well this topic keeps coming up in my life in various message boards so after a nasty binge last night I decided to give it a try. The worst that could happen was my stomach would get a chance to calm down. Went a full 24 hours and then had some scrambled eggs with some veggies.

I'm a little hungry still, but don't want to throw too much at my tummy. I'm not hungrier than I would be had I followed my usually 1400 a day plan. I'm gonna eat sensibly for a couple days then try another fast on the weekend. I'm eager to see if this actually results in weight loss. I'm also curious to see if the confidence I gain by not eating at all for a long period of time will give me the confidence to avoid snacking and binging behaviour.

Hi John P - I agree, the health benefits go way beyond weight loss. Great to have you check in. Tell us a little about your IF success story.

CherryPie- I think that you will find that IF helps you deal with food addictions and gives you confidence that you can maintain a plan. I think there is a training of the mind and a level of self discipline that happen when you make the choice not to eat for a given period of time.

Have a great day, everyone.

I did quite well, and decided to do another 19 hour fast with 5 hour eating window, today.
It seems quite natural way of eating, for me. Looking back at my life, that is how I ate for decades and I was fit and trim and healthy.

Hello! I am new to IF, but not new to 3FC. I did my first 24 hour fast last Saturday, and today is my second. I don't find it difficult and I like the way it makes me feel. It isn't doing anything for my weight loss so far, but honestly I'm trying it out in the hopes that it will help me with digestive issues more than weight loss.

When I'm not fasting I eat a pretty strict paleo diet. I'd hoped cutting out grains would help me deal with my digestive stuff, and it has, but I'm hoping IF will help even more with that. Time will tell!

Anyway, I just thought I'd check in here, since a lot of the people I normally talk to about dieting tend to give me the side-eye when I mention fasting.

Thistoo, Cherrypie and John.

John - I read the thread you had under Support and learned a lot of info through links you requested. I also ask you to please share your story here with us. Thanx in advance.

I won't get the 19/5 today because I ended up with a protein snack last night. But I definitely will get 16 or 17 hr fast before I eat today. I know I can do a 16/8 so may just go with that most days just to get a routine going. I used to do a plan called Fit for Life with fruit for 8 hrs, 4am to 12 noon, eat from noon to 8pm and then let your body rest from 8pm to 4am. So I have no problem doing the 16/8 of IF. I really love the idea of letting my body rest for 16 hrs and find that when I do and test fasting blood sugar just before I eat around 12 or 1pm that my fasting blood sugar is normal. I also checked blood pressure the other day and it was really good. My goal is to have such a great improved blood work next time that it will amaze the doctor and I'm also aiming to get off all meds.

BBL

Welcome everyone!

@Thistoo I know what you mean about the side eye lol...i had a conversation earlier with a friend about starvation mode too!

@Aquatears Don't worry, IF allows you to still eat the foods you like without worrying about "dieting" it will soon balance out.

I am on a 24 hr ESE fast today, I was going to make it 19hrs but have decided to extend it to 24 as it is my only chance this week as I have a hard weights class at the gym tomorrow after work, and prefer to have eaten beforehand. Currently at just over 19 hours and feeling great!
Due to the time of the month I am holding a lot of water at the moment so I hope IF will help with this too. I have been drinking green tea like there's no tomorrow!
I will break my fast with 3 sliced boiled eggs, smoked salmon, homemade guacamole, asparagus and a wholemeal tortilla wrap baked in the oven to make it crispy like tortilla chips!

Ah, starvation mode. I hear a lot about it, especially from my coworkers. I just smile and change the subject. Luckily my sister is a proponent of fasting for health, and she's my workout partner as well, so I do have some RL support.

I'm planning on going to the gym during my lunch hour today to spend a little time with my beloved rowing machine. My stomach is kind of growly right now, but not in an uncomfortable way. I have plenty of energy to work out, so I'm looking forward to it.

welcome everyone!

Yes... I tried to promote IF or ESE with no luck. So, I dont discuss it anymore. Will just change the subject.

Welcome aquatears, John P, cherry pie, thistoo and anyone else I missed

Aquatears- Way to go on your 24hr fast and the great thing about IF that I like is that you can change it around according to how your day goes, once in a while, and get back on to your regular schedule.

JohnP-glad your here and Im excited to get your expertise on IF. What type of health benefits come with IF?

Cherrypie-I really feel that IF is helping me to deal with my food issues such as bingeing and eating just because food is there. I have been overweight for most of my life so now I feel like I have a tool that works for me and that helps me feel in control. I feel so much better that I am starting to carry myself better and take more pride into how I look (makeup, hair, clothes etc) which is what Ive been wanting for a while now.

Sum38-Im glad that your doing well with your fasts and I keep hearing that some people ate this way when they were younger and they were thin and healthy. Wish I would have found IF at an earlier age, better late than never tho.

Thistoo-I dont talk to anyone about IF, just say Im eating less. And I dont really talk about the weight Ive lost even tho I want to cause Im so excited but thats ok,,this is where you guys come in and I can share it all..thanx to all of u! ..Ive found that I am more regular since starting IF and Ive always had digestive problems starting as a young kid. So, I hope it works well for you as well.

Pattygirl-I hope your bloodwork does amaze your docs and you get off your meds, good luck..I aimed for a 24hr fast yesterday and did more of a 19/6 window which was ok with me..
I would really like to get some info regarding Intuitive Eating if thats ok..I have read the forum on IE and it seems interesting ...thanx pattygirl

Rosey85-Good luck on your 24hr fast!

Starvation mode - the myth that made America fat.
Just my opinion.

The health benefits of IF are unknown at this point and specualtive based on data from rats. More study of humans is needed but it takes time. Having said that:

Life extension
Heart disease
Better regulation of blood sugar (this one is for sure)
Cancer fighting
Fighting degenerative metal disease

There is a bigger list than this but the bottom line is growth hormone is one of the fountain's of youth and VERY expensive but IF increases the bodies natural production.

My personal story is that I was eating 5-6 times a day and it was difficult both from a scheduling point of view and from a hunger point of view. Eating a little bit does nothing to satisfy me so I was hungry all day.

Eating 1-2 times a day is much easier for me.

After I got to a normal weight of about 240 I maintained this for about a year without counting calories just by IFing. Then I decided I wanted to have a six pack (or at least a 4 pack) and started losing weight again.

Frankly though I don't know that my goal will ever happen because I do love to eat and don't really care about having abs.

I do love helping people make weight loss easier and in my opinion the easiest way to lose weight is by adopting IF. Obviously it is not for everyone. Some people are going to do better by "grazing".

Wow... Thanks! I want to second that. I was not brave enough to post it.

Thanx JohnP for the info and for sharing your story ..I always thought that eating 5-6 times a day, tiny and not very good tasting (in my opinion) meals, was the way to lose weight..at one point i was dating someone who was trying to be a body builder and I started eating the way he did and I lost a lot of weight but It was torture and I was always hungry, waiting for that next meal..I tried to eat that way again to lose baby weight (b4 IF) and failed and failed..im so glad that I found IF

I believe that people have eating patterns that suit them - for some that's grazing. For me, I was always fine all day and enjoyed eating at night.

For years the experts said I had to eat all day or go into starvation mode. You can boost your metabolism by going for a walk, exercising or whatever. Frequent eating also opens floodgates for me. Plus, why should I eat, when I'm not hungry? It never made sense, and it made me fat, so I finally decided that it was time to do what I did when I was younger and thinner. I'm no longer a slave to any "program" or food group or supplement or meeting plan.

I'm much happier refraining from eating most of the day and then eating a wonderful meal and not fussing about every calorie or food choice. I do focus on healthy, whole foods.

My weight loss has been slow, but steady and it's soooo easy.

I don't care if it takes me a year or two to lose my weight. This is just how I live now. Freedom!!!!!

My sister is a natural "grazer." She is thin and beautiful. It works for her - not for me.

I'm sorry I missed you asking me about this before and didn't get back to you on it. What always liked about IE is that you get away "diet thinking" and the idea of "good/bad foods". While there are foods my body either doesn't function well with or I choose not to eat or bring into the house because I have a tendency to binge on them, I just don't like the idea of giving food so much power over me and I find IE takes that power from the food. I also like the idea of eating only when I'm hungry and eating only as much as I need to satisfy that hunger. I personally think that I can do IE and IF together and that is one of my major goals. There are 2 good books if you decide you want to red more one that read recently is Rob Steven The Overfed Head and the other book Intuitive Eating by Evely Tribole and Elyse Resch. I really got a lot out of the Overfed Head as he shares how he got control of his eating etc when he stopped dieting and shows how that America has actually dieted itself into being over weight.