Just heard about this a few days ago and I am really interested in trying but my husband will not be happy with me getting yet another diet book. I'm thinking that this will actually work good for my lifestyle as I work part-time and Mondays and Wednesdays are super busy for me, taking a lunch is almost impossible.

People keep mentioning "Fast-5", is that part of the ESE or something different? Thanks!

hi moonlight mistress, for me, i actually lose weight faster than when i fast than when i just do the regular exercise and diet. (ive exercised for more than a month and a half with 2 pound weight loss) I am starting a fast right now, (today is my second day) and ive lost 2.5 pounds, and yes i know its water weight.

for IF, i believe you fast every other day (correct me if im wrong, guys). as for counting calories, i just go by what nutrition calculators say.

Hello. I see that this thread has been inactive for a long time. I only recently learned about Intermittent Fasting, including Eat Stop Eat. Anyone still out there who is or has tried this? What's your situation now?

Hi Cath,

I have found this forum by mistake whilst trying to research the eat stop eat diet.

Actually after reading this site I have deceided to give it a go, so I shall be updating this forum with my progress.

Hi cath and Jane,

Add me to the list of people who have just recently discovered IF. I've been reading/hearing a lot about it over the past few months, and I'm not sure what method is best for me, but I've narrowed it down to either Eat Stop Eat or Fast 5.

I actually own the Eat Stop Eat manual, so I know more about that than I do Fast 5, but from what little I know of Fast 5 it may actually work just as well for me, or better... perhaps I'll mix it up a bit?

In any event, I just completed my 5th fast, and the fasting itself has been easier than i expected. However.... I haven't lost a stinkin' pound, mostly because 2 of the 5 times I ended up breaking the fast by overeating. Since one of my fasting days was leading into Halloween, I continued the binge pretty much all weekend long. So, there's 2 fasting periods totally negated

But, I'm going to press onward for awhile regardless, and my logic is this -- the first couple fasts were tough, but they're getting easier each time. So, perhaps as my body continues to get more accustomed to being in a fasted state, maybe it will also get easier to break the fast period without going hog wild. The gobs of leftover Halloween candy were my undoing this time, or else I'd have been fine, so even now I think *some* progress has been made (psychologically, I mean... this was the easiest fasting period yet).

I'll continue to post updates periodically, and I hope everyone else will, too!

Just a quick post here:

I first learned about ESE about a year ago and tried to implement it then. What I found is that sometimes I'd fast and feel absolutely fantastic and other times I'd fast and be so hungry I'd go down to the cafeteria during lunch and pig out. Not exactly the outcome I was hoping for.

I started calorie counting about 5 months ago and have learned to control my eating. I'm doing ESE right now due to the demands of the Holiday season mixed with far too many family meals in the future and also not wanting to feel as though I've missed out on my favorite holiday treats. So... what I can say is that ESE is much much much simpler now that I have my eating under control. Fasting days are easier... I no longer think about food all day long. I can also say my workouts are fantastic on ESE as well... I had the best run of my short-lived running career on Friday and that was after a day of fasting.

My sister has been using ESE for nearly 2 years now to at first lose weight and now maintain and it works like a charm for her.

I highly recommend purchasing the book, it answers a lot of questions and makes you a more knowledgeable faster and less prone to being unhealthy about it IMO.

Thankyou so much for sharing, Shrinking Girl! I'm still in that phase where one fast will go perfectly and without a hitch, and the next time I end up overeating when it's all over and defeat the purpose.

Nice to know that what I'm experiencing is normal.

Just learn about ESE and I really want to try it. Anyone on it or had success?? Would really like your input or simply have a body.

Hi Newbjones,

I do ESE on a consistent basis and I've had slow but steady weight loss. I'm not even really doing it specifically for weight loss, but to give my body a "break" from constantly digesting and processing food. It may not apply that much (or at all) to some people, but I am definitely one of those who do NOT do well on the 6 small meals a day routine. That style of eating has my body constantly producing insulin with no let up and in the long run, makes me hungrier and more tired. I feel better if I just give my body a break from all that. I am in the "Stop" phase anywhere from once to three times a week. Usually I average about 2 a week.

Overall, it's gotten MUCH easier for me, so don't be discouraged if you find it really difficult at first. There's no reason you can't start off with smaller periods and work up to 24 (some people go as long as 30, but any longer and you get diminished returns).

I still have times on occasion when I'm really hungry so I end up eating earlier; this is usually around the 18 hour mark. It's really not a huge deal if this happens; your body is still benefitting even if you don't make it a full 24 hours. Even eating earlier than that is not a big deal, just consider it a rehearsal

Good luck -- just be patient with yourself and it will become an easy and effective (and totally free!) way to cut back

I've been following the Fast-5 way of eating and have lost 15 lbs since late Oct. My eating window is from noon-6pm. I'm really enjoying it and feel great ! It's the easiest "diet" that I've ever been on. It saves money on food bills and I don't feel the need to binge eat like I used to. Some people will scoff at it because we've been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But, you know what? Eating breakfast was keeping me from losing weight. I'm reluctant to tell people about it, but I can say that it works for me

Here's a link to the totally free e-book if anyone's interested:
http://www.fast-5.com/Fast-5-ebook100.pdf

That is awesome, ddc! I thought about mentioning Fast 5, but I figured my post was already too long.

I hear you about being reluctant to share your experience... I thought intermittent fasting sounded crazy when i first heard about it, but I kept reading the studies over a period of months, and between the studies and the anecdotal reports, I decided it was worth a try. And I do think more people are starting to come around to the idea that the "when" isn't as important as WHAT you eat, and how much.

There's also one other free IF book, that can be found here: http://www.theiflife.com/

You have to type in your email address and they send you a download link.

Brad Pilon's ESE e-book is not free, but anyone can practice it for free; you only need to buy the book if you're interested in the studies and the mechanisms by which positive effects occur, etc. And much of that can also be found in the Fast-5 and The IF Life e-books. I bought Brad's book and I don't regret it -- I like having all the info available, but it's totally not necessary to buy anything if you just want to start getting benefits.

Hope to hear more stories like yours, ddc Actually, I'd like to hear more, period -- those of you doing some form of IF, is it working? Not working? Making no difference at all?

I found out about ESE after a 10-day Master Cleanse, also known as the Lemonade Diet. I lost 10 pounds in 10 days, witch is great. However I long can I be on the lemonade diet for?? Not long enough to lose 60-70 lbs!! Since I felt so great when I was fasting, I thought that fasting every other day could be the answer, and here it was "Eat Stop Eat" web site!! So to me ESE seems pretty easy to follow. Happy to see that some of you got positive results from doing it. I got a copy of Brad Pilon's book and got also got the If e-book too, gonna read them and start my ESE by Sunday or Monday. Was wondering, can I do 2 days fasting and 1 day eating?? The first 8 days on the fast were so beneficial to me, I was FULL of energy and it was not difficult at all, was not craving food or anything, I even prepared meals for my hubby!! So I really believe that fasting is good for you. I just want to make sure I build muscle while I follow any program now, so I've decided to do the "Insanity" program. Wish me luck!!

What is the "Insanity" progrtam?

The "Insanity" program is a new workout program by Shaun T for Beach Body, is a 60 day program. I saw it on tv one night and let me tell you it looks AMAZING! I feel if I can do it for 2 months I have no choice but to lose weight!!

I'm a new so I can't post the link to Insanity, you"ll find it, just google it.

belezura; congrats on reaching your goal!

I've just read this entire thread, and I'm definitely going to do this.

I'll be back in a week to discuss my results!