Official Intermittent Fasting Thread

[Low Budget]

I have been doing Intermittent Fasting since February of this year and the results have been amazing. I lost 25 lbs in a few short months, not by changing what I ate, but when I ate it. By restricting my diet to an eight hour window every day (in my case 11:00AM to 7:00PM) and fasting for 16 hours (7:00PM to 11:00AM), I was able to burn off a lot of bad weight (fat) and gaining muscle as well. Never lost my muscle strength during the entire process, so very little muscle was lost. While fasting you can drink as much water, tea or coffee as you want, as long as tea and coffee are black (no milk or sugar aka calories). The article below describes how IF works and some of the health benefits associated with it. It also talks about gaining muscle mass too while doing Intermittent Fasting for those who want to see some gains while shedding the fat.

http://www.collective-evolution.com...o-8-hours-will-transform-your-health-fitness/

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/intermittent-fasting-science-and-supplementation.html

http://www.muscleforlife.com/the-definitive-guide-to-intermittent-fasting/

Moar Links:
http://wakeup-world.com/2015/06/13/the-health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting/
https://experiencelife.com/article/the-case-for-intermittent-fasting/
http://jamesclear.com/the-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting

Hodge Twins. They have a lot of videos on IF
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7FP6UyeIEiqvrvpw8nFRnw

@Steve
@vinny paz
@iSeize

Talk about your progress, success, share your before and after pics! This is the official TD Intermittent Fasting support group.

 

[iSeize]

thank you

 

[Low Budget]

Casein vs Whey protein during IF:

I took @vinny paz 's advice and got Casein protein today before doing any research on whether or not it was good for IF. These stooges seem to think its better to take casein or preferably a blend of fast/slow releasing proteins. Got the Casein today will see what kind of results I get with that. I may switch to a blend when I run out of this.

 

[DarkPaladinPrime]

Couple questions about your experience(That BBC vid was fascinating btw glad I watched it)
How are your energy levels overall throughout the day? (Considering your doing some workouts 4 days a week I want to know if that significantly affects how long you can keep going)
How many calories are you consuming in that eight hour window?
Did you ever try a different type of fasting besides the one you are doing now?

 

[Low Budget]

Couple questions about your experience(That BBC vid was fascinating btw glad I watched it)
How are your energy levels overall throughout the day? (Considering your doing some workouts 4 days a week I want to know if that significantly affects how long you can keep going)
How many calories are you consuming in that eight hour window?
Did you ever try a different type of fasting besides the one you are doing now?

Energy levels are great. Actually one of the health benefits of doing IF is increased energy levels. Bottom line is, it was hard at the beginning, the first few days mainly, that's because your body is so used to your old ways and it's almost like a shock to your system. But once you get over the hump (few days to a week) your body adjusts and it becomes a lot easier.

In terms of calorie intake, I am not sure, I'm surprised I haven't counted lol. But I can tell you this. When I started IF, all I changed was the time I ate, everything else remained the same. So I literally ate the same amount of food. Same calorie intake as before, and I started shedding about 2-3lbs a week on average. Yes Exercising also played a factor, but I have read and also from the documentary, people doing IF without exercising still lose weight. In my case, I wanted to get lean mass and lose fat. I went from 187 lbs to 163lbs in a matter of 3 months or so. Then the weight loss slowed down, and I started just maintaining the weight. Now If my intentions were to just lose weight, I would have decreased my calorie intake and the weight loss would have resumed. So I started to actually increase my calorie intake once the weight loss stopped, hoping to gain more lean mass. I have since gained 10 lbs. I am now hovering around 173lbs and still burning fat. So really depends what your goal is. If you are trying to get some gains, you want to eat as much as you can in your 8 hour window. So whatever the calories needed to gain mass is for you, just do it in the 8 hours, compress all your meals within that time frame.

And lastly, no. I have only been doing the 8/16 Intermittent Fasting. Felt that was probably the easier one to do with best results at least for my lifestyle. But there are different types for sure as you saw in the video and in some of the links I posted above. Some people prefer fasting one day a week, others prefer every other day. Whatever works for you. But I'm sure I don't want to do the 3 days of fasting once every few months or whatever it was, that's way too hardcore.

 

[DarkPaladinPrime]

I figured the energy levels would go way down the first couple of weeks but considering it was only for one damn that is doable.

My goal is just to get rid of the dang belly. I love food way too much to give up eating the bad stuff. I don't life weights I don't have the endurance to keep that going as a habit although I have been able to keep a good running schedule twice a day for about 2+ months 10 pounds lost on that alone so that's something.

Ya fasting several times a month, going without food for like 3 days at a time would be too much. I think I might try 8/16 see how that goes for a month. Thanks for the feedback

 

[zackychuu]

In a bit of a rush before work, no time to watch vids right now. So i'll just ask some quick questions.
Do you include any cheat days? Say where you will eat outside of your 8 hour time frame.
Are the proteins needed, or can i just eat for 8 hours and fast for 16 without?
If they are needed, do you take your coconut oil as well as your proteins? And do they give the same or different benefits?
Was coconut oil your personal choice to add or is it a part of the fasting too?

Ive never really looked into anything like this, but I want to lose some chub and it seems like this kind of thing can fit around my life style nicely.
So how do I go about starting this kind of thing?

I will watch the videos later after work but for now any info/tips/help would be apreciated :)

 

[Low Budget]

In a bit of a rush before work, no time to watch vids right now. So i'll just ask some quick questions.
Do you include any cheat days? Say where you will eat outside of your 8 hour time frame.
Are the proteins needed, or can i just eat for 8 hours and fast for 16 without?
If they are needed, do you take your coconut oil as well as your proteins? And do they give the same or different benefits?
Was coconut oil your personal choice to add or is it a part of the fasting too?

Ive never really looked into anything like this, but I want to lose some chub and it seems like this kind of thing can fit around my life style nicely.
So how do I go about starting this kind of thing?

I will watch the videos later after work but for now any info/tips/help would be apreciated :)

1- Yes I have cheat days, we're not robots or machines. I also can't always keep it exactly 8 hours, sometimes i may go over by 30mins-1hr. Shit happens. But I try my best to do it as consistently as possible and try to keep it in that 8 hour window as much as possible. So if there's a night out with the boys, cheat day baby, gonna be drinking all night. Don't be a prisoner to the IF, just try to do it most of the time, and have cheat days here and there.

2- Eat your regular diet, whatever you usually eat, just compress all that food in that 8 hour window. If you have specific goals that require you to eat more proteins, less carbs or whatever, that's on you. But ideally, you want to have a balanced diet, gotta have carbs (the good kind), proteins and fats.

2- Coconut oil is a GREAT supplement regardless of whether you are fasting or not. I urge everyone to check it out and try it out. I started taking it because it helps burn fat as well. The reason for this is, it is a unique kind of fat that is found in coco oil, which differs from other fats in other oils such as extra virgin olive oil. The coco oil flows through the bloodstream straight to your liver and gets used for energy, and doesn't get stored as fat like other fats do. So all that extra energy produced by consuming the coco oil, helps speed up your metabolism which helps burn fat. There's also a ton of other benefits to taking virgin coco oil so I would take it regardless. Also some research shows that it targets belly fat too.

3- There is no protein in coco oil, so i would still take my regular amount of proteins if I'm taking coco oil. I take protein shakes supplements because I want to get lean muscle gains as well. It all depends what your goals are. If you just want to lose weight, you may not necessarily need a protein supplement, though it may help your weight loss if you are also exercising since building muscles burn fat.

 

[zackychuu]

1- Yes I have cheat days, we're not robots or machines. I also can't always keep it exactly 8 hours, sometimes i may go over by 30mins-1hr. Shit happens. But I try my best to do it as consistently as possible and try to keep it in that 8 hour window as much as possible. So if there's a night out with the boys, cheat day baby, gonna be drinking all night. Don't be a prisoner to the IF, just try to do it most of the time, and have cheat days here and there.

2- Eat your regular diet, whatever you usually eat, just compress all that food in that 8 hour window. If you have specific goals that require you to eat more proteins, less carbs or whatever, that's on you. But ideally, you want to have a balanced diet, gotta have carbs (the good kind), proteins and fats.

2- Coconut oil is a GREAT supplement regardless of whether you are fasting or not. I urge everyone to check it out and try it out. I started taking it because it helps burn fat as well. The reason for this is, it is a unique kind of fat that is found in coco oil, which differs from other fats in other oils such as extra virgin olive oil. The coco oil flows through the bloodstream straight to your liver and gets used for energy, and doesn't get stored as fat like other fats do. So all that extra energy produced by consuming the coco oil, helps speed up your metabolism which helps burn fat. There's also a ton of other benefits to taking virgin coco oil so I would take it regardless. Also some research shows that it targets belly fat too.

3- There is no protein in coco oil, so i would still take my regular amount of proteins if I'm taking coco oil. I take protein shakes supplements because I want to get lean muscle gains as well. It all depends what your goals are. If you just want to lose weight, you may not necessarily need a protein supplement, though it may help your weight loss if you are also exercising since building muscles burn fat.

Nice, thanks for the info. Gonna have a look around what kind of Coco oils we have on this side of the pond.

 

[nb]

Would this work/be safe for teens like me? Sorry if this was answered in a video you linked, I am a bit too busy to watch them all.
I'm currently 14 y.o, 5'3 and 170 pounds
I wanna drop to maybe around 140-150 in the next couple of months because I can hardly run 1km ;-;

 

[Steve]

Would this work/be safe for teens like me? Sorry if this was answered in a video you linked, I am a bit too busy to watch them all.
I'm currently 14 y.o, 5'3 and 170 pounds
I wanna drop to maybe around 140-150 in the next couple of months because I can hardly run 1km ;-;

At your age it is not healthy or safe for any of us to give you nutrition or exercise advice(even basic advice). You should consult a doctor or nutritionist.

Perhaps look into taking a high school weight training coarse next quarter or semester if it is offered.

 

[Low Budget]

Would this work/be safe for teens like me? Sorry if this was answered in a video you linked, I am a bit too busy to watch them all.
I'm currently 14 y.o, 5'3 and 170 pounds
I wanna drop to maybe around 140-150 in the next couple of months because I can hardly run 1km ;-;

It's a fine line. I want to say you can, but it I am not a nutritionist nor an expert so don't take my advice.

Found a link talking about children and fasting (yes you are a teenager) maybe read it and come up with your own conclusion: http://theprimalparent.com/2011/05/27/intermittent-fasting-safe-children/

 

[Nanoactive]

When I was younger and I was in more need to lose weight (I'm 6ft and 140 pounds now) I wouldn't fast - but simply not eat 3 whole meals a day. I ate all I wanted in the day (healthy foods) but I did not eat dinner, and I lost a lot of weight. It was alright for me to break the rule sometimes when I needed to eat dinner with my family and if you choose to follow this you can also break it as much as needed. It really worked and I didn't have to starve myself physically and mentally (I fucking loved pizza).

@nb , you're way too young broo you need to eat to grow, if you want to lose weight just start doing running activities, those helped me lose weight as well and also made my legs sexy as fuck.

 

[47]

I'm 6ft and 140 pounds now

that doesnt sound right

 

[nb]

that doesnt sound right

he's slender man

 

[Noob.]

@nb, the biggest thing for you, at that age, is to get your exercise in. Eat healthy, don't overindulge in the sweets/junk food, but take more care to eat healthy and get your daily physical activity in. Start small and slowly begin to ramp up your exercise and the weight will come off while your stamina increases.

Set yourself some goals. The best way to goal set is the SMART method in combination with long and short term goals. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely.

You've mentioned you want to get down to 140-150 and be able to run 1km. Those are your long-term goals. Make up some short term goals to go with them. An example would be you want to lose 2 pounds a week (studies have determined that losing 1-2 pounds a week is the healthiest and most successful way to lose weight and keep it off) and run 50m (or whatever distance you decide) further each week. These goals are specific and objective, rather than being something subjective like "wanting to run far and lose weight". These goals are also objectively measurable. These goals are realistic and therefore attainable. They are also relevant to what you want to accomplish. The timely aspect is important. Studies have shown that by having a firm end date you set your unconscious mind towards focusing on your goal. Without an end date you have no sense of urgency to work towards your goal.

For the weight loss, like I said above, I think exercise is the most important aspect for you. Your body is still growing and undergoing change, so it still needs a reasonable supply of energy (calories). Weight loss from an explanation point of view is simple - if you eat more calories than you burn in a day you will gain weight, if you burn more than you eat you will lose weight. The calories you burn are a combination of what you do during the day plus your basal metabolic rate - the energy your body burns to keep your body functioning (i.e. heart pumping, breathing, food processing, etc.). To lose weight you need to either consume fewer calories, or burn more. By exercising regularly you will burn more calories, and you will also increase your basal metabolic rate in the process.

Like Steve said, look into doing a strength program at school, or you can even do body weight exercises at home and that will help. Just stick with it and you'll notice the changes .

 

[Mizz]

@nb

Jumping jacks whenever your dead in CS

You don't really need to fast, just eat less junk food and exercise more

And exercising more doesn't mean you need to start working out or do high intensity stuff, just go for a walk or something everyday just to get into a habit of exercising