Intermittent fasting- yes? No? Talk to me, Goose

Well, the bad is that new research indicates there's no benefit to it -  but whatever works for you, works  

Give it a try it’s easy enough and free. You’ll learn if it works within the first week. I suggest starting with an 8 hour eating window and eat 2 meals a day.

Your link is behind a pay wall for me but I’d be interested to read it. There is tons of science and experts who say it is good for you plus it’s been in use for thousands of years in a variety of civilisations so I’m curious to see what overrides all that.

I have done 14:10 in the past, combined with WW. I really need to get back to it. 14:10 was the only thing that worked with my work schedule. If I werent working (and if I didnt have family who has to eat dinner every night lol), I could probably stretch it out a bit. Did it help with weight loss? Only in the sense that it was combined with WW and it stopped me from snacking.

Absolutely - whatever works.

Not direct at you...just musing...As far as weight loss goes I suppose it's obvious - you're unlikely to consume as many calories in a 6 or 8 hour window as you would if you could eat whenever you liked so the obvious outcome is likely to be losing weight by pure maths. 2 meals instead of 3 = less calories.

But there's also the benefits to the body in other ways which have been widely written about as being beneficial. 

And I suppose any sort of 'diet' could trigger an eating disorder in someone who is predisposed to that, whether it's IF or anything else.

Despite that study, above, I have found that it works very well, and I’m hypo thyroid and have don't lose weight easily. It may be that people with slow metabolisms, or low blood sugar, etc react differently than those with normal metabolisms. And I don’t know if those studies controlled for that.  And though I suffer from gerd, I have had no ill effects. I do 16/8

The other kind of diet that works well for me is eating protein and veggies, some starch, but no fruit or sugars. I have found that any kind of sweetener, even artificial ones, slows my metabolism way down and I don’t lose.

I have never gained more than 20 lbs above my ideal weight, and losing is harder when you’re close to your goal, so that may be a factor as well. Hope this helps. Good luck, and good health.

According to the New York Times article, previous studies of intermittent fasting “were smaller, of shorter duration and without control groups.”  This study was published by The New England Journal of Medicine, which lends it a lot of credence in my mind.

I thought the most depressing thing about the article was that a large group of obese people ate low calorie diets for a year and only lost an average of 14-18 pounds. I would have guessed that anyone who was obese and cut their calories to 1200 a day for a year would have lost twice that much weight.

… and this is why I get so irritated at the people who are like, just eat less and move more. Yeah. Uh huh. Great if it works for you. And of course doctors always assume you’ve been “cheating” when you fail to lose weight with calorie restriction.

Full disclosure - I’ve been doing a 16/8 IF for a couple of months now, 4-5 days a week. I hate diet culture. I don’t weigh myself because it triggers all kinds of anxiety for me (decades of shame and scorn will do that), but I believe I have lost a little. Mostly I notice that I am more clear-headed and my blood pressure, which had been creeping up, is back to a normal range. I don’t have “crashes” or brain fog mid afternoon like I used to.

I do a completely clean fast - nothing but water and tea during that time. I break my fast around 10:30 with a high-protein, low carb meal. We eat an early dinner (healthy but not necessarily low carb) around 5:30 and then my eating window closes at 6:30. The benefits to my health and how I feel are worth it and I don’t worry about weight loss. I honestly don’t find it difficult at all on weekdays. Weekends would be harder but I relax the “rules” a bit then.

We live in such abundance it’s hard to have moderation I think for me taking eating “off the table” for a period is why it works.

Gin even says in her book that do not be surprised if you don't lose weight even the first 6 months. There is a lot that needs to be changed inside before you might see the other but keep at it. Noticing more of a clear head, better blood pressure, and no crashing is great!!!! It's working! Congrats!

This is kind of my regular eating pattern. No food before noon. A snack after supper is optional. But i have never been hungry in the mornings. If I DO eat before noon I find I am hungry all day. Go figure.

I think it is more important WHAT you eat during that eating window, if you can plan your meals/snacks for during that time and not hit the window running, feeling starved and grabbing everything that is quick and easy and might fill you up.

Also it is important to not feel deprived. On your other thread someone mentioned that she has a small treat every day. Was that you, Patter?  That way she doesn't feel she needs to binge on those treats when she is "allowed" to eat them. And I totally agree with that.

This is me! If I eat breakfast I’m hungry the whole day.

I follow an IF eating window pattern most days and there is no calorie restrictions unless I'm trying to lose weight. And then, for me, it isn't ever severe restriction.

putabuttononit, so much comes under the IF umbrella that it is hard to discuss unless we define exactly what we are talking about when say IF. DH has done longer term (3-5 days) fasts of nothing but water and bone broth (maybe tea?) that I have zero interest in trying. Others think of a 5:2 day split of restrictive/normal eating patterns and others think of daily fast/eating hours (14:10, 16:8, etc.) and others follow the OMAD (one meal a day) plan.

One truth I've come to reluctantly accept is I need very few calories to maintain my weight. And as I get older, it is even less. Generally I eat a light lunch and a normal dinner to maintain my weight. My weight always creeps up if I eat too many simple carbs and/or evening snack.

For me, tracking is tedious and I'm not interested in multiple small meals and snacks. I don't want to think about food and what I can eat all day long and whether I want to save points for an evening snack because it would drive me nuts and make me feel deprived if the rest of the family is munching in front of the TV and I can't. 

For me, the simple "rule" that I don't eat after dinner is easier to follow than tracking calories or points. I have many friends who are successful and prefer to track.

FWIW, I think the biggest reason IF works for me is it isn't work, it has been a very natural lifestyle fit. I'm never hungry in the morning and waiting for my eating window to open. It isn't unusual for me to go a couple hours past noon before I want to eat. Evening eating has always been my downfall and, being a good lifelong rule follower, the closed window is enough for me to stop wandering into the kitchen.

I hope you find what works for you. 

Not sure if it was me but yes, I do allow myself a treat each day in fact. And yes, it's important what you eat too during the eating window. I don't count calories but I certainly eat more than 1,000 each day. I also walk every day, and I did lift weights but haven't in a while. I need to add that back in. It's actually better than cardio.