Eat-Stop-Eat (intermittent fasting)

getfit2009 · 04-01-2009, 02:28 PM

I just bought Eat Stop Eat and my initial impression is that it's content that I can trust.

A chapter with references to around 50 different scientific studies on the effects that short term fasting have on our body gives me the impression that Brad Pilon knows what he's talking about and that Eat Stop Eat isn't just another diet program based on "unknown secrets"

I'm very close to actually starting to follow it myself.

Last week I started weight training and I want to determine how much weight training alone will influence my weight before I add Eat Stop Eat to my way of living.

Will post back once I get started

Sarah Carson · 04-01-2009, 09:01 PM

Hi, good question : )

On my non-fasting days I do still watch what I eat yes, but I don't count calories any more. I think the main appeal of this plan to me was that I wouldn't have to do that anymore (even though it took some getting used to at first!)

In general, I will have a light breakfast of cereal and juice, a packed lunch at work of pasta salad and fruit, and then whatever I want for dinner. I still have bigger portions than I probably should and I'm guilty of being a chocaholic, but the fasting days take off a ton of calories from my weekly count so it all balances out

I do weight training as part of it too, so some get burned off.

Hope this helped!

Sarah x

47yo · 04-02-2009, 12:17 AM

Thanks, Sarah - it did help. I'm starting again - I'm weight training also, and I just finished my first 24 hour fast!

Sarah Carson · 04-02-2009, 08:32 AM

Glad I could help

How did you find your first fast? I found my first one pretty hard, mainly coz I had so much spare time and my thoughts immediately go to food when i'm bored! It gets really easy though

I noticed you've started off at a similar weight to me and are aiming at a similar goal, so I'm sure you can do it on this plan.

Sarah x

47yo · 04-02-2009, 01:52 PM

Ha! Yes, the first fast was a little hard - it was fine for the first 20 hours or so, because I don't ususally eat a lot during the day anyway, but I did think about food a lot during the last few hours because I didn't have a lot I had to do. But I think that this might be a lot better than counting calories, which is SO time consuming. I did notice your stats were similar to mine - thanks for the encouragement and congratulations on your weight loss! - Pam

Sarah Carson · 04-08-2009, 08:15 PM

Hi, sorry for the late response!

I think boredom is a dieter's worst enemy lol, have you managed to find more stuff to do on your fasting days now? It's amazing how much you can get done in one day when you don't eat isn't it?!

Definitely better than counting calories.

Thanks for the congratulations, and keep going!

Sarah x

twinkletoes23 · 04-08-2009, 10:12 PM

I have also read up on this diet. As someone who studied nutrition, I dont consider this diet "dangerous" if followed as prescribed. Yes you go 24 hours without eating but that wont slow your metabolism or deprive you of nutrients if you choose healthy meals when you do eat. Also, fasting does not cause diabetes. However, I would not recommend using it if you are diabetic without first consulting your physician. I had done a bit of research when I had originally tried this diet but I did not see any evidence that this type of short term fasting leads to any other health conditions. The author seems to cite animal studies to support his diet but data from animal studies cannot always be applied to humans so I really dont know how effective this diet will be. I imagine the results will compared to other low calorie or calorie cycling diets.

Personally, I have to eat every few hours otherwise it can trigger severe migraines. My choice to eat small frequent meals though is based on my migraines and not weight loss. I find that so many people state that eating 6 meals a day versus 3 is the optimal meat plan to burn fat but really the supporting evidence is limited. Anyway, if you find that you feel fine during fasting days and that it does not negatively impact your daily living then I dont consider this diet much different from other low cal diets. I guess you have to decide if you can fit this into your lifestyle.

Su-Bee · 04-09-2009, 12:54 PM

Eat Stop Eat makes a lot of intuitive sense to me. I am a little scared to try it for weight loss, esp. since I am at that "last few pounds" stage where every calorie seems to matter so very much. However, I'm seriously considering using it for maintenance. I feel like it would work well with my lifestyle & allow me to feel a bit more relaxed with food & things than if I were to simply continue with strict calorie counting in maintenance.

Sarah Carson · 04-10-2009, 05:58 PM

Hi Su-Bee,

Congrats on being on your last few pounds! I would be interested to know how you got to where you are now?

It's always scary considering trying a new weight loss plan so I would say try reading as much info as you can about this - through reviews and forums not just the EatStopEat website - if you're a bit cautious. Squidoo is always good for reviews, or just google search it.

It works really well for me anyway, just coz it's easy to maintain and fit in to my lifestyle. You will definitely not be worrying about calories anymore if you decide to take the plunge as well

Sarah x

Su-Bee · 04-10-2009, 09:42 PM

Hi Sarah -

I've lost my weight so far through daily exercise & religious calorie counting. I am willing to see this through to goal, but want to find a way to get away from the calorie counting aspect in maintenance, as I find that it causes me to be more obsessive in my thinking & behaviour towards food than I think is healthy. I like the concept of intuitive eating, but don't trust that it would work as a maintenance plan for me. Intermittent fasting, though, seems really do-able - I think I could easily find two days a week that would fit into my lifestyle as the fasting days, and the idea of being able to eat whatever I want (obviously, not binging all the time, but within reason) on the other days really appeals to me.

getfit2009 · 04-11-2009, 03:27 AM

I'm starting a 4 week Eat Stop Eat experiment today which will be somewhere between 4 and 8 fasting periods depending on how things turn out.

If all goes well, then I'll do all 8 fasting days, but if I'm generally not feeling well when fasting or if it's interfering with my weight training then I'll stick with just 1 fasting day per week.

I think I'll start a new thread to post my observations and experiences with Eat Stop Eat to keep it all in one place.

Sarah Carson · 04-11-2009, 08:37 AM

Wow Su-Bee, well done for losing so much with calorie counting! You must have much more willpower than me - I could only ever lose a few lbs then plateau

I should say that I've lost a lot with this, but I still don't eat exactly what I want all the time. I don't calorie count, but my diet is probably a lot healthier than the average joe's just from watching what I eat nearly my whole adult life.

I look forward to hearing how you get on with the plan getfit2009

Sarah x

Su-Bee · 04-11-2009, 11:09 AM

Well, my diet even at a heavier weight was always healthier than the average Joe's - I've always eaten mainly whole foods, lots of fruits & veggies, very little "junk" food or empty calories. The problem was more that I ate them in large portions.

So when I say "whatever I want" - I kind of mean not having to measure out portions, going out to eat sometimes, not stressing about what's on the menu at potlucks or holidays, not worrying about a couple of glasses of wine some evenings, that kind of thing.

GetFit 2009, I look forward to hearing about your experiences!

JulieJ08 · 04-11-2009, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by getfit2009

I'm starting a 4 week Eat Stop Eat experiment today which will be somewhere between 4 and 8 fasting periods depending on how things turn out.

If all goes well, then I'll do all 8 fasting days, but if I'm generally not feeling well when fasting or if it's interfering with my weight training then I'll stick with just 1 fasting day per week.

I think I'll start a new thread to post my observations and experiences with Eat Stop Eat to keep it all in one place.

I'll be interested to see how it works with your workouts.

getfit2009 · 04-12-2009, 06:19 AM

I set up a blog here at 3FC yesterday where I'll be journaling my Eat Stop Eat experiment.

I haven't made enough forum posts yet to be able to include a link to the blog, but the username part is "getfit2009" and the name of the blog is "Dropping 30 kilo and getting fit in 2009"