Intermittent Fasting 16:8... What's The Consensus?

TheMyth

TheMyth

RADIATE LOVER
I hear some have ridiculous results on it, getting to lower BF levels than they ever have in their life and others saying it will hurt your metabolism and cause fat gain, especially around the midsection due to insulin sensitivity being thrown off.
 
I personally am not a fan of intermittent fasting, I've tried it myself for a couple months while my work schedule was thrown off. I'm not going to lie though, I did lean out quite a bit (also was making adjustments to diet, but the results did come what seemed to be quicker than normal) but if you're training hard to put on muscle, I find it extremely difficult to do so optimally while fasted. Peoples bodies react differently with different training protocols though, I'd give it a shot and if you don't like it or don't see the results, switch it up to something else. Gotta experiment with yourself to see what's optimal for you and your goals bro
 
Consensus is... there is no consensus
 
IF has always done wonders for me. I've done up to 24 hrs fasting or 22/2 while on ECA. If you have a big appetite it works well. If you can't cram in a lot of calories in that short window then I assume it would be hard to build muscle.
 
I've run IF for several years now and it is hands down the most effective way to eat for me. I've never been leaner while maintaining muscle and strength and having more energy. It isn't for everyone and it isn't a diet, it is simply a different way to eat.
 
16/8 has worked well for me. As I move into a clean bulk I may expand my eating window but its been solid for cutting/maintenance.
 
It's not going to provide better results than any other diet which you're eating in a deficit. IF is more about one's lifestyle. Some people cannot eat several times a day. It can be a 16/8 14/10 breakdown; whatever works for you and fits your lifestyle.
 
worked well for me. and allows me to eat a more normal meal with my family at the dinner table. and that's a big change for me... not always feeling left out or weird.
 
I liked it a lot. Leaned out like crazy, while being able to enjoy more foods that I typically didn't include. It takes a short time to get used to (as in the hunger in the morning) but once you do, it's a breeze. Although I started to lose muscle and strength so I stopped doing IF.
 
I ran it for around a year and lost 40lbs. A large percent of that was muscle. I went from 180 to 140 at 5'11''. I found it to be unhealthy in the sense that I was constantly obsessed with getting a lower number on the scale, and it was, admittedly, an obsessive lifestyle waiting all day just to binge for a couple of meals. Just my two cents though.
 
banjobounce said:
I ran it for around a year and lost 40lbs. A large percent of that was muscle. I went from 180 to 140 at 5'11''. I found it to be unhealthy in the sense that I was constantly obsessed with getting a lower number on the scale, and it was, admittedly, an obsessive lifestyle waiting all day just to binge for a couple of meals. Just my two cents though.
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Not trying to judge, but at 5'11" why would even want to get down to 140?
 
Because I was a moron. I also remember having ALOT of brain fog. It truly did become an obsession of mine to get a lower number on the scale. I couldn't think about anything else, and it was to the point that I didn't care what I looked like. My happiness was based on a number. Needless to say, I don't think it's a healthy lifestyle. IF definitely is not for me, and while I can't say that the lifestyle is what caused me to get caught up in my weight, I do think that it contributed to an eating disorder. I forgot to mention that during this time I binged on ~ 14,000 calories one night. Had to go to a medical clinic and miss a week and a half of class because I thought I had an ulcer or was dying or something. My hormones took a major hit as well. I still get depressed quite a bit, but back then I was way worse off. It was an emotional rock bottom in which I always felt like a complete failure. Sorry... tangent. over.
 
banjobounce said:
Because I was a moron. I also remember having ALOT of brain fog. It truly did become an obsession of mine to get a lower number on the scale. I couldn't think about anything else, and it was to the point that I didn't care what I looked like. My happiness was based on a number. Needless to say, I don't think it's a healthy lifestyle. IF definitely is not for me, and while I can't say that the lifestyle is what caused me to get caught up in my weight, I do think that it contributed to an eating disorder. I forgot to mention that during this time I binged on ~ 14,000 calories one night. Had to go to a medical clinic and miss a week and a half of class because I thought I had an ulcer or was dying or something. My hormones took a major hit as well. I still get depressed quite a bit, but back then I was way worse off. It was an emotional rock bottom in which I always felt like a complete failure. Sorry... tangent. over.
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We all make mistakes but glad you are healthy now and feeling better.
 
I've tried many plans for eating over the years. IF is by far my favorite. As others have said building appreciable muscle while on long fasts can be difficult. I alter the feeding window to suit my goals. When clean bulking I have a longer window of about 10 hours. When cutting I go for longer fasts in the 16-18 hour range. Eating several small meals a day meant I was always hungry. On IF I just have to tolerate the hunger while fasting and then I can stuff myself while still staying in a caloric deficit. Kinda of a feast and famine protocol.
 
Gethuge said:
I've tried many plans for eating over the years. IF is by far my favorite. As others have said building appreciable muscle while on long fasts can be difficult. I alter the feeding window to suit my goals. When clean bulking I have a longer window of about 10 hours. When cutting I go for longer fasts in the 16-18 hour range. Eating several small meals a day meant I was always hungry. On IF I just have to tolerate the hunger while fasting and then I can stuff myself while still staying in a caloric deficit. Kinda of a feast and famine protocol.
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I love that about IF as well. I like eating one or two large meals a day rather than a bunch of small ones. End of the day, play around with diets and find what works for you. I've noticed that most people in the IF camp, including myself, are predisposed to that kind of diet (don't have big breakfast appetites as an example).
 
carmaf said:
I've noticed that most people in the IF camp, including myself, are predisposed to that kind of diet (don't have big breakfast appetites as an example).
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It sort of just makes sense when you think about it. I know I fall in that camp. I can go to bed with my stomach roaring and still wake up without much of an appetite. From lunch through dinner though my stomach is a bottomless pit lol.
 
HIM said:
It sort of just makes sense when you think about it. I know I fall in that camp. I can go to bed with my stomach roaring and still wake up without much of an appetite. From lunch through dinner though my stomach is a bottomless pit lol.
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Yeah and I've noticed when you like to eat, your natural appetite and how much food you can put away in one sitting/a short amount of time, how well you can control your hunger etc. so many factors all lead to whether IF works for you or not.
 
I actually was one that ate enormous breakfasts my whole life. As a kid I woke up to my dad putting out plates of eggs, peppers, sausages, pastries, etc.. So when my schedule started changing a couple years ago and life got insanely busy, I started to skip breakfast, but I never made up for it and my diet started to slide because I'd be famished and then eat crappy. So I readjusted and went through a tough week or two, but then my body just adjusted. Now, I eat my last meal around 7-8 and really don't even think about food until 11ish. Then I consume a little less than 1/2 my daily calories, then have a late afternoon heavy snack with about a 1/4 and then eat dinner with the family finishing off the remaining 1/4. There is no set in stone and some days I eat a lighter first meal if I know we are entertaining or going out and I'll be eating heavy. The best part is that I am not constantly chasing my next meal and have a lot more energy and time.
 
kisaj said:
I actually was one that ate enormous breakfasts my whole life. As a kid I woke up to my dad putting out plates of eggs, peppers, sausages, pastries, etc.. So when my schedule started changing a couple years ago and life got insanely busy, I started to skip breakfast, but I never made up for it and my diet started to slide because I'd be famished and then eat crappy. So I readjusted and went through a tough week or two, but then my body just adjusted. Now, I eat my last meal around 7-8 and really don't even think about food until 11ish. Then I consume a little less than 1/2 my daily calories, then have a late afternoon heavy snack with about a 1/4 and then eat dinner with the family finishing off the remaining 1/4. There is no set in stone and some days I eat a lighter first meal if I know we are entertaining or going out and I'll be eating heavy. The best part is that I am not constantly chasing my next meal and have a lot more energy and time.
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Yeah I love how IF makes things simpler. I hate planning so many meals and having to get so much food in, feels like a chore. It takes a bit to get used to but once you do, for me at least, there is no going back
 
carmaf said:
Yeah I love how IF makes things simpler. I hate planning so many meals and having to get so much food in, feels like a chore. It takes a bit to get used to but once you do, for me at least, there is no going back
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Agree completely. I had a hard time getting away from eating breakfast. But now I have little interest in food until 10:30-11 am. At my age, when the battle of the bulge becomes more of an issue IF is a God send for simplifying diet adherence.
 
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