Is Anyone Else Intermittent Fasting?

[million$$$smile]

I have been fasting intermittently for awhile now with great results.

I basically fast 5:2 and really feel great right for the new couple of days.

Also have lost about 20lbs in the last couple of months since I've started it though that isn't really the main goal I had in mind. I just wanted to be more healthy and have changed my diet along with fasting.

Just curious if anyone else has been IF for any period of time.

If so, what days and how do you fast, ie water only, juice, coffee etc?

 

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[Greg R]

I'm Intermittent Fastlaning!

I go to work for twelve hours, come home and work on my Fastlane.

~Greg

 

[JoshM]

I've been an IF practitioner for the better part of 7 years (the 16/8 or LeanGains protocol). I found the focus/performance benefits to be profound and I hovered around 7-8% body fat while only lifting 2-3 days per week.

Unfortunately, after some time, I got derailed from an accumulation of bad habits, lots of stress, and over-consuming bad foods. I went from a lean 175-180 lbs to a whopping 225 lbs in due time and looked like a blimp. I was in a pretty bad place. While IF can do wonders and amplify your efforts, it is nothing more than a tool in your arsenal. It won't prevent the eventual effects of overeating and bad lifestyle choices.

Anyway, I reached a pretty low point in my life and then something inside me just "clicked." I woke up and had my "F*ck this" moment... from that point forward, I dropped all of my bad habits, got back on track. 7 months later and I looked even better than I did before.

If it interests you and you need a swift kick in the pants to get started, this was my journey:

Disclaimer: My 'Lean Body Club' channel/website is defunct and I no longer maintain it, but I am always willing to answer questions and point others in the right direction. It's nice to see others change their habits, actions, and lifestyle for the better!

Nowadays, when I'm asked what I did to get to the best shape I've ever been in, I share these 7 rules:

1. Keep It Simple, Stupid. Overcomplicating the process leads to confusion and makes the goal unattainable.
2. Eat slowly. More times than not, I'd eat too much, because I didn't eat slow enough for my brain to receive the signal from the stomach that I was full.
3. Fuel the body with the right foods. I ate lean animal proteins, fibrous and colorful veggies, healthy fats, and fibrous, starchy carbohydrates. Nothing refined or processed. And I didn't go hungry either!
4. Eat Protein and Veggies at every meal. I made sure I had two palm-sized portions of protein and two fist-sized portions of vegetables at each meal.
5. Earn your carbohydrates. I ate carb-containing meals only after my workouts and on rest days, I'd either have only 1 meal with carbs, or just protein and veggies.
6. Intermittent fasting. I skipped breakfast (SOUND THE ALARM!) and ate my first meal at noon, and stopped eating around 8 or 9 pm. I kept nearly all muscle and dropped fat at a rapid rate. The whole skipping meals ordeal is pseudoscience at best... it won't harm you one bit.
7. Lift heavy. I trained like a powerlifter. Lower volume and heavy weight, with a focus on big, compound movements like Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Overhead Press, Bent-Over Rows, and Chin-ups/Pull-ups. 5 sets of 5 reps, 2-3 days per week, with emphasis on adding 5 pounds to each lift the next time I hit that lift.
   
   That's all there is to it. Nothing special. Apply these rules to your own life and you WILL see a change in the way you look and the way you feel. If you have ever had your doubts about IF, I'd encourage you to implement it as a part of your daily routine. You will not be disappointed.

 

[AndrewNC]

I have been fasting intermittently for awhile now with great results.

I basically fast 5:2 and really feel great right for the new couple of days.

Also have lost about 20lbs in the last couple of months since I've started it though that isn't really the main goal I had in mind. I just wanted to be more healthy and have changed my diet along with fasting.

Just curious if anyone else has been IF for any period of time.

If so, what days and how do you fast, ie water only, juice, coffee etc?

I never really set the intent or had any plan behind it, but this is what's been working for me.

I wake up in the morning and climb one of the mountains here in Colorado.

As I drive back around 11 a.m., I grab a coffee, shower, get some work done, and sometime around 12:30 or 1, I eat whatever meal I have for the day.

Then I work until around 4 or 5, where I have a lighter meal, and then back to work/out for the early evening. Not really eating much at night anymore.

Between climbing the mountains and this, I dropped 37 pounds in the past 2 months.

One thing I noticed is how much more focus and energy I have in the morning when I do things on an empty stomach.

 

[million$$$smile]

One thing I noticed is how much more focus and energy I have in the morning when I do things on an empty stomach.

That is EXACTLY what I have realized. It really is incredibly noticeable...

 

[million$$$smile]

We have become consumed with food.

We are addicted not for nourishment, but for taste...

and usually the sweeter the better.

Some of us really do think we are 'starving' if we go without food for 8 hours.

We feed on bio-engineered products rather than the fruit of the earth.

We would rather wait in line at the Golden Arches than to arch our back to pick home grown vegetables.

We would rather spend $100 a month on snacks and sodas than a gym membership.

And then we would rather take a pill between gulps of soda prescribed to us for weight loss than feel the pain (and joy) of stretching and breathing and lifting.

We would rather take an antidote than stop the obsession and craving.

We have all been fed by branding rather than whats on the back of the label.

I think what I just ate turned me unusually negative...

 

[Kak]

Ok folks. I'm doing it. Full assed.

On the advice of @BizyDad when he came to church with me and always knowing this thread was here, I'm diving back into this.

I have been a yo yo keto dieter for 3 years. It works when I can stick to it... But incredibly demotivating when I have a cheat meal because it takes a while to get back into ketosis. So I'm going to go IF only.

I am naturally not hungry until about noon every day. I think my Achilles heel is the after dinner snacking. I plan to leave the window open for one meal... No calories outside of the window.

Gaining full control over my diet is something I have struggled with for years and never fully achieved. I have managed to keep off about 15 pounds from my peak by watching what I eat. It is time to lose another 40 and keep it off.

Years have gone by and I am sick of it. I stood on the scale today. 215.2. Pretty typical for me. I'm 5'10" and carry it pretty well, but enough is enough.

I'm thinking I should be 175 so 40.2.

Weight loss isn't the true goal here though. The real goal is getting and keeping control of my diet in a way that gets results.

It is Monday. A perfect day to start. OMPD... Early dinner.

 

[AgainstAllOdds]

Do you eat "junk food" during the eating window? Or only "clean foods"?
Some IF influencers eat junk every day and still look great, whilst others are against it.

Personally, I chose the "clean" route, because of health benefits, but am wondering if it's truly plausible to get leaner by doing it the other way.

I'm eating clean right now, but will say that I'm a junk food addict. I love pizza, ice cream, cheesecake, etc. I'm addicted to sugar and cheese.

And that's why IF is perfect for me when cutting.

In my personal experience, if you limit your eating window then two things happen:

1. You don't have cravings outside of your window. So let's say your window is 1pm to 8pm. From 8pm to 1pm the next day you don't care about eating. You know those late night snacks you ate because you were "hungry"? On intermittent fasting (after the first two weeks) you stop getting those cravings and just naturally cut down on the number of "bad" calories that you're eating.
2. Food tastes better. The first meal I eat of the day is always amazing. Foods that I usually would consider bland are several times better because I no longer have that "numbness" to taste.

These two factors naturally make it easier for you to get lean.

Now to answer your question if it's plausible to get leaner eating junk food, I'd say yeah if your calories stay low. But what you will lose is more muscle due to the lack of protein, the speed at which you get results, and the difficulty in cutting increases because junk food isn't as filling as other high volume foods (salad takes up a lot more space in your stomach but has next to no calories, whereas a twinkie takes up very little space and has a ton of calories).

By the way, I'm not an expert on IF, but I've read a couple books, a handful blog posts, and experimented myself until I figured out what works for me.

For you that's what's most important. Start testing, tracking progress, and then figure out which formula works. What works for me might not work for you.

When tracking progress, make sure to buy a body fat monitor. That's the #1 indicator if you're getting results or not. You can experiment with IF and junk food for a couple weeks and see if your body fat goes down. If it doesn't, then you need to change up your routine.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Are you vegan now MJ ?

Yes, nearly 2 years strong.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Been doing it for 2 months, 20 OFF / 4 ON . Blood test results coming in a few days.

Just got back my blood test results!

Best blood panel I've seen in a decade; no deficiencies, no outliers and my cholesterol was the lowest I've seen in 20 years.

 

[eliquid]

I do mine during the day.

Typically I don't eat until maybe 2pm. That window stays open to about 7pm.

Haven't moved to full days without eating that was in a cycle yet.

Last time I tried reg fasting, I went a full 6 days without eating and broke down. I'm gonna go for 10 days soon.

At that point, I might do 6:1 or 5:2 like yourself.

.

 

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[million$$$smile]

I do OMAD (One Meal a Day).

Interesting. When do you eat that meal? Have you noticed any drawbacks on OMAD? Do you drink more liquids during the day? Is it water only, or other liquids? Do you use Supplements?

I have been experimenting with more of a vegan diet for several months now. If you would have asked me to go vegan 8-10 months ago, I would have said you are nuts. I think I would have said the same thing regarding IF or OMAD. Have always been a meat eater, all my life and still have a bit of meat maybe once a week, but for the most part, I have currently dropped it from my diet.

It is just interesting to learn about the health benefits and life extension experiments that some people are doing.
Here is an interesting video that had sparked my interest:

View: http://youtu.be/dR1FCJS8DoM

 

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[AgainstAllOdds]

Intermittent fasting right now. Did it years back and cut down to 8.9% body fat at 190LBs. Best shape I was ever in.

Currently cutting about 1/2 a pound a day on IF (started at 17% body fat, and getting very rapid results).

My daily schedule:

11:15AM: Coffee. No sugar. Just black with ice.
11:30AM to 1:30PM - Muay Thai with personal trainer
1:30PM - First Meal
8:00PM - Eating window closes

I eat about 1,500 calories a day heavy in protein. Severe calorie deficit but with IF you don't feel it as much.

Do it everyday Monday to Sunday.

For those of you saying you only fast 5 days a week, you're ruining your results.

Intermittent Fasting • r/intermittentfasting has some great threads on the topic.

IF works but you have to be disciplined and have a decent understanding of how it works first. Check out Intermittent fasting diet for fat loss, muscle gain and health to develop a solid understanding.

 

[Raoul Duke]

Man, it's great a lot of you love IF, but I've tried it and I can't seem to solve a few issues:

Morning Hunger: I'm terribly hungry in the morning, even after coffee. I typically do fasted cardio, and then eat right after. On IF, I may do fasted cardio and eat 2-3 hours after and I'm famished, which makes me cranky.

When I eat my required macros/calories in 2 meals, I feel incredibly bloated and full. I really dislike this feeling, and it seems like it's unnecessarily hard on my stomach.

To me, IF is just a way to reduce your calories. I'm not sure if the fasting part has as much to do with fat loss than actual caloric reduction.

I'm love for someone to prove me wrong or offer suggestions to my two issues, as it is much more convenient to eat 2 times per day as opposed to 5-6.

Watch this. It helped me.

 

[million$$$smile]

Well, I've been mostly on OMAD (one meal a day) for about three weeks now.
Once a week or so I have had to break it for one reason or another, usually due to a business lunch or breakfast. I just hate sitting there not eating and having questions asked of me, why I'm not. It just squelches questions if I partake.

A couple of things I've noticed. Like @AgainstAllOdds mentioned in a previous post, after two weeks one hardly notices any hunger pangs. For the first few weeks I was at times noticeably crankier and had to really watch my attitude around others, especially employees and coworkers.

I have usually waited to eat until around 8 pm in which time I'll usually feed on a plant based diet. Once in awhile I'll have a bit of meat but it is out of the norm.

Things I have noticed:

My energy levels have remained the same or gone up a bit. It is a little hard to tell because during this time I have upped my frequency of workouts from 3 days a week to 5. I feel GREAT.

My weight hasn't change much. Lost maybe 2-3 lbs. That has mildly surprised me. I'm thinking that I have exchanged a bit of fat for muscle but haven't yet checked measurements until I go a full month.

My clarity is definitely better. One of the reasons I began this journey of fasting/IF to begin with was I had been noticing for the first time in my life some short term memory loss. I feel this was due to allowing stress to be a large part of my life in the early development of various business ventures.
Definitely not healthy. My blood pressure at times was in the critical stage as high as 186/110. It now has averaged 138/95 and some days lower.
I attribute this to a complete change in my diet and more frequent exercise.

For this reason alone, this journey has been worth the sacrifice of my previous lifestyle.

Sometimes less is more.

There is so much contradictory information online regarding diet and lifestyle change that I feel one really needs to begin listening to their own body and decide for themselves, not what someone else says verbatim.

Life is not only an experience, but an experiment. What may be good for me, may not fit exactly for you.

Not sure if I'll continue this the rest of my life, but it has been a real benefit for me in this chapter nonetheless.

Gotta go check on my 15 bean soup in the crockpot. Dinner is almost here...

 

[million$$$smile]

I continue to IF but only do it 3-4 days a week. I found it to be too much pressure with my schedule as I meet several times a week for lunch meetings. I found it better for me to "go with the flow" rather than sit there while others are eating. I love IF and I don't see myself ever completely going off it.

The benefits for me, at least have been rewarding.

First and foremost, I feel I am in greater control of my physical body. My bodies' craving do not control me.

Secondly, more clarity and focus. This takes a bit of time once the hurdles of initially starting out when one has to 'train' the bodies' cravings to the focus one has with the goal of not eating at a given time.

Thirdly, feeling better and I firmly believe, feeling younger. I am no longer 30 (how about double that) but I think I am in better physical shape than many that are decades younger.

Fourth, I just feel like working out more, exercising and lifting. I don't prescribe to any particular regimen per se, but I try to work out 4 times a week. Some days, mid morning when I can get away from my business, or around 5 pm which then I have to battle the slowlaners in the gym.

Fifth, and this is partly due to IF, and partly to exercise, I have dropped from a high blood pressure reading to a more normal BP. Entrepreneurs usually have higher stress, and long term that can be very negative. Diet and exercise combats that.

I choose not to kill my value for a donut or a sedentary life. We all only have one 'go round' in this world (that we know of) so take care of #1, no one else will.

That's my philosophy in a nutshell.

BTW, this lifestyle doesn't stop me from smoking my daily Maduro cigar as I'm writing this...

Enjoy the ride.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Don't ya just love it when the mainstream needs to tell you it isn't in the mainstream?

Lord help us if anyone of us questions conventional wisdom.

Twitter’s Jack Dorsey says he skips meals on Saturdays — dietitians call it billionaire baloney

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Been doing it for 2 months, 20 OFF / 4 ON . Blood test results coming in a few days. Numerically, I dropped 13 lbs (188 to 175) and dropped my bodyfat percentage by 15%. It also helped wean me off vegan junk food.

 

[Kak]

Ok I'm on day two. First of all, I have already weighed in at 211.4... So I like that a lot. Obviously that is probably some initial water weight, but results keep me motivated.

Coming from a keto guy, it was an absolute pleasure last night eating two Gyro sandwiches with lots of tomatoes on top. I also ate like 8 cutie oranges to finish up. It is very nice to have guilt free bread and fruit again.

Keeping the sugar out is relatively easy for me because I have been doing it for a long time already.

This is such a more binary diet. I am either eating or not. I love that aspect. It takes a lot of variables out of the equation. As someone that has keto'ed, the simplicity is refreshing. As is the fact that one cheat day doesn't have ripple effects.

I have noticed a slight reduction in energy, but I hear that will subside. I am definitely ready for dinner by 5PM. I'm cautiously optimistic that I found something that will help me get to my goals.

 

[G-Man]

I basically fast 5:2

Sorry for the barney style question, but what does that mean?

EDIT: nvm, momentarily forgot google exists.

 

[million$$$smile]

Sorry,
I should have made it known:
Eat normally 5 days a week with 2 days (non consecutive) with less calorie input or possibly none.

 

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[RichieKastl]

I have been fasting intermittently for awhile now with great results.

I basically fast 5:2 and really feel great right for the new couple of days.

Also have lost about 20lbs in the last couple of months since I've started it though that isn't really the main goal I had in mind. I just wanted to be more healthy and have changed my diet along with fasting.

Just curious if anyone else has been IF for any period of time.

If so, what days and how do you fast, ie water only, juice, coffee etc?

I've been eating one low carb meal a day for about a year now and just recently I started incorporating the 5:2 fasting schedule into my regime as well. Not only does it have weight loss and overall health benefits, but it also has entrepreneurial benefits as well.

I'm not in the fast lane yet so I really care about how much my food costs. Eating one meal a day in the morning is very cheap because it's nothing but eggs, cheese, nuts, and broccoli. I'm never really hungry during the day and I can use my lunch time productively at work instead of wasting time and money going out to eat every day.

I also have more mental energy to dedicate to my business because I'm not fretting about what I'm going to eat that day, it's basically the same thing every day. I like it this way because I know if I keep eating the same thing every day that I will eventually hit my weight loss goals. Because I think about my food as something that gets me closer to my goals, I don't really mind eating the same thing every day. There are days where I haven't stuck to it (social events, holidays, etc..) but overall I try to stay pretty strict.

I've also done a 9-day water only fast. It was pretty easy once I got past the first couple days. I lost a bunch of weight doing it but after I was done I binged pretty hard and gained it all back because I kept thinking about what I was missing out on instead of the benefits of the fast.

Overall I'd recommend eating one meal a day. John Sonmez (who has had MJ on his channel before) regularly does it and he has a really good explanation for it in this video.

 

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[million$$$smile]

I’m doing it as part of a 6 week cutting challenge too, so I’m excited to see results. I might post them up here if it works out.

If would be interesting to see how it works for you. Any idea your daily calorie intake? Please consider posting your results

I also have challenged myself to lose body fat a bit more radically than have been. I'm trying to incorporate the OMAD (One meal a day) routine consistently. So far have been able to stick to it 4 out of 5 days. Biggest challenge for me is changing my schedule for meeting with certain individuals. We have always met for breakfast or lunch and it is as awkward for them as it is for me to meet when I am not eating and they are. I broke it one day for that reason because it just 'felt better' while meeting.

I don't eat until after 8 pm and try to get in an hour workout prior to eating. Have been limiting my intake to less than 1500 calories, no meat or dairy. Have lost another 5 lbs but with the workouts, I believe this will slow down a bit due to adding a bit of muscle (hopefully)

Feel great. Still fighting the hunger pangs at times during the day, but that is just part of the challenge. One of my goals is to drop down to 170 lbs. Last weigh-in this a.m. 179 so I hope to get there in a couple of weeks. This will be the lightest I've weighed since high school and I now have grandkids that are older than that so it gives you an idea where I'm at.

@fortu1992 thanks for the link. Have read some short articles by Valter Longo, now I'll order his book. Longevity and the health benefits are why I started this lifestyle...

 

[QDF]

To me, IF is just a way to reduce your calories. I'm not sure if the fasting part has as much to do with fat loss than actual caloric reduction.

Actually tons of research to back this up.

Short version: fasting promotes ketosis (when your body burns ketones/fat for energy instead of glucose/carbs), improves insulin sensitivity, and obviously involves a caloric deficit.

Also why fasting and low-carb/keto diets work so well together....your body is already in ketosis.

The guy who won the Nobel Prize last year in medicine did some substantial research on fasting and autophagy too, proving immense benefits fasting has on a cellular level.

If you're interested in fasting or the Keto diet, Dom D'Agostino is the man to listen to; he's done tons of research and lives what he preaches. Fasted for 7 days straight one time and went and deadlifted 500 lbs for like 8 reps or something crazy.

 

[biophase]

I did intermittent fasting last summer. And here are my observations.

First, I found that I was never hungry in the morning. If I just drink a whole bottle of water my stomach would feel full. I worked out at 11 AM four times a week. The first couple workouts were rough but after that my body got used to it and I was able to make it through my workouts without eating breakfast. The hardest part of the diet for me was not to have any snacks between 8 PM and 12 AM.

Second, when I was living in Colorado I would go for about a one and a half hour mountain bike ride In the morning. Normally I would’ve eaten breakfast before that ride and brought a bunch of gels or Cliff bars on the ride. But I found I was able to complete that ride eating nothing other than drinking water. I’m sure I was burning a lot of calories every morning. Then I would eat a massive lunch at about 1 PM.

Third, on some days when I did eat breakfast. I found that I was massively hungry by lunch time and I was cranky. When I was fasting, if I was hungry, I was just hungry, but my mood did not change.

Lastly, this diet boosted my productivity a lot. I would wake up in the morning and grab a bottle of water and just sit at my computer and get work done. I could probably do 3 to 4 hours straight work and not realize it was lunchtime.

I stopped intermittent fasting because I am trying to gain muscle now, and there’s no way I can get enough calories in during those eight hours. I just cannot eat that much food in that short time span.

I feel that this is one of the easiest diets for people who are trying to get lean or lose weight. The fact that you don’t really have to watch what you eat during the eight hours is great. I would literally scarf down a whole pizza after my mountain bike ride and eat a big dinner, and still lose weight during this time.

 

[million$$$smile]

minus the Fastlane Summit

Same here. I fasted 3 days straight prior to the Summit (OMAD)
Have lost just over 30 lbs this past year and feel great.
Also, just my opinion, but intermittant fasting is one of the closest things to the slow aging anyone could do. I literally feel 10 years younger, and I think I look a bit younger since I started this process, but then again it could be due to losing the weight!

Clearer mind, cleaner body, what more could one ask for???

 

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[million$$$smile]

It is surprising what one can do.
I am not recommending this but I've fasted up to 12 days straight with only juice/water/supplements and physically felt good for the most part. After 3 days there was minimal hunger pangs. Continued cardio exercising during this time. Yes, at times I felt a bit weak but other times I had greater energy, similar to what a runners high is after endorphin release.
Reason for doing it was weight loss/mental discipline/clarity. Gratifying to realize it was doable.
Again, I don't encourage this.
But I will most likely fast like this again for shorter periods as I enjoy the challenge of being able to control
my desire for food.
Masochist?
Perhaps

 

[Manchild_Unbound]

Hello fellow IFers! Been doing it for years myself.

I do anywhere between 12-16 hour fasts myself.

 

[Jurica22]

I did Intermittent Fasting during summer (whilst getting lean).

The results I got were great, I think I even dropped down to single digit bodyfat.

Since school started, I've stopped fasting, but plan on doing it as soon as my next cutting phase starts.

 

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[Scot]

Just started my 3rd day of intermittent fasting. I’m doong a 8/16 split. 8 hour feeding window and 18 hours of fasting.


It’s a struggle because I work out at 5 am and then spend the whole day in a car. So, my entire food intake is in a car.

I get hungry at night but it’s nothing I can’t manage. Just struggling to actually hit all my macros right now.

I’m doing it as part of a 6 week cutting challenge too, so I’m excited to see results. I might post them up here if it works out.