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I have been doing intermittent fasting with 8 hour "feeding window" for probably 10 years now. There are all sorts of different more or less believable facts ab

by q-base 5y ago

I have been doing intermittent fasting with 8 hour "feeding window" for probably 10 years now. There are all sorts of different more or less believable facts about intermittent fasting. I won't get into any of them. I can just say that for me with my goals, it works. I can keep a lower bodyfat percentage while keeping muscle mass, year round than I could with any other "diet". My main issue with any other "diet" or philosophy has always been my huge appetite. When I ate 6 times a day I was always hungry because the portion size was too low. I have a huge appetite and loves to eat big portions. When I only have 2-3 meals a day, then they can be substantially larger. If you have trouble eating enough good food already, then IF is not for you. If you want the alleged health benefits, whether they occur or not, then try a day or two of fasting. But the daily fasting should only be used if it somehow fits your life, schedule and goals. The right "diet" is the one you can consistently adhere to.

noneeeed 5y ago
> The right "diet" is the one you can consistently adhere to. This is incredibly important. Having managed to lose a lot of weight, gradually, and then keep it off for several years, the key for me was finding something that fitted into my life and to which I could stick. I also gradually changed things, rather than doing a big-bang change. My problem over the last few years has been the effect of having children. Between the sleep deprevation and the change to my schedules I found it a lot harder to stick to my previous routines, resulting in me falling back into old habits. I'm now trying small changes, starting with at 10/14 routine, which I'll probably make more strict (8/16) in the future once it's become habitual. If nothing else I'm finding I sleep better than when I ate later in the day, which improves my will-power, and having a period of being hungry makes resisting snacks easier during the eating period. Good habits are hard to form and keep, and bad habits are even harder to break permanently. You have to be kind to yourself and take your time if you want those changes to be for the rest of your life. Losing weight is simple, but hard.
amelius 5y ago
My problem with IF is that I need energy in the morning because of bicycle commute, and I also want to have a warm meal in the evening after I come back from work. This could only work if the feeding window was 10-11 hours wide.
- joncrane 5y ago
  One of those is a need. The other is a want. Everything is a tradeoff.
- coldtea 5y ago
  If you're healthy enough to "bicycle commute", you might not need IF in the first place...
  - amelius 5y ago
    It's surprisingly difficult to get rid of 15lbs of extra weight I gained during COVID, even with 2 hours of cycling a day.
    - naasking 5y ago
      Try using smaller plates at meals (not kidding), and/or adding a 30 min walk after dinner.
    - KurtMueller 5y ago
      Could do a fasted ride? How long are your commutes?
      - amelius 5y ago
        1 hour (one way).
    - azemetre 5y ago
      I think people greatly over estimate how many calories you burn while working out. It's very little, unless you're able to train the entire day I doubt the average person is burning many calories from moderate exercise. Not trying to say exercising isn't worth while, it is but using it as the sole means of weight loss isn't fruitful gotta change the diet as well.
      - BrianOnHN 5y ago
aschampion 5y ago
IF fits my natural appetite and is easy for me to adhere to. My problem with it is I've discovered eating a small breakfast (~250 cal) immediately when I wake up is the single greatest aid to keeping my sleep schedule stable. On IF, when my meals are at ~ 1 PM and ~7 PM, my tendency to sleep in/stay up/go on a >24 schedule is amplified. If I instead do "morning IF" and just eat breakfast and lunch, I'm lethargic in the morning and afternoon and hungry to distraction in the evening.
toto444 5y ago
> When I only have 2-3 meals a day, then they can be substantially larger. Most people only have three meals a day right ? Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- mlboss 5y ago
  Most of the people have snacks and coffee in between 3 meals.
  - NullPrefix 5y ago
    That chocolate bar doesn't count as a meal. Donuts aren't meals either.
    - syncbehind 5y ago
      The calorie counts would beg to differ
  - notdang 5y ago
    Snacking throughout the day is very US specific.

by q-base 5y ago

noneeeed 5y ago

> The right "diet" is the one you can consistently adhere to. This is incredibly important. Having managed to lose a lot of weight, gradually, and then keep it off for several years, the key for me was finding something that fitted into my life and to which I could stick. I also gradually changed things, rather than doing a big-bang change. My problem over the last few years has been the effect of having children. Between the sleep deprevation and the change to my schedules I found it a lot harder to stick to my previous routines, resulting in me falling back into old habits. I'm now trying small changes, starting with at 10/14 routine, which I'll probably make more strict (8/16) in the future once it's become habitual. If nothing else I'm finding I sleep better than when I ate later in the day, which improves my will-power, and having a period of being hungry makes resisting snacks easier during the eating period. Good habits are hard to form and keep, and bad habits are even harder to break permanently. You have to be kind to yourself and take your time if you want those changes to be for the rest of your life. Losing weight is simple, but hard.

amelius 5y ago

My problem with IF is that I need energy in the morning because of bicycle commute, and I also want to have a warm meal in the evening after I come back from work. This could only work if the feeding window was 10-11 hours wide.

joncrane 5y ago
One of those is a need. The other is a want. Everything is a tradeoff.
coldtea 5y ago
If you're healthy enough to "bicycle commute", you might not need IF in the first place...
- amelius 5y ago
  It's surprisingly difficult to get rid of 15lbs of extra weight I gained during COVID, even with 2 hours of cycling a day.
  - naasking 5y ago
    Try using smaller plates at meals (not kidding), and/or adding a 30 min walk after dinner.
  - KurtMueller 5y ago
    Could do a fasted ride? How long are your commutes?
    - amelius 5y ago
      1 hour (one way).
  - azemetre 5y ago
    I think people greatly over estimate how many calories you burn while working out. It's very little, unless you're able to train the entire day I doubt the average person is burning many calories from moderate exercise. Not trying to say exercising isn't worth while, it is but using it as the sole means of weight loss isn't fruitful gotta change the diet as well.
    - BrianOnHN 5y ago

aschampion 5y ago

IF fits my natural appetite and is easy for me to adhere to. My problem with it is I've discovered eating a small breakfast (~250 cal) immediately when I wake up is the single greatest aid to keeping my sleep schedule stable. On IF, when my meals are at ~ 1 PM and ~7 PM, my tendency to sleep in/stay up/go on a >24 schedule is amplified. If I instead do "morning IF" and just eat breakfast and lunch, I'm lethargic in the morning and afternoon and hungry to distraction in the evening.

toto444 5y ago

> When I only have 2-3 meals a day, then they can be substantially larger. Most people only have three meals a day right ? Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

mlboss 5y ago
Most of the people have snacks and coffee in between 3 meals.
- NullPrefix 5y ago
  That chocolate bar doesn't count as a meal. Donuts aren't meals either.
  - syncbehind 5y ago
    The calorie counts would beg to differ
- notdang 5y ago
  Snacking throughout the day is very US specific.