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-   -   eating every 3 hrs per day vs. intermittent fasting (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=473825)

kelly77 Mon, Jun-13-16 11:33

eating every 3 hrs per day vs. intermittent fasting
 
I used to get great results from intermittent fasting to lose weight. It would kick-start loss if I was in a stall and the weight would come off pretty quickly. Fasting was often not easy for me cuz even though I didn't have to think about what to eat all the time, I would get pretty hungry. But it was worth it for the rate of loss.

Now that I'm in my late 50s, the intermittent fasting seem to not work well, I feel worse, and even gain weight. So I tried a method used years ago when I did Medifast, which is eating small protein-packed, lower carb, small meals/snacks every 2-3 hours (4-5 per day plus one low carb meal). I don't buy their products, but there's so much hi-protein, low carb stuff you can get at a regular grocery store now days, you can actually closely replicate (if not exceed) the nutritional values and flavor of their prepackaged "meals". For instance, most of the Medifast (or copies) are soy-based protein and even contain sugar. I can't do soy anymore, so I find products that are either whey or animal based protein, with low carb values.

It's been 10 days doing 4-5 small "meals"/snacks per day at work, then one hi-protein, low carb meal at home later. This is working! The weight is starting to budge and I'm almost never hungry. I'm surprised and relieved to find a method that is working for me post-menopause when all the previous methods had stopped working.

Over 50, what is your experience with either intermittent fasting or eating every 2-3 hours? Two opposite methods. Does one work better for you now vs. earlier? Or does doing neither method work better for you?

bluesinger Mon, Jun-13-16 13:42

I wish I could say that something works for me, but sadly not so. Last February (2015) when I discovered Dr. Fung's IF protocol, I lost weight for the first time in 6 years. Since then I've just struggled to keep it off and have even gained a couple of pounds.

I'll admit that I've never tried eating more small meals. Is that a recognized protocol I can look at online? I've been eating 1 meal a day and nothing is happening. Still.

kelly77 Tue, Jun-14-16 06:37

Not sure what you mean by "recognized protocol". If you Google "eating every 3 hours" you'll see a lot of information on that topic. There is a book called The 3-Hour Diet by Jorge Cruise that was pretty popular. I haven't read it.

Diets like Medifast and Diet Direct adopt that same practice of small protein meals eaten often throughout the day. Medifast requires 5 of their meals and one of your own making per day. I am not advocating Medifast products at all. They use soy protein, chemicals, and taste pretty bad by and large. But having done the diet, I do know how to do the 5 small meals plus one regular meal thing.

My small meals/snacks consist of things like a pouch of tuna salad, can of chicken, chicken strips, beef jerky, Quest bars, Quest chips, almond butter, hard boiled egg, protein shake... you get the picture - anything that is high protein, low carb and doesn't exceed around 175-200 calories. I don't worry about fat content. Then I prepare a meal of meat or fish, and a green veg or salad in the evening. Since I work, I had to find things that would be convenient to take to work and would be easy prepare/eat with limited kitchen facilities. If you don't work, you could expand greatly on the kinds of small meals available to you.

A couple of months ago, when I realized that intermittent fasting was not cuttin' the mustard anymore. I Googled "menopause and intermittent fasting". What came up was unexpected and very interesting. There was a lot of information and personal testimony that fasting was not healthy for, and didn't work well for post-menopausal women. You can Google it to read about why. But it made sense to me from my own personal experience, because not only was I gaining weight doing it, I also was feeling like crap. So I thought, if fasting is a bust now, how about trying the opposite - eating every 2-3 hours throughout the day. All I can say is that it's working for me.

So now you know everything I know on the topic. You just have to experiment with different things. I don't worry much about protocol on how to do it. I try things all the time that I never heard of anyone else doing. Some work, some don't. Mostly what works is a combination of things that I've experienced over the years - which are ever-changing as I age.

Having said all this, there are those post-menopausal women who have great success with intermittent fasting. Cest la vie!

Just Jo Tue, Jun-14-16 07:00

:wave: Hiya Kelly!

Sounds like you have found something that's working for you with your more frequent smaller meals! That's terrific! That's what I love about LCing ~ one plan does NOT fit all...

I'm 57 and IFing has worked wonders for me.

As silly as this sounds, I suffer from a chronic illness I like to call “I’m only hungry when I start putting FOOD in my mouth!” syndrome!

That being said, I've been eating only one meal a day since July 2013. It's a rare day indeed when I eat twice a day, but never over my allotted carb or kcal (calorie) self-prescribed limits.

I have a boat load of food related issues and IFing seems to help me manage them rather well. Among them being I am only sated when I feel "full"!

It's not like I gave up 3 squares a day; I haven't been a breakfast eater since around jr. high school.

Wishing you continued success on your journey to better HEALTH! :agree:

kelly77 Tue, Jun-14-16 07:44

hey jo!

yeah, I keep trying to go back to fasting because it worked so well for me for so long. but each time I do, things get weird pretty fast, and it doesn't feel anything like it used to. i do agree that it is so much easier to not have to think so much about what to eat and when. I really liked that part. Since I have never been a breakfast eater, that made it all the more perfect. Now I have to eat something by 7 or 8AM, hungry or not! (mostly not)

but who knows, maybe my body will change at some point and fasting will be the right thing again.

I wish this wasn't so complicated!

tbagram Wed, Jul-13-16 07:35

Hi gals,

Its interesting that I found this thread. I recently started doing resistent weight training at the YMCA and have not lost a pound but have gained a lot of muscle. My son says I look better, (not so mushy). Some one took a picture of me sitting down and I looked like a hulk woman with a little head. My legs look like tree trunks. I HATE IT! I did go down a size in my pants, though. Anyways, I read that I should go to 5 small meals a day. I too, no longer get results from IF.

At 65 I feel really good and am on no medications. Its interesting how over the years I have had to switch gears in the way I eat, depending upon my age and hormones. In the seventies, straight Atkins worked great. Four years ago JUDDD worked wonders and now it looks like mini meals is the new wave for me.

Bonnie OFS Wed, Jul-13-16 19:31

I'd never be able to eat every 3 hours because I'm diabetic & a recovering binge eater. I'm better off eating less often. But that said, mixing it up does seem to spark weight loss. I'll be not losing, decide to eat supper (which I usually skip) & I'm suddenly losing again. But if I keep eating 3 meals my blood sugar goes up. So it's a once in a while thing.

And has been said - we're all different! Funny how we can have the same basic human body, yet our needs are so different.

GreekRibs Wed, Jul-13-16 19:55

Great thread, Kelly. So glad you found something that's working for you. There is absolutely no right or wrong when it comes to low carb healthy fat. I can't do IF because I'm borderline hypoglycemic and I don't want to eat every 3 hours because it's just not convenient for me fitting it in between work, gym, etc.
I do 3 squares and on gym days eat extra protein/fat like hemp hearts and peanut butter.
Congrats on being so disciplined and finding something to kick off those pounds!

NHSB Sun, Apr-08-18 06:59

Quote:
Originally Posted by Just Jo

As silly as this sounds, I suffer from a chronic illness I like to call “I’m only hungry when I start putting FOOD in my mouth!” syndrome!



Hope no one minds my resurrecting an old thread, but I had to laugh (in recognition) when I read this quote. Eating makes me hungry too!

Eating also makes me tired. I have a friend my age (60’ish) who visibly wilts a couple hours after breakfast but perks up 30 minutes into lunch. I start out energetic without breakfast and need a nap after lunch. We are all so different.

I wonder whether there is truth in the notion that our bodies respond best when we change something in our eating pattern. Unrelated to age or circumstances...maybe our bodies just adapt to whatever we’ve been doing and need something different occasionally in order to thrive. For now, intermittent fasting feels best for me (based on energy and hunger), but I’ve been a successful nibbler in the past. The experiment goes on...

JEY100 Sun, Apr-08-18 07:17

Welcome NHSB! No problem with this good thread, old on this forum is 2006 :lol: with a 2016 thread there is a better chance many of the original posters are still around. :thup:

There are two very long threads on Intermittent Fasting using Dr Fung's protocols in the Diabetes Forum. http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=45 I enjoy and embrace IF but found my BG stayed highish until I ate. After two years of not eating breakfast, and running pre-diabetic HbA1c, I corrected that by eating something within a few hours of waking. If it’s not one thing.....

Just Jo Sun, Apr-08-18 07:23

Quote:
Originally Posted by NHSB
Hope no one minds my resurrecting an old thread, but I had to laugh (in recognition) when I read this quote. Eating makes me hungry too!
It's a funny quote, but OMG it really does describe my relationship with food/eating...
Quote:
Eating also makes me tired. I have a friend my age (60’ish) who visibly wilts a couple hours after breakfast but perks up 30 minutes into lunch. I start out energetic without breakfast and need a nap after lunch. We are all so different.
I can't agree more with your statement about "we are all so different." That explains why there is NO one-size fits all WOE to lose weight and keep it off!
Quote:
I wonder whether there is truth in the notion that our bodies respond best when we change something in our eating pattern. Unrelated to age or circumstances...maybe our bodies just adapt to whatever we’ve been doing and need something different occasionally in order to thrive. For now, intermittent fasting feels best for me (based on energy and hunger), but I’ve been a successful nibbler in the past. The experiment goes on...
Good luck with your experimentation and you achieve the results you want!

I've been über lucky, grateful, thankful, blessed etc, that I've found my "sweet spot" to maintenance my weight loss...

Wishing you continued success on your journey, NHSB!

PilotGal Sun, Apr-08-18 07:31

I'm in my 60's and post menopausal.
i eat when hunger beckons me.. which is usually twice a day.
i'm not a snacker..
i eat protein at eating time.

but in all honesty.. when i fast, the longer i go, the better i feel.
it's just getting over that first 30 hr hump, that is the hardest.
but once i get over it.. i sail...

but daily life is usually 2 meals a day.
large breakfast, modest dinner.

fasting got me to a size 10 women's.. which I have been maintaining for 2 yrs, now.


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