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TheKnightOfDoom t1_j2aljzt wrote

I'm starting IF tomorrow. Wish me luck.

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Zippo16 t1_j2alvxo wrote

Been doing it on and off (more on than off) for the past year and have lost a cool 50 pounds. Drink plenty of water!

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TV11Radio t1_j2b4z3o wrote

Do NOT be like me and celebrate losing 50 by thinking you can eat anything for the next year and losing progress. Please keep it up or be making a new years resolution tomorrow like me :(

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smurficus103 t1_j2bhbf5 wrote

This is usually how diets go, gotta adjust habits for your entire life, unfortunately

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J11ghtman t1_j2csf4w wrote

The easiest way to get in shape is to ask yourself “did I move enough this morning/afternoon/evening?” Every day and also “is what I am planning to eat this morning/afternoon/evening/right now healthy?”

People know the answers to both of these questions. If you’re overweight or have high cholesterol the answer is usually “no” to both of them. The challenge is motivating yourself to eat well and exercise. IF is great, dieting is great. The problem is that they are always temporary solutions to a willpower and lifestyle problem that needs to be addressed to see lasting success.

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Ashamed-Simple-8303 t1_j2ddjj9 wrote

In terms of weigh loss, moving/exercise plays a very minor role. Even if you believe the myth of calories in, calories out, the calories burnt by exercise are minuscule compared to energy needs just for staying alive.

What really, really matters first is what you eat and not how much you eat. Because if you eat right and get your hormones (mostly but not only insulin) in control, your hunger and cravings will go down, a lot. You will automatically eat less. Eg. you then don't even need the will power as you will stop being hungry all the time.

Exercise helps somewhat mostly because it helps to deal a little bit with the poor western diet but not by burning calories but by affecting your metabolism.

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boottrax t1_j2duiro wrote

This is spot on. Diet has the highest effect on weight loss and subsequently hypertension and cholesterol. Exercise has a secondary and auxiliary role.

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RtuDtu t1_j2ay47n wrote

it gets to a point where you don't want to eat breakfast as it makes you feel bloated. Once I started after a few weeks I couldn't stop even if I wanted because I don't like how I feel when I eat breakfast

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CougarAries t1_j2bck2r wrote

I loathe breakfast since starting IF like 10 years ago. I'm not hungry when I wake up, and if I eat something, I get hangry 3 or 4 hours later.

After getting used to skipping breakfast, Im now not hungry until like 2 or 3pm. And not ravenously hungry, but more like, "I guess I could eat something."

Unfortunately, I'm getting old enough (Late 30s) where IF isn't enough to keep the weight off alone anymore. I guess I need to work out too now.

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StevenTM t1_j2e198b wrote

IF works just fine for people over 40, what on Earth are you on about?

Edit: and no, a "slowing metabolism" is not a thing that exists before your 60s, on average, and it's not the reason people gain more weight in middle age (late 30s - early 50s), or have more trouble losing it. Barring medical conditions, your metabolism slows at a predictable rate, but is mostly stable between age 20-60.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/surprising-findings-about-metabolism-and-age-202110082613

> these results strongly suggest we may no longer be able to blame weight gain in middle age on a slowed metabolism.

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just_tweed t1_j2f3fna wrote

NEAT, however, might change. I'm eating the same or less, workout more than I used to, but I've gotten 10kg fatter over the last 20 years or so. I just spontaneously move a lot less, and have less energy overall.

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StevenTM t1_j2f9usi wrote

And you seem self-aware enough to know that that's a factor, but still don't compensate for it by eating less or exercising more. I'm not sure what to do with that information tbh

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just_tweed t1_j2fhm94 wrote

Well, it's something that people miss or misunderstand when they talk about "metabolism slowing", that it's actually probably NEAT and/or just becoming more sedentary in general. A good thing to remember as you age.

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CougarAries t1_j2efqeu wrote

Just stating my own personal experience. Maybe if you're over 40 and you want to drop some weight IF works, but I've been on IF for a long time now, so my goal hasn't been to lose weight, but just to maintain. And I don't know if you know this, metabolisms slow down pretty noticably by the time you hit 40, so maintaining weight requires a little more effort than when you're 30.

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StevenTM t1_j2ehvyb wrote

I am aware.. that it's mostly pseudoscience. "Metabolism" refers to basal metabolic rate. From the Mayo Clinic:

> Metabolism is the process by which the body changes food and drink into energy. During this process, calories in food and drinks mix with oxygen to make the energy the body needs. The number of calories a body at rest uses to do these things is known as basal metabolic rate, also called basal metabolism.

BMR differs by 100-200 kcal per day between a 25 and a 55 year old who are both 180cm/6" and 80kg/176lbs (declining with age). It differs by 300 kcal per day for those doing a lot of exercise.

https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html

Harvard also disagrees with your statement:

> Adulthood (20 to 60 years): Total and basal expenditure and fat-free mass were all stable from ages 20 to 60, regardless of sex.

> What’s more, these results strongly suggest we may no longer be able to blame weight gain in middle age on a slowed metabolism.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/surprising-findings-about-metabolism-and-age-202110082613

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CougarAries t1_j2ezpcx wrote

And 100kcal a day excess equates to a pound gained every 20 days or 18 lbs a year.

That's some fascinating research though that changes a lot of preconceived notions about aging.

Either way, my religiously followed 18:6 fasting schedule that I've followed for 10 years isn't enough to keep maintenance anymore, and whether that be diet or activity related, I can no longer rely on just IF and need to supplement it with some other form of lifestyle change no matter how you argue it. I'm definitely significantly healthier going into 40 because of it, but it's not a magic bullet that solves everything.

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StevenTM t1_j2f8f4u wrote

That (100-200) was the difference between 25 and 55. The difference between 25 and 35 is at most 60 kcal. 60*365/7000=3.129 kg gained per year if you consume a fixed amount of calories daily every day, but almost nobody does. So if you maintain the same activity level, you'll just naturally need a bit less. If you count calories, run a BMR calculator using updated values every 5 years.

IF helps you lose weight by reducing cravings and snacking. You still need to apply CICO, IF just makes it easier to do so. I guarantee that if you consume the exact amount of calories that is required for your daily lifestyle (say 2350), you will neither lose, nor gain, weight, regardless if you eat 8 meals a day or OMAD.

Again: IF helps with cravings and hunger. You need to reduce your caloric intake (relative to body weight) as you age, but not by a lot. But obviously a 30 year old should neither be consuming as much as they were when they were 17, (and super active/developing) nor should they continue consuming as much when they're 70 as they did when they were 24, when they're likely to be way more sedentary.

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CougarAries t1_j2fsh7w wrote

That's my point, is that focusing only on a IF schedule was previously enough to initially lose then later maintain weight, and now I need to do a little more, including tracking CICO which I never previously had to do.

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BoerZoektVeuve t1_j2ctjy6 wrote

How do you deal with the Ramadan breath that comes with an empty stomach?

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Sculptasquad t1_j2cwtea wrote

Man Ramadan fasting is like the antithesis of healthy fasting. Our circadian rhythm is activated by light* and our insulin sensitivity is at its best in the morning. Eating all your food after the sun has gone down is like asking for hyperglycemia.

​

*https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28017879/

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BoerZoektVeuve t1_j2d02pn wrote

I know, I wasn’t talking about Ramadan fasting but thanks for the explanation, I understand the confusion. I meant the bad breath.

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Ashamed-Simple-8303 t1_j2deppk wrote

> Unfortunately, I'm getting old enough (Late 30s) where IF isn't enough to keep the weight off alone anymore. I guess I need to work out too now.

Not really. exercise is almost irrelevant in terms of energy burnt. I still advise to work out as in strength training combined with functional training (eg balance). building muscle will only get harder with age and it will help a lot with common problems at age especially better balance. More muscle also means more calories burnt when sleeping or watching TV.

What you really need to address is not how much you eat and exercise but what you eat. And here the common advice is usually just poor or even outright harmful, namley low fat. low fat it terrible because it means high carb which means high insulin response. And insulin makes your body store fat and prevent fat from burning.

Second issue is that high fat is too general. You need to go high saturated fat (eg animal fats mostly). mono-unsaturated (olive oil) to an extend is also ok but for sure avoid any highly processed plant oils. polyunsaturated fats (eg. plant oils aka PUFA) are THE cause for arteriosclerosis (full biochemical pathway is pretty much known). The problem is that we feed your animals "crap" especially pigs and chickens but also farmed fish like salmon. So these meats usually also contain too much PUFAs and need to best be avoided. what remains is meat from ruminants that ate gras (beef, sheep/lamb, venison).

What you must avoid under all circumstances is any deep fried food most notably french fries. the repeatedly cooked plant oils used fir frying in most places are unstable and result in toxic products which the deep fried food is drenched in.

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TheKnightOfDoom t1_j2az356 wrote

Due to my work I'm gonna start eating at 5pm stop at 11pm. Eventually I want to do just one massive meal a day.

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Sculptasquad t1_j2cwx6c wrote

Your bowel is not going to appreciate an OMAD set up. If you do not have issues with anal fissures or hemorrhoids right now, you will get them when you sit down to eliminate an entire day's worth of waste in one sitting...

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anal-fissure/symptoms-causes/syc-20351424

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kerridge t1_j2d70jq wrote

Tha dietary system takes a long break with omad. So it's possible that the opposite is true to what you say, as during that long break it has more time to rest and recover.

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Sculptasquad t1_j2dh0nf wrote

Massive volumes of matter passing through your colon and rectum is directly associated with an increased risk of rectal issues such as fissures, tearing, hemorrhoids etc.

Compare passing 500 grams of waste twice a day to passing 2 kg once every two days.

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kerridge t1_j2dhoj4 wrote

Although there is likely an association, this will be due to lack of fibre, for example not eating enough vegetables with food. As a vegetarian, I have done massive shits all my life and suffer with zero such issues. If the mass is impacted but if you eat enough fibre it's gonna be absolutely fine. and the time to recover is absolutely going to help. Stop spreading faecal related FUD!

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StevenTM t1_j2e1cu5 wrote

Not everybody poops twice a day on a 3-meal diet?

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Sculptasquad t1_j2exzgb wrote

Which would mean an even larger buildup.

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StevenTM t1_j2f77qz wrote

They also don't all have hemorrhoids, fissures, or tearing..

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TV11Radio t1_j2aqphm wrote

Good luck! It is hard at first but then gets so easy you wonder why you did it the old way. You got this!

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darkapao t1_j2ax65z wrote

Try doing 12, 12 first. And then 14,10 and then 16,8.

Once you get used to it you're body still adopt

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zensnapple t1_j2azhh3 wrote

It's felt like a straight up cheat code for life for me. Been doing 8:16 almost 3 years and don't ever intend to stop.

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CoolYoutubeVideo t1_j2b3xjf wrote

The first two weeks are the hardest! And it's more than okay to work progressively. I started IF outside of 10 am to 9 pm and shifted to noon to 8 as my body adjusted

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WantedDadorAlive t1_j2b8wdf wrote

Been doing 16:8 since mid August and it's amazing. Down nearly 50 lbs and never felt better. Lots of water, black coffee or tea is hugely helpful those first couple weeks but you get to a point you just aren't hungry during your fasting window.

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VergesOfSin t1_j2bqsxq wrote

Get electrolytes. Sea salt and potassium citrate. 1 to 2 ratio. Flavor the water anyway you want as long as its 0 calorie.

If you can't get the potassium just salt will be fine. Try to eat extra potassium if possible.

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DarthStrakh t1_j2dmp3b wrote

Once you get used to it, it really changes your appetite. I did it once during a cut like 7ish years ago and I still eat on a pretty similar schedule naturally unless I'm super hungry.

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Hopepersonified t1_j2eckp8 wrote

I started this week. I get unreasonably angry at the start of each fast. I'm not hungry, I'm just mad that I can't snack.

You can do this!

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the_bigZ t1_j2edlx0 wrote

What’s are the hours you are going to be following for IF?

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