IF (Intermittent Fasting), part IV
 

Thanks, MC -- I bumped this for those just getting into IF. The last thread is here:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...463#post7438463

Here are a couple of links from a blog by a trainer who advocates low carb IF:

Intermittent Fasting 101
IF Q&A

I have been going on unplanned IF cycles because I have been very busy. I have been finding that when I do that, I show the greatest loss. I am looking at it differently, leaving behind the "but you'll ruin your METABOLISM if you don't eat breakfast!" mentality, which is not an easy thing to do.

Well, I am checking in. In case no one knows, I have been IF for over a year. I lost another lb but I am not changing my stats until I get to 145. But baby when that happens everyone will know. I like being able to go for a long period of time without eating. I also enjoy the ability to eat a lot of food once the fast is broken. Usually I fast 20/4 but there are times when I resolve to eating one time in a day. I am not only losing but I am also just fine. Yes, Culturista, you have to rid yourself of that breakfast first mentality. However, since the first meal of the day is what breaks the fast, we don't REALLY skip breakfast now, do we? I've said this before but I believe that a fast allows the body to complete the digestive process. This completion does dot allow the body to store fat thanks to metabolism. Oh well, I shall return.

There, black57, I fixed it. ;)

I wonder where the rest of the IF'ers are... ???

It can get quiet. I think that once you get established in IF, you just jog along doing your thing. Since there are a few guidelines and no rules, there's not a lot of reason to post, which makes this different from the other challenges.

I've made a few changes in my routine, which used to be 21/3, starting around 6 pm. I now have lunch around 1 or 2, I eat again at 6:30, and I close the window around 9, so my long fast is now 16 or 17 hours. I'm very strict about not snacking between meals (IF is wonderful for getting you out of the grazing habit).

The chief reason for doing this was that I found it too difficult to eat the amount of protein and calories I need in a four-hour window. As I get closer to goal, and my needs go down, I’ll go back to 21/3. I continue to lose, though more slowly than when I started IF in January; however, my rate of loss had already slowed before I made the change.

I still monitor this thread, and I'm sure that others do as well, so if anyone has any questions, they should just ask.

Susan

I have done 2 consecutive days of 19/5 IF just to see if it will speed up my weight loss. Haven't been on the scale yet.

Any thoughts on the value of a bigger window? I am thinking that 18/6 would be almost effortless for me, on weekdays at least. Skip breakfast, lunch at one, dinner at 6:30, and no snacks after.

Hi youall, i'me on my anual WindSurfing vacation-- I had two intense sailing days then the wind died off and I came down with diarreah (from eating out). I am back eating clean and lifting weights and swinging the KB's. No way to weigh, but last trip I lost 8lb.

Last night I had a rack of baby back (natural) ribs-- tonight I dined on Beef Heart and baked sweetbreads (beef pancreas) and Macadamia nuts. Even with less than 5hr sleep a night I am feeling stronger than ever.

Enjoy your fasting highs and feasts as well :) :yum: :agree: :wave:

Generally I do 20/4.I lose better when I eat one meal a day. It is easy to do when I have a very busy day. For example, the past couple of days I have been doing Spring concerts at schools, which is hell BTW, and I have had time to eat once on these days. My weight has gone from 153 ( it kicks up during TOM ) to 151 these past 2 days. I do not have a concert tonight but I am thinking about going another day with one meal. I must also add that I lose similarly when I break my fast in the AM and then not eat again until supper time at night.

Spring or Summer and people are busy? Its a Canadian board and most may be shut ins in the Winter. I know I have a lot to do lately so I seldom think about eating-- I am also using the computer less.

I need a coach!
 

I spent 2 years successful living the low carb life and lost 44 pounds. Over the last 2 years I have put back on 16 pounds. At first it was carb creep, then I went back to my emotional and binge eating.
I loved Atkins because as soon as I was on induction I lost my cravings but I still had to plan all my meals. I have been dabbling in IF and found that the best part was not having to plan breakfast and lunch 'cause I was only eating dinner. I am a chef so I'm great at making low carb meals and I'd be happy to share any cooking tips or recipes with my coach. I have never been good at group dieting but i really think that IF can make the difference 'cause I don't spend all of my waking hours wondering what I'm going to eat next.
I'm looking for someone who has lost weight and maybe, like me, had it come back and was successful at losing again.
Any takers, helpers? Suggestions? I cannot afford to buy all new clothes:(

Here is my story Chef. Initially I had lost around 30 lbs easily. Abruptly I began to gain it back. I am determined to stay low carb so even though I was gaining I did not change my diet except for chromium supplements ( I quit taking them because i began gaining soon after I added the chromium ). Also, I am going through peri-menpause AND I have fibroid cysts on my uterus. That is what I am blaming the gain on. I made it my goal to complete a 5k running competition in 2006 and I still gained while preparing for this. It was so frustrating to gain weight on a diet that I felt was perfect. Then in 2007, I made it my New Year's resolution to lose 10 lbs that year. I began IF in April after reading about it in Dr. Eades blog and other online research articles. Once I settled into this addition to my lc lifestyle I began to slowly lose weight. I also ate a lot of food. For one I was starving anf for 2 I felt that that was the ide...to eat lots once the fast was broken. I was, and continue to be impressed, with the fact that I did not change my diet, I just changed my eating frequency. In my mind, I made sense of another "unhealthy" concept.By the end of 2007, I had lost nearly 15 lbs. This year I had lost another 7 lbs so far. My goal for 2008 is to lose another 10 lbs. Low carb IF and Lovin' It. :yum:

Checking in. Still working graveyard shift, so posting is sporadic, and my body is still adjusting so feed window is weird. I usually don't eat dinner till about 10pm, and I might have another small meal at work around 4:30am. But sometimes I am hungry after work (before bed) and I might have another snack then. I do miss working a normal 1st-shift schedule, it made IF much easier.

Still, as of today I've lost 25lbs, after years of losing basically nothing on lowcarb *without* IF.

My biggest challenge at the moment (aside from the schedule) is that I know I'm not getting enough calories again. I'm out of coconut oil, which I keep forgetting to buy, and avocados have been too expensive for me to have my usual side dish of mashed avocado, a little mayo, and green taco sauce. :)

I've also been exercising fairly regularly, which I don't think was true the last time I was posting here much, both weight training and some cardio/yoga/balance stuff with the Wii Fit. I can't say it's particularly caused a spike in my weight loss (fortunately I've come to terms with slow-but-steady in my case, because it's so much better than losing nothing all), but I'm developing actual muscle tone in some places. It's weird actually feeling muscles in my arms where there used to just be flab.

As of today I'm at 190.0, heh. Getting into the 180s will be a huge goal for me, as it is a weight range I have never been in in my entire adult life without the use of anorectics (phentermine, to be specific).

So, I expect I will hover around 190.0 for weeks. ;)

gwynne2 I also work the graveyard shift. At 2 am I have acouple cheese sticks to hold me over and have my main meal at 7:30 am when I get home. Doing a cad version. I eat my protein first and if still hungry have a bowl of icecream before I hit the bed. I stick to having my meal in the one hour time limit for the reward meal in cad. Got off of the artifical sweenteners and drink green tea no sugar added.
What messes me up is my days off. If I eat that big meal early in the am it will knock me out and so much for seeing the sunshine LOL. So my next days off well do a longer fast and have a normal super with the family. If I need to may grab some protein if I cant last that long. That is really great the 25lb loss. I have been working on the last 10lb issue for over a year. up then down LOL. One of the days I will get my act together and stay on plan. I am a real foodaholic . Got to go to work will check in.