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Stepka.
You said " fasted yesterday and the day before until supper and then ate normally and it's crazy how fast it cuts my sweet cravings. It's like they never were."
Yes, yes, that is how it affected me too! Good luck with your renewed IF'ing.
schmedes2.
I am familiar with the limited window of eating concept. I think each of us must find their own way and share the experience with others. As long as the near AND long term results are good (and I see no danger unless it's taking a modest idea to stupid excess) - why not?
Since you have been on it awhile and its sticking I would review the nutritional quality of how you are eating.
I can say that when I do this, I tend to make better and more conscious meal choices. I think the reason is because my blood sugar is more under control--I'm not diabetic but I suspect I'm headed that way so I really do want to keep it down. I think that's why my sweet cravings disappeared so quickly--b/c my blood sugar/insulin ratio went down to normal.
Yesterday I passed by a whole bank of donut boxes at work w/o even glancing inside to see if they had my favorite Krispy Kreme cream filled donuts--didn't even think about it! Then I went home and had some high protein Greek yogurt and for supper I had yellow chicken curry with lots of veggies and some whole grain pilaf. A square of sugar free chocolate and that was it and I feel great and my food tasted so good. Sometimes I think that in this society, the healthiest thing you can eat is nothing, lol.
one of the best things about fasting is the mental component, you realize that food doesn't have to be your master, you can go without or with very little , as in a partial fast, and you get clarity from the whole : "I'm hungry so let me eat something all the while eating past the point of really being full"
sometimes hunger really equals thirst.
and yes, the cravings, in particular for sweets and unnatural highly processed foods goes way down.
to the people who are bagging on this: have you ever actually tried fasting?
don't just jump into a full day fast, research, read and go slowly.
try this: eat something healthy and meditate on it, while you eat , eat slow and really taste your food, examine all the flavors , heck , even think about where it came from or the farmer who grew it, the journey it took to you.
there is a different way, but it's Eastern, not Western thought that will get you there.
Update from OP:
Badger - good advice for folks who are sceptical but might give it a go if reassured it is not "wacko".
I assure you it is not wacko as i am still doing it with ease. Sometimes I actually forget that it is a "feast" day as i just wake up and eat a hard-boiled egg (never been a big early eater) and forget about it until the afternoon.
Then i have a normal lunch.. or might even consider it dinner at 2 or 3PM. Is it a nutricious diet?
Well, I might eat leftovers, like a chicken thigh and leg, mashed potatoes, lemonade. or I will make a sandwich of ham and swiss on rye with Lettuce/tomato, mustard-mayo and seltzer water. In the evening I'll have some fruit, or nuts, or ice cream with fruit or nuts. (I love ice cream and consider it a food group!)
On fast days I will have the egg in the am but around 5:30 I'll only eat either a balsamic vinegar salad w/a small handful of walnuts or a few pieces of herring in white sauce, or an apple with a shmear of peanut butter.
I am not hungry at night and sleep very well.
I countinue to lose weight slowly because more people are commenting on it to me, but i don't weigh myself..EVER. I don't care what i weigh. I care about how i look (quite trim now) and feel (real good).
Soon i will likely fast only three times a week instead of every other day and see what happens as i don't want to lose any more weight.
Oh yeah, i just was informed that my cholesterol and BP is LOWER even as i have cut my Rx (Caduet 10/20) dose to every other day. (i know, i know..i will tell my Dr next time).
I am saving a ton of money, time, and think very infrequently of eating - unless i get hungry, which seems appropriate to me.
I think modern dieting is an eating disorder and I will never do it again.
I'm about a week into an alternate day fasting (ADF) regimen, eating a balanced 2400+ calories on non-fasting days, and as close to 0 (less than 100 kcal) with plenty of hydration and multivitamins on fasting days.
Some observations so far:
a. My weight has actually increased, but my body fat percentage seems to be down. I feel and look leaner overall, and there's been a very prominent drop in belly fat. I'm pretty sure the weight gain isn't due to increased hydration.
b. Physical strength is up! Somewhat paradoxically on fasting days, I find I'm able to do notably more endurance/resistance training. Prior to fasting I could manage no more than 120 pressups without loss of momentum. My third day of fasting I managed to touch 150. This is something I didn't expect.
c. The biggest improvement is in mental acuity. I feel sharper and brighter overall, including on non-fasting days, and I feel like I'm able to react, respond and problem solve more efficiently. However, without some form of objective testing I've no way of quantifying this clearly.
d. Hunger pangs are inconsistent and very unpredictable. They're no easier to cope with than before, but I'll see how it spans out in the longer term.
Overall... very notable improvements at a very early stage, though I'm still puzzled about body weight. My fourth fasting day begins tomorrow. I might feed back more on any changes if there's something worth reporting.
Thanks for the feedback MissionIMPOSSIBRU.
Now that you mention it, I realize that the weight loss I experienced was also in my belly and hips.. which was welcome as I often see people on diets who start to look like lollipops.. you know, the skinny leg, big belly look.
Since I didn't start the regimen at first for weight loss and I don't ever get on a scale (not even at the Drs) I can't say if I gained weight at first. And I feel very strong on fast days also! I actually layed some stone pavers one morning in a burst of unexpected energy. Go figure.
My hunger pangs are extremely predictable, however.
They occur every fast day between 2 and 5 PM, but it's very manageable and worth it for all the benefits I obtain.
Sometimes I don't understand how this works, but I don't care.
Good luck in your endeavors and please repost as i am interested in your experience.
I will vouch for this and I actually did some research a little while back. A little while ago because of time issues, starting a new job and other things I stopped eating breakfast and lunch most days during the work week. Some days I would go out and get a sandwich or something but about 3 days a week, I didn't eat anything until 6-7pm. In a short time, I noticed that I had lost a decent amount of weight. I wasn't overweight technically 138lbs, 5'3 female and I went to 128. No effort, no formal exercise. So I was like OK, what's going on! I've been overweight before and I know how difficult it is to lose.
Then one day, I was home and on some show they were talking about intermittent fasting and I was like "hey, that's what I'm doing." So I went online and the official program is that you eat 3 meals a day on say Monday finishing dinner at say 7pm. On Tuesday you eat nothing until dinner at 7pm giving you a 24 hour fast. Wednesday you go to 3 meals and Thursday repeat Tuesday. I want to say that Friday-Sunday you eat as you please. During that 24 hour fast you are not allowed to consume more than 50 calories to get the desired effect. I wish I could find the website and reasoning behind why this works (if I do I will post). So you end up with 2 or 3 if you wish 24 hour fasts during the week. Reading the comments on that website, a lot of people were saying that they were having great success.
Now you can structure your fast as you wish. Some people said that they have lunch one day skip dinner & breakfast and start again with lunch the next day. So there is no one day where you are not eating anything. And people said that they felt the same things like decreased hunger, decreased sugar/carb cravings etc. I found that with myself too. I used to have to have something sweet at the end of the day, not anymore. I also remember some people saying they would do a 16 hour fast - like skipping dinner at night and then starting with breakfast the next morning.
I don't know how long this has been around, but I just think that it hasn't taken off on the main market because you actually have to not eat sometimes. All these diet scams promise you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight?!!? With this, you don't have to do anything except fast for 24 hours a few days a week - no restricting on the other days, no countring calories. I would think that the only thing to watch for would be if you are the anomaly and actually do gorge youself on that first meal, then this is not for you...but from what I've read and personal exprience that isn't the case with most people.
In terms of health, I used to be a pretty avid runner and have done a lot of research...not scams..but actually research...I read a 700 page physiology textbook in my free time. From what I found, 24 hours without food is not bad for human's health. There are no effects on metabolism in that short time. In fact, your body starts to make adjustments after 72 hours without food.
Obviously if you have some medical conditions that would be worsened by this or you don't feel good on it then it's not for you, but not every "diet" is for everyone.
I fast about 10 hours a day; usually between 7:30pm and 6:30 am. Then I eat a healthy, balanced diet all day and excercise. It is amazing how healthy I feel. Maybe, I should market this?
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Sometimes I think that in this society, the healthiest thing you can eat is nothing, lol.
