I just started doing 24 hr fasts two days a week with my co-workers. The first two fast days were awful. I mean "sick to my stomach, stomach growling, weak and irritable" awful. But I changed my timing (6:00 pm to 6:00 pm) so I am asleep for most of the first half of the fast; and I must say today, I am a little hungry but not feeling sick and weak like last week. I plan to eat dinner promptly at 6:05 pm and head to the gym about 8:30 pm.

Anyone else throwing in a little fasting for better weight loss results?

Read mostly good things about I/F and JUDDD - used to I/F (1 meal per day) until I started having serious issues with hypoglycemia. It was nice not having to think about food all day.

I have never found the need to fast while following a clean low-carb plan. The weight loss for me when I'm on track has been very good.

Fasting does not appeal to me at all. I love food and I have to feed my family, so I would go crazy cooking for them and fasting myself.

I can lose at a good clip without extreme measures as long as I don't cheat or rely on low carb foods like bars, shakes, lc substitute foods, etc.

To me fasting does not seem sustainable or a very good way to learn to eat more healthily over the long term.

But I also believe in people doing what works best for them. We are all different.

At one time I looked at IF but, to be honest, after reading a ton of stuff (both pro and con), it just didn't seem like there was any real significant advantage to IF as far as weight loss over time...or not enough to justify giving up meals. I'm sure there are people who have noticed the difference and/or it fits in with how they like to eat, but I went by the various reports I read that tracked people doing IF vs low carb vs high carb.

It's true, it can definitely be a strain cooking meals that you can't have. Lucky enough my DH is a great cook and does most of it so I didn't have to see breakfast this morning just smell the bacon wafting out to my home office.

I'm losing pretty well now too so the jury is still out on whether IF is making any difference. One thing I will say for sure, I see it as being useful on those occasions like Thanksgiving or a holiday party where I overdo it.

Personally, I've decided not to do it after doing it for about 4 months. It made me adopt an unhealthy relationship with food and made my cycle irregular. I think all the hourly restrictions puts a toll on my body disrupting my hormones etc. it works for many people I know but just not for me. Anyway, it's definately worth trying to see if its suitable for you. Good luck! X

That's actually where I disagree most. To me, that's too much like bingeing/purging. One day or one meal of overeating won't impact your overall losses THAT much. You can't gain any significant fat weight in one day.

Sure, you'll go up a few pounds with water weight and have to get back into ketosis, etc, but eating strict induction to get back on track sounds way easier to me than going without any food at all. Also mentally and physically healthier in the long run.

I'm all about keeping your blood sugars as even as possible by eating regular meals and snacks.

But then again, I never had any long term success (or even short term really) with any sort of extreme weight loss plan.

What I have always loved about Atkins is being able to eat real food, fatty satisfying food, and not have to feel hungry AT ALL while still losing weight quickly.

Although having said that - I'm back at it after two kids and I'm 10 years older than my original weight loss. So maybe my results won't be the same this time.

Whenever I get into weird eating habits is when all hell breaks loose for me.

P.S. NoVaBelle - how lucky are you to have a hubby that does most of the cooking?! Color me green with envy!!

I did an experiment which stretched out into four months where I ate a big lunch, then only had hot beverages, with coconut oil, for the other two meals. Worked great!

I'm doing one meal a day

Because snacks only makes me hungrier.

The case against snacking

As my meals have gotten more loaded with protein and fat, the time between them stretches out, until one meal a day works really well for me.

As happens so often, what derailed me was Other People; we had so many visitors this summer I could not keep to my schedule and there was some indulging going on. But I look forward to trying it again.

This is such a personal tactic that I totally understand people who find it unappealing or that it doesn't work for them. But my success seems to come from understanding my own pancreas. It responds to any food by releasing TANKER CAR OF INSULIN. So most of my life I've been wrestling with a bizarre syndrome where eating makes me hungry.

I took a tremendous step forward by getting rid of the carbs I'd been told were healthy; I stopped feeling like I was going to eat the door off the fridge two hours after my model "healthy" meal. I also ditched what they taught me about portion control (let me show you my doll-sized plates) and just started eating until I was actually full, though not stuffed.

By making these meals consist of meat, leafy greens, and high fat dressings, with bits of fruit, avocado, etc as garnishes, I get plenty of texture and variety and different sources. And then... I'm not hungry. For a long time.

I do not think anyone should push fasting. It should be enjoyable! As it is, for me. I never go to bed hungry! (Did plenty of that and I know what it feels like.) I really like seeing if "that peckish feeling" can be solved with a cup of hot tea with coconut oil (which passes into the cells as energy without being digested.) And, most of the time, it is solved that way!

I think people are a little too afraid of the word "fasting." We used to call it, "no snacking after dinner/before bed." If you do that, have some plain tea when you wake up, and then don't eat until you're genuinely hungry, guess what? That's pretty much IF.

I did IF a number of years ago during summer when I lived in a house with poor air conditioning. The heat and humidity made it really unappealing for me to eat in the mornings. This was not long after Dr Eades and others were blogging about IF, so I gave it a shot. I did what I described above - no food after about 6:00 pm, have plain iced tea or water in the mornings, don't eat until actually hungry. Sometimes, that wasn't until 3:00 pm. I'd have two decent meals during that eating window. I don't remember if I lost weight, and I have no blood lipid or glucose numbers to compare, but I felt great.

By that definition everyone fasts at one time or another. I guess me too. I often try not to eat in the evenings, but I don't consider that fasting.

I always thought fasting was going all day or multiple days without eating.

Oh yes, the great binge and purge from my 20s is how I stayed a size 8 from age 18-28. Great point and noted. I could definitely see how IF could lead to that again and that is no way to live. I am still learning about my blood sugar levels. I am doing CAD and have a small dessert of some kind about three days a week with my reward meal (which is basically just another low carb meal for me with a little brown rice or a small treat). The week I didn't have any dessert at all was the week I lost the least so far. So I think I am on my way to finding out how sugar affects my weight loss. I agree about Atkins and just the low carb WOE in general. Most of the time, I am full and satisfied. But my sweet tooth calls out to me every once in a while.

I don't do strict intermittent fasting, but I will have a morning snack, a very large lunch, and a night time snack. This actually seems to work best for me right now versus most other methods. I'm pretty hungry this morning so I will probably have a slightly larger snack than normal though

IF works great for me. i rarely fast for whole days but i feel best when i don't have my first meal til after 2pm. often i only eat one meal, around 4 or 5. i'm never hungry and i feel great. if i start eating in the morning, i tend to eat all day. but when i know i have my one big meal coming in the late afternoon/early evening, i'm fine all day. it's true that everyone is different and you have to find what works best for you.

The key seems to be a person's level of Insulin Resistance.

After such a long time low carbing, and losing considerable weight, my body is now used to a lower insulin level, and has plenty of the enzymes to mobilize fat out of the cells for energy. So I do better with a big meal which matches my big insulin release, and then coast for many hours.

Some people find they do better with small, regular, meals, which works with THEIR insulin release, and will keep insulin down if they have high Insulin Resistance. Their strategy should be focused on keeping the amount of insulin LOW. Such folks find six small meals a day work great for them!

Insulin is often based on your previous meal, and thus, keeping meal size the same can be a better strategy than the roller coaster of meal/snack/meal/snack/meal which wreaked havoc with my own metabolism.