What's your feelings about intermittent fasting

Not a fan. I do not diet but I eat healthy. !00 grams of gold and aluminum is the same weight but which has more value? Same goes for food, 100 grams of ice cream or 0% fat yogurt is the same weight but which is healthiest choice? It's all about the choices you make. A piece of apple pie or the apple? What we ate made us fat and what we eat will make us healthy and slim.

Let's not forget portion size. Measure and weigh. A portion and a serving is not the same. Recognizing the difference between portion sizes and serving size is important, too. A serving size is listed on a food label, while a portion size is what you serve yourself (or what a restaurant serves you). These are important to decipher because the numbers for calories, fat, sodium, carbs, fiber, etc. on the nutrition facts label describe a specified serving size, which can vary widely from the portion you serve yourself. This is a good reason why it’s a great idea to play with your measuring cups at home until you become a pro at serving up correct serving sizes.

Next is exercise. A 10 -15 minutes of exercise early morning "wakes up" your body, will burn more calories and give you more energy to face the day.

We can do this the safe way, making sure we get the natural nutrients and vitamins in a variety of food awaiting to be discovered!

Food for thought

I don't really think about it. I was anorexic in my teens and early twenties so not a good idea. I don't plan for it but if it happens it happens.

I love it!!

I am new to IF and am combining keto. So far so good. I'm not as hungry as I was all the time.

I've tried it and I loved it.

I am okay with it

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I decided to try 16:8 IF starting on 1/1/20 after watching a video interview with Dr. Sachin Panda and reading his book about circadian rhythms as well as watching a video lecture by Dr. Jason Fung on the benefits of IF and Time Restricted Feeding (TRF). Generally I've found it quite easy to do after the first couple of days and has helped me lose around 10 pounds this month and a few inches off of my waist and hips.

Getting over the need to eat breakfast was probably the easiest part since I drink a lot of water or decaffeinated coffee in the mornings anyways. And if I was around other people eating yummy breakfasts, having the coffee made me feel like I was participating in the meal, even though I wasn't eating. The harder part was giving up the nigh-time snacking. In the past, I probably consumed a large portion of my calories, carbs and fats from 7pm to 11pm. Really bad evening snacking habit that was getting worse and worse. I use a free app called Zero Fasting to help keep me on the straight and narrow when it comes to fasting and non-fasting times. It's sort of like the SparkPeople app, but for tracking your fasts.

I feel like I'm sleeping better and have more energy. Could be that carrying less weight makes it easier to go up stairs! :-) However, for me, IF/TRF on its own isn't enough to drive weight loss. I'm eating almost all plant-based food with a few breads and dairy here and there and a small sweet treat (usually a Trader Joe's Mochi Ice Cream round) at the end of the evening meal as well as doing regular exercise of cardio and core 4-5 times per week. I'm enjoying this lifestyle change and will report back as I figure out what to do when we have more social activities and travel.

I tried fasting every other day and it was too much. Then I tried fasting just one day a week and it was working great. I stopped because I fell and hurt my back. I'm better now and am going to start again. It's the only way I've ever lost weight. I keep reminding myself I can do anything for a day. It really isn't that hard.

I have never been much of a breakfast eater. All my life I would eat mainly one meal, dinner. I didn't start eating breakfast, lunch and dinner until I had kids. Apparently, they need to eat more than one meal a day
Only in the last few years did I discover there's a name for it, Intermittent Fasting. All my life I had been doing IF and didn't even know it. I thought it was normal and now there's a name for it. For me, the constant focus on food, 3 meals a day and snacks between for the kids lead to me overeating and my weight gain. Now that the kids are grown and I no longer need to feed them 3+ times a day, I'm trying really hard to return to my younger self's way of eating - now being called one meal a day or OMAD.
Instead of focusing on food, I can now focus on fitness/exercise, my crafts and cleaning/organizing my house.

I've had good results with IF by eating lower carb and breaking my fast with almonds. I think it is the best way to break your fast. You are satisfied and don't end up binging. The healthy fats are so good for you. I have lost the brain fog which at almost 57 years old is wonderful. Also results from my last blood work good cholesterol was high and my triglycerides were low.

Edited by: MEMEQ2 at: 1/13/2020 (22:59)

It seems to be working for many. I've mostly been doing the standard 16:8 and have lost 10 lbs in a year, but gained 2 lbs back. This is, admittedly, a very slow loss; nevertheless, it was "painless" and easy. I do strive for a balanced, whole foods-based diet.

The downside is that it seems that most people having great success with it are doing OMAD or 20:4. Many have said that they started with 16:8, have some success, but then stall. So they go to 18:6, then 20:4 and maybe OMAD or they start eating Keto to keep seeing results. I see nothing wrong with doing that once or twice a week, but it doesn't seem sustainable (or healthy?) to do that all the time -- at least not for me.

Some of what I've read is that it could be hard on a woman's hormones just before or during that time of month. The same is true for those of us under stress. In either instance, IF can be hard to maintain. I've also found that I started getting gallbladder-like or kidney type pain if I go for a longer fast. Those who have eating disorders are also to be cautious.

Regardless, that's just my two cents, and I admit that one can't deny the success of it.

*Edited to add that I've had more success if I follow an alternate day pattern. There are several variations of this including alternate low and high calories, but I like the alternate day of low and high protein the best.

Edited by: GRACEINAZ at: 1/13/2020 (21:28)

I've been doing IF for over a year. It took a few months for my body to adjust. Now I love it. My son (physiology PhD) and my doctor both suggested it. My blood sugar is MUCH more stable, being prone to bouts of hypoglycemia. Haven't had an issue in almost a year. While I'm already eating very low calorie, it doesn't help me cut further calories, but I feel better and have more energy. I have a small snack for lunch and a sensible dinner with my husband. I think I feel better with one good meal than three small, almost satisfying meals. Fewer calories, too. (I have an abnormally low measured BMR, so a doctor-monitored diet of 800-1000 cal/day is normal for me and produces little, if any, weight loss with a BMI of nearly 31.)

The uncontrolled weight gain has stopped, which is good. Cholesterol and BP have dropped from borderline to very good levels, too. There seems to be mounting evidence that IF can be extremely helpful for diabetes and overall health in general. That said, work with your doctor.

One good thing is that many breakfast foods are nutritionally deficient -- but TASTY. It's an easy way to knock out doughnuts, muffins, pastries, pancakes, waffles, etc. I will partake if the extended family is together for holidays, but otherwise, I'm just not hungry now until dinner. While my weight isn't changing much, it's not increasing. My blood labwork has changed for the better, too.

I'm 57 and for the past several years I have dealt with energy drops and mental fogginess if I don't eat for more than 4 hours. I'm fine overnight and I eat healthy for breakfast lunch and dinner with fruit as snacks. I have maintained within 5 pounds of the same weight for 25 years but I fluctuate with exercise. I tried IT when I was younger and I just ended up binging food.

If it works for you, do it! We all have to find the path that works best for us!

Not an option for me

I agree with Michelle - If it comes natural to you, roll with it. I encourage you to listen to your body.


I had a few years where IF really worked for me, right now it doesn’t work as well for me. I was on some mega dose antibiotics for a serious knee infection last spring and they really did a number on my gut. Now 18 months on I’m easing back into IF. I will skip breakfast occasionally when I’m not feeling hungry. Some days I will just have lunch and dinner but for the most part I’m doing 3 meals, no snacks.

Ideally when left to my own devices, when I don’t have to work I get up between 6-7am have coffee and eat breakfast at 10am, lunch at 2pm, dinner at 7pm.

On workdays I get up at 6am, breakfast at 7:30, lunch at 12pm, dinner at 5:30.

not a fan

VEGGIE_ADDICT - obviously everyone is different, but when I am fasting I tend to feel *less* hungry, I am *less* likely to want to overeat, I am *less* bothered by cravings.

I have never found fasting to lead to binging. I have found restriction to lead to binging.

I haven't tried it personally it just never appealed to me. A friend of mine tried it for a while and did well with it for about a month

I love the idea of intermittent fasting but I think it can lead to binges which ultimately screws up my weight loss. If I could feel more at ease around food when I am in an eating window then maybe it would help more. I think intermittent fasting also helps with my digestion a lot but ONLY IF I don't binge when I start eating! I'm still trying to make it work

I think it CAN be an effective way to control caloric intake for some people, but it is NOT the magic solution that some people think it is.

Honestly, it is great for me - when I can do it. For me, it often just means eliminating snacks after an early dinner. That is often a challenge. I have had my best results when I can do it and I will continue to work on it.

I have been intermittent fasting for about 3 years now and *love* it. I do breakfast and lunch, skip dinner. I do occasional longer fasts, like 36-48, often over a weekend. I am still hoping to do a more substantial fast at some point, but day 3 is really a hurdle for me!

The largest change I saw - not long after starting even - was the loss of the 'sick shaky' feeling when hungry. I knew that couldn't be healthy, and I'm very happy that now when I'm hungry, I'm just hungry, I'm not hangry or light headed or any of the other too common side effects people talk about these days.

It also, surprisingly, drastically cut the cravings and the feeling of inability to control them, even without otherwise adjusting what I ate.

I would strongly suggest you read The Complete Guide to Fasting by Jason Fung MD. He covers pretty much everything you need to know about fasting except for the actual visit to your doctor!

The reason I'm looking into it is I just turned 47 so fifty and menopause isn't too far away ...currently i am premenopausal and I see so often once women turn 50 and menopause sets in that weight gain becomes a real problem.
Currently if I am sensible with my diet and exercise 3-4 times a week things are ok but once menopause sets in or turning 50 I'm wondering if doing something like intermitting fasting or keto will be necessary in order to not put on weight once menopause hits.
The premenopausal sucks 😫😫 but I'm managing it by taking primrose oil ..the primrose has been a life saver not cure but it definitely helps.

It's supposed to be very effective for diabetics and others who have blood sugar issues. I did it for a while as a way to limit calories/ allow for more calories later in the day and aimed for IF of 7pm - 12 or 1pm, but found that I was very hungry and uncomfortable in the mornings. Since I don't have issues with my blood sugar and have found a more sustainable way to eat which allows me to maintain my success range and still have breakfast in the morning, I don't do it anymore.

Start small. Try 10-12 hours and see how you feel. Just drink a lot of water, too.
I worked my way to 16 hours.
Then, once I overdid it as I had a late lunch, so went 22 hours.
Big mistake as I think my blood sugar plummeted and I felt terrible.
You will learn if IF is comfortable for you.

I have no strong opinions either way. I personally don't practice it; it wouldn't work for me. But I know it works well for some people. So, if you want to try it to see if it works for you, I say go for it.

I have no pros or cons.

I guess I actually kind of practice it since I only eat my first meal after noon and then space my meals and snacks 2-3 hours apart with dinner at 7:30 to 8 pm. However, I don’t get up until 10 am or later. Then I try not to eat after that until the following day.

However, I am not on a set IF schedule so if my day dictates a different eating pattern then I go with it. Same number of meals but possibly different times,

If it comes natural to you, roll with it. I encourage you to listen to your body.

I've always been prone to intermittent fasting; it seems to be what my body likes. Always been that way even since childhood.

I practiced it for several years while I shed 80 pounds. I fasted from 9 at night until 9 the next morning, and I think it helped. I'm maintaining now, so I no longer restrict myself time-wise.

Not for or against

I started on Sunday eating lunch at 12 and dinner at 6 p.m. and don't eat again until 12 noon the next day. So far I have lost 3 lbs.

Edited by: GRANNYOF05 at: 10/1/2019 (22:19)

I'm interested to hear opinions on intermittent fasting.