Intermittent fasting?? by Clara < Journal | Inkbunny, the Furry Art Community

5 years, 11 months ago

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Yes. I did 16-8 too.

It worked surprisingly well up to a point, then stopped losing weight. And as soon as a went back to regular 3 meals a day, I put on weight again, so if you start it, you have to keep doing it constantly.

But yea, lost about 5 kgs in 5 months or so. Not bad. I bet it'd do even better with some exercising.

Clara

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ FrancisJCat

thats my worry when starting these sort of things, like if I stop do I just fall apart all over again. This one just seems like something I can do since it doesnt have me keeping track of too much.
I'm gonna try to get in exercise, but after I get used to it....if I get used to it ;;;

Lex

5 years, 11 months ago

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I only eat one or two times a day, so it's not even a problem for me to take it up sometimes.
Must be why I'm so lean, lol. I only started doing it for financial gain XD

You have to be able to persevere through the hunger you feel, maybe with a labor-heavy task or exercise away from home to avoid boredom or temptation. It's amazing how you actually forget about feeling hungry once you get past the usual time of day where you would normally eat.

Clara

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ Lex

I eat 3 times a day plus sweets because i'm weak lol
Think i'll have a problem getting through the hunger, I often times let myself be controlled by it. Like I tell myself I cant concentrate when i'm hungry ;;;
I hope its something I can get over DX

Lex

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ Clara

Definitely don't do anything too mentally demanding during the hunger pangs. You will get distracted and probably surrender.
I distract myself with a walk or a shower or some other form of light exercise.

k0yangi

5 years, 11 months ago

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I'm trying to work up to IF while on keto, myself. Keto helps with the hunger pangs, I've found!

Clara

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ k0yangi

Oh i've heard of Keto, but at the time it just seemed like something I couldnt do DX
Like keeping track of things, and stuff like that ^^;;

k0yangi

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ Clara

Ah yeah > < it is a bit of an annoying thing to do if you don't prep your meals for the week and stuff. I just use an app that tracks the carbs in what I eat. I've lost some decent weight though! Started last month :>

SplendidTheHybrid

5 years, 11 months ago

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Friend of mine tried it, lost a bunch of weight, but he said pooing was like trying to pass a very spikey brick every time.

GalenFirntuft

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ SplendidTheHybrid

Oodles of liquids. Not necessarily just water but liquids nonetheless.

"	SplendidTheHybrid wrote:
	Friend of mine tried it, lost a bunch of weight, but he said pooing was like trying to pass a very spikey brick every time.

SplendidTheHybrid

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ GalenFirntuft

Yeah, I told him the same thing, water always helps every situation... except drowning.

Rathsari

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ SplendidTheHybrid

Also Grease and electrical fires!

SplendidTheHybrid

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ Rathsari

And floods.

Clara

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ SplendidTheHybrid

XD what was he eating?

SplendidTheHybrid

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ Clara

Not a clue, that's all he'd really say.

GalenFirntuft

5 years, 11 months ago

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Ok I am an intermittent faster.  I can shine some light on some things to help in th e process.
1st and foremost it's a diet change.  Your body will have to get used to it.  And it will take time.  There will be uh McGee pangs that happen.  Try not to give in.

Now I dont dat breakfast or lunch but will eat a large dinner.  Tey to keep the dinner below 1600 calories.

If you do need to give in dont satisfy it all the way.  Give it some but not a ton.
I have lost close to 60 lbs with no change to my activity level.  But it takes time.  I'm on 3 years now.

The first bit is hard.  You need to ind you a low calorie drink, coffee, tea somethi mg warn that you can fill your belly with.  It helps.  After the first week or so you won't even notice.

Dinner will become super important.  Dedicate some time to it.  If its interrupted and you dont get your calories your body will be angry and fight back.

Most of all dont fill in the calories with pop, milk and other things.  The occasional soda isnt bad but it can lead to y oip not losing weight if it becomes a habbit.

Finaly if you break your fast dont sweat it.  Dont break it every day try to do better.  But if someone asks if you want. Go to lunch go to lunch or breakfast or both if you feel like it.  Dont make it such a sticking point that you miss out on stuff because of it.

If you have any other questions I'd be glad to answer

Clara

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ GalenFirntuft

Thank you, this is some good advice.
Especially the hot drink, is not something I would have thought of, but I can see it helping quite a bit!

Taleir

5 years, 11 months ago

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I tried the 16/8 pattern that you're thinking of.  It worked quite well.  Went from 160 to 140 over the course of 4 months or so; a safe and slow loss.  Once I hit 140, my body refused to lose any more, so it must have hit some stable equilibrium.

It took about three days, when I started, before my body adapted to the new life-style.  It will be a bit unpleasant, with a lot of hunger pangs, but it should not last too long.  You can grab some sugar-free jello to help control the pangs during your first fasts.

My advice is to eat small meals and snacks anytime you feel hungry during the 8 hour eating period.  Don't concern yourself too much with keeping any kind of meal schedule.  Try to get it out of your head that you need to eat when your household eats or that you need to eat the same amount as them.  If you're hungry, and you're not in the fasting period, then eat!  There should be no penalty in your mind for doing so.

You also generally do not have to be concerned with what you eat, but you do want to make sure you eliminate almost all carbs from your drinks during the fasting period.  The idea is to have a period of low blood-insulin, so any kind of drink that can upset that should be eliminated.

And make sure you're healthy enough to do it.  If you have diabetes, trying to add fasting to your life-style could actually endanger your life.

I think that's about it.  Shoot questions at me if you like~

Floofy

5 years, 11 months ago

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It's kinda ridiculous. Just cut the food you eat by ×/3rd for each meal will achieve the same effect.

If you do this until you stop losing weight, then go back to your regular diet you will start gaining weight again, merely because your starting to eat more than your body now uses.

ruink

5 years, 11 months ago

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fasting is good, you just have to understand that you need to take your mind off of eating and drink in the day time.

BrashearLushert

5 years, 11 months ago

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Since I was small I was always obese, once I was 14 years old I broke my leg ... 4 months later I had already thinned everything :) I do not know if it's useful xD <3

nekkofox

5 years, 11 months ago

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Edited 5 years, 11 months ago by Owner

I've found intermittent fasting was more detrimental to me and caused me to maintain my weight and even gain some.

I found that reducing my portions was wayyyyyy more effective. I switched to blue plates that are about 1/3 smaller than my old white plates and that helped me portion my meals smaller. Plus, I stopped drinking soda and that helped a bit too, along with nightly walks.

GalenFirntuft

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ nekkofox

Yup it's a game of either
A:exercise. Offset the calories you intake.
Or
B:I take less calories than your body needs to function so that it digs into its reserve.

nekkofox

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ GalenFirntuft

It seems to be the simplest answer that worked for me, though I know it's not true for everyone.

zyfer

5 years, 11 months ago

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Edited 5 years, 11 months ago by Owner

while i haven't tried it intentionally i seemed to have done it quite a bit when younger.. and it doesn't appear to work...

if your trying to lose weight i recommend checking out a book called "4 hour body" you can probably find it online.. if not i can upload it and pass a link.. it seems to show results but you kinda have to stick to it.

requires a bit of discipline..

Tahla

5 years, 11 months ago

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Edited 5 years, 11 months ago by Owner

My mother did this for a while, and it worked quite dramatically. She just wouldn't eat anything all day until dinner, and then ate whatever she wanted to dinner. Unfortunately I can't comment on how difficult it is to maintain the weight loss after stopping, as my mother took ill with an unrelated illness and has since gained a lot of weight back. I imagine it's a lot like the carb diet though, which I did for years and does work as well- if you go back to your regular diet, you'll gain it back. The only way not too is to maintain a limited portion amount, and that's incredibly tough to do.

TsunderePanda

5 years, 11 months ago

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I tried it because

FrancisJCat

was doing it X3

I maanged to lose 3 kilograms in about a month, but thats where I hit my limit as well despite going at it for a few months. That and when i started coughing up blood thanks to my gastric history , i had to put a stop to it. So far I managed to maintain the weight i had lost and opted to go with a low fat / low carb diet.

I'd recommend it provided that you don't have a history of gastric problems like i do.

OldManAzrael

5 years, 11 months ago

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I do it, and it has been working reasonably well.

Delicious

5 years, 11 months ago

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Edited 5 years, 11 months ago by Owner

If you balance your carbs to be about 30-40% of your caloric intake (leaving roughly 30% to fats and 30% to protein, which you can learn to estimate from your food selection in the feeding window) you can do it pretty easily without feeling hungry at other times of day. If you end up eating mostly carbs, though, it'll be way harder not to feel hungry sooner. Vegetables and fruit (not juice) for your carbs will be less problematic than refined sugars or bread/pasta, since the sugar doesn't absorb into your system so readily and the body doesn't respond so harshly when your blood sugar drops again, making you feel less hungry later.

Also make sure you get enough fiber and you aren't starving yourself! I actually had a problem where I wasn't eating enough when I started trying this.

Delicious

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ Delicious

Oh, and there are actually calculators that tell you how many grams you want to aim for of carbs, protein and fat out of your total calories in a day, if you feel like looking at labels. But I think it's a lot less stressful to figure that out once and then settle on an overall idea of what foods you want to include in your meals.

Clara

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ Delicious

I've been doing it for the past couple days, but havent really changed too much of what I eat, aside from not eating out ever other day. I plan to change up what i'm eating once I get used to eat ovo;;
So balancing my carbs, fats and proteins is def a good idea for the future i'm gonna try to keep in mind!!
Thank you for the advice ;;0;/

UploadingGlaceon

5 years, 11 months ago

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When I graduated high school I was around 210 pounds (with a good bit if muscle underneath the fat from 4 years of weight training) I was able to get down to around 165 in 4 months by swimming and running every day and having only a 5 hour fed state only eating fruits veggies and lean protein like chicken and tuna. My fed state was from 2-7 pm and I tried to work out before noon. I lost a lot of muscle during this time as well though so it may have been a bit overdone.

MakoRuu

5 years, 11 months ago

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Edited 5 years, 11 months ago by Owner

Humans don't have to eat three meals a day in order to survive.

Fasting is a great way to lose weight. I only eat once every 24 hours.

Right around 5:00 - 6:00 PM each day I have a 2000 - 2500 calorie meal. But I allow myself tea or juice in between.

It sucks at first, but you get use to it.

baseballdude4578

5 years, 11 months ago

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Edited 5 years, 11 months ago by Owner

I lost 10kg within a month with it (but I went the "one meal a day" route) last summer, and since I was happy, I just stopped there, and my weight continues to oscillate up and down around 58kg, so I'd call it a success :3

jellymouse

5 years, 11 months ago

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From my understanding, fasting lowers your metabolism, making you put on weight again as soon as your body is able to before allowing your metabolism to return to normal.
The general consensus from what I've read is that exercise and a proper diet are the only way to effectively lose weight long-term.

sweltering

5 years, 11 months ago

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Edited 5 years, 11 months ago by Owner

Don't do this.
Only thing that will happen is that your body thinks winter has come. As soon as you eat it will store as much fat as it can from your food to build reserves. You will gain weight and possibly burn muscle. (especially wonen are sensitive to this)

You can try a temporary water only "cleanse". This won't be exactly good for dieting but resets your food intake systems.
It usually results in loss of certain food addictions like suger and makes it easier to get into a healthier diet.

Just eating at set times works wonders.
Take pictures of everything you put down your caketrap to make it more confronting at the end of the day and just move to healthier options,
Sounds cheezy.

I just hit the gym at some mid twenties point and was forced to start eating healthier to help with muscle soreness owo'''

Aogami

5 years, 11 months ago

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I'm doing a combination of longer fasting (2-3 days at a time) with a ketogenic diet and it's working pretty well so far, I've lost a decent amount of weight with no ill health effects. They work well together because while you fast, your body is using up all of it's glycogen stores and gets you into ketosis faster than if you were consuming anything other than water.

The whole "starvation mode" thing that people have been talking about for years has been pretty thoroughly debunked, and if you think about it for more than a second it makes sense that it wouldn't work that way. When we were hunter/gatherers, there would of course be long stretches of time where we wouldn't be able to find food. The reason we store fat in times of plenty is for exactly this reason - to burn it when we don't have carbohydrates/sugars readily available. There's also an argument that fasting will lead to muscle loss, which is true but is also true for all diets and LESS true of fasting and ketogenic diets - you'll be producing Human Growth Hormone to protect your muscles from atrophy while you fast because your body knows that in times where food is scarce, you need all your physical strength to go out and get food.

If you choose to do what I'm doing, here's what you can expect: You'll have some pretty severe food cravings for the first 3ish days, followed by flu-like symptoms, mostly muscle aches. This is normal. After that, you'll find that your appetite decreases pretty substantially as it moves towards burning fat instead of sugar. It can take up to 30 days for ketosis to kick in, but this assumes you're going to be eating <50g of carbohydrates a day. When you're eating none, it takes way less time and you'll sew results much faster.

Some notes: drink lots of water, about a gallon a day. You need much more water during fasting and ketogenic diets.
When you do eat, your carbohydrates should come from vegetables, never simple sugars or grains. You especially need these for the trace minerals and fiber. Besides that, pretty much just meat. Chicken, pork, beef, fish, lobster, it's all A-ok.
Keep an eye on your blood sugar; if you have diabetes you could experience hypoglycemia since you aren't consuming any sugar. Diabetics who fast often find that this isn't a problem, and it can actually help with diabetes and other insulin disorders since you are giving your gut a rest and aren't forcing your body to create insulin constantly.

Fasting for 3-5 days with just water also has some great health benefits. Once all the glycogen is out of your system you'll feel more energetic, your metabolism and resting energy consumption will go up meaning you'll lose weight faster than other methods, and it kills off all of your old white blood cells and makes all new ones boosting your immune response. You can even fast longer than that if you are still feeling good - most people who do prolonged fasts report that they just stop being hungry after a while, and stop their fast when hunger returns around 10-14 days into it. It's not bad for you, it won't kill you to not eat, and as long as you're carefully monitoring your condition and don't have any medical conditions that would prevent you from doing it, it works great.

Last thing about dieting. The reason normal diets don't work is because when you're consuming carbohydrates and simply cutting calories, your body slows its metabolism to try and conserve energy so you'll feel lethargic all the time and worse, you'll feel HUNGRY all the time, because you're not producing ketones that allow you to access your stored fat for energy, instead still trying to work primarily off of insulin to process the limited sugars you ARE getting.

Clara

5 years, 11 months ago

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@ Aogami

aaah thank you for this!! It definitely gives me some insight on how it works, and made me a little less scared to try it.
In fact i've been doing it for the past 3 days, but haven't really changed what i'm eating yet aside from fast food. Though once I get used to this eating cycle I do plan to slowly but surely move into something more like the keto diet.
At this point I dont think i'll be able to fast for 24hrs+ until my relationship with food is different.
Just dont wanna overwhelm myself in the beginning, thats how alot of my other attempts with different things ended in failure.

Aogami

5 years, 11 months ago

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Edited 5 years, 11 months ago by Owner

@ Clara

yeah, there is an initial hump to get over. :) It's not a bad idea to start slow but cutting out fast food is a good start. I'm cooking at home a lot now. It takes like 15 minutes to season and cook a pork chop, steak, or chicken, and while I'm waiting for it I make a simple salad to go with it.

Teko

5 years, 11 months ago

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I did it very stringently for months and lost weight. Skipping breakfast is pretty easy after a few days -- your body adjusts to it. But I've found it easier and just as effective to simply be smart about keeping calories down, eating smart, exercising, and making good choices. I used to eat Pop-tarts or donuts for breakfast, a frozen meal or ramen for lunch, then pizza or something for dinner. A typical breakfast now is a rye cracker with almond butter (no sugar); for lunch I have something like hummus and carrot sticks, and dinner is something much smarter than pizza.

RivvonCat

5 years, 11 months ago

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If you can handle the inevitable weakness and nausea for half a day, sure why not. I tried it myself personally... It really takes some time to get used to.

ibengmainee

5 years, 11 months ago

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As a personal trainer, I'm not going to get involved with this. I deal with this all the time and I have given up telling people why it doesn't work like they think it is. Cause time and time again, I get the, "Well I did it and I lost weight, it totally works!" and people do not understand why they are seeing the results they are seeing and why it's not entirely a good thing.

I been in this business long enough to see this "fad" phase in and out. Before this it was the ketone diet. Then before that was water fasting. It's a gimmick, it's another way for you to trick your mind into losing weight quickly, you get excited and buy into it. Then you plateau, if most people make it long enough to plateau before the stop.

dossant

5 years, 11 months ago

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After awhile of not eating a whole lot for me, I eventually got into protein bars. Yeah, I put on weight, but not fat. Still, I did start eating more give or take after that point.

Talbotlynx

5 years, 11 months ago

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I sort of found out I was doing this by accident with my budgeting controls and calculations of calorie and nutrient intake, mostly in making sure I got enough, rather than making sure I stayed below a certain line other than my spending. My metabolism is variable an causes me trouble even when I don't care about calorie requirements. lol

I also live an active lifestyle, most days. I do DDP yoga and walk and ride a bike more often than I drive anywhere, and this sometimes means going as far as 11 miles, one way while doing something. And I live in a fairly hilly/mountainous region so it sounds even worse on strain than most would think with the straight numbers. Landscape effects your exertion level.

The combination let me lose around fifty pounds of fat, gain about twenty in muscle over what I had under the fat and get me to a HEALTHY two hundred pounds, standing at six feet tall. The combination of those factors combined with a high protein, relatively low carb diet where I care nothing about fat content when thinking about calories had a doctor recently say I may be the healthiest my records ever show me being. I was a track runner as a teen with a 4:46 mile time, and that period is in my records. The body fat came with inactivity after a spinal injury in my late twenties. ^_^;

If you research it, rather than do fasting haphazardly like I do and live actively without pushing yourself to collapse, I could see it working. Your body type would determine some adjusting factors, and that's where the research comes in. To be clear, body shape and body type are not the same thing. Make sure you figure yours out properly, and be ready to switch things up if your expectations on your body type get flipped around as you go. Remember that an active lifestyle is the best way to keep weight off once you lose it. ;3

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Intermittent fasting??

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