made the transition to this so smooth for me.

Some people are super used to cream and lots of sugar in their coffee and I can imagine that being a hard habit to break.

Same here, black cold brew is my shit. I do miss the occasional Mocha.. well actually I do cheat and have one once every month or so if I'm being honest.

Gazele · May 3, 2019

Any tips for getting past a plateau? Been doing pretty well, 20-4, lost about 18 pounds, but it hasn't budged in about a month, I know I probably need to cut a bit more calories during eating but any other tips?

ResetGreyWolf · May 3, 2019

Syder said:
There's a lot of debate in IF circles about the body's response to various sugar alternatives.

As far as I know, Stevia, for example, in a black coffee is not gonna elicit a response from the body and I drink cold brew black coffees with Stevia most days during fasts. Basically, most experts answer the question 'does X alternative trigger a response?' with '..maybe?'.

Yep, like I posted above, it is very difficult to scientifically answer, which is why experts simply don't know.

Gazele said:
Any tips for getting past a plateau? Been doing pretty well, 20-4, lost about 18 pounds, but it hasn't budged in about a month, I know I probably need to cut a bit more calories during eating but any other tips?

Yeah this happens to me as well every once in a while. I just do even stricter fasts for a couple of weeks to get past it.

Haselbacher · May 3, 2019

Gazele said:
Any tips for getting past a plateau? Been doing pretty well, 20-4, lost about 18 pounds, but it hasn't budged in about a month, I know I probably need to cut a bit more calories during eating but any other tips?

Have you tried eating more? No, I mean really?
Or just change something for a day or two. Like, move your window earlier. Just to give your body something new to think about and adjust.

Gazele · May 3, 2019

Haselbacher said:
Have you tried eating more? No, I mean really?
Or just change something for a day or two. Like, move your window earlier. Just to give your body something new to think about and adjust.

Umm, definitely haven't tried eating more, I think moving the window is a good idea, I mostly just do dinner, but could be good to eat more lunches and less dinners

Deleted member 14887 · May 4, 2019

Started last night going to do 16:8 IF. Tips to keep with it when first starting out?

ResetGreyWolf · May 4, 2019

Redlegs said:
Started last night going to do 16:8 IF. Tips to keep with it when first starting out?

Make a concrete, measurable goal for whatever it is you are trying to accomplish (be it weight loss, hunger control, a clear mind, etc.) and keep track of your progress towards it.

Deleted member 14887 · May 4, 2019

How much water do you guys typically drink during the fasting period?

Hybris · May 4, 2019

Redlegs said:
How much water do you guys typically drink during the fasting period?

I usually drink 70-80 oz per day. Most of that is in the morning before breaking the fast. Probably like 50oz or so.

FliX · May 5, 2019

Redlegs said:
How much water do you guys typically drink during the fasting period?

Probably around 2 Liters during the day and another 1-2 during yoga in the afternoon.

Syder · May 5, 2019

2Ls should be the absolute minimum you drink a day.

Deleted member 14887 · May 5, 2019

Just finished my first round of 16:8 and didn't really feel to many hunger pains. I can do this!

Darren Lamb · May 5, 2019

entremet said:
Diet soda gets too much hate. I think dropping diet soda if you want to optimize health is a great thing, but it could be a great stepping stone for those with a non-diet soda habit.

It might also be easier get to seltzers with diet sodas in-between

I've been doing intermittent fasting for a few months now. I've had trouble with cardio since I hurt my knees running, and gained nearly 20 pounds since I found it hard to get to the gym to do cycling or something else. I also noticed my appetite increasing, not sure if it it was due to new medication I was on, but I was eating three meals a day and snacking a lot more.

I was surprised how easy it was to transition to IF. I had a few hunger pains before lunch after doing it for a few days, but after a week or so I felt fine. I do a loose 16:8, sometimes it's more like 14:10 and other times it's closer to 18:6. I try to make my lunch a shake of Huel that I finish over the course of an hour, sometimes more. I put about 500 calories worth in there, and have a 200-300 calorie snack (usually trail mix) right before I leave work. For drinks I may have a beer or two when I get home, but it's usually water/coffee/tea/seltzer if not. I lost the added weight very quickly, and am back around the weight I was when I was running ~15 miles every week. The ancillary benefits are great too, I find my energy is more level during the day, it requires very little meal prep, and I spend less on food. I went from spending 10 dollars or so each day on breakfast and lunch, to about 3 with the one serving of Huel. And even when I cheat a little on lunch, or eat earlier than normal, I need a smaller portion to be sated.

I'm trying to get my girlfriend to try a variation of this, but I know there are some different concerns for women. She just keeps trying strict-ish low-carb diets and then cheating with snacks/ice cream after dinner, or when she's working from home. It's a sensitive issue for her (she's had an eating disorder previously that hasn't fully gone away) so I'm trying to tread lightly. I don't notice a huge difference from when we started dating, but her self-confidence has definitely gotten lower and I wish something like this would work well for her

Deleted member 16452 · May 5, 2019

Redlegs said:
Just finished my first round of 16:8 and didn't really feel to many hunger pains. I can do this!

Nice!

Keep at it and soon its going to come so natural that you will wonder how did you ever do it any other way.

18:6 and 20:4 will also become easy over time if you ever wanna try to extend it a bit more, but for now just get used to living at 16:8 its a game changer.

Avitus · May 5, 2019

Redlegs said:
Just finished my first round of 16:8 and didn't really feel to many hunger pains. I can do this!

Try to shrink the eating window as small as possible. If you don't feel hungry, hold out. You will quickly discover that most of your eating previously was out of habit and/or boredom. The body adapts pretty quickly and you'll feel probably the best you have in years during your fasting period.

I'm in the middle of what will be a 40ish hour fast. I skip a day of eating to up my deficit and flexibility on other days (400-500 calories) and to get some benefits of a >24 hour fast. Super easy if you have something to sip on. Current favorite is black coldbrew. Doing this has allowed me to lose the magical 2 pounds a week like clockwork, even if I don't have a good week of eating. Also a legit strategy if you simply can't adapt your lifestyle to IF during the week.

Deleted member 14887 · May 5, 2019

2Bee said:
Nice!

Keep at it and soon its going to come so natural that you will wonder how did you ever do it any other way.

18:6 and 20:4 will also become easy over time if you ever wanna try to extend it a bit more, but for now just get used to living at 16:8 its a game changer.

Once I get used to 16:8 I'll start stretching it out little by little.

Avitus said:
Try to shrink the eating window as small as possible. If you don't feel hungry, hold out. You will quickly discover that most of your eating previously was out of habit and/or boredom. The body adapts pretty quickly and you'll feel probably the best you have in years during your fasting period.

I'm in the middle of what will be a 40ish hour fast. I skip a day of eating to up my deficit and flexibility on other days (400-500 calories) and to get some benefits of a >24 hour fast. Super easy if you have something to sip on. Current favorite is black coldbrew. Doing this has allowed me to lose the magical 2 pounds a week like clockwork, even if I don't have a good week of eating. Also a legit strategy if you simply can't adapt your lifestyle to IF during the week.

2,255 cals for the day but I need to work on other stuff make sure I am getting the right protein and other nutrients nailed down. According to my nutritionist/dietitian I saw I should aim for 3,000 calories to lose 1 lbs a week but I feel full and fine so far at around 2000-2300 calories. Way to much sodium today but I don't want to let my lunch meat I bought before initiating this go to waste. I was 450 last time I was weighed on Wednesday at the doctors I need to go get my scale from my old place to do a weekly weigh in.

Avitus · May 5, 2019

Redlegs said:
2,255 cals for the day but I need to work on other stuff make sure I am getting the right protein and other nutrients nailed down. According to my nutritionist/dietitian I saw I should aim for 3,000 calories to lose 1 lbs a week but I feel full and fine so far at around 2000-2300 calories. Way to much sodium today but I don't want to let my lunch meat I bought before initiating this go to waste. I was 450 last time I was weighed on Wednesday at the doctors I need to go get my scale from my old place to do a weekly weigh in.

Weigh yourself every morning after going to the bathroom and log it, then average it out over the week. Much more accurate. But you'll probably be dropping weight regardless as long as you are eating well.

Deleted member 14887 · May 5, 2019

Avitus said:
Weigh yourself every morning after going to the bathroom and log it, then average it out over the week. Much more accurate. But you'll probably be dropping weight regardless as long as you are eating well.

Yeah I am slowly making healthy habits. I am reading this one book that's helping me contain my impulse aka my pig that squeals for me to just binge cause why not it's worth it. I am really bad at making sure I drink enough water though it's a struggle to remember to do so.

Deleted member 14887 · May 6, 2019

Can I have coffee with something like stevia in it?

Syder · May 6, 2019

Redlegs said:
Can I have coffee with something like stevia in it?

Definitely, as long as it's a black coffee, of course.

splash wave · May 6, 2019

Is it bad to drink black coffee on an empty stomach? After doing IF for nearly two years now, this started to worry me—it seemed like I must be doing some kind of damage to my stomach despite my not noticing any negative symptoms. So, I started eating a really small bowl of cereal before drinking coffee, and I already miss IF. I'm finding that I'm actually hungrier by the time lunch rolls around. Should I not be worried about the coffee thing? Is the acidity not killing me slowly?

Avitus · May 6, 2019

Redlegs said:
Can I have coffee with something like stevia in it?

I would personally rip off the bandaid of needing to add sweeteners to things to help you make better food choices in the long run. Fasting will intensify existing flavors anyways.

ResetGreyWolf · May 6, 2019

Avitus said:
Fasting will intensify existing flavors anyways.

That's not accurate. I think you are thinking of an LCHF diet, which will do that to you. Fasting in itself doesn't really change flavours, except for the potential placebo/increased flavour you may mentally be experiencing simply because of the anticipation of eating after a fast.

Psychotext · May 6, 2019

splash wave said:
Is the acidity not killing me slowly?

No. There's still next to no science behind this whole alkaline foods fad.

I'd suggest following any coffee with water though, because you most definitely can be affecting your tooth enamel.

If you really care about altering your body's alkalinity... supplement with bicarb (it has actual proven performance benefits, unlike most "alkaline" foods).

splash wave · May 6, 2019

Psychotext said:
No. There's still next to no science behind this whole alkaline foods fad.

I'd suggest following any coffee with water though, because you most definitely can be affecting your tooth enamel.

If you really care about altering your body's alkalinity... supplement with bicarb (it has actual proven performance benefits, unlike most "alkaline" foods).

I see! I just assumed it was literally eating away my stomach lining slowly (or something). I'll hop back onboard the IF train, in that case.

Reven · May 6, 2019

splash wave said:
I see! I just assumed it was literally eating away my stomach lining slowly (or something). I'll hop back onboard the IF train, in that case.

You're stomach is already filled with acid so coffee would only have a negligible difference in it's PH balance.

Personally I haven't drank coffee since starting IF because I naturally have more energy throughout the day now.

Deleted member 14887 · May 7, 2019

I feel great I am 18 hours into a 20:4 after a few days of 16:8 and feeling good. I am getting my scale from my family that I left when I moved out to start tracking daily my weight to chart it. LET'S FUCKING GO!

ResetGreyWolf · May 7, 2019

Redlegs said:
I feel great I am 18 hours into a 20:4 after a few days of 16:8 and feeling good. I am getting my scale from my family that I left when I moved out to start tracking daily my weight to chart it. LET'S FUCKING GO!

Nice! If you are going to be tracking your weight daily, try to do it at roughly the same time every day. Remember that your weight will vary a bit from day to day.

Good luck and enjoy IF! ^^

Deleted member 14887 · May 7, 2019

ResetGreyWolf said:
Nice! If you are going to be tracking your weight daily, try to do it at roughly the same time every day. Remember that your weight will vary a bit from day to day.

Good luck and enjoy IF! ^^

Every morning after using the facilities!

gcubed · May 7, 2019

Syder said:
There's a lot of debate in IF circles about the body's response to various sugar alternatives.

As far as I know, Stevia, for example, in a black coffee is not gonna elicit a response from the body and I drink cold brew black coffees with Stevia most days during fasts. Basically, most experts answer the question 'does X alternative trigger a response?' with '..maybe?'.

i'm not sure what it does to insulin levels, but i do find if i start drinking diet soda's again (have moved to seltzers and just water with lime) i start getting cravings for more sugar and eventually i start making bad choices with food. My wife is the opposite though, she can drink a diet soda and it satisfies her sugar craving. So... who knows

Deleted member 14887 · May 7, 2019

Just about at hour 23 of my 23:1 schedule! Also I looked at the stevia I bought it is blended with maltodextrin which does cause a blood sugar/insulin response so no more for me.

Karish · May 7, 2019

I've been doing 16 hours IF off and on for months and TBH I have not seen much in the way of results. I am thinking of straight up doing a 24 hour fast once a week. Anyone else do this? Thoughts? Results?

FliX · May 7, 2019

Karish said:
I've been doing 16 hours IF off and on for months and TBH I have not seen much in the way of results. I am thinking of straight up doing a 24 hour fast once a week. Anyone else do this? Thoughts? Results?

What do you mean with off and on. You should try and be consistent with it for the most part. Doing it for three days every week or so is probably not going to work as well as daily for weeks on end.

Karish · May 7, 2019

FliXFantatier said:
What do you mean with off and on. You should try and be consistent with it for the most part. Doing it for three days every week or so is probably not going to work as well as daily for weeks on end.

Sorry - to be clear I did it daily for about 6 months and did not notice any weightloss which I really hoped for. I am not fat but need to lose like 15 LBs. Hoping a more aggressive 24 hour fast will do the trick.

Deleted member 14887 · May 7, 2019

Karish said:
Sorry - to be clear I did it daily for about 6 months and did not notice any weightloss which I really hoped for. I am not fat but need to lose like 15 LBs. Hoping a more aggressive 24 hour fast will do the trick.

How many calories are you taking in usually in a day?

Avitus · May 8, 2019

Karish said:
I've been doing 16 hours IF off and on for months and TBH I have not seen much in the way of results. I am thinking of straight up doing a 24 hour fast once a week. Anyone else do this? Thoughts? Results?

I do a Sat at 7pm to Monday at 2pm fast every week. As long as you don't overeat the rest of the week, you're guaranteed to lose weight.

Tracking calories still matters.

ResetGreyWolf · May 8, 2019

Karish said:
I've been doing 16 hours IF off and on for months and TBH I have not seen much in the way of results. I am thinking of straight up doing a 24 hour fast once a week. Anyone else do this? Thoughts? Results?

I've been doing OMAD (or 24 hour fast) since August last year. Started by doing it seven days a week, then I moved over to five, now I usually do it four times a week, less if I'm traveling but I usually manage four. Started at 80kg, lost about 1kg a week for the first few months, now I'm quite stable around 65-66kg, but planning to go down to ~62kg. Feels good, isn't difficult at all, very good for both your weight and your wallet, and really nice even when you're not trying to lose weight. By fasting four days a week, I can easily eat garbage food and sweets for the other days of the week if I'm just trying to maintain weight.

ResetGreyWolf · May 8, 2019

Avitus said:
Tracking calories still matters.

I've never tracked calories in my entire life and still lost weight. By fasting ~4-5 times a week I've always lost weight anyway, no matter what I have for my meal. OMAD gives you the privilege of not having to worry about calories.

EDIT: Sorry for DP.

Avitus · May 8, 2019

ResetGreyWolf said:
I've never tracked calories in my entire life and still lost weight. By fasting ~4-5 times a week I've always lost weight anyway, no matter what I have for my meal. OMAD gives you the privilege of not having to worry about calories.

EDIT: Sorry for DP.

Only because it's difficult to eat over your daily allotment of calories on OMAD unless you are eating straight junk. Healthy food tends to be really satiating, especially if you are including cruciferous vegetables and the like.

Tracking calories is an easy skill to learn and it's a lot easier to keep track of everything if you are only having one or two meals on IF.

ResetGreyWolf · May 8, 2019

Avitus said:
Only because it's difficult to eat over your daily allotment of calories on OMAD unless you are eating straight junk. Healthy food tends to be really satiating, especially if you are including cruciferous vegetables and the like.

Tracking calories is an easy skill to learn and it's a lot easier to keep track of everything if you are only having one or two meals on IF.

Exactly. Hence tracking calories isn't important for OMAD unless your diet is really, really bad. It's a waste of time for me.

Deleted member 14887 · May 8, 2019

I think I over did it by doing the 23:1 yesterday. I'm feeling much more hungry than before. I'll make it through but I'm going to stick with 16:8 going forward. I'll have my scale in the next day or so I'm really curious where I'm standing.

ResetGreyWolf · May 8, 2019

Redlegs said:
I think I over did it by doing the 23:1 yesterday. I'm feeling much more hungry than before. I'll make it through but I'm going to stick with 16:8 going forward. I'll have my scale in the next day or so I'm really curious where I'm standing.

Of course you're feeling hungry, it'll take a little while for your body to get used to it. Day one of IF is much easier than day two or three, but it gets easier after a week or two. You will become less and less hungry as time goes by. Also, remember that it's okay to be hungry, but not okay to feel bad. Always eat if you're feeling bad/weak, but allow yourself to be hungry.

Psychotext · May 8, 2019

ResetGreyWolf said:
Exactly. Hence tracking calories isn't important for OMAD unless your diet is really, really bad. It's a waste of time for me.

Not calories as such, but keeping an eye on your macros most definitely is if you're trying to actually be healthy rather than just light.

I'd hate to think what would happen to most people's bodies if they had one massive meal full of carbs with very little fats and protein.

Intermittent Fasting OT

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