Intermittent Fasting
April 2, 2015 6:31 AM Subscribe
Is this diet considered "intermittent fasting"?
My diet consists of having a light breakfast and a good lunch every day of the week. Regular food. I skip supper completely (except for water or a small piece of fruit). I tried the 5:2 diet but lack willpower on the fasting days. I go without eating for 16 hours each day. Weight loss is steady and I feel good.
My diet consists of having a light breakfast and a good lunch every day of the week. Regular food. I skip supper completely (except for water or a small piece of fruit). I tried the 5:2 diet but lack willpower on the fasting days. I go without eating for 16 hours each day. Weight loss is steady and I feel good.
In the very strict sense - no. You are technically breaking your fast with that small piece of fruit. If you read any of the popular protocols - think Leangains, Alternate Day Fasting (5:2), Warrior Diet etc - they all differ in their definition of what a fast actually is, and how long it should last.
But the definition shouldn't matter as long as you feel good and you are controlling your caloric intake.
My protocol was simple when I was fasting. Only black coffee and water until after I work out, which was usually 7 PM. Then, I'd eat anything I'd like as long as it was healthy. I'd fast basically from dinner until dinner.
I hope this helps. Feel free to memail with any specific questions.
posted by rippersid at 6:42 AM on April 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
But the definition shouldn't matter as long as you feel good and you are controlling your caloric intake.
My protocol was simple when I was fasting. Only black coffee and water until after I work out, which was usually 7 PM. Then, I'd eat anything I'd like as long as it was healthy. I'd fast basically from dinner until dinner.
I hope this helps. Feel free to memail with any specific questions.
posted by rippersid at 6:42 AM on April 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Technically I.F. if you have water for dinner. Not I.F. if you have fruit. Pretty simple.
posted by the webmistress at 9:08 AM on April 2, 2015
posted by the webmistress at 9:08 AM on April 2, 2015
Best answer: Drop the fruit and it will be. The Fast 5 site has a free PDF with more info about this method.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:15 AM on April 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:15 AM on April 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
The idea behind intermittent fasting, as I understand it, is that having your caloric intake in flux is what keeps your metabolism steady. If you consistently eat a low calorie diet, eventually your metabolism will adjust downward and you will plateau with your weight loss and may have difficulty keeping the weight off when you transition to a higher calorie maintenance diet.
So while this may be working for you now (and good for you for sticking with it!) you may find that it has diminishing returns over the long run. You might try slightly increasing your caloric intake on 5 days and dropping it down on two days (even if you're not truly "fasting") may do the trick for keeping your metabolism from slowing down.
posted by ananci at 11:16 AM on April 2, 2015
So while this may be working for you now (and good for you for sticking with it!) you may find that it has diminishing returns over the long run. You might try slightly increasing your caloric intake on 5 days and dropping it down on two days (even if you're not truly "fasting") may do the trick for keeping your metabolism from slowing down.
posted by ananci at 11:16 AM on April 2, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks all for the information! The Fast 5 site is just what I was looking for.
posted by BillyAnne at 4:01 AM on April 3, 2015
posted by BillyAnne at 4:01 AM on April 3, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
(Edited to add an example: leangains.com, a body-building rather than a diet site per se, is an example of somewhere that lists the 16-hour fast as intermittent fasting. I do not know if that has been researched to the same extent that alternate day modified fasting has been.)
posted by mittens at 6:38 AM on April 2, 2015 [1 favorite]