Questions about Intermittent Fasting

[Anonymous]

I have been doing 16:8 intermittent fasting for a week with the goal of losing 10-15 pounds. Early 40’s F. 5’6. 152lbs. So far, it’s been very easy for me to do and I can see myself doing this long term. Beyond a 1-2 lbs loss, the main (and very unexpected) benefit I have seen so far is with my sleeping. I am sleeping like a baby…it’s amazing, and I haven’t slept this well in several years.

A few questions:

1) Why I am so hot? I am sweating all the time. I mean, it’s August and I am in DC, but I feel abnormally hot. I don’t think this is related to menopause as I still get regular periods and it’s only come on now that I started fasting.

2) When did you starting seeing weight loss?

3) I am able to hold the fast pretty easily, and can even do longer than 16 hours. I haven’t yet figured out how to stop snacking when I am in my eating window. Any tips?

[Anonymous]

Check out Fasting like a Girl- I like her method for hormones and cycles.

[Anonymous]

Should be ok to snack within the eating window, but try snacking on things that make you feel satiated. For me, that's hard boiled eggs. I also drink a lot of coffee. =)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Should be ok to snack within the eating window, but try snacking on things that make you feel satiated. For me, that's hard boiled eggs. I also drink a lot of coffee. =)

That might be working for you, but just a word of caution - coffee on an empty stomach spikes cortisol, and cortisol interferes with the body’s ability to release weight for many women.

Everything you can do to minimize cortisol levels - restful sleep 7-9 hours, stress management, avoiding stimulants as much as possible - will help you lose weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Should be ok to snack within the eating window, but try snacking on things that make you feel satiated. For me, that's hard boiled eggs. I also drink a lot of coffee. =)

That might be working for you, but just a word of caution - coffee on an empty stomach spikes cortisol, and cortisol interferes with the body’s ability to release weight for many women.

Everything you can do to minimize cortisol levels - restful sleep 7-9 hours, stress management, avoiding stimulants as much as possible - will help you lose weight.

Not OP but I’m wondering if this is part of my issue with high cortisol levels. How does one drink coffee while fasting?

[Anonymous]

To add, I’m up before 6 everyday so I would never eat that early.

[Anonymous]

There is zero scientific evidence for losing weight via intermittent fasting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is zero scientific evidence for losing weight via intermittent fasting.

Funniest post of the day so far!

You're eating fewer calories with longer periods of not eating, which enables your body to torch through your fat as a fuel source. But hey, maybe the concept is too simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is zero scientific evidence for losing weight via intermittent fasting.

Funniest post of the day so far!

You're eating fewer calories with longer periods of not eating, which enables your body to torch through your fat as a fuel source. But hey, maybe the concept is too simple.

What the poster you are responding to probably meant is that there isn't anything special about intermittent fasting. Its just a calorie restriction tool. I myself am not confident there has been any study demonstrating its effectiveness outside of calorie restriction.

There are a lot of tiktoks and facebook videos claiming that fasting has all these magical benefits though. So, we have that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is zero scientific evidence for losing weight via intermittent fasting.

Funniest post of the day so far!

You're eating fewer calories with longer periods of not eating, which enables your body to torch through your fat as a fuel source. But hey, maybe the concept is too simple.

No, poster is correct. The research is clear that intermittent fasting does not produce any significant weight loss beyond reducing calories and eating over longer periods of time.

However, intermittent fasting has other clear benefits. The body goes into autophagy during prolonged periods of rest from food consumption, so periods of fasting helps the body cleanse and rebuild at the cellular level. This happens in all of us when we fast during sleep, intermittent fasters simply extend the fast and give their bodies more time for this process.

For some people intermittent fasting makes it easier to stick to calorie reducing - for some people having 16 hours to eat is just too much temptation. For some people fasting helps regulate blood sugar- but for others it is dangerous and depending on other health conditions may be detrimental. As a migraineur, for instance, I must be careful when doing IF that I don’t trigger a headache and days of misery when I cannot exercise or sleep properly because of pain.

Everyone is different and many approaches work for different people. Why does it always have to be a competition?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is zero scientific evidence for losing weight via intermittent fasting.

Funniest post of the day so far!

You're eating fewer calories with longer periods of not eating, which enables your body to torch through your fat as a fuel source. But hey, maybe the concept is too simple.

What the poster you are responding to probably meant is that there isn't anything special about intermittent fasting. Its just a calorie restriction tool. I myself am not confident there has been any study demonstrating its effectiveness outside of calorie restriction.

There are a lot of tiktoks and facebook videos claiming that fasting has all these magical benefits though. So, we have that.

I can’t speak to its effectiveness for weight loss, but, no, it’s not just a calorie restriction tool. If you’re not eating for x hours, you’re not causing your body to have to release insulin. For some people, the oft suggested “several small meals a day” is not a good idea and fasting is a nice answer.

[Anonymous]

Oh and you might be hot all the time because you are getting toward perimenopause age and the IF is probably messing with your hormones a little.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is zero scientific evidence for losing weight via intermittent fasting.

Funniest post of the day so far!

You're eating fewer calories with longer periods of not eating, which enables your body to torch through your fat as a fuel source. But hey, maybe the concept is too simple.

What the poster you are responding to probably meant is that there isn't anything special about intermittent fasting. Its just a calorie restriction tool. I myself am not confident there has been any study demonstrating its effectiveness outside of calorie restriction.

There are a lot of tiktoks and facebook videos claiming that fasting has all these magical benefits though. So, we have that.

I can’t speak to its effectiveness for weight loss, but, no, it’s not just a calorie restriction tool. If you’re not eating for x hours, you’re not causing your body to have to release insulin. For some people, the oft suggested “several small meals a day” is not a good idea and fasting is a nice answer.

Every single study that has come out show that IF is no more effective than any other calorie restriction diet. If it works for you, then it's great. But there is nothing special or magical about fasting and insulin, etc.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/20/health/time-restricted-diets.html

Both groups lost weight — an average of about 14 to 18 pounds — but there was no significant difference in the amounts of weight lost with either diet strategy. There also were no significant differences between the groups in measures of waist circumference, body fat and lean body mass.

The scientists also found no differences in such risk factors as blood glucose levels, sensitivity to insulin, blood lipids or blood pressure.

AND
https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2023/02/10/intermittent-fasting-leads-to-weight-loss--not-improved-health.html
However, new research published in the prestigious journal Aging Biology has found while these diets involving intermittent fasting could potentially help people lose weight , they lack the beneficial health effects of other forms of weight loss such as improved insulin resistance and reduced inflammation.

[Anonymous]

IF has nothing to do at all with being hot. You could be in menopause.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is zero scientific evidence for losing weight via intermittent fasting.

Funniest post of the day so far!

You're eating fewer calories with longer periods of not eating, which enables your body to torch through your fat as a fuel source. But hey, maybe the concept is too simple.

What the poster you are responding to probably meant is that there isn't anything special about intermittent fasting. Its just a calorie restriction tool. I myself am not confident there has been any study demonstrating its effectiveness outside of calorie restriction.

There are a lot of tiktoks and facebook videos claiming that fasting has all these magical benefits though. So, we have that.

I can’t speak to its effectiveness for weight loss, but, no, it’s not just a calorie restriction tool. If you’re not eating for x hours, you’re not causing your body to have to release insulin. For some people, the oft suggested “several small meals a day” is not a good idea and fasting is a nice answer.

Every single study that has come out show that IF is no more effective than any other calorie restriction diet. If it works for you, then it's great. But there is nothing special or magical about fasting and insulin, etc.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/20/health/time-restricted-diets.html

Both groups lost weight — an average of about 14 to 18 pounds — but there was no significant difference in the amounts of weight lost with either diet strategy. There also were no significant differences between the groups in measures of waist circumference, body fat and lean body mass.

The scientists also found no differences in such risk factors as blood glucose levels, sensitivity to insulin, blood lipids or blood pressure.

AND
https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2023/02/10/intermittent-fasting-leads-to-weight-loss--not-improved-health.html
However, new research published in the prestigious journal Aging Biology has found while these diets involving intermittent fasting could potentially help people lose weight , they lack the beneficial health effects of other forms of weight loss such as improved insulin resistance and reduced inflammation.

Except all those studies were done on men. IF for women often just jacks up your cortisol and makes it impossible to lose weight.