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I've found that intermittent fasting was easies to implement in 12, 14, 16 hour increments. I do "cheat" just a bit with a coffee in the morning, and 14 hour ch

I've found that intermittent fasting was easies to implement in 12, 14, 16 hour increments. I do "cheat" just a bit with a coffee in the morning, and 14 hour cheat days on the weekends. Intermittent fasting, allegedly, has numerous benefits. Stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system. Improved dopamine levels in the brain. Increased growth hormone production. I personally have found that I do feel "run down" which turned out to be lower blood pressure. I attributed this to low sodium intake. So, I drink two very low sugar (6g) recovery drinks for my first caloric intake around noon. One thing that wasn't covered, and likely isn't in many of these weight loss recaps, is not just caloric deficit; but also food content. Sugar's (and carbs) relationship to fat and our bodies cannot be understated. There's plenty of reading on how high sugar diets are detrimental. Here's an interesting listen: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/refined-sugar https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/refined-sugar This image alone scares the snot out of me: http://reachingutopia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/sugar-in-drinks.jpg http://reachingutopia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/sugar-i... I think most people are aware of this in principle, but don't often associate normal foods as being high in sugar. Orange juice is probably the worst offender. All the sugar, none of the fiber.

anonu 8y ago
Ive been hearing more and more about IF. Curious how you manage it - for lets say 16 hours? Do you have a "dinner cutoff time" that works well? Does it mean you're skipping breakfast? I never believed that breakfast was "the most important meal of the day". IF success sort of supports this & the fact that it was mostly marketing.
- DisruptiveDave 8y ago
  I basically eat during work. That's it. Not before office hours and not after. Makes it very simple to track and routine-ize.
  - bonesss 8y ago
    I do the opposite: dinner time to a bit before bed-time. Easy routine, no gross co-worker lunch smells, and I'm always eating planned meals I prepare. Better a hot steak than something reheated at work, IME.
- epaga 8y ago
  Yeah I always joke that "intermittent fasting" is really just fancy jargon for "skipping breakfast" - at least it is for me. Don't eat till noon, don't eat after 8pm - congrats, you're part of the IF crowd. And yes, it does seem to help burn a bit more fat than before - though I wouldn't call it life-changing.
  - SnowingXIV 8y ago
    Huh, I've been doing this for years without realizing it. I'm never hungry in the morning except for coffee (maybe that ruins this). To add more to discussion I also lift 4-5 times a week. Besides obvious physical benefits of muscle mass lifting improves life in many other ways. I notice if I ever skip or don't stick to my regular gym regimen I mentally feel unfit. Going to the gym actually increases energy and allows more productivity at work, social outings, etc.
  - ivanche 8y ago
    These are the basics, yes, but it's not that simple. To me, IF means: from 8PM to noon next day drink only water and (if you like) one black coffee in the morning. Then, from noon until 4PM eat just proteins, healthy oils & fats and raw vegetables - this is crucial, absoultely no carbs! Finally, from 4PM until 8PM eat everything. That way you keep insulin under control for the 20 hours (out of 24). Your concentration and focus will increase very soon.
    - stepvhen 8y ago
      Why only one cup of coffee? Is it the caffiene? Does decaf apply here too? (I work in coffee and often skip breakfast.)
      - ivanche 8y ago
        Good question! I'm sorry I left out the details. Yes, it is the caffeine and the book I followed (The Renegade Diet by Jason Ferrugia) recommends 1 cup about 30-45 mins before the workout to burn fat even faster. Even though I now rarely work out before going to work, I still start my day by drinking a glass of water and then a cup of coffee and it still feels good :) If you drink decaf, I think it would have no positive (but probably also no negative) effect.
- bitexploder 8y ago
  Breakfast isn't that important. Nutrient timing is mostly made up junk science. Eating some carbs after cardio is important. But, generally, it just doesn't matter too much. IF, I do still like to eat before or after a workout and then fast. Or just do regular old 24h fasts. It's 100% mentality once you get used to it.
  - LyndsySimon 8y ago
    > Eating some carbs after cardio is important. Why?
    - kleinsch 8y ago
      Your body is replenishing glycogen stores in your muscles and that happens much faster if carbs are consumed shortly after exercise.
      - ericcholis 8y ago
        I've read that high level body builders will actually eat candy after a workout for the same effect. Also, ultra marathons will have mountain dew at aid stations for that immediate boost.
        LyndsySimon 8y ago
        If I understand completely, glycogen depletion is "the wall" that is referred to by cyclists as well.
        bitexploder 8y ago
        Yeah there is interesting "math" you can do. But, for most people, your liver stores about 1200-1500 calories of glycogen. You have some in all of your muscles, etc. Marathon is right at the distance you can run and stay under "the wall". In fact, that is a key part of pacing. Finding your race pace to basically operate on glycogen for all but the last bit of it (1-2 miles) where you can just push/suffer through on will power. If you go out too hard, you burn glycogen too fast, hit the wall at 6 miles out... that is the suck. 6 miles can be an actual eternity when you hit the wall.
- roganartu 8y ago
  Another approach that some people might prefer is a 24h once a week fast, which I've found much easier than 12-16h daily. I don't eat breakfast per se, just a protein shake but I found it difficult to cut out for a number of reasons. A couple of months ago my wife and I started doing a weekly 24h fast on Sundays from breakfast Sunday to breakfast Monday. The first couple of times it was a bit of struggle but now we don't really notice anymore. Whatever fits your lifestyle is the way to go, otherwise it's always going to be a struggle to maintain.
  - sudshekhar 8y ago
    So you don't eat anything at all for the whole day? Or is it something like nuts? What about dairy products (like milk) etc?
    - roganartu 8y ago
      No calories at all, just drink water when we're thirsty. I've found it has worked wonders for resetting my relationship with hunger; I feel I'm far less susceptible to boredom hunger in the few days immediately after the fast, something I'm hoping will progressively improve further. Honestly, we haven't found it that hard at all. The first two weeks were a bit of a struggle just because you aren't used to going that long without food, but now it's just the day we don't eat and we don't really pay it much attention past that.
- toomanybeersies 8y ago
  I've been doing 16 hour IF for years completely unintentionally. I skip breakfast, lunch at 1pm, dinner at 8pm. So I guess it's a habit thing. Once you make a habit of it, you just stick to it.
- kofejnik 8y ago
  I only eat from 4pm to midnight (wife hates it if we don't have dinner together), and it's not a problem to last till 4 on back coffee alone if you tend to sleep late
- DoofusOfDeath 8y ago
  I started experimenting with IF about a month ago. My experience has been: - No obvious impact on rate of weight loss. - I do seem to be getting better sleep at night.
- meowzero 8y ago
  If you look at Rhonda Patrick's work, she does the reverse: time restricted eating. It's the same thing, you give yourself 8-9 hour time window to eat (instead of having a 16 hour fasting window). I think she recommends skipping dinner though because she's all about the circadian rhythm and eating only when it's light out. But I don't think she has any scientific reasoning behind that. She's also not a fan of drinking coffee during your fasting period, and she believes that breaks the fast because the liver metabolizes the caffeine. So that starts the metabolic process in the body, taking you out of the fasted state. Most people skip breakfast, like I do. It's easier for busy people to skip breakfast. I think it depends on the person's schedule. I skipped breakfast before and tried skipping dinner. Both methods work well. Skipping dinner does make me bored at night. I had all this free time not having to cook or eat. That could be an advantage for some people.
nothrabannosir 8y ago
Drinking coffee is not cheating, as it does not spike your insulin and does not put your body in metabolic state. No sugar and no cream. You’re all good! :)
- bsmitty5000 8y ago
  I guess it depends on your goals. For weight loss benefits I think you're right. But coffee does contain caffeine which has to be metabolized so it apparently interferes with other health benefits of IF, eg autophagy.
  - nothrabannosir 8y ago
    I mean, we're quickly getting into "somebody once told me" territory here, but: word on the street is coffee triggers / speeds up autophagy, not slow it down?
    - bsmitty5000 8y ago
      Oh you know what, maybe you're right. I was basing my comment on this reddit post and the timestamped video it links to: https://www.reddit.com/r/intermittentfasting/comments/788v15/so_apparently_black_coffeegreen_tea_breaks_a_fast/ https://www.reddit.com/r/intermittentfasting/comments/788v15... If you rewind that video a bit turns out she's talking about something else, circadian rhythm/time restricted eating, no idea. I happened on this post just the other day, that's why I replied to your comment in the first place. It's funny my wife and I were going to start trying out IF and I've been railing on her about how it's gotta just be water until we eat or we lose all the benefits..haha I gotta loosen up. Too much information out there, easy to get lost in the weeds.
      - nothrabannosir 8y ago
        No worries man, I feel you 100% on the low entropy problem of nutritional info out there. It’s a travesty. How anyone without at least a bio minor is supposed to make heads or tails of this is completely beyond me. Not to mention all the actual research is locked up behind paywalls, so if you don’t know about scihub you’re just sorely SOL. Madness, I tell you. Good luck and have fun with the intermittent fasting :)
dominotw 8y ago
I listened to a super interesting podcast about fasting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R-eqJDQ2nU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R-eqJDQ2nU Dr. Panda goes into detail about fasting and coffee. Great podcast about fasting. Intermittent Fasting Confers Protection in CNS Autoimmunity by Altering the Gut Microbiota https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(18)30313-9 https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(18)...
bitL 8y ago
Once you survive the first 24 hours of fasting (given you replenish electrolytes with salty water), i.e. some headache after 16-20 hours, then you can easily add another 48 hours, making it 3-in-a-row, and you can happily do high-intensity training as usually, without any effect on your performance. After 3 days you either start eating again or stop training. 3 days are recommended for "rebooting" the immune system; I try to do it once 1-2 months, not sure if it helps but I don't see any bad effects either, and it strengthens the will.
- fabricexpert 8y ago
  > "rebooting" the immune system doesn't sound like a real thing...
  - bitL 8y ago
    I have no idea, it was just a series of articles and papers like this: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/03/12/fasting-for-three-days-can-regenerate-entire-immune-system-study/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/03/12/fasting-for-t...
wirrbel 8y ago
I recently started 5:2 fasting, on five days I try to eat roughly maintenance, I also eat a slice of my coworkers birthday cake. On two days, I limit my intake to 600kcal which I eat at lunchtime (I prepare a bento box with rice, vegetables and meat). You do the math, and it boils down to a caloric reduction diet roughly. The difference is, that I am only hungry on two days during the week, and I feel like going a day with almost no food is not harder than doing a constant deficit every day.
- bonesss 8y ago
  > going a day with almost no food is not harder than doing a constant deficit every day A high fat diet will do a lot to make a caloric deficit a matter of habit, and not iron-strong will :) Intermittent Fasting and low-carb high-fat food can readily sustain 16-20 hour fasts without the hunger or cravings. It's also really satiating when you do start eating.

anonu 8y ago

Ive been hearing more and more about IF. Curious how you manage it - for lets say 16 hours? Do you have a "dinner cutoff time" that works well? Does it mean you're skipping breakfast? I never believed that breakfast was "the most important meal of the day". IF success sort of supports this & the fact that it was mostly marketing.

DisruptiveDave 8y ago
I basically eat during work. That's it. Not before office hours and not after. Makes it very simple to track and routine-ize.
- bonesss 8y ago
  I do the opposite: dinner time to a bit before bed-time. Easy routine, no gross co-worker lunch smells, and I'm always eating planned meals I prepare. Better a hot steak than something reheated at work, IME.
epaga 8y ago
Yeah I always joke that "intermittent fasting" is really just fancy jargon for "skipping breakfast" - at least it is for me. Don't eat till noon, don't eat after 8pm - congrats, you're part of the IF crowd. And yes, it does seem to help burn a bit more fat than before - though I wouldn't call it life-changing.
- SnowingXIV 8y ago
  Huh, I've been doing this for years without realizing it. I'm never hungry in the morning except for coffee (maybe that ruins this). To add more to discussion I also lift 4-5 times a week. Besides obvious physical benefits of muscle mass lifting improves life in many other ways. I notice if I ever skip or don't stick to my regular gym regimen I mentally feel unfit. Going to the gym actually increases energy and allows more productivity at work, social outings, etc.
- ivanche 8y ago
  These are the basics, yes, but it's not that simple. To me, IF means: from 8PM to noon next day drink only water and (if you like) one black coffee in the morning. Then, from noon until 4PM eat just proteins, healthy oils & fats and raw vegetables - this is crucial, absoultely no carbs! Finally, from 4PM until 8PM eat everything. That way you keep insulin under control for the 20 hours (out of 24). Your concentration and focus will increase very soon.
  - stepvhen 8y ago
    Why only one cup of coffee? Is it the caffiene? Does decaf apply here too? (I work in coffee and often skip breakfast.)
    - ivanche 8y ago
      Good question! I'm sorry I left out the details. Yes, it is the caffeine and the book I followed (The Renegade Diet by Jason Ferrugia) recommends 1 cup about 30-45 mins before the workout to burn fat even faster. Even though I now rarely work out before going to work, I still start my day by drinking a glass of water and then a cup of coffee and it still feels good :) If you drink decaf, I think it would have no positive (but probably also no negative) effect.
bitexploder 8y ago
Breakfast isn't that important. Nutrient timing is mostly made up junk science. Eating some carbs after cardio is important. But, generally, it just doesn't matter too much. IF, I do still like to eat before or after a workout and then fast. Or just do regular old 24h fasts. It's 100% mentality once you get used to it.
- LyndsySimon 8y ago
  > Eating some carbs after cardio is important. Why?
  - kleinsch 8y ago
    Your body is replenishing glycogen stores in your muscles and that happens much faster if carbs are consumed shortly after exercise.
    - ericcholis 8y ago
      I've read that high level body builders will actually eat candy after a workout for the same effect. Also, ultra marathons will have mountain dew at aid stations for that immediate boost.
      - LyndsySimon 8y ago
        If I understand completely, glycogen depletion is "the wall" that is referred to by cyclists as well.
        bitexploder 8y ago
        Yeah there is interesting "math" you can do. But, for most people, your liver stores about 1200-1500 calories of glycogen. You have some in all of your muscles, etc. Marathon is right at the distance you can run and stay under "the wall". In fact, that is a key part of pacing. Finding your race pace to basically operate on glycogen for all but the last bit of it (1-2 miles) where you can just push/suffer through on will power. If you go out too hard, you burn glycogen too fast, hit the wall at 6 miles out... that is the suck. 6 miles can be an actual eternity when you hit the wall.
roganartu 8y ago
Another approach that some people might prefer is a 24h once a week fast, which I've found much easier than 12-16h daily. I don't eat breakfast per se, just a protein shake but I found it difficult to cut out for a number of reasons. A couple of months ago my wife and I started doing a weekly 24h fast on Sundays from breakfast Sunday to breakfast Monday. The first couple of times it was a bit of struggle but now we don't really notice anymore. Whatever fits your lifestyle is the way to go, otherwise it's always going to be a struggle to maintain.
- sudshekhar 8y ago
  So you don't eat anything at all for the whole day? Or is it something like nuts? What about dairy products (like milk) etc?
  - roganartu 8y ago
    No calories at all, just drink water when we're thirsty. I've found it has worked wonders for resetting my relationship with hunger; I feel I'm far less susceptible to boredom hunger in the few days immediately after the fast, something I'm hoping will progressively improve further. Honestly, we haven't found it that hard at all. The first two weeks were a bit of a struggle just because you aren't used to going that long without food, but now it's just the day we don't eat and we don't really pay it much attention past that.
toomanybeersies 8y ago
I've been doing 16 hour IF for years completely unintentionally. I skip breakfast, lunch at 1pm, dinner at 8pm. So I guess it's a habit thing. Once you make a habit of it, you just stick to it.
kofejnik 8y ago
I only eat from 4pm to midnight (wife hates it if we don't have dinner together), and it's not a problem to last till 4 on back coffee alone if you tend to sleep late
DoofusOfDeath 8y ago
I started experimenting with IF about a month ago. My experience has been: - No obvious impact on rate of weight loss. - I do seem to be getting better sleep at night.
meowzero 8y ago
If you look at Rhonda Patrick's work, she does the reverse: time restricted eating. It's the same thing, you give yourself 8-9 hour time window to eat (instead of having a 16 hour fasting window). I think she recommends skipping dinner though because she's all about the circadian rhythm and eating only when it's light out. But I don't think she has any scientific reasoning behind that. She's also not a fan of drinking coffee during your fasting period, and she believes that breaks the fast because the liver metabolizes the caffeine. So that starts the metabolic process in the body, taking you out of the fasted state. Most people skip breakfast, like I do. It's easier for busy people to skip breakfast. I think it depends on the person's schedule. I skipped breakfast before and tried skipping dinner. Both methods work well. Skipping dinner does make me bored at night. I had all this free time not having to cook or eat. That could be an advantage for some people.

nothrabannosir 8y ago

Drinking coffee is not cheating, as it does not spike your insulin and does not put your body in metabolic state. No sugar and no cream. You’re all good! :)

bsmitty5000 8y ago
I guess it depends on your goals. For weight loss benefits I think you're right. But coffee does contain caffeine which has to be metabolized so it apparently interferes with other health benefits of IF, eg autophagy.
- nothrabannosir 8y ago
  I mean, we're quickly getting into "somebody once told me" territory here, but: word on the street is coffee triggers / speeds up autophagy, not slow it down?
  - bsmitty5000 8y ago
    Oh you know what, maybe you're right. I was basing my comment on this reddit post and the timestamped video it links to: https://www.reddit.com/r/intermittentfasting/comments/788v15/so_apparently_black_coffeegreen_tea_breaks_a_fast/ https://www.reddit.com/r/intermittentfasting/comments/788v15... If you rewind that video a bit turns out she's talking about something else, circadian rhythm/time restricted eating, no idea. I happened on this post just the other day, that's why I replied to your comment in the first place. It's funny my wife and I were going to start trying out IF and I've been railing on her about how it's gotta just be water until we eat or we lose all the benefits..haha I gotta loosen up. Too much information out there, easy to get lost in the weeds.
    - nothrabannosir 8y ago
      No worries man, I feel you 100% on the low entropy problem of nutritional info out there. It’s a travesty. How anyone without at least a bio minor is supposed to make heads or tails of this is completely beyond me. Not to mention all the actual research is locked up behind paywalls, so if you don’t know about scihub you’re just sorely SOL. Madness, I tell you. Good luck and have fun with the intermittent fasting :)

dominotw 8y ago

I listened to a super interesting podcast about fasting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R-eqJDQ2nU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R-eqJDQ2nU Dr. Panda goes into detail about fasting and coffee. Great podcast about fasting. Intermittent Fasting Confers Protection in CNS Autoimmunity by Altering the Gut Microbiota https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(18)30313-9 https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(18)...

bitL 8y ago

Once you survive the first 24 hours of fasting (given you replenish electrolytes with salty water), i.e. some headache after 16-20 hours, then you can easily add another 48 hours, making it 3-in-a-row, and you can happily do high-intensity training as usually, without any effect on your performance. After 3 days you either start eating again or stop training. 3 days are recommended for "rebooting" the immune system; I try to do it once 1-2 months, not sure if it helps but I don't see any bad effects either, and it strengthens the will.

fabricexpert 8y ago
> "rebooting" the immune system doesn't sound like a real thing...
- bitL 8y ago
  I have no idea, it was just a series of articles and papers like this: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/03/12/fasting-for-three-days-can-regenerate-entire-immune-system-study/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/03/12/fasting-for-t...

wirrbel 8y ago

I recently started 5:2 fasting, on five days I try to eat roughly maintenance, I also eat a slice of my coworkers birthday cake. On two days, I limit my intake to 600kcal which I eat at lunchtime (I prepare a bento box with rice, vegetables and meat). You do the math, and it boils down to a caloric reduction diet roughly. The difference is, that I am only hungry on two days during the week, and I feel like going a day with almost no food is not harder than doing a constant deficit every day.

bonesss 8y ago
> going a day with almost no food is not harder than doing a constant deficit every day A high fat diet will do a lot to make a caloric deficit a matter of habit, and not iron-strong will :) Intermittent Fasting and low-carb high-fat food can readily sustain 16-20 hour fasts without the hunger or cravings. It's also really satiating when you do start eating.