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As someone tempted to try it, I’m curious - what IS the consensus on intermittent fasting / keto?

nynx 5y ago
I admit it’s difficult to find exact, consistent answers, but what I’ve seen is generally a roughly keto diet with all eating constrained to a 4-8 hour period in a day is very healthy. That’s basically what I do: high fat and moderate protein, very low carbohydrates and sugars. One meal a day on average.
- Honest_Carrot 5y ago
  Same. I've been doing IF for almost 4 years now and I love it. I only do added sugars on the weekends. I do have to take salt while I'm fasting to not get headaches but aside from that it's great.
- brandonmenc 5y ago
  > One meal a day on average. aka: calorie restriction
  - stjohnswarts 5y ago
    There is a lot more to nutrition than calories. The main component is "how hungry does this diet leave you feeling". Low carb in most cases leaves people feeling more full. 1600 calories of protein and fat are a lot more filling than 1600 calories of donuts and don't swing your blood sugar levels around like crazy. However you are free to keep on preaching "calorie restriction". Humans are complex machines with a conscious and subconscious not a caloric measurement device in the lab
    - brandonmenc 5y ago
      > how hungry does this diet leave you feeling This still comes all the way back to calorie restriction. If you feel more full, you eat fewer calories. > Low carb in most cases leaves people feeling more full. That has less to do with the carbohydrate content and almost everything to do with low carb food being physically more difficult to digest. Fat and protein stay in your stomach longer than sugar but - and here's the point "low carb" advocates ignore - so does fiber. You can eat a diet of not-low carb, high fiber, plant-based foods and still lose weight while feeling full. There's not enough hormone-altering magic in carbohydrates to overpower the effect of calories or the satiation of physical digestion.
      - deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
      - stjohnswarts 5y ago
        Your post smells of gaslighting. I'll leave it to the reader to decide what they want. Keto has been the best of several diets that I've tried. * It does decrease hunger relative to other diets (for me, possibly others) * It doesn't have to just be steak and bacon. It's encouraged that people add in broccoli, celery, cauliflower, nuts, berries, and a variety of meats, not just steak, bacon and cheese * It is much easier on your insulin levels than traditional diets * It can include plenty of fiber * Diets need to include psychology and account for it. A successful diet will not just be "calories-in/calories-out". Very few people have the will power to starve themselves to a successful weight. Almost all of the people I've met that said that never successfully lost weight or never had a weight problem to begin with. * Don't talk down to people when clearly they have had success and have studied the topic.
        brandonmenc 5y ago
        I pretty much agree with everything you're saying here. The only thing we seem to disagree on is that I believe a successful diet is overwhelmingly due to CICO. Yes, it's not the only aspect of a successful diet, but it is mandatory. I also agree that everyone needs to tailor their diet to their individual psychological needs, but not at the expense of CICO. > Don't talk down to people when clearly they have had success and have studied the topic. If we're comparing anecdotes, I always have success losing weight with a mainstream healthy diet (moderate protein, moderate carbs including some sugars, very low fat). I have had success with other diets - including high fat ones, which I don't do anymore because I don't think it's healthy. In every case I attribute my success to weighing food and tracking calories.
        CardenB 5y ago
        I don’t see where anyone has talked down to you in this discussion. Could you elaborate?
Semaphor 5y ago
I’m pretty sure there is no consensus on keto. And I’ve been doing it for just over 9 years. edit: Luckily "It works on my hardware" is perfectly acceptable for nutrition ;)
fknorangesite 5y ago
> what IS the consensus on intermittent fasting That some people find it to be a useful method of calorie restriction, but it's not magic.
bobcostas55 5y ago
There isn't one, they're just fad diets like all the other ones.
- stjohnswarts 5y ago
  It's a diet to try. As someone who took to it right away vs multiple other diets I would say it has lots of advantages over "CICO" and "exercise and eat fruit you f-cking slob" diets. I was much less hungry on it, and didn't have a very hard time keeping to 1600 calories a day and losing 50lbs and keeping it off. I went back to a more moderate “lower carb” diet afterwards and have maintained just fine, with the occasional “gotta lose 5lbs from vacation”. It does work for some, but I also guarantee it won't work for everyone.
Someone1234 5y ago
Keto is, at best, unknown and at worst controversial. IM (or "timed eating") has been studied extensively and has been shown to help people control their weight. But it isn't magic. We're talking about around 5 lbs sustained loss. The "exciting unknowns" of IM and whole-day fasting are around if it is good for your medium-long term health (e.g. blood sugar control), but jury is still heavily out on that one. So, super unhelpful summary here, sorry. But nutritional science moves very slowly, in particular with long term health questions. Neither one seems outright dangerous.
timbit42 5y ago
The good parts of keto are the reductions in carbs which reduces blood sugar, and that by focusing on healthy fats and protein, you don't get the sugar spike and crash and then feel hungry. Because you can go between meals, or even two meals without feeling hungry, it makes IF easier. I recommend this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1vvigy5tQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1vvigy5tQ

nynx 5y ago

I admit it’s difficult to find exact, consistent answers, but what I’ve seen is generally a roughly keto diet with all eating constrained to a 4-8 hour period in a day is very healthy. That’s basically what I do: high fat and moderate protein, very low carbohydrates and sugars. One meal a day on average.

Honest_Carrot 5y ago
Same. I've been doing IF for almost 4 years now and I love it. I only do added sugars on the weekends. I do have to take salt while I'm fasting to not get headaches but aside from that it's great.
brandonmenc 5y ago
> One meal a day on average. aka: calorie restriction
- stjohnswarts 5y ago
  There is a lot more to nutrition than calories. The main component is "how hungry does this diet leave you feeling". Low carb in most cases leaves people feeling more full. 1600 calories of protein and fat are a lot more filling than 1600 calories of donuts and don't swing your blood sugar levels around like crazy. However you are free to keep on preaching "calorie restriction". Humans are complex machines with a conscious and subconscious not a caloric measurement device in the lab
  - brandonmenc 5y ago
    > how hungry does this diet leave you feeling This still comes all the way back to calorie restriction. If you feel more full, you eat fewer calories. > Low carb in most cases leaves people feeling more full. That has less to do with the carbohydrate content and almost everything to do with low carb food being physically more difficult to digest. Fat and protein stay in your stomach longer than sugar but - and here's the point "low carb" advocates ignore - so does fiber. You can eat a diet of not-low carb, high fiber, plant-based foods and still lose weight while feeling full. There's not enough hormone-altering magic in carbohydrates to overpower the effect of calories or the satiation of physical digestion.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - stjohnswarts 5y ago
      Your post smells of gaslighting. I'll leave it to the reader to decide what they want. Keto has been the best of several diets that I've tried. * It does decrease hunger relative to other diets (for me, possibly others) * It doesn't have to just be steak and bacon. It's encouraged that people add in broccoli, celery, cauliflower, nuts, berries, and a variety of meats, not just steak, bacon and cheese * It is much easier on your insulin levels than traditional diets * It can include plenty of fiber * Diets need to include psychology and account for it. A successful diet will not just be "calories-in/calories-out". Very few people have the will power to starve themselves to a successful weight. Almost all of the people I've met that said that never successfully lost weight or never had a weight problem to begin with. * Don't talk down to people when clearly they have had success and have studied the topic.
      - brandonmenc 5y ago
        I pretty much agree with everything you're saying here. The only thing we seem to disagree on is that I believe a successful diet is overwhelmingly due to CICO. Yes, it's not the only aspect of a successful diet, but it is mandatory. I also agree that everyone needs to tailor their diet to their individual psychological needs, but not at the expense of CICO. > Don't talk down to people when clearly they have had success and have studied the topic. If we're comparing anecdotes, I always have success losing weight with a mainstream healthy diet (moderate protein, moderate carbs including some sugars, very low fat). I have had success with other diets - including high fat ones, which I don't do anymore because I don't think it's healthy. In every case I attribute my success to weighing food and tracking calories.
      - CardenB 5y ago
        I don’t see where anyone has talked down to you in this discussion. Could you elaborate?

Semaphor 5y ago

I’m pretty sure there is no consensus on keto. And I’ve been doing it for just over 9 years. edit: Luckily "It works on my hardware" is perfectly acceptable for nutrition ;)

fknorangesite 5y ago

> what IS the consensus on intermittent fasting That some people find it to be a useful method of calorie restriction, but it's not magic.

bobcostas55 5y ago

There isn't one, they're just fad diets like all the other ones.

stjohnswarts 5y ago
It's a diet to try. As someone who took to it right away vs multiple other diets I would say it has lots of advantages over "CICO" and "exercise and eat fruit you f-cking slob" diets. I was much less hungry on it, and didn't have a very hard time keeping to 1600 calories a day and losing 50lbs and keeping it off. I went back to a more moderate “lower carb” diet afterwards and have maintained just fine, with the occasional “gotta lose 5lbs from vacation”. It does work for some, but I also guarantee it won't work for everyone.

Someone1234 5y ago

Keto is, at best, unknown and at worst controversial. IM (or "timed eating") has been studied extensively and has been shown to help people control their weight. But it isn't magic. We're talking about around 5 lbs sustained loss. The "exciting unknowns" of IM and whole-day fasting are around if it is good for your medium-long term health (e.g. blood sugar control), but jury is still heavily out on that one. So, super unhelpful summary here, sorry. But nutritional science moves very slowly, in particular with long term health questions. Neither one seems outright dangerous.

timbit42 5y ago

The good parts of keto are the reductions in carbs which reduces blood sugar, and that by focusing on healthy fats and protein, you don't get the sugar spike and crash and then feel hungry. Because you can go between meals, or even two meals without feeling hungry, it makes IF easier. I recommend this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1vvigy5tQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1vvigy5tQ