i've been seeing more and more about intermittent fasting and i think i like the idea. but i don't get it? do you only get to eat one meal a day? how long should you do IF (as in like weeks or months, should i do it until i reach my goal weight)? how many days a week? will it help me lose weight in the long run? will it have 'crash diet' effects? if anyone knows how could they explain to me how to do it in layman's terms? i'm having a hard time getting the whole gist of it. thanks guys!

There are a couple of threads on this ... search under my name and you'll find all of them.

Intermittent fasting essentialy is a lifestyle, not a specific diet plan. In that sense it is not something you do for a while and then stop it is something you do forever. I've been doing it for a couple years now following a 16/8 plan. There are three basic ways most people do it.

16/8 - Fast for 16 hours, eat for 8. Essentialy you're just skipping breakfast.

Fast 5 - Fast for 19 hours, eat for 5.

Eat Stop Eat - A couple times a week you fast for 24 hours.

Theoretically there are health benefits to doing this but at the moment those benefits have only been demonstrated in rodet or epidemiological studies. For myself and most people who follow it we're simply using it as a mechanism to limit calories.

I don't think anyone should consider IF if they do not already have their eating pretty well under control. Trying to learn how to eat "right" while also training your body when to expect food is a lot of additional stress.

Check out the threads...

From what I understand you choose the number of hours per day you want to fast (12, 14, 16, 28, 20, etc) by whatever works for you. Some people may fast 16 hours and have an 8 hour window while some fast 1 or 2 full days per week. I personally fast 12-14 but I'd like to get up to 16-18.

You could eat just one meal a day I suppose, if that works for you. I have heard a couple people say that is what they do but I'm not sure if they were trying to lose weight.

I think people generally do it forever? That would be my assumption. If it's a way of eating that works for you then I would think you'd want to keep at it.

It isn't a miracle. If you fast 20 hours a day and then eat 4000 calories within four hours you aren't going to lose weight. You still have to have to monitor how much you are going to eat (if weight loss is the goal). But for some people it works better to have larger meals than to spread them out all day. There is also research that shows fasting may be good for the body. And some people just like knowing they aren't going to be in the kitchen all day!

I was just reading about this. It sounds great. I'd like to know more about it too.

I think I have my biggest losses when I do something similar. One day I'll eat 500 calories and the next 1200, then 900, then 800, then 700 or something along those lines.

I don't do it on purpose, but I do take off more weight faster when I do.

This isn't that diet but I'm a believer in doing an extremely low calorie day or two, then bumping it up for a few days. Looking back over my records, it looks like that's when I have the biggest losses.

Did you see the book reviews on amazon? It's called the Up Down Diet or something like that. Some people really love it. It also sounds like a great way to maintain. They don't lose weight as fast as I do, but they do lose significant amounts and it's much more practical than what I'm doing for most people.

Correction, this is not the diet these guys are talking about, but it does sound intriguing!

cheers!

IF is excellent, do look into it! For controlling calories without deprivation, if nothing else, it excels. That it positively affects body composition and metabolism of many who do it is a nice bonus

I do what John does, a 16/8 fast where I condense my meals into an eight to ten hour window and then fast throughout sleep and the morning (I break it with a brunch/lunch). It works wonderfully for me and is very satiation and easy to do. Google around but I recommend checking out Leangains for a good starting FAQ - there are many ways to do it, but Martin's is a good balance for me (especially with my particular fitness goals):
http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html

I just started doing this recently, without really realizing it and when I discovered people here were all into it, I took it more seriously. I actually love it because so far (and only so far), it has helped me control my binge eating and I've lost weight easier. I feel great doing it.

What everyone else said. Lol. I lost the most weight on IF without even really trying.

Yeah, that's cycling and it does sound like you go rather low.

It works GREAT for me.

I've always choked breakfast down, because I thought I had to. I HATED wasting calories when I wasn't hungry on foods I don't really even like.

IF is perfect for me. I'm only hungry in the evenings. I have a later eating window than most people. I don't usually eat anything until dinner time, and keep my eating window open for about 6 hours. I'm so busy during the day that finding something to eat is more of a hassle anyway. I'm not hungry and I don't have to worry about eating during the day. I get to eat a big meal in the evening, and snack a bit without guilt, at night. It's win win for me!

i do 1 time a week fasting for 24 hours. I have just water on Mondays. Fasting for me takes care of cravings and makes me satisfy with smaller portions of meals on days i do eat.

I use intermittent fasting as a means of calorie control, and water weight control.

I didn't even realize I was doing the 16/8 until reading JohnP's post! I simply grew tired of forcing breakfast upon myself based on some idea that you have to eat breakfast to increase your metabolism. Now I break the fast later in the day when it feels right for me, and it's really helped me get through my day without over eating. If I'm hungry, I'll eat earlier, though. I'm not that rigid about it. It's just, now I don't force myself.

I like to do a 24 hour fast about once every other week, and sometimes once a week. I just wait until I have a day off of work. It helps eliminate retained water and balance out the calories I've consumed for the week.

I even fast prior to or following a planned "bad day" like when I'm going to a party, the movies or out to dinner, and I know I'm going to eat something bad or overdo it, or I will want a beer or whatever.

Like many, I didn't realize I was intermittent fasting. I was just trying to find balance and a way to have my cake and eat it too. I didn't realize it was a healthy life style option, until one day I googled it.

I don't call it IF but I don't really feel like eating until ~1-2 PM most days, so I don't! By dinnertime I'm hungry so I eat, and then I'm done until the next day.

I am in love with IF!
Check this out http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/gene...-5-2012-a.html

The more I look at IF the more I realize that I did some form of it while losing and occasionally do it now while maintaining. I often gave myself a 12 hour window to eat (6 am to 6pm) because that's when I was my hungriest. Nothing was allowed after dinner.

I don't really do this while maintaining because I don't get enough calories.

I've read research about the benefits of IF and pretty much practice it these days without really meaning trying... but here's one thing I keep wondering about:

How is IF different, in practice, from unhealthy disordered eating habits of skipping meals? I get that the intent is very different, but in practice, it just keeps striking me that IF is a sanitized, repackaged, and now-sanctioned version of a very old, common dieting behavior.

I realize that sounds kind of negative. Again, I'm aware of the research on how fasting promotes autophagy and other goodness, and I'm not averse to it. But maybe someone can help enlighten me -- isn't this an example of everything old is new again?