I've been doing 36 hr fasts 3x/week and have lost almost 15 lbs in 6 weeks. I'm a woman over 50 with thyroid issues, and this is the only weight loss protocol that's worked (along with reducing carbs). For anyone who wants to know more, check out Dr. Jason Fung's books or YouTube channel.
81
I love studies that point to how our ancestors lived as an indication of the diet we should follow now. Let’s ignore the fact that life expectancies were decades less than they are now and instead lift their lifestyle up on a pedestal as a shining example of how to live.
145
The "how to you respond to a 7pm dinner invitation if that's your fasting window" issue is really a non-issue, or at least doesn't NEED to be an issue.
If you have a 16hrs fasting from skipping breakfast, and every once in while it gets shortened to 12 because of some late-night dinner.... It won't matter if you still do it properly 90% of the time. It's not a magic streak number, like "for each 30 days in a row of perfect window, you get a metabolic star reward".
It's just like eating heatlhy. If you do it consistently, the odd bag of chips or chocolate bar need not be the end of the world.
I feel that by obsessing over perfectly following a super-strict structure, people end up dropping out of it out of the negatives it may have on their lives, even though the negatives are largely self-inflicted.
That and once can just compensate on the next window, too (e.g. start eating a bit later the day after the much dreaded 7pm dinner).
229
Is IF (16:8) as effective if I stop eating at 4pm (skip dinner) and have breakfast around 8am?
31
@LeeLee
Yes,
22
I started 16:8 three days ago. I've struggled with my weight for decades and had put more weight on during the lockdowns. In just three days, I've dropped a kilo and I feel clearer in my head. I make sure I'm drinking plenty of water all the time, and I'm getting used to the hunger (which, miraculously, is not there in the morning -- I used to be such a breakfast person!)
67
I've been doing IF for about 5-6 weeks now, I'm finding it very easy to stop eating by 7pm and not eating again until 11am the next day. I am having coffee in the morning and that keeps me going until I have a late "breakfast" - however, in my coffee I'm adding Collagen Peptides (70 cals) to my black coffee, and my husband mentioned that I'm not drinking "black" coffee because of the calories and protein, et al, in the Collagen Peptides. Is this negating all I'm doing with IF? TIA.
26
@Dan M. I have heard as long as your coffee is black or has little cream or milk (less than 50 calories) you body still stays in the fasting state.
20
Yes, according to the most up-to-date findings intermittant fasting seems to reset the cells and contributes to slowing aging. With more research, we may be able to reverse aging in the coming decades. https://leslester.blogspot.com/2020/12/#8981243936886362641
8
Great article!
When metabolism naturally ebbs into middle age it is time to focus more on what & when we eat.
Also, it is important to listen to your bodies needs over your minds wants. When are you actually hungry? Do not eat out of habit just because it is breakfast or dinner time.
As I listened to my bodies needs more in middle age, I noticed I did not feel hungry in the morning. So, I began drinking water with lemon or cider vinegar instead of eating food until about noon. I felt better and had more energy in the morning.
Try it out, it may work!
31
OMAD works for me. I have been doing it for ten months now and my fasting blood sugar and A1C keep getting better and better. I no longer have Type II diabetes. - - BTW this article is about 90 per cent accurate as it does contain some wrong-headed ideas so no one should take the whole thing as gospel. E.g., keto diets are not dangerous at all - unless you do something really crazy like eat an entire cow for lunch and not drink any water, lol. But keto is not necessary. I advise those interested in IF to google "OMAD" and read the various testimonies, nearly all of which are mega-positive.
26
I started out doing 16:8 fasts nearly a year ago and gradually worked my way up to doing a single 24-hour fast every Sunday.
I'm committed to doing this for the rest of my life because dementia runs in my family and I want to achieve autophagy, which cleans out the bad cells in the brain. Not to mention a host of other health benefits, like its anti-inflammatory properties and weight loss. Since I started fasting, I lost about 23 lbs.
A lot of people don't realize that hunger is not an ever-growing constant when you fast. It comes and goes in waves, and if you occupy your time with other things, it's not that bad.
69
Many do not know the ultimate value of fasting and particularly for 16 hours. It is that Macrophages (MACs) – the cells that are the first responders to invaders (viruses and other pathogens) also have two other critical jobs in our bodies.
MACs do surveillance for invaders when they are not fighting an infection which should only be occasional. And they do the “housekeeping” of our bodies. The process is called phagocytosis - clearing the dead and damaged cells that are constantly accumulating in our bodies. Yes, MACs are phagocytes. That is how they got their name - Macro – BIG and phage (eater).
When we are eating and digesting, MACs ability to do its job of “housekeeping” is limited. But when someone is fasting for 16 hours. MACs get the job done efficiently. It is said to be at least 5 times more efficient than when we are eating/digesting. This is a big deal as the damaged cells are called “zombie cells.” They do not die but do no good. In fact, they can damage other cells.
So, I fast at least 16 hours and avoid processed food. I rarely get hungry and I don't own a scale. My weight doesn't fluctuate. I have been doing this now for 5 years. I am 80. Look better, feel better and my brain too is better.
70
This absolutely works for me. I have green tea in the morning and 1/2 glass of almond milk with my pills. Then I must walk 3 miles before I eat…which kills hunger. Then after an invigorating walk, HEALTHY food tastes absolutely wonderful! I started this as part of an anti inflammatory diet for PMR that requires prednisone. I have had good results and even lost excess fat, although was not considered overweight. But after a bit I didn’t miss eating after dinner at night and I didn’t feel deprived.
26
Had been doing intermittent fasting for many years when I started daily tweaking each of my habits in some way to test them and exercise intellectual flexibility. So I pushed yogurt and blueberries from 3pm lunch to 6pm and immediately noticed a marked improvement in depth of sleep. Sleep is important but impaired by pitstops so checked elimination while standing with illumination against sitting in the dark at night. Standing eliminated South-West so more sleep. Eat a LOT of healthy Broccoli (which I don't like) but it wasn't untilI added salt that I got the full benefit. Thought restricting daily salmon portion to 4oz was best but increasing it to 6oz much increased wellbeing and already good energy levels. And adding a tablespoon of Blackstrap Molasses to steel-cut oats with Ceylon cinnamon capsules for breakfast even better. No better way to wait for breakfast to cook between two sleep segments than lift weights for 10 minutes in the small hours! Surprisingly it actually promotes better quality sleep in the second segment. Strongly recommend daily/ regularly tweaking all health habits to discover what now/ still works best for you. What works for you is unlikely to be exactly what works for an expert, author, poster or even your yesteryear self so test drive the habit and then tweak the variables for best custom results.
8
“Our human ancestors”.... lived until their 30s at best. Are we sure they’re the example to follow?
17
@Joe
That exactly is my line of thought. Comparing our present-day habits to our ancestors’ may not consider all the causes and effects. Our ancestors didn’t live long for whatever reasons. We were told never to skip breakfast and the pundits quoted all reasons to convince us why we shouldn't skip breakfast. Now this IF is gaining momentum and many theories are advanced to support it. If we ingest all the calories, we would eat in a given day within 8 hours, wouldn’t it lead to an insulin surge? Were we not told to eat frequently but a small portion throughout the waking period?
8
@Bharanidhari It is an evolutionary thing, not just habits. Our ancestors ate infrequently because they had trouble finding three meals a day plus snacks. For two million years. So it is the way our genes are programmed through natural selection. I have eaten one meal a day now for ten months. My fasting blood sugar went from 225 to 125 and my A1C went from 14.5 to 7. Plus I lost around 26 lbs. According to the body scanner at my gym I have gained
several pounds of muscle. So intellectual debate mean nothing to me at this point. Experience is all. As the Nike ad says "Just Do It!"
32
@Joe
The main reasons they had such a short life had to do with predators, wars with other tribes, infections (there is evidence that many ancestors simply died of massive tooth infections - oy!) accidents...but it wasn't their diet or lack of activity which did them in so young. So, we can learn from that.
46
As I'm reading the article mentioned above I can't help but think how this information may distort people's idea of eating. Even though it was mentioned that the diet may not be for practical eaters, people with dinner plans after 7:00 PM, or for those with eating disorders. My whole perspective of suggesting a diet so extreme would be that it is irresponsible. As it's true that no one diet works for everybody and that everyone's physical activity is different. The demand for every individuals body to be restored is distinct. The reality is that as much as intermediate fasting maybe the new hype diet, each person should seek a licensed nutritionist and doctor before trying something so extreme that can potentially harm their health in the long run.
13
@Claudia It is not extreme. Millions of our ancestors did it because of necessity, not choice, as they couldn't find three meals and three snacks a day to eat. And many doctors and professional dieticians/nutricionists are ignorant of fasting, so you might as well consult your dry-cleaner or tax-preparer on this subject. lol. Read Dr. Jason Fung's book on fasting if you want to consult a licensed physician.
38
I'm female and over the past several years, I was steadily gaining weight and had to resort to buying ever larger dress sizes and my BMI was 27, although I was running half marathons and eating fairly healthy. I did eat late and snacked occasionally and occasionally indulged in wine or alcoholic beverages I tried various plans such as calorie counting, high protein, low carb, high fat, etc. but nothing really worked consistently for me and I just felt stressed.
Last April, the project I was working on was unexpectedly cancelled and I used the time to focus on adapting myself to a daily 16/8 IF eating plan, running around 25 miles/week and doing core exercises [pushups, planks and side planks three times a week]. I do eat carbs but I watch my portions. I also cut down to 1 alcoholic drink and eventually stopped drinking [especially during the pandemic. I don't miss it and sleep better for it.]
Within 2 months I dropped 15 lbs and by the end of the year, I was down 30 lbs [and I had resumed working in July]. As of now, I am down 42 lbs and my BMI is under 21. All of the weight gain clothes I bought are 3-4 dress sizes too large and can't be worn.
IF might not be ideal for everyone but for for me, it has been a game changer. It also helped that I made little adjustments gradually instead of big bang so that I could easily see what worked or not. I feel like I could continue IF for a long time.
78
The discussion of IF is notable in that it relies on expert testimony. Low carb and ketosis deserves the same consideration.
13
Stop eating after 8pm, wake up and have your first meal around 11a-12p
I’ve realized long ago that we don’t need three meals a day and how our portion sizes are way too big in America. Went from gaining five pounds every year to maintaining a good steady weight by intermittent fasting on a daily basis
54
Hi, I am male,61 5’10’’and was 222 lbs and Ihave been doing IF 23/1 for the last 3 months and I am down to 195lbs.so 27 lbs later of which 20lbs was lost in the first 2 months,I do some exersice,walking,rowing,biking and I when I eat around 4 ish it is mainly Keto and during the day I drink black coffee and water.I feel really good,no health issues and i never had to take any pills for anything..another 10 lbs or so and i might be switching to 16/8 IF.It may not be for everyone but give it a try and start slowly,you might be surprised with the results.Lots of good video on youtube..good luck
21
Did I miss something? You don’t have to do IF every day. Five days of IF, two days off should be fine.
BTW, not every woman wants to weigh 120 pounds. Emaciation should not be promoted as a worthy goal.
25
@PABD there are two different approaches. one is to eat normally 5 days and for the remaining two, eat 500-600 calories each day. the other way is to restrict eating to 6-8 hours per day.
i tried the latter and liked it but it was hard to coordinate with my family, who like to eat dinner. so i'm going to try the 5:2 approach now.
4
@PABD Emaciation is NOT a goal anyone should have, IMO. Especially as you age. Women over 70 can gain a few pounds and are better off than if they are skinny may be liable to fall and break bones, if too thin. My problem is I work at a computer and sit too much which gives you a horrible mid-section!
11
I have been dieting for a some 6 weeks now and didn't realize that I was doing some version of IF; breakfast between 7 and 9am, lunch at 1pm, no dinner. No alcoholic beverages, no sweets, but limitless fruit (Apples, Pineapples, Pears).
Not sure if the fruit prevents the desired effect of the liver using fats. But I don't care, because the consumption of 3-5 servings of fruit a day, I think, makes me feel great. And I am loosing weight after maybe 4 weeks with no changes.
Socially I can have dinner. I just skip/replace lunch with fruit and then have dinner. Usually the next day I am less hungry.
17
How things change. I've really NEVER been a morning person and never much cared for breakfast. Decades ago, peers and articles would chastise me, re not 'eating regularly" was bad for me. So this being GOOD for you is new news. i'll have to do some reading on it.
Now that I'm retired I've been more or less doing this for a decade or so, but being a night person, on more like a 10 PM to 2 PM schedule. Hot green tea with a little lime juice is the only "cheating" I do during "fasting" hours.
But I never seemed to experience the types of amazing health benefits being reported here in lots of comments. Was never obese, but never overate on a weekly basis either.
Being 60 and having some indicators become marginal (these things can happen as you age), I've been consciously eating far less carbs and exercising more. A couple months of that, dropping 10 pounds and feeling stronger, seems to be doing dramatically more than intermittently fasting for about a decade (with no intent or knowledge it was supposed to be good for me). Now, I'll admit I didn't worry much about WHAT I ate, as I never needed to re weight gain or bad feedback from my doctor, and perhaps THAT'S the rub.
I find this interesting but am skeptical that it can be so easy and so massively great. To the extent it helps people lose weight -- obviously, that's a good thing of course.
8
@Roger Geyer That lime juice will break your fast. I guess that is what is stopping you from getting the benefits of IF
6
I started 18:6 IF in January 2020. At the age of 43, I'd noticed my weight creeping up - despite attempts at healthy eating and regular exercise. I told myself I'd give it a month, but have carried on. IF allows me to eat whatever I want during the 8-hour window and I never feel the need to deprive myself. I make a conscious effort to eat healthy and break the fast with a late breakfast (blueberries, greek yogurt, hemp hearts).
I've lost those last stubborn 5lbs (and a bit more) that I've always tried to lose. Even better, now that we're all self-isolating with the coronavirus, I'm so glad I've already got the habit of stopping my food in-take at 6pm. Boredom is no longer a reason to eat. Lots of clear herbal teas or carbonated water in the evening and I'm fine.
While it might initially take willpower to start eating this way, it's far easier than making the choice (to eat or not to eat) when others are snacking in the evening. I've learned that it's ok to feel hungry too. And during the day, instead of gorging to avoid later hunger as I initially worried I would, I find I listen to my body more and can only eat so much at a time.
Might not be for everyone, but if works for some (myself included).
37
I've been fasting for 18 months. I was overweight when I began but not considered obese. 5'4" 153 lbs. Yo-yo dieting was not working for me to keep off the weight. I was tired by 2:00 every day, sometimes needing a nap in my car for 15 minutes to get me through the rest of the day. When I began IF, I did gain at first on a 16:8 but eventually started losing ever so slowly - a lb or 2 per month. I'm now down to 132 (I now change it up - 19:5; 18:6; up to 24 hours - sometimes alternate day fasting) and hoping for 10 more. No longer considered overweight. Here are a few things that have occurred - my cardiologist is on board with me on it (I had cryoablasion on my heart a few years ago); the scar tissue on my ab from exploratory surgery (age 22) and c-section (age 26) is gone. It used to be a lumpy, bumpy, reddish purple mess. Now it looks like someone drew a line with a pencil - crazy. My cervical polyps, which I was to have removed, are gone. The energy from being fat adapted is off the charts. I've never been a runner and now I run 3.5 to 4 miles at a time. I have had itchy raised rashes from Nov to June every year - over 20 years ago, doc told me to take benadryl, reduce my stress, and use lotion. Within 2 months of starting IF, it didn't start up. In fact, I didn't have any this year or last year. 20 years of suffering and no more.
Oh, and my hubby has lost 23 lbs in 6 mos 16:8. Check out the books Delay Don't Deny and the Obesity Code. IF may change your life!
62
This idea that breakfast meant not eating while sleeping was started by dentists about forty years ago. Americans ate it up. Hahaha... So silly.
Breakfast is a reference to our agrarian days before the spread of electricity. Farmers rose early with the sound of their roosters. The men went immediately to the barn to let the animals out and clean their stalls. Women started the fire in their kitchen stove to heat water. They cooked the food and made the coffee. When ready, the women would call the men using a triangle ⛛ rod and metal bar. The men would come to the kitchen, sit, say a quick prayer, and eat quickly. No talking. No lagging. They immediately left the table and went to work in the fields. This was their 'fast-break' which, like many words in English, was transposed into the word 'Breakfast'.
And now you know the whole story.
3
Not really, Carl. It's called BreakFast because one doesn't eat for 810 hours or so hours and then breaks the fast.
People ate during daylight hours only and slept from when it became dark to dawn which was 10-12 hours. Wisdom that has been around since the 15th century (1400's) or earlier.
Something many of us still do, including the Amish, Mennonites, various other religious orders like Orthodox Protestants, Catholics, Buddhists etc.
10
Not really, Carl.
As Beth Grant-DeRoos said, it is called BreakFast because one doesn't eat for 8-10 hours or so hours and then breaks the fast.
People ate during daylight hours only and slept from when it became dark to dawn which was 10-12 hours. Wisdom that has been around since the 15th century (1400's) or earlier.
Something many of us still do, including the Amish, Mennonites, various other religious orders like Orthodox Protestants, Catholics, Buddhists etc.
4
Not really, Carl.
4
i lost 5 pounds in 6 weeks doing a modifeid version of this.
i don't eat after 7 or 8
i dont eat before 11 or 12.
(I do have some cream in my coffee in the morning, and sometimes a juice)
weekends not so strict about the timing
I feel better
clothes look better
i dont feel deprived
I think i will always do this
23
I also started to try IF yesterday and if it really works well for me, I will encourage people around me to do it. There is an old saying here in South Korea that "too much is as bad as too little". I presume this saying reflects modern society full of food.
8
Wait- fasting works because of ketosis?? That doesn’t make any sense. It wouldn’t need to be a fast then. If ketosis burns fat, and thus intermittent fasting works, how could eating a ketogenic breakfast change the equation??
When you do IF you don’t eat a keto breakfast. Just like when you do a keto diet, it doesn’t mean you’re doing IF. Ketosis and a keto diet are two different things.
11
I became a vegan 9 years ago because my cholesterol was high and I refused to take a statin. I lost about 10 lbs. (I'm small anyway) and my cholesterol dropped about 90 points. I began Intermittent Fasting 7 mos. ago, not for weight loss, but for longevity because I come from a cancer-ridden, short-lived family. I just recently had all my blood work done, and both my doctor and I were amazed at my low numbers: blood pressure 108/50, cholesterol down another 15 points, triglycerides low, blood sugar low, liver enzymes low, and I lost another 7 lbs. I am 73, 5'3", and weigh 107. My doctor attributed all of it to IF. I fast from 8pm unitl noon the next day, or 7pm till 11am, whichever works for that day. I highly recommend this for everyone.
49
It's called BreakFast because one doesn't eat for 810 hours or so hours and then breaks the fast.
People ate during daylight hours only and slept from when it became dark to dawn which was 10-12 hours. Wisdom that has been around since the 15th century (1400's) or earlier.
Something many of us still do, including the Amish, Mennonites, various other religious orders like Orthodox Protestants, Catholics, Buddhists etc.
2
I stumbled onto fasting over 25 years ago as a single mom raising two active boys while managing a small business. Most days breakfast and lunch went untouched until finally I just skipped them entirely. Curious thing, though. No weight problems since then, I'm in perfect health with no high blood pressure, diabetes or other age-related issues Oh, and people are shocked when they learn I am 68. Pretty cool, right? And it's so easy!
22
Or just exercise a few times a week and eat zero added sugar. Works like a charm.
3
@Matthew - You can't out-exercise your mouth. And exercise tends to cause you to eat more unless you're more disciplined than the vast majority of people. Some people are. Maybe you are. But for many people part of the trick here is that if you go to sleep on an empty stomach, and don't eat again until later in that day (skipping breakfast), you won't be even remotely as hungry as if you ate when you work up. For some reason, eating kicks everything into gear, so once you start eating on a given day, you just need to eat more.
Your mileage may (and apparently does) vary, of course.
29
Why do these articles always describe IF as "skipping" breakfast. IF only delays breakfast after eliminating late night eating, which is inherently harmful. Breakfast actually occurs at whatever time you "break" your "fast." The 24/7 eating we modern people have become accustomed to is very unhealthy and IF is a good solution which offers many benefits for many people.
20
@Coop What this article should have made very clear is that 16 hour fasting applies only to significantly overweight people
1
@boveri I disagree. IF (or at least the 16 hour fasting version of it) applies to anyone - not just significantly overweight people. I've been doing IF (16 hour fast, 8 hour food permitted) and I am definitely not overweight (175 lbs on a 5' 10" frame). Where did you read that this applies only to significantly overweight people?
IF is very useful to reduce the percent body fat that you have (I know because I track that along with my weight since I run, bike and swim) - plus, done properly, helps keep your blood sugar from spiking when you eat and then having an insulin spike in response. If anything I've found IF to be very helpful in helping me lose the last few pounds I need to lose and keep off during the winter so that I can participate in early competitions like 10Ks.
16
@boveri I disagree. I started doing this in my late teens (am over 50 now), and it has worked for me to control my weight for 30 years. Did not call it IF back then, it was simply an I need to cut down to two meals and not eat in between those two. Dinner at 6 p.m. and my next meal is at 12 a.m. the next day.
10
I started Keto in January of 2019. I started IF a few months after. Once you get used to it the process is not hard. I usually eat between Noon and 7pm.
Down 133 pounds in 13 months. Waist size from 52 to 38.
I have about 40 pounds to go, but I do believe I will continue IF even after I have reached my goal.
44
One more, if you are going to skip an entire meal, such as breakfast, you might want to consider the price you pay for that. You lose the opportunity to nourish yourselves with the proper vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, etc. When it comes to diets, rarely do they consider the basic need to make sure you are getting enough good nutrition. It is always with the goal of weight loss.
11
@Heather There is no deprivation of nutrition if you skip a meal. You just need to eat judiciously whenever you do have a meal. You can get proper nutrition even on just one meal a day.
24
@Heather Quality, not quantity perhaps? The question of appropriate diet when intermittent fasting is entirely separate from the act of limiting the hours during which one may eat. Conflating the two is just plain weird, and shows a misunderstanding of the concept.
19
@Heather You don't have to skip any meals at all. You simply consume your 1200 calories, or whatever, in the 8 hour time period, which can be late breakfast, middle afternoon lunch, and dinner.
18
The study you refer to regarding Multiple Sclerosis is misleading and, in my opinion, unethical. First of all, it says the simply reducing calories led to better outcomes, the intermittent fasting diet was not as effective. They were also studying emotional health, not specific physical symptoms of MS.
So is using one man's example at the beginning of the article. One person losing some weight while fast is NOT a study for the diet, it is one person's testimonial. Jane, seriously, do better with your research.
2
@Heather You're misreading the study. The "Intermittent CR" diet they discuss in the study is one where caloric restriction (in the form of intermittent fasting) is practiced only 2 days out of the week. They say it's not as effective because it was harder for people to adhere to the diet.
Whereas CR diet applied 7 days a week was fine - and THAT is the Intermittent Fasting diet.
You may want to re-read the abstract.
9
After foot surgery, I had a foot ache that wouldn't go away. Wanting to lose some weight, I tried the 16 hr morning fast, lost 10 pounds and the ache is gone.
Never hurts to try new things that sound beneficial. I have also cut way back on processed foods, only eat Italian pasta and whole grains. At 73, brain and heart and gut health have become more important to me.
7
@Gordon Hello! I have lived by this all my 63 years. I have never been to a doctor. I'm in great health & feel terrific. Man 110 says secret is not eating a lot of food. Cheers!
4
"however, ketosis can damage the liver, kidneys and brain and is especially dangerous to people with various chronic disorders like diabetes and heart disease."
When will Jane Brody learn that ketosis (the body burning fat instead of glucose) is NOT ketoacidosis (DKA), a potentially life-threatening condition. which occurs in people with type 1 diabetes who have not taken enough insulin?
39
Thank you for this timely (for me) article. After trying all kinds of different "controls," I'm cautiously optimistic about the 16/8. Thank you! And thanks to other Commenters for sharing their progress. It really helps.
7
After a right knee replacement, my doctor suggested that I try to lose weight to both protect my new knee and to take the stress of my worn left knee. I have been following the intermittent diet, only eating between noon and 8:00 PM, while fasting the remaining sixteen hours. Doing nothing beyond limiting the hours I eat, I'm losing just under one pound per week. I expect the loss to grow with an increase in activity as my replacement knee recovers from the surgery.
17
I came to this article by way of Lichtenstein's comments in the Opinion column, which didn't allow outside comments.
I reject her analysis of intermittent fasting. When "experts" label a diet as a "fad diet" it is immediately off-putting and degrading. Further, I wonder if she has ever tried intermittent fasting. It is actually very easy to do on a daily basis and there shouldn't be anything controversial about limiting the amount one eats every day as well as the number of hours of eating.
15
Weight gain and emotional well-being issues are not primary symptoms of multiple sclerosis; they are at most secondary effects. Those are the only factors studied by the Baltimore team the author links to. It is irresponsible to write that this diet "reduced symptoms" of MS, a disease that can cause permanent brain/spine damage and related disabilities.
2
I was on a 16-8 fast for several years. I felt great and lost weight. Reflux (unrelated to the fasting, I believe) flared up around the age of 50, and I asked my gastroenterologist if fasting was a bad idea with this condition. The guy refused to answer directly, insisting that there's no reason to fast, if it were for religious reasons he might think it OK, etc. So I stopped fasting, partly because I couldn't find any info saying it's OK with my circumstances, partly because morning coffee (black) had started to give me stomach aches. Anyway, I think I'll try again, this time with a good bit of water before my morning coffee.
8
@John Always start your day with a bottle of water. Before you consume anything, drink water. Cheers!
8
@John I take HCL by bioptimizers (I think you can get something similar from other manufacturers but that's the one I use). Not sure if that would help you. Good luck. I'm IF for life. I'll never go back.
3
@John
i had the same problem, and i added milk to coffee and it stopped hurting. so maybe wait to drink your coffee until later in the day. have a morning tea instead?
1
I have found that I can be very hungry and on “empty” when I go to bed at night but when I wake in the morning I’m not hungry at all - this allows me to continue with my intermittent fasting - if I can just make it through those hungry hours of the evening (and that’s a big if) I can wake up in the morning not hungry at all - it just shows that “hunger” is a very fickle thing..
32
@GEH Same here. If I go to bed hungry I will wake not hungry at all. The added benefit is the scale will always be down. Going to bed hungry is hard but like anything else, you get used to it.
4
@GEH I have found there to be different types of hunger. If someone is making toast or something savory in the staff room and I walk by, my quiet stomach suddenly says, "Whoah! Wait up! Something good is in there." Once I head back to my desk, it always quiets back down. There's also the hunger that sometimes steps up when it thinks I should be eating (that's how it was when I was 16:8 every day). Now I mix up my fasting times so my body doesn't know and I can now just open when I'm truly hungry. Then there's the absolutely famished and nothing is taking my mind off of it. My body is telling me I need to eat now. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I listen - even if I've only been fasting for 12 hours. It takes some time to become in tune with your bodies triggers and needs.
8
I needed to lose 20 lbs. So, I began my IF journey (16:8) on Jan 1, 2018. Within 6 months I lost that 20 lbs. Later, I added keto to reinforce that loss. Since losing that weight I've stayed on IF and a semi-strict keto diet because I've gained an enormous amount of knowledge about food since starting to eat that way.
Turns out that our carb heavy food intake is the exact opposite of how we evolved to eat. Well, duh. The ag industry invented our current food pyramid - and it's upside down. So, IF and keto returns our diet to its proper orientation.
If you insist on consuming massive amounts of carbs you will not be healthy. PERIOD. When you eat CORRECTLY you win. When you eat incorrectly you lose. It's literally that simple.
17
@Mark "Turns out that our carb heavy food intake is the exact opposite of how we evolved to eat." I don't believe this. Early man was an omnivore, not a steak and salad eater. Most people in the last 4 millennia lived on beer and bread.
10
@Kathleen "Most people in the last 4 millennia lived on beer and bread." is not a sound argument for its benefits to health. steak, salad, potato, and beer for me.
1
@Kathleen Depends on the region, humans have always eaten a varied diet, that's why there are humans from the arctic to the equator. However, it was agricultural labours that lived on bread and ale. But they needed 5000 calories a day. An office worker does not expend this amount of energy. Plus the bread was not processed. I prefer a Mediterranean diet myself, I feel best eating less processed food. I really like IF really helps with the mindless eating.
6
I was just working in France for 4 months. They are the second thinnest 'Western' country after Japan. They basically have a cup of coffee in the morning, then eat a large lunch and medium dinner. They eat bread, butter, desert, all the delicious things forbidden here and look fantastic. If dinner is finished by 9 or 10pm, they are 'fasting' until 12 or 1pm the next day. That is a 14-16 hour fast.
They also walk a lot and climb a lot of stairs, frequently choosing stairs over an adjacent elevator. It works.
When people say there 'are no large studies,' they should consider France as an ideal to aspire to.
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I have been following the 5:2 I.F. regimen for seven years, beginning shortly after I turned 50 years old. I lost 35 pounds over a period of four or five months and have maintained that weight loss since. Fortunately, my wife agreed to follow the same regimen on the same days, so we have few inter-household dietary conflicts. While she sticks closely to the 500 calorie limit on fast days, I likely exceed the recommended 600 calorie limit for men during my one meal on fast days, probably by two or three hundred calories. However, I practice a full day fast every four or five weeks (nothing to eat from Sunday dinner to breakfast Tuesday). On non-fast days we eat normally, generally following Michael Pollan's "Eat food* - Not too much - Mostly vegetables" advice but occasionally going big on BBQ, steaks or other Central Texas delights. I do exercise daily, mostly hill-climbing and dumbbell/body weight lifts.
I don't know whether any of this will increase my longevity and don't really care. What I do know is that I.F. combined with exercise has allowed me to maintain a level of fitness and good health well into middle age, something that neither of my parents experienced.
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@MWR - I’m all for eating “normally” - whatever that may mean - but who in the heck determined that it’s “normal” to eat morning, noon and night? I feel better eating only once or twice a day.
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@GEH The cereal companies started the "Breakfast the most important meal of the day." Then we all starting eating Corn Flakes, probably the worst breakfast we could have consumed.
Turns out breakfast is the most important meal of the day but eat breakfast 16 hours after you last ate. That does not mean you have to eat it in the morning.
6
So intermittent fasting is what we used to call “skipping breakfast.” Who would have thought?
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@CDF Sort of. But some people do better on an early feasting schedule, closing their window after lunch.
I'm on a see food diet.
9
I’ll tell you, this has worked for me. First of all, it’s easy. All you have to do is not eat for 16 hours. Second of all, it’s healthy. When you do eat all you have to do is eat greens, whole grain beef, fresh chicken soup and a twizzler if you’re losing your mind for some fun. Third and best of all, anyone can do fasting. You don’t need to pay someone to pretend to be your expensive dietician. All you need is a good stopwatch, a quiet room and a small unread book. There, I said it. I love intermittent fasting and if you try it you will too! I lost twenty pounds.
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@Liza Agree, though I typically only eat during a 5 hour (or less) window each day. It's very easy, and I am able to do intensive workouts while 18 hours into a fast. For special occasions, dinners out with friends, etc., I either shift my eating window or stretch it a bit. It's the easiest approach to eating, reduces inflammation, and has improved various health markers for me.
5
Do. What. Works. For. You.
One thing that drives me absolutely nuts is the pervasive idea in this country that one fad diet fits all. Intermittent fasting might work for some people. It WILL NOT work for ALL people.
I’m highly active, work out nearly every day, work full time, and am a full time student in university. If I tried intermittent fasting I’d collapse by noon. Also, I need complex carbs and unrefined sugar for energy. All of my checkups reveal I am as healthy as I can be.
But my lifestyle won’t work for everyone else either. Drives me nuts when someone reads a blog post, or sees a celebrity endorse a new diet on Instagram, or reads an article like this and then they become obsessed with it until the next fad thing they read comes up after a few months. First it was Slim Fast, then Atkins, then Keto and Paleo and now this fasting stuff has started coming up.
Do what works for your very specific body. Listen to your own doctor that you actually see for physicals and other care. Don’t think that the internet knows how to take better care of you than you and the healthcare professionals in your life do.
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@Austin Ouellette Fasting is not really "fad diet" It simply means eating less... An idea that has been around a long time for health and losing weight. There are no doctor or health professionals who would dispute this. Moreover, many athletes, even endurance ones, are recognizing the benefits of packing in fewer calories.
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@Austin Ouellette I agree with everything you have written except for the last paragraph about health care professionals. When I was in my 50s I started commuting to work on my bicycle (90 - 100 miles per week). My wife and I started the Mediteranean diet, I lost weight felt great. Annual physicals revealed that my blood pressure and cholesterol were slowly creeping up until finally my doc informed me that next visit he would prescribe meds to fight this, which I could not accept. We discussed diet and he felt I was doing everything I could in that respect. Wife and I were not satisfied and researched diet on our own. We switched to a plant-based diet. Next annual check up no high blood pressure no high cholesterol. Doctors do not receive training in nutrition or very little, I would be on heart meds right now if I listened to my doc. I eat all I want whenever I want, I'm 62, 6'3", 190 lbs and I exercise for pleasure. So you are correct, one must find what works for one's self, especially when it comes to diet because medicine in this country is all reactive when it come to this.
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@Austin, your view is sensible. I am an Internal Medicine consultant and believe that it is never 'one size fits all', especially in matters of health. There are studies which showed reduced insulin response in diabetic patients taking meals after prolonged fasting. This could be seen even in certain other classes of people and can be harmful too. Calorie count, appropriate dietary composition and increased physical activity (in concurrence with your physician, of course!) can be effective in maintaining health and managing weight.
15
"Our ancestors did it" is how we got the diaper free people who carry their baby around in a sling all day and when they do the potty wiggle hold them over the toilet or the kitchen sink (per NYT article) and hope they get there in time.
5
Yes I know you were skeptical, and I don't appreciate that because fasting of all types is amazing and life changing. You are also wrong about some other topics, and I have a problem with all of it because you have a big bullhorn.
I have been fasting for several years now. I am only a few years younger than you, and I am in amazing health with NO preexisting conditions and no meds, except my hormones which you probably also disagree with.
However, when I undress in the gym I sport a trim body with no cellulite and no saggy skin. I am also still shaped like a younger woman, not a soup can. I can't say that about the 99% of the rest of the woman past menopause in the dressing room.
Because of fasting and my Blue Zonish diet, I keep my weight at a slender (but feminine) 110 which is what I weighed in high school -- about 52 years ago.
So don't be so fast to dis new stuff.
16
@Mary Rivkatot Now that you have your eating fine tuned, next you could perhaps work on not being so judgmental about how other women look. And the line about slender but feminine is just bizarre.
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@fireweed Totally agree...to aspire, maintain, and thenbrag about being your high school weight at 52 is beyond bizarre...
15
I started fasting from 8:00PM 'til noon, eating clean and working out at least 1 hour of hard calisthenics every day just about 5 months ago. I've Lost around 25 lbs, and 3 inches off the waist.
I've been prone to being a hangry person and getting the afternoon sleepies, so I don't know how this would be working out if I were still working full time. At 40 I weighed 200 lbs and smoked a pack a day. I started exercising some and eating better but never lost the weight. Switching to an e-cig at 52 gave me a new lease on life but intermittent fasting seems to be the game changer.
Now I'm 60 and fitter and trimmer than I've been since college. This works.
8
@Marc Are you still e-cig-ing? I assume you are now 56 or so, right?
2
I've done something like this for a while. I don't eat until noon and try to eat only when hungry. I don't obsess about keeping to it. Some weekend days I have early breakfast. Don't worry about social eating occasions if they are relatively rare.
I think I feel better.
5
As a member of the Baha'i Faith, I have done a sunup to sundown fast every year between March 2 and 20, leading up to the Baha'i New year on 3/21. In 1973, when I did my first fast, people that discovered II was going around 12 hours without food or water thought I was crazy. Now it seems I and my fellow bahai's around the world are right in line with current thinking!
9
I have been intermittent fasting (16/8) since November 2018. It is a lifestyle change. It took two weeks to get into the reduced eating time frame. I became more conscious of what I ate. I cut out sugar and processed foods. I no longer get bloated. My brain is clear and I can read for hours. I no longer get the afternoon slump. These changes happened within the first month. I continue to do it to maintain my 35 pound weight loss. I have struggled with weight gain for 40 years (I am 63). This is the first time I have been able to sustain weight loss and reach a normal healthy weight. You can go out for an evening dinner. Just go back on the regular fasting schedule the next day. It becomes routine.
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@Sheri I started the 16/8 IF six days ago to help with weight loss, brain fog, afternoon slump, nightly heartburn, etc. So far, the heartburn has disappeared and I've lost 2 pounds. It is indeed a lifestyle change, one that I'm sure will get easier as time goes on. Thanks for sharing your experience; it's in inspiration for me.
4
I am choose carefully what I eat,Rarely eat out.
I cook at home.i know where the ingredients came from.
Skip meals intentionally,no more wine,beer,etc.cancerous poison to the organs,
Eat very little meat these days.perhaps once every two weeks.
I’ve gone on apples,cucumbers fast 2.3 days at a time.
I’ve lost twenty five pounds and it isn’t an issue that I’ll regain the lost weight because I feel so much better,
after awhile this lifestyle becomes very easy.
I’ve spent time with hunter gathers.
They hunt for several days,go back to their families and stay with them for twice that long.
Once in that environment,it becomes natural,easy.
Simple is goodgood luck everyone,
Thank you for this wonderful article
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5
Amazing what medical arguments are needed to support the really surprising fact that if you don't spend your evenings eating chips in front of the TV, you will loose weight.
22
I’d rather eat regularly than live longer.
3
IF is regular. Regular does not mean constant.
7
On my second day of fasting for a colonoscopy tomorrow afternoon. Feeling run over, but this article is reassuring that I can make it.
4
@Dana Moriarty you can do it! I have done it before and it takes a few days but I do feel better when I fast like that.
5
@Dana Moriarty : I was surprised at how easy it was to fast for an early morning colonoscopy, but by the time it was over, I was ravenous.
@Dana Moriarty Funny, I started IF after my colonoscopy. It was easy for me to not eat for 24 hours, so I decided to keep doing it. Did 16-8, then 18-6 and now I do 20-4 most days. Lost 65 lbs in 8 months. More remarkable thing for me is my goal was 175 and when I reached it, I kept going. So now I am at 163 and still doing IF. Other diets I tried on the past, I could not wait to go back to non-diet mode. This on the contrary, I got used to it.
4
Would it really mess it up to have 3 cups of black tea with a little low-fat milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar in the morning. I have no problem waiting until 1:30 or 2:00 to eat, but I just can't imagine black tea!
6
@Connie Use full cream, but no sugar. Cream shouldn't raise insulin levels (the point of IF, keeping those levels down).
11
@kschwrtz no cream either.
1
@George If it's kept under a full tablespoon, heavy whipping cream, which is all fat, is perfectly fine. You want to stay under 50 cal. intake while fasting. The full fat will help, too.
3
Intermittent fasting is one of the best things you can do for your health. 10/10 would recommend.
9
It's 16 hours. If you have your last meal by 6 p.m., for example, then you can eat again at 10 a.m. You can adjust the hours to suit your lifestyle.
15
I wonder if the fasting part of this diet is as important as just eating eating less.
7
@Ralph give your body a break from digesting little or moderate doesn’t matter.liquids like warm water cleanses the intestines.
4
I recently did the 16 hour fast for 30 days...what a waste. I did not lose even ½ pound and had no appreciable health benefits. The fast reminds me of the gluten free mania, the vegan mania and all the rest. What I did notice was the anti-social effect. I cannot go to dinner or have a cocktail after 7 pm. I cannot invite people to my home for a Sunday evening movie and popcorn. Plus...I become an annoying zealot, telling everyone about my fast. Gone is the lazy after dinner conversation with a piece of good chocolate and wine. Could I have done something more annoying? Yes...I could have carried my own water everywhere.
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@Anne Albaugh: Yeah, I agree with you: you’re better off not fasting. I, on the other hand....
11
cocktails? popcorn? and why is it necessary to tell anyone?
9
@Anne Albaugh go back to chocolate and wine and forget about it.
6
What nonsense. The author completely ignores what is now 30-year-old longitudinal research showing that--if you are a person who regularly exercises--nothing could be worse than fasting as recommended here.
Why? Because only when you are in aerobic metabolism--which implies that you are more fit than most Americans--do your cells metabolize fat deposits before 'canabalizing' adjacent striated muscle fibers. And that's only when you are in aerobic metabolism.
Fasting for extended periods of time--unless you are essentially lying on your back snoozing--means you will lose lean muscle mass, which most of us have to work very hard at gaining, and which is harder to maintain as one grows old because our digestive tract absorbs protein much less efficiently.
I should point out that fasting has come into fashion a half-dozen times throughout my adult life (I am now 60), and every time has been debunked as harmful, or at minimum counterproductive in various ways. Basta, ya!
10
the author said nothing about exercise. I inferred exercise doesn't come into play. if you're exercising you should be eating differently. by the way have you ever wrestled or lost weight for a sport?
1
I think the real nonsense here is the author quotes research and evidence...but you don't.
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@J Young Whoa.
Your post is the exact opposite of the things I've learned about fasting over the last 2+ years. I suggest you're actually a food industry operative who is fronting the usual disinfo that has made our society as unhealthy as it is today.
5
I use 16/8 IF and love it. Brought me sanity around eating. Feel better and lost weight. I never understand the big deal made over the 16 hours since 8 of them happen during the night when we sleep. So, all it really means is DON'T EAT AFTER DINNER. And, put off breakfast until brunch time. What's so scary about that? Try it, you may like it!
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I gradually started fasting the 16 hours, eating breakfast and lunch. Now I can do it easily. No more food-related sleep interruptions. I even do a stringent exercise walk/run in the afternoons around 3 p.m. And I'm losing the weight I've gained for the past few years without worrying about every little thing I eat. I go to sleep with a drowsiness now instead of waiting around until 11 p.m. I do eat a large and nutritious breakfast and a protein-packed lunch. No snacking. No junk food. And I get a break from trying to figure out what to cook for the third meal of the day. I'm 58 years old.
In response to those who put in a lot of physical activity, I might suggest eating a light supper and some protein-rich snacks, but nothing after 7 p.m. (but I'm no doctor). And as to the occassional invite for dinner. It's fine. It's not the routine so it doesn't really cut into my lifestyle. But I do try to eat smaller amounts during those times.
10
I haven't been able to read all the comments, but I'm struck by one thing: Is anyone out there working a demanding 8-5:30 job? Add on family time and chores at night .. How exactly do you have the energy to do this normal workload while working with few breaks during "eating time" and cooking/feeding others during "fasting time"? I was a teacher and a mother for four decades and couldn't imagine getting through my physically demanding workday without regular refueling.
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Yes, I work an 8 to 6 job. No breakfast, just black coffee, light lunch and dinner. Not that different from three meals per day.
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@Not the Boss not for everyone. Fasting provides energy for many people.
2
used to be that for many Europeans breakfast was coffee and a cigarette. for a lot of Americans too
3
Dr David Sinclair, a Harvard researcher on aging and longevity states that fasting is one of the best things you can do to live a longer live. I fast a whole day about once a week and have done water fast for up to 6 day and felt great with more energy than when I don't fast.
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I have been an intermittent faster for going on two years, I lost 17 pounds and kept it off. My fasts are usually 14 hours, usually 10pm to noon, although after reading this article maybe I will go to 16 hours. My blood pressure dropped 20 points, I’m light on my feet and I have great energy, I truly believe this is a great way to eat. I really don’t have to count calories at all, but I’m not a junk food eater. You should break a fast with protein and good fats, eating high glycemic foods after 14 hours of fasting is probably not good! I break my fast a couple days a week after a hard workout, aerobic and weights, my energy is fine. Try this eating program, not calling it a diet, it can change your life!
17
My weight has been stable and within normal limits all of my life. I am now wondering if it's because I am rarely hungry in the morning and I don't consume anything until 10 or 11 a.m. except coffee. My mother used to nag me to eat. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Maybe not, Mom.
27
I've been doing intermittent fasting for 8 months now. What makes it possible is switching to the high fat low carb keto diet. When we live the typical carb diet we're like junkies--desperate for the next snack. Fats make me feel full. I get hungry, but not desperate. If 'something shiny' attracts my interest? I can miss my eat time and not even notice. And all that 'weakness I gotta eat'? That's just carbs. I'll do a hard 3-4 hour sea kayak trip 12 hours into my fast--no snacks, no problem. (Black coffee and water). Often on paddle days I'll fast 18 hours--not a problem. 'Hitting the wall' is just a carb thing. Once you're fat adapted the wall is gone, hungry is just information, not desperation.
I'm not special, when I used to fast overnight for an annual blood test I'd be the very definition of hangry. Oh, and I lost 20 lbs and my blood pressure is below 125. The ketos are right.
16
I have been doing intermittent fasting for the last 7 months. I'm not perfect at it, but I'm pretty good. Lost 13 lbs. would like to lose about 7 more.
7
Something I’ve finally learned in my old age is that fasting and/or dieting is NOT an all or nothing endeavor. If you miss a day, so what. Every little bit helps and tomorrow is always another day. You don’t have to be perfect to live this way of life. This realization has kept me from actually throwing in the towel and bingeing if I slip up.
40
After reading this article I began IF. Today is Day 6. It's not as difficult as I thought it would be but I do get hungry if I am up late. Last night I had two tablespoons of soy yogurt to quell the hunger. Didn't beat myself up about it. I want to continue. Thanks to all who shared their stories, they have helped me a lot.
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I've been doing the "other" method of intermittent fasting for 6 years. On Mondays and Thursdays, I eat a total of 500 calories. (600 for men) These are spread into 2 meals, 11-12 hours apart. The other five days, i just try not to eat too wildly. I usually have oatmeal or an egg and tea for breakfast on fast days, and fish/veggies for dinner. My cholesterol has gone down significantly, the ratio of good/bad cholesterol is much improved, I feel better and I lost 15 pounds pretty much permanently. This has become a way of life for me, and if I skip fasting days, I start feeling bloated. It was hard the first few week, but not since. I actually look forward now to fast days, since I feel good after.
12
I’ve been a faster most of my adult life. When younger I did a 40 day fast that changed my life... for the better.
In those days folks thought I was nuts. It is heartening to know that now there is growing scientific evidence of its value.
The benefits are, of course physical, but for me the most benefit is accepting and finding comfort in emptiness.
Living empty doesn’t have to make me “hangry” and there is great comfort in knowing that.
14
I've been doing this for 20+ years. At 50 I still fit in my marriage suit without any issue . . . haven't gained or lost more than a few pounds in 20 years. I would confirm that this gets easy after a few weeks. And, as a doctor/MD, I've seen the rapid benefits of this approach in many patients, both on the scale and in their labs. Weight loss is great but this also reduces inflammatory markers and improves glucose tolerance. The bowel rest that it provides also decreases the likelihood of developing Small-Bowel-Intestinal-Overgrowth, a condition that has become quite common with such regular meals consisting of processed foods. This is the only real way to treat SIBO in my opinion; conventional approaches use antibiotics that often end up backfiring or working only for a few weeks. Bacterial overgrowth leads to leaky gut, and increases influx of bacterial molecules such as lipopolysaccharide, which can overdrive the innate immune system and cause autoimmune disease. This is perhaps another aspect to why this diet works so well with autoimmune disorders.
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Intermittent fasting sounds great, but can we recognize that not everyone can? For some of us going 16 hours without food means headaches and dizziness.
6
@Annie
It can be tough - particulary in the beginning
Try going for 12 hours for a week and then adding on an hour a week thereafter.
Benefits worth it.
Good luck!
15
@Annie l have had the benefits of intermittent fasting at 14 hours, which is considered a good length of time by many fasting experts.
6
@Annie You just need to ease into it over a period of a month so your body gets used to it. Try starting with 12/12, skipping breakfast at first. Even this will be uncomfortable at first.
5
I'm only 69, but every morning, for many years, I've gotten up around 5 am and worked out with weights and aerobics. Sitting around is anathema, to me. I haven't owned a TV since my kids left the house. I'm no genius, but I've taught myself to do almost all the house repairs, yard work, snow removal, you name it. I know many of you will think this sounds snarky, but really- those of you who don't have unfortunate diseases, etc. have you thought about eating sensibly and using your body?
25
I did this last summer and it was great, I lost a lot of weight and felt much better. I'd been getting exhausted every time I ate carbs before trying intermittent fasting, and that symptom went away completely. Took a break from intermittent fasting and gained weight over the holidays, now on it again. The good thing is, I don't feel hungry at all during the fasting hours.
7
The scientific research behind intermittent fasting is laid out very well in The Obesity Code. I recommend reading this book before you start fasting, so you will understand what is going on. I have been on the 16-8 schedule for 2 weeks and feel much more energetic. I have also noticeably lost weight. I will try my first full day fast tomorrow, Ash Wednesday.
13
All I can say is, it works for me. I started New Year's Day last year, and since then have lost 25 pounds. I eat between noon and 8 p.m. I eat whatever I want (although, as a vegetarian, that doesn't mean the same thing to me as it might to you). And I treat it as a plan, not a religion. So, over the course of the year+, there have been a handful of times I have made exceptions for one reason or another (usually to accommodate family). But by cooking more whole foods at home and increasing my level of exercise (well, I try to . . .), the plan has worked for me. Your results may vary. As they say, you should consult your physician before making any radical changes in your diet or exercise regimes.
9
My doctor was explaining the scientific article last Friday. He has himself tried it and confirmed his loss of weight and the medical reasons for it.
I have started it today.
10
Decades ago I read an interview with rock star Bob Seger in which he was asked how he kept his svelte figure while living on the road for months at a time? His response was that he ate whatever he wanted - but he ate nothing after 3pm.
It was then that I realized that I was “fasting” a few times a week without even being conscious of it. Learning this enabled me organize my fasting practices. Combining periodic fasting with sound eating habits has helped me to maintain relatively good health my entire adult life.
I’m not perfect, by any means. But keeping that basic routine also helps my recovery time when I do occasionally fall off...
3
I've heard about it, but im not sure..
2
My 3 weight control “secrets” : Drink only water as your beverage (at least Sunday through Thursday); Do not eat anything after 7 pm; Walk for 30 minutes every day (treadmill or outdoors). Try this for at least 2 months before doing anything more radical. You want a routine that you are able to maintain - that is key.
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The old saying “you are what you eat” is spot on for me. If I over eat, (like going to a buffet), I feel way beyond full, I am in misery. My whole body hurts, like every thing is inflamed.
The IF, plus eating only until I do not feel hunger pangs anymore, keeps my weight steady, and my body does not hurt, as much. Not as slim as I once was, but certainly not obese.
3
I don't eat from 4pm to 8am. I am an early to bed person, usually lights out is 8 pm, and I get up at 5:30. So, my breakfast is at 8 am. I realize that not everyone can adopt my schedule, but I have lost almost 10 pounds in the past 2 months.
I do think there are dangers in fasting for people with certain eating disorders or addictive personalities. I have a friend who verges on anorexia. She does intermittent fasting, but she also barely eats during the other hours either. She has lost a lot of weight over the past year, looks terrible, but still thinks she's fat. And, she's 66 years old. I didn't know seniors could be anorexic, but apparently it is not a disease only of the young.
8
Does anyone know if stevia can be used in coffee during the 16 hour fasting period?
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@Douglas Durkin I think that stevia is ok because it does not induce an insulin response and actually appears to increase insulin sensitivity.
2
@Douglas Durkin Turns out sugar substitutes can elicit the same food cravings as real sugar even though they are virtually zero calorie. For me a removed sweeteners gradually over time until coffee was black.
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@Douglas Durkin It's not recommended; the sweetness may trigger your insulin response, which is exactly what you're trying to avoid.
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This article should come with a warning: “Individual Results May Vary”. I tried this strategy for an extended time period, and actually gained weight. The old advice about all things in moderation is still likely the best advice.
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@David No one claims IF causes weight loss, only a calorie reduction will do that.
3
“eat healthy foods, including whole grains, healthy fats and protein, limit saturated fats and avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates . . . be sure to stay well-hydrated.”
There's your advice.
6
Breakfast seems to me the MOST important meal to eat. If you're thinking of food as fuel, breakfast is the meal that fuels your day. The majority of your day's activities come after breakfast, so you should fuel up in advance of those activities, and as your day's activities lessen, if they do, then decrease the fuel accordingly.
@Harry I eat once a day in the evening. I have never been hungry in the morning so i never eat breakfast and while it was difficult removing lunch from the equation I find my energy levels higher eating once a day than multiple times. I also do 48 hour fasts in the beginning of the week (I do not eat on Mondays) to clear out anything I ate on the weekends as I tend to relax my diet for social gatherings.
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@Ken So interesting the varying needs of different people! I'm always surprised to hear of those who aren't hungry until later in the day, because for me I wake up starving. I like two breakfasts, if I can, a little lunch, an afternoon snack, and a full dinner, and I'm hungry in all the times in-between. I am not sure why, given that I eat a lot and a balance diet, I am so ravenous. I have maintained the same ideal weight my entire life, too. So strange how these things work.
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@Harry We've had it drilled into our heads that we must eat breakfast to be healthy. That makes advice like this seem confusing.
2
There is no single way to approach healthy eating, other than cutting out processed foods and especially processed sugar. Everyone should start there! Most of the human studies on intermittent fasting have focused on men, and as we know, women’s bodies behave and respond differently. I have had great success losing weight and increasing my energy with a modified keto diet (low carb, med protein, high fat) and following a 12 hour intermittent fast. It just feels best for my unique body and lifestyle. The keto approach has felt ridiculously counter-intuitive and decadent to me! I can’t believe it works. I encourage others to test their way into the right approach and listen to your body along the way! The benefits can be life changing in the best of ways.
3
I don't think eating should be this complicated. It seems unnatural for so much counting and logging to be involved: counting calories, keeping track of how many hours it's been since your last meal, etc. (I have the same belief about exercise: it shouldn't be complicated.)
My only rules: don't eat junk food, don't eat out often, eat home cooked meals, eat to nourish, move as much as possible and in as many ways as possible (like a kid), accept a little hunger throughout the day.
I am skeptical of any diets or suggestions that are any more complicated than that.
15
@Harry This culture has complicated me. I'm happy for you that you can live a simple life, but for people like me who would like to GET to that simple life, the help of IF is encouraging; it involves re-setting some systems that work well for you already. This article is not for you. This article is absolutely for me. Keep having your great health.
4
What happens if one does not eat foods that contain any fat? Does the liver still require 10 to 12 hours to use up the calories previously consumed?
1
@David H You would not be able to absorb any fab soluble vitamins (ADEK), eventually you would develop a essential fatty acid deficiency (as quickly as 1-2 weeks) which manifests as flaky skin and poor wound healing among other things. For your second question, A 70 kg man has approximately 1500 calories stored as glycogen (the storage form of glucose) in their liver and muscles, after this is broken down the body switches to using alternate fuels for energy (protein and fat). Not eating any fat would not have any bearing on this number, but I may be mistaken. (Source: I am a registered dietitian)
7
@C Ever heard of habit starvation....read!
@David H Fat isn't bad: it's the lubricant of physiological processes in the body. And at 98.6 degrees, it's liquid when inside us. Lubricant. Oil. Just like our cars. Only different.
Sorry but skipping breakfast is a really bad idea for most ppl. Much healthier to skip dinner if you can. You sleep better on an empty stomach and you lose a LOT more weight if you skip dinner rather than breakfast.
And not to politicize this, but many years ago Mike Bloomberg was asked how he stays trim, and his answer was simple: if he’d had a big meal, he’d simply skip the next one. Sounds reasonable to me!
15
@Nils Wetterlind Where did you get this informtaion about skipping breakfast? Can you post the source?
3
Not for everyone, apparently. I started daily 16 hr fasting because it was easy for me, and I read about the near-miraculous physiological effects. I was at a normal weight, and my blood chemistry was PERFECT when I began, but 4 months later, a routine physical revealed high LDL cholesterol, a significant drop in HDL cholesterol, and an increase in fasting glucose to borderline diabetic levels. My doctor was astounded. "I have never seen anyone deteriorate this quickly!" he said. I stopped fasting and returned to a more normal eating pattern (almost entirely plant based), but 2 years later, my blood chemistry is still out of whack. Beware!
6
@Dr. Al Interesting. I've been doing this for a few months and my blood panels are the same - A1C way up, triglycerides up (both were good before), HDL down, LDL up.
Odd, isn't it? Trying to be healthy isn't working for me.
2
Rise early (4 AM) eat a good breakfast and moderate lunch and no more the rest of the day. Love my early hours by myself. Easier to sleep when not overloaded with food. Glad don't have to worry about family evening meals--spouse or whomever on their own if hungry.
6
Can't. My blood sugar crashes. Best way to lose weight is to increase exercise. Everybody knows this, we just don't want to do it. Me included.
You couldn’t be more wrong.
You can’t out train train a bad diet.
Sorry
31
An abundance of controlled research has demonstrated that exercise is not a good way to lose weight by itself. It's good for you, but it's a weak weight loss tool.
23
@Second try failed diet is incredibly more important than exercise. Being sedentary and not working out at all is unhealthy, but the best way to become fit is to change your diet.
5
I started intermittent fasting in large part because I switched to a plant based diet and it was too much work to think about, prep, cook, eat and clean up after three meals a day. I also like to eat a certain volume of food and it was easier to feel full eating the same number of calories across two meals than three. I lost 10 pounds after two months. It is the first time (I'm 55) that I have lost more than 2-3 pounds without counting calories, tracking food or following a set regimen.
19
@ckelly Walk a dog morning and night, to lose another 5 or 10 lbs. Buy a breadmaker, if you want the 10 lbs back again.
7
IF is a way of life not a diet. Read Dr. Fung’s book if you really want to understand the science behind it. I’ve been doing IF for 9 months and it is the best thing I have ever done for my health, mental clarity, and weight. There is a ton of information available if you are seriously interested in this way of life. Don’t rely on anecdotes by naysayers who have not tried it or who didn’t put together a sound plan and stick to it. It works; like most things in life, results depend on commitment.
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Fasting as a method of weight loss can be risky and is largely ineffective unless coupled with lifestyle and diet changes. In my mid-20s I was abruptly dumped by a romantic partner and, despondent, lost interest in eating for the first time in my life. As I was about 20 pounds overweight, I decided to turn my food aversion into a prolonged juice fast, consuming only one glass of grape juice a day (my blood sugar must have been constantly at astronomical levels). In 30 days of this regimen (I switched to other juices occasionally) I lost 40 pounds. However, afterwards I simply returned to my bad eating habits and sedentary ways and gained it all back in four months. I went on shorter, less severe fasts in later years, with less impressive results.
40 years later I have type 2 diabetes-- controllable through diet and exercise, fortunately-- and ongoing problems with my metabolism. I gain weight very easily unless I keep up a four-miles-a-day program of fast walking, and I have to monitor my food intake carefully-- no sugars, of course, and minimal fats. I've never been able to establish a definite connection between my fasting and my more recent afflictions but I strongly suspect there may be one. My doctors think it's possible, but unproven. Regardless, I advise anyone considering fasting-- short or long-- as a method of weight control to consider more effective, less risky methods. Change what you eat instead, and get more aerobic exercise. It works!
4
@gmgwat This article is not about juice fasting.
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@gmgwat Nothing you say is really pertinent to eating in a “time window” known as intermittent fasting. Read the article carefully, some really good information!
7
People should be aware that we don't really want to lose "weight"; we should aim to lose fat and gain muscle, especially as you get older and your muscle mass starts to decrease if you don't do any strength exercises.
17
This diet works for leaning up the torso, but not for losing weight. In two years of IF regimen I have not lost any weight and have had some difficulty limiting food when inside the 8 hr. eating zone-- it takes more work to avoid binge-ing because you are thinking about food for a longer period before you eat. My weight has leveled back to my previous normal and I have taken some girth off my torso and HBa1c numbers -- ie glucose levels-- have fallen somewhat. I have read that workouts and energy improve but have not experienced that.
Although it is difficult to maintain the restrictive eating schedule for the first few months, it does get easier with practice. Hardest aspect is having friends and family accommodate the restrictive eating times that are important to getting in those 16 hours of fasting. I hope my kidneys and liver, etc. will be the biggest winners and so far, that evidence is hard to measure. I do believe in the science of less is more and think this diet could help anyone, especially those with diabetes related concerns.
3
"Dr. Mattson cautioned that intermittent dieters should 'eat healthy foods, including whole grains, healthy fats and protein, limit saturated fats and avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates. And on fasting days, be sure to stay well-hydrated.' "
Well, then you're going to lose weight anyway.
9
@DW read the article again and pay attention to the physiology that occurs when you fast for 16 hours.
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@DW Au contraire. Just because you are eating healthful foods, does not mean you won't gain weight. Quantity counts.
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@Cindy Yes. And frequency! If I'm snacking whole grains all day, I'll get fat. It's the carbs.
This happens to be how I ate naturally as a young adult. I was effortlessly slim, and I was never hungry till about 2 pm. When I started eating breakfast, the pounds started accumulating. I'm going to try this.
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@evo what's available for no-calorie coffee creamer? I'd like to do this fasting, but my coffee ingestion requirement gets in the way.
1
@I've been wondering (no name please) It turns out that adding butter to black coffee works well, as tastebud protectant, although I don't know if it counts as no-calorie.
@I've been wondering (no name please) No, it definitely is not no calorie!
Just thanks for the article and thanks to so many of the commenters. So much anecdotal evidence is powerful--especially over such a range--and reading the original Mattson article helps, as well as Fung's The Obesity Code.
8
I like the idea but I need to take morning meds and black coffee or tea in the morning give me a sore stomach. And I can't imagine not having dnner conversely...
8
i would LOVE to do this but if I don't put something solid in my stomach in the morning I get a terrible stomachache. Does this happen to anybody else out there?
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@giulia
Not exactly, but I do have a tendency to get stomachaches that, perversely, eating seems to help, as long as it's something mild and comforting, like toast.
1
@giulia Its because your body is used to breakfast. Your hormones are primed to eat when you wake up because you have programmed your body to expect to eat when you wake up. Stop eating in the morning and after a week or two it will realize you are on a new schedule and stop demanding food. Soothe stomach pains with black coffee, warm bone broth or plain old water until you adjust.
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@giulia For sure. If I don't have breakfast I get severe nausea.
Like other commenters, I have been doing this for years with great results. I eat veggies, fat and protein, almost no gluten and no added sugar. I do enjoy a good IPA or red wine (which is my sugar) at night, so I fast from about 7p to 11am or noon to process that glucose and give my liver a break. I will be 50 next month, had three kids, I am 5 feet 5 and 113 pounds, still wear a bikini and walk for 10 plus miles a week when the weather is nice. More important at my age is my bloodwork, and my A1c is a 4! I recommend reading Dr. Perlmutters Grain Brain...its a good place to start!
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@Beth Doesn't IPA have gluten?
1
Beer has less gluten and carbs than you think! If it’s the only source for the day, it won’t mKe or break you.
I don’t eat between 6 pm and 8 am the next morning. I have tea and three eggs for 8 am breakfast, a smoothie at 10 am, then I graze on a light lunch and a few healthy snacks (raw veggies, almonds) between 12 noon and 2 pm depending on work/meetings. I have dinner around 5:30 pm followed by one small square of dark chocolate and that’s it. No desserts, no alcohol, no gluten, no dairy, very little refined sugar. I run three times a week. I sleep 8-9 hours a night. This regimen allows me to keep my weight at 123 pounds on a 5’7 frame. I’m a woman in my early 40s. I have plenty of energy, my mind is clear and I am happy. Find what works for you. My “fast” is only about 14 hours but I love it. It’s my reset, it’s why I sleep well and my mind is clear when I wake up. I would like to try and longer fast based on this article. Great piece, thanks Jane Brody!
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@Cmd this sounds like a great approach! Can you share a little about your typical dinner?
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@Cmd So you never go out to dinner with friends? Or if you do, you start eating at 5:30 and are done by 6?
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@mm IF is not an all or nothing. It is perfectly fine to have a night out or eat later. People arent machines, our schedules change. The overwhelming health advantages of keeping to IF and controlling your normal diet can easily counteract a night or two out during the week or weekend
.
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I've been doing the 7pm/12pm (17hr fast) diet for about one-half years. I've lost ~15 pounds, I eat pretty sensibly during the 7 hours in which I consume food, and daily intervals of fasting makes me feel physically better and mentally sharper. I also don't snack nearly as much since a lot of my snacking was in the evenings. You'd have to try it to see if it works for you but it's been a positive experience for me.
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@RPS
What days do you fast? How often in a seven day period? Thanks!
Fasting is actually far more beneficial than just stimulating autophagy. It does two good things. By stimulating autophagy, we are clearing out all our old, junky proteins and cellular parts. At the same time, fasting also stimulates growth hormone, which tells our body to start producing some new snazzy parts for the body. We are really giving our bodies the complete renovation.
Apparently the 16 hour window is not about losing weight, but autophagy and stimulating growth hormone start kicking in at 16 hours. I've gradually increased my fast from 12 to 16 hours over the past 2 years. My blood work has really improved. It's still hard for me as I'm not that hungry in the AM, but was always a night eater.
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Important to note that biologically males and females respond differently to fasts so be aware of that before jumping in.
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Hi I started doing intermittent fasting about a week and a half ago. I eat a good meal once a day (salad bar) and before 6pm I snack a little and drink water and tea all day long. I also ordered skinnyme tea from Australia 14-day detox and I am happy to say that i have lost 5lbs. My goal is to loose another 5lbs to make it back to 119lbs. Eat healthy, hydrate and do not eat anything after 6pm if you can help it. It works!!!
1
I have been eating this way for years. I eat something light like fruit or a small salad around 8 PM. Then I am done until lunch the next day around noon. I have disciplined myself not to snack and I dont eat when I'm not hungry. When I eat my main meal of the day at lunchtime I eat whatever I want & only until I'm full. If I want dessert I eat it as part of what fills me up not in addition to. I am happy to say that at almost 58 years old I am 128 pounds. I have a happy, active life and I never feel hungry. I eat food I cook myself and very little processed food. I have always felt with a few small changes we can be healthier & happier with ourselves.
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Makes a lot of sense when you consider our hunter gatherer ancestors existed for millennia not knowing where their next meal would come from.
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I tried it a while back ... while I agree part of this is good, I find it VERY hard in the evening. what happens with me is I get hungry late at night and can't sleep. I don't mind it during the day though.
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@Lee Hunger pains disappear after 5 to 10 minutes. The best way to get through difficult hours- for most these will be evening hours- is to be busy. You are lucky to live in Manhattan (my must go to spot once a year) Go for a stroll or a slow run in the park, if you are under 60. Or just take the subway up and down. I find that very fascinating.
4
When, oh when will doctors stop advising us to eat that blanket category of "whole grains"? Even this enlightened fellow can't resist this unhealthy and outdated advice. Rare is a healthy whole grain.
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@Olive
I will be so glad when this overwrought fear and panic over evil grains finally goes out of dietary fashion. A whole generation of young people is afraid of bread. It's bizarre.
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No! all the nutrionists those with MS and MD, the real ones in reputable institutions, do not support this trend.. please stop. Just eat healthy foods, a good variety of protein, including plant based proteins, carbs, intrinsic sugar, lots of fresh veggies and fruits, whole grains, Cook at home, dont buy packaged foods, which contains all the extra sugar and preservatives, no trans fats, moderate amount of alcohol, dont smoke, exercise. This is the secret.
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@CB
By the nutritionists with MS and MD yo mean those that for 40 years have been unable or unwilling to AT LEAST mitigate the obesity and diabetes pandemic in the world? I have a lot of respect for basically all MDs, but not nutritionists. It is a profession that should, if effective, make itself obsolete; but it clearly has not been the case. Most keep repeating the mantra of 3+ meals a day and follow the nutritional pyramid when we know there is no scientific basis for either. One is tradition, the other propaganda.
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The article misrepresents the multiple sclerosis study that it cites. If you click on the link in the article and read the abstract of the multiple sclerosis fasting study, you will see that the study concludes that both general caloric reduction (i.e. old fashioned dieting) and intermittent fasting yield similar benefits to people with multiple sclerosis. In other words, intermittent fasting is no better than dieting, according to the study’s abstract.
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@DeeDee
Old fashioned dieting misses the point of fasting which is to give the body time to recover and refresh from the pressure of food processing. You could have a healthy diet but if you're eating frequently is not the same as fasting and healing at all.
8
The MS study says otherwise. It says caloric intake - and not intermittent fasting - is what matters for people with MS. The author of the NYTimes article misleads her readers when she suggests otherwise.
If you don’t believe me, click on her link to the MS study and see for yourself.
7
Also, the "intermittent" fasting in the study wasn't what is talked about in the article. They used a 5:2 schedule -- eat normally for 5 days of the week, fast (500 calories or less) for 2 days out of the week rather than a daily 14-16 hours of fasting, 8+ hours of eating time.
3
And this while no word was made in the article for the BDNP (Brain Derived Neurogenic Peptide) a powerful neuropeptide which is secreted during prolonged fasting. Nature primed our ancestors when they could eat only every 2-3 days, no storage for food and quickly decay so far, if not the prey of scavengers around. Humans in that harsh demanding life had at the same time leisure time for family and social gatherings absolutely necessary for their survival. In fact, in those ‘fasting’ moments their brains were in a very high learning state giving them the best conditions for planning the next chase get away and organizing the life for the entire group.
7
I’m a big fan of intermittent fasting but I consider 16 hours to not be much of a fast - if you stop eating at 7:00 PM and then eat the next day at 11:00 AM that hardly even qualifies as fully skipping breakfast - which is no big deal. I much prefer fasts that last from 18-24 hours.
14
I wouldn't be able to do 7-11 because I need food in the morning to fuel my day and I don't need it in the evening when I'm slowing down and getting ready for bed. For me it works better to stop eating by about 2 p.m. and breakfast around 8 or 9 a.m. Can't say the weight is falling off. Again, that depends on caloric intake versus caloric output, not time of day.
6
IF has worked fantastically for me. It took a few weeks but once you're past the critical period you achieve control over what and when you eat. I feel a lot lighter even though I wasn't overweight I still lost around 10 lbs in 6 weeks. I pretty much have zero fat on me now and I wasn't even trying to lose weight just increase my energy and feel better. I am able to exercise and swim on an empty stomach no problem, in fact I feel more energized than when I used to eat before. I usually eat between around 3 to 7 PM and have a couple of coffees in the morning and of course drink plenty of water. Usually break the fast daily with a fruit salad or salad and then anything I feel like having but the thing is I never feel like eating too much anyway. Having said that I can see how someone prone to eating disorders shouldn't try this. And yes I don't let this interfere with my social life and eat after 7 on occasion. The point is to do it most of the time.
15
I'm anticipating a number of studies on how intermittent fasting causes or exacerbates binge eating disorder. It's so strange to me that nobody addresses disordered eating when discussing IF.
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@GL Yes. Strikes me the people who might most need controlled eating are precisely those who have the greatest eating problems.
4
I'm a big fan of IF but it's pretty clear to me that anyone with a history of an eating disorder should stay away from it.
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@GL I can attest to the fact that it doesn’t trigger binge eating. I never feel deprived.
5
I had a bike accident 10 years ago that resulted in a concussion. After the accident, my wife noticed I wasn't eating any longer without prompting. Short story, I injured something in my brain that controls hunger. As such, I am no longer hungry and have learned to eat differently. Most days, I have a small amount of oatmeal for breakfast and then eat again in the 7pm range, smaller meals as my stomach has shrunk. I am a faster now in that sense. I could cut out the oatmeal and eat once a day if need be. I essentially eat every 24 hours and I eat healthy in general, lean proteins, healthy cards, fruits, salads etc. The impact on my body of eating once a day has been astonishing. I have lost about 30 pounds (now at a good fighting weight) and my blood profiles are really changed... LDL is below 100, triglycerides below 75, blood sugar below 100 and thanks to cycling (ya back at it) my HDL is 60. I attribute this to my eating once a day and eating smaller amounts of food, lower overall caloric intake. I know that doesn't guarantee anything, could get hit by a meteor tomorrow, however I like the statistical odds of better blood chemistry. My personal observation is that I "feel" much better eating once a day vs eating three square and snacks... it is just too much food. I do at times have to snack if my blood sugar drops and I get lightheaded or find myself in a bad mood for now other reason. I think there is something to fasting, I feel much better for it.
14
Just started this 8/16 fasting diet..so far so good. Hardest thing is my coffee in the morning (my mom calls it creamer with a little coffee) but i am slowly getting use to black coffee..Not a very hard thing to follow
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@LO In his book Dr. Fung says you can have coffee with a little cream...so maybe go for a fuller fat cream and use less?
2
The article mentions (quoted)
“Dr. Mattson cautioned that intermittent dieters should “eat healthy foods, including whole grains, healthy fats and protein, limit saturated fats and avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates.”...”
Well then. That is what doctor recommend in any healthy eating guidelines regardless of program followed; in general. Exceptions may exist for specific dietary restrictions in conflict with that. What I am trying to get at is that perhaps following this cautionary (recommendation?) paute i would probably have less trouble (specially from the sugar and refined carbohydrates referent in my case) with being overweight without having to try any extreme or expensive alternatives; or the one been presented in this article.
3
I have been fat all my 75 yrs....except for losing the weight 2.5 times and then regaining within weeks. I have been on every diet from dexadrine to 700 cals a day to cottage cheese only to commercial liquids, etc. I gain on 1200. I walked an hour a day for yrs...Feebly, I did decide to eat only when I was sure what I was feeling was hunger. For several yrs, now, I eat breakfast t 6, lunch at 10, and dinner at 2-3PM. then nothing...am not hungry after din and have never been a snacker. Have not lost weight at all. Sometimes a get a dull headache. But I am sticking to it...eat when hungry. Why not--I have done everything else.
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@StarLawren
I urge you and all other obese people who find they cannot lose weight to read an old NY Times Magazine article titled "Fat Factors," by Robin Marantz Henig. It was published in August 2006. I have never had a weight problem, but I am fed up, big time, with the many ways people in this country (all countries?) judge other people harshly for things that may well not be in their control. I have not kept up with the latest research, given that I take such with a grain of salt anyway (there is always another "latest wisdom" coming) but I was very impressed with the article and the link it drew between fat and bacteria. Do read it, please.
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@StarLawrence I'm with you. IF doesn't help you lose weight if you're still eating too many calories within that window. And if you have been obese, lost weight, then gained weight, very very few calories are required for it to be too many. This is something science is starting to understand but thin people still don't.
4
@StarLawrence It seems like your meal timing is great. Try introducing prebiotics and probiotics at a higher rate - your gut bacteria number in the trillions and their makeup within your body may be the barrier to losing weight. Yogurts, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha all contain helpful bacteria. Pair with prebiotic fibers that these good bacteria will feed on. Try and limit sugar and simple carbohydrates, stick to whole grains. Over time, you can improve the ratio of good bacteria to bad bacteria in your gut and hopefully see some effects!
4
I have been fasting every day for 12 hours and it has changed my life. I am a serious diabetic and have heart disease. I used to fast frequently when I was a young woman, but when I started diabetes education and eventually insulin I followed the guidelines that were taught at the time (over 40 years ago) and still are in some practices. That is to eat small frequent nutritionally dense meals several times a day and exercise. Following those guidelines, I was still unable to control the brittle nature of my disease or lose weight. Recurrent highs and lows were frequent, my response to small servings of whole-grain carbohydrates sent my glucose high. I had to stop eating oatmeal because of this. I also had to watch vigilantly for plunging glucose levels. I was testing myself at least ten times per day in an attempt to keep some control over this devastating disease. I had been thinking about the days when I fasted and good I felt doing it, but I was afraid as an insulin-dependent diabetic it couldn't be done. Then I read an article about the growing trend of intermittent fasting for 12 hours a day. I decided to try it and safeguarded myself with constant vigilance of my blood glucose. I wake several times at night to test as a rule, so this was an easy adjustment. I was astonished to find that my glucose levels stabilized! Not only that, but my blood fats are normal and my digestive problems are much improved! I am taking much less insulin and have lost some weight.
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I watched a video about Michael Mosley on Intermittent fasting & the benefits about three years ago. It was after my doctor suggested I get on heart medicine as my blood tests were not looking good. Also, there was heart disease in my family. I said I would rather attempt to change things around myself. The fasting special was the boost because I started Intermittent fasting the next week. Two days a week; 500 calories each day for those two fasting days. I should say my diet wasn’t bad to begin with & I am a good cook. Ate organic foods, very little meat & didn’t eat processed foods, but I did eat too much & I didn’t exercise.
So started the fasting regiment and although hard..especially at first..I felt good I had the discipline to do it. In fact, the added benefit of my Intermittent Fasting is my self confidence knowing I can do this discipline.
Fasting is now part of my life...a big part because it changed my life.
I lost 40 pounds first year. Then, started exercising (6 days wk). I walk an hour a day & then I work out at gym for an hour & 1/2; ride a bike there pretty vigorously & lift weights and do 600 crunches.
The mental stamina & focus, as well as the results, gave me the confidence to be remain disciplined. Another benefit is seeing my reflection in the mirror and my health. A few years ago when I looked in the mirror I would it made me sad. Now I see my reflection with pride that I have strengths I didn’t know I had. I will be 71 in April.
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@Elaine Guyton
Have you noticed similarities of body types in those of us that do well with this discipline? Pilates
Your question is an interesting one to me because it shows you think in an exciting way. Exciting for me anyway. I wouldn’t have thought about that kind of comparison. Maybe, because I don’t know anyone personally who Intermittently fasts. But maybe because I wasn’t thinking deeply enough.
You may have changed the way I think.
Thank you!
2
It’s reassuring to see this article. A friend just told me about intermittent fasting and suggested I search You Tube for Dr Jason Fung. Lots of good information there. I tried fasting yesterday and felt great all day, and unusually even worked late. Same thing today, maybe there is something to it. It’s easy to do, I usually eat way to much, I guess. Good luck if you try it.
4
Wasn’t it just 15-20 years ago that the prevailing advice was to eat every few hours because your body did better that way and our ancestors foraged all day? Good thing our wonderful bodies appear to be eminently adaptable. Unfortunately nutrition science feels like the Wild West most of the time.
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@Catherine Yes. Our bodies are like pets patiently dealing with constant changes in their food as we desperately comb the news and the web and get told different things about what our pets REALLY need. This food. No, that food. No, the other food ...
What does your body REALLY need today? Because it'll be different tomorrow.
4
Some interesting ideas, might give it a try.
Quite perplexed by: “predators in the wild fight for prey in the fasting state and are better at recovering from inevitable injuries” -- stated as if it's obvious.
Really? Hungry predators recover from injury better than well-fed predators do? Do we know that? How do we know that?
14
@Chanzo
Some is obvious or at least anecdotal. Eat a big meal and then go play a hard game of anything. Your body can’t listen to two masters at once. Digesting and fighting/pursuing prey aren’t compatible. In my school days I learned that if I fasted before tests I was much more alert and able to recall. Not science but it would seem evolution would favor animals that were better able to handle stress while hunting. And rarely do animals hunt while not hungry.
3
Try a seven day fast (with guidance, if required) and discover the resiliency of mind and body.
We are capable of much more than we may think.
7
I was stuck at an undesirable weight and had never dieted. About three years ago, a nurse continually tried persuading me to try vegetarian or vegan. I forget which. She is quite thin and healthy. I live in an area with an abundance of varieties of vegetables. Scores of restaurants that are either totally vegan or vegetarian or offer plenty such menus. They've been doing it a long time. But I just can't. A very healthy physical therapist convinced me to try a no/low carb diet. The first diet I ever tried. Ice cream was a weakness. I gained 30-35 lbs. Desperate, I started reading about IF studies that started appearing in the Science Daily newsletter. i began fasting 8pm -noon in June 2018. I started fasting from 6pm to noon January 2020. Once, when my weight loss leveled off, I relaxed somewhat. Still determined, my philosophy switched to upping my game instead. Hence, the 6p-noon fasting time. If it levels off again (my expectation) my next step will hopefully be exercising. I'm severely disabled and the extra weight intensified pain. I anticipate eating "healthier" food at the next leveling. I eat whatever I want now. Time just doesn't allow for a lot of food. Not even ice cream. :-( So far I've lost 40 lbs. At least 15 more to go.
17
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, to skip. I have a coffee and I'm fine until lunch.
31
I just returned from a vacation in Spain. They eat.. often. A light breakfast, big late lunch, snacks, dinner from 9pm to midnight. The food is good. I rarely saw anyone overweight; their life expectancy is 4 years more than the USA. They also drink a lot and exercise. I think I will follow their example, rather than stick to some schedule of denial.
25
They also walk considerably more than we do. Americans have long since gave the auto industry free reign over our lives so it is impossible to go about your day without getting into your car at least once unless you live in an older city (and even then it can be difficult).
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@Barbara Liles
If your pov is that fasting is a schedule of denial, then it is clearly not for you. I'm a newbie to IF and I see this as a marvel of discipline. An opportunity for self-care. I don't want to be controlled by food anymore. Not being an especially spiritual person, every chance I have to incorporate some practice into my lifeway is a blessing.
5
After reading a lot of these comments, here is my 2 cents worth. It seems that the majority of good results aren't really about when the food is consumed but has more to do with the type(s) of food being eaten and how much is eaten. The healthiest people stopped eating "junk" food and empty calories. Instead they eat healthy foods with sensible portions. They also listen to their bodies about when it's real hunger vs just cravings.
19
I weighed 212 lbs 38 in waist. on July 20, 2019. Today I weigh 162lbs 32 inch waist. I started 16-8 and now do 18-6. I go to sleep at 12 pm and don’t eat until 6pm. I do drink decaf coffee and green tea throughout the day. I eat what I want at night but still eat sensibly. One great added bonus is I really look forward to dinner and enjoy it more than ever. I also splurge more. This weekend I cooked lobster and ribeye from Costco.
15
For those who need to lose weight, this rigid timeline of stopping food intake at 7 pm and resuming eating at 11am the next day may be a viable plan. I work out in the morning , ranging from 8:40 to 10:15, as class schedules warrant, 5 days per week. I must eat breakfast to avoid lightheadedness during a strenuous cardio and strength training session. I could never do a 16 hour fast, nor fortunately do I need to do so, since I do not need to lose weight. This plan is another new gimmick that is unsustainable, in my opinion, for a lifetime.
8
I accidentally trained myself to work out on a long empty stomach. I'm burning fat for energy or making my own glucose, gluconeogenesis...not really sure which is happening, but I feel great.
I began regular exercise over a decade ago, and quickly discovered my workouts were ruined if I ate anything more than a banana for breakfast. I'd get burpy and crampy.
Over the years, I dropped the banana more often than not, so I was working out at the tail end of a 14-16 hrs fast.
Everyone's body is different, but intense cardio and strength training are definitely possible in a fasted state. More possible for me than if I have some food in my stomach.
5
@Sharon Salzberg And yet there are those who are doing it for years. Everyone's different.
5
I and the wife have regularly fasted and eaten keto for about 11 months. My wife has lost 80 lbs so far and I have lost 70 lbs. Both of us were type two diabetics but now the disease is in remission for both of us.
My wife had joint issues especially with her knees. With the weight gone and being in constant ketosis (very anti anti-inflammatory) the pain is gone. All of our blood markers are vastly improved. After your body gets fat adapted it is not hard to fast 24 hours or even a few days at a time. This cleans up your body of bad proteins as it scavenges for protein and beefs up your immune system. My hypertension once uncontrolled with 5 meds is now normal and down to only one pill a day. If you make insulin (type two diabetics still do) your body will not go into ketoacidosis. Generally type one diabetics who make none or very little insulin are the ones at risk.
16
I've been doing IF for over a decade, but for religious reasons. I recently discovered the literature backing the science behind it. I can say IF works. For me, it has been the easiest and fastest way to lose weight. Case in point, I got a pre-diabetic diagnosis on Jan. 3rd. I eliminated all processed sugars, reduced carbs intake, and switched to a primarily plant-based diet to which I added 2-4 servings of fruits in addition to baked chicken or fish. I did 30mn cardio 4-6 times a week; I lost 10 lbs in a month. I just turned 53. I never skip breakfast and try to observe a 16:8 window, with my last meal no later than 6pm. The secret is to pick time window that fits one's schedule, avoid eating close to bedtime, eat healthy, and reduce portions!!!
23
@Naomi Perhaps I'm missing something, but you said you've been doing IF for a decade, and that it "works," but just last month you were diagnosed with pre-diabetes. How is it you feel confident IF works if after a decade of practicing it you ended up in a pre-diabetic condition? Only after the diagnosis did you alter your diet to limit unhealthful options, expand healthful options, and increase your exercise; and it was after those changes that you lost 10 pounds. Doesn't it seem it was the changes in your diet and exercise habits that brought about the weight loss, rather than the IF?
7
@Nathan Holden My take is that @Naomi had no problem with the non-eating hours for a decade, that was the "it works" part. She has now added healthy eating to the program.
2
@Nathan Holden
should've said I first tried IF a decade ago, but NOT for purpose of losing weight. I noticed appreciable weight loss. Over time, I gained 30lbs and was able to lose them when I started long walk--5-6 times/week (25-40 miles) and reducing carbs & portions. That was 6 yrs ago. In 2018, I developed plantar fasciitis and could no longer walk. I was stressed, ate huge portions of healthy/unhealthy foods (cravings for sweets: cake, WF biscottis, JP Licks ice cream...). I gained 2 sizes and couldn't fit in my clothes. So I wasn't surprised with pre-diabetic diagnosis. I used to do Scarsdale Medical Diet in the past with great results. But, no longer... And nothing seemed to be working to shed extra lbs. I use common sense and combine different elements from some popular diets and experts advice. I started vegetable-, plant-based regimen-- eliminating processed foods/sugars; reducing carbs; adding more proteins, fruits and extra-virgin olive oil--and I tried to restrict calorie intake to 1,200-1,400/day. Typical menu: Before breakfast, every morning, 6-10 celery sticks (blended w/ 3-6 oz of water). Breakfast (around 8-10am) [.5 Hass avocado; 2 slices of bread; nonfat Greek yogurt 5.3oz; 1 banana; 1 glass of 1% milk; 1 cup of coffee]. Around 3pm, dinner--roasted broccoli, chick peas, baby spinach, 1 drumstick w/o skin; 2 carrots; 1 apple. Do 30mn of cardio around 6pm, then 1 glass of milk & 5.3oz Greek yogurt until next day. I drink 32-64 oz of water/day. I feel good!
2
I'm in my mid 60's and I've lost just over 12 pounds in 7 weeks by a combination of the two types of intermittent fasting. I only eat between 9 am and 5 pm. And I fast (only 500 calories a day) every 3rd day. Call it the 2/1 diet if you will. Two days of regular eating (but only between 9 and 5) and one day of fasting. But I've also eliminated pretty much all "empty calories": no alcohol, no soda, and none of the "C" foods: Cake, Cookies, Candy, Chips, Chocolate, ice Cream, I've felt no ill effects, no irritability...I feel fine. It's working for me but do what works for you.
11
My preferred eating habit had always been to not eat until lunch time. Breakfast was not at all appetizing. However after years of being told over and over from multiple sources that breakfast was the most important meal of the day I joined the breakfast club. Lunch was the only meal that tasted good but then the family meal, where everyone could get together and socialize, was the big meal of the day. At least in the USA that is the ritual. All in all Americans eat way too much and in part that comes from rituals that developed when we did serious physical labor most of the day and needed the energy from food evenly divided through the day. We really need to rethink how and why we eat.
8
One great way to celebrate a successful fast is to jog or walk (briskly) to the nearest CVS and buy yourself a bag of candy bars and then, after jogging or walking (briskly) back home sit down and eat the candy bars one at a time. Why CVS and not just any candy bar seller? Because if you go to CVS then you get the CVS receipt (usually about 8 feet long, sometimes more). So while you're eating the candy bars you can dress up in the CVS receipt, either as a toga or a one piece bathing suit, or even something as simple as an elegant shawl draped around your neck. Oooooh, I love this little ritual and I feel that without it I would become insane.
61
@Mary Anne
Eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full is not straightforward and common-sensical the way you make it sound.
We are hungry when our blood level of the hormone ghrelin increases at our typical mealtime. The ghrelin level, and hence hunger, diminishes after mealtime *whether we eat or not.* Hunger for most Americans is a signal of typical mealtime, not a signal that we need calories. After a week or so of IF, I stopped being hungry outside of the 6 hours a day when I eat. Many other commenters said it was similar for them. Since we can change our hunger signals by changing our habits, I don’t understand why you would suggest people without psychiatric disorders like anorexia should be a slave to old habits that aren’t serving our bodies well.
Stopping when we are full is difficult, because the biochemical “full” signal lags the time when our stomach actually is full, so it is easy to eat until overfull. I personally find it easier to maintain a healthy weight by not aiming for a feeling of “full” (which to me is a slightly distended belly of food). Eating to “not hungry” works better if I don’t want to gain weight. Again, though, I like most Americans, am not suffering from body dysmorphia leading to an undereating disorder.
3
Hi Jane,
Would be interested to know if you read this study from American College of Cardiology. They don't share your view.
http://www.onlinejacc.org/content/73/16/2025
6
@Tom I can't read the paper since it's behind a paywall. However, the abstract says that it's a study of people who skip breakfast, not a study of intermittent fasting. They are not the same thing.
2
@Nina
True, but most are accomplishing it via skipping breakfast. As quoted in the article: “the easiest way to do this is to stop eating by 8 p.m., skip breakfast the next morning and then eat again at noon the next day.”
I don't feel strongly about it either way - if it works for you, great. Just a heads up that you may be inadvertently increasing your risk of stroke, per the ACC.
2
Fasting originally is to allow for God to feed your spirit. When you eat food your body has to metabolize it, hence it has to work. When you fast for certain periods of time your internal body becomes “still” if you will. Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I Am The Lord”...the only way God can feed your spirit the things that are only for you to know is if you are still enough for your spirit to accept these things of the spirit. There are way more benefits to fasting than just dieting. Godspeed
7
@Godspeed Fasting was originally "I couldn't find any food on my forays."
Come on.
4
My partner has been doing this since she was 15, for 40 years. She has never has a day in hospital and has the body and stamina of someone half her age. It’s. It a coincidence
8
Why IF? Just reduce you calories overall and go easier on your body.
I follow the Zone, which has this to say about intermittent fasting:
In addition 16 hour fasts may place stress on your bodies hormonal systems as one may run the risk of upsetting the hormonal levels like insulin, glucagon, and cortisol.
The Zone Diet is built upon the concept of calorie restriction coupled with hormonal balance, so that you are never hungry or fatigued and can easily follow it for a lifetime. Following a calorie restricted Zone Diet will yield many of the clinical positive benefits often attributed to various forms of fasting but with greater long-term compliance.
3
@DD The difference with IF and other diets is that after 12 hours you are using up the glycogen stores in your liver and then depleting the stored fat so it is not simple calories in/ calories out. it not as simple as that because it is necessary to get to the stage where you are able to draw on stored fat. Your body changes in a different way from doing IF from other dietsbecause you are losing fat and not muscle. it is not only a way to lose It is being used now for controlling epilepsy.There are some very good TED talks on the subject if this interests you.
8
I stumbled on intermittent fasting, or downright fasting, upon entering end stage renal failure (I'm post-transplant now) due to a genetic disease. I am someone who is comfortable with long periods of not eating, but I did not believe the science of it until my kidneys had grown so damaged they could no longer clear the toxins in my blood.The ONLY thing that helped my symptoms was to give my metabolic system a rest for long periods, most often the 16/8 plan. If you are dealing with chronic nausea and other issues due to illness, I highly recommend it...but be careful. Lack of food intake can weaken you and make you prone to infections. Don't go overboard. Just pick a span where you will let your GI tract rest, drink water, and eat what feels good and is health-promoting the rest of the time. You become a lot more sensitive to how food makes you feel when you stop overloading the system!
11
My spouse has been doing this for a month and has lost 25 pounds and 3 sizes. She eats health food during her 8 hour window of eating. It's not that unreasonable to not eat for 16 hours. I did it today. You sleep 8 of the 16 hours. I ate breakfast at 9:30 am and finished my dinner by 5 pm. I at 3 healthy meals and drank black coffee and water. It's not ridiculous, it's actually easy. I wasn't hungry or tired because I included healthy fats in my diet like olive oil and avocado. If skipping a meal was all it took to loose weight than every one would be a healthy weight. It's not eating at night that is the change. If you read about this more you also realize you can adapt for special events as needed. Taking the focus off food as entertainment, boredom, or stress relief also helps you understand why you may eat mindlessly. Don't knock it till you try it.
19
Shocking you lose weight by skipping a meal.
8
A sixteen-hour daily fast? What a preposterous idea, unless of course you do nothing whatsoever with yourself. No work, no exercise, no thinking, as all of these will burn calories and prove incredibly painful and disruptive to anyone fasting for most of the day.
Silliness.
4
Completely not true. You should try it.
19
Totally false.
I eat at 5:00 AM and not again until 9:00 PM. Work all day as a busy physician and exercise for 40 minutes when I get home. When I do a 24h shift I also fast for 24h. There is nothing about humans that requires a constant drip of food throughout the entire day. Our modern culture of excess is gluttonous.
40
Not silly for me. I can regularly think, work, and exercise effectively while fasting 12 to 16 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week. Before I started I was concerned that such a regimen would be too difficult to follow consistently. It turned out to be easier than many other things I regularly did. It was not hard for me to keep up. And over time it left me feeling better.
14
Be extra careful of intermittent fasting and do extra research if you're a menstruating woman (i.e. pre-menopausal) -- many studies on intermittent fasting have been done on men and/or post-menopausal women.
In 2013, I became tempted by the IF lifestyle. I experienced many positive symptoms for a while, but I ended up amenorrheic (i.e. didn't get my period at all) for years. Going long hours without food wrought havoc on my hormonal balance. If you don't know where to start, see Alisa Vitti's site https://www.floliving.com/
5
How does it work for people who do sport regularly about 2 or 3 times per week. I do run at the end of the day (6.30/7pm), do the occasional swim and I am going to get back into riding. Are there any adaptations for IF for sporty people?
I fast for 18-24 hours per day and this does not impact my workouts at all - I do half-hour swims four to five days a week and also do resistance exercises twice a week - have literally had NO issues.
7
@Thierry No problem for sports. I have tried intermittant fasting (ie no food/calories) after dinner until mid day the following day. In short, it has been the most dramatic quality of life change in my life, since it has completely stopped my previous periods of hunger, mainly in afternoons. It sounds counter intuitive, but that has been the effect. In this period I have trained for marathons (ran NYC marathon 3 times, pb of 3.34) and - amazingly - found that there were no problems running 15-20 km in the morning, without eating breakfast. In those days, however, I often had something within an hour after practice. Good luck
6
I rarely eat anything after a 6pm dinner, but drink lots of water every day. I only have a cup of tea for breakfast, but eat a good lunch and dinner. I am 67, weigh 120-125lbs., have low cholesterol, low blood pressure, and a low pulse rate. I have no diseases, unlike many of my friends, and only take over-the-counter niacinamide which the dermatologist believes will keep facial basal cancer spots away. (I grew up inSouthern California and my parents never provided me with sunblock.) Fasting seems to work for me!
6
I have a simple eating routine throughout the day...wake up starving, have a cup of coffee with cream, get ready for work, get to work and finally eat either oatmeal or toast, try to make it until 10am without eating my lunch, eat my lunch at 10am, wonder what I'll eat the rest of the day...maybe an orange or two...starve all afternoon because I haven't packed anymore food, go exercise after work (stomach seriously grumbling), get home and FINALLY eat a delicious dinner, and then from 6:30pm on until I get to work the next day, no more food...
I don't have snack food or convenient food on-hand, so unless I want to cook outside of my day's meals, I have nothing to eat! Hunger between meals has become a companion, but because I'm trained to deal with this feeling daily, it's fine. I like being hungry and finally getting my meal.
My weight doesn't fluctuate at all.
1
Sounds awful.
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@E H Storme
It’s possible you’re feeling starving so often because you’re taking in a few calories here and there along the way (a little cream, a little oatmeal, an orange), rather than fully fasting and then fully eating. Older studies on calorie restriction in men from the 50s allowed a small amount of food throughout the day, and the test subjects were miserable. They also lost more muscle rather than just fat. The key to IF is fully refraining from any calories during the fast period, which allows your body to adapt and stop “looking for calories” all day long. That will ease the hunger.
3
@E.H. Storme
Starving oneself as a badge of honor speaks to conditions far beyond the physical. Borderline eating disorder screams out to me.
3
Remember 5 years ago when these same experts were saying that people need to eat less but frequently throughout the day?
So colour me skeptical, not falling for any of these pseudoscience supported fads.
9
@Andres Hannah The difference is that frequent meal eating was NEVER supported by any science whatsoever. A recent meta analysis of 187 studies on frequency of meal eating found zero benefit. On the other hand, if you review the hundreds of well conducted peer reviewed studies dating back decades on IF, they are striking.
21
@Andres Hannah Could it be that different things work for different people?!? Shocking!!
6
@Andres Hannah Please give one or more examples of the same researcher five years ago recommending frequent meals that is today recommending intermittent fasting for a similar set of problems and/or outcomes. Agree, though, that falling for fads supported by pseudoscience is a poor choice.
5
I have easily lost 20 lbs. by fasting intermittently and maintaining a calorie deficit - this was something I struggled with for years. I am a 67-year-old woman and I find I actually ENJOY skipping breakfast and fasting for typically 18 hours, and on occasion even up to 24 hours. This has improved my cholesterol and fasting blood sugar readings, as well. Now that I’m at my ideal weight I still continue the intermittent fasting, just without the calorie deficit. And I don’t feel I must do this on a rigid schedule - when I want or need a day off, I take one.
25
I effortlessly lost 22 pounds on intermittent fasting using the 16/8 method. My cholesterol levels dropped almost 100 points. I continue to stay on this for the health benefits of autophagy, as well as improved cognition and energy. Mark Mattson's TED talk is an excellent way to understand this and the medical implications that are being tested.
23
I guess I’m lucky. For years I’ve skipped breakfast because on work days I get up at the latest time possible, leaving no time to eat. I enjoy black coffee. Eating in the morning leaves me sluggish and bloated no matter how little I eat. (I happen to have IBS-C.) I even do high intensity exercise (spinning at my local gym) at lunch time after not eating for 16 hours and I feel great and invigorated.
And anyway, I never cared for the foods that constitute a traditional American breakfast. Basically sweet, salty, overly protein-y, etc. I wait for lunch which has more interesting choices.
11
At a Zen monastery I learned to eat miso soup, vegetables and brown rice for breakfast. I wasn't a vegetarian then but I am now. I no longer crave meat but it just happened on its own. I developed a fatty liver due to drinking but I find that the liver diet just restricts me from eating foods I shouldn't be eating anyway.
5
Last year I lost weight using the keto diet. Frankly it was relatively easy as the less carbs curbed my appetite. On a vacation to France I both didn't want to gain the weight back nor miss out on the delicious food. Fortunately we spent an active week on a barge (cycling daily) with an excellent 5 star chef-to-the-stars who was "slumming" for the summer. At first I thought we'd starve to death -- at dinner we'd get a modest starter such as a salad, then a main plate of 4 oz. of protien, and two side veggies. Dessert was equally small but delicious. Breakfast and lunch were largely fresh bread, cheese and wonderful thin ham and a piece of fruit. Once we adjusted on our trip to the smaller sized meals I learned that I felt satisfied but not "full," and therein laid the difference.
We have now downsized our portions at home. We've added intermittent fasting almost daily. Tea when I get up then breakfast at 10:30 a.m. I'll have a handful of almonds/walnuts mid afternoon, and we'll have a dinner, maybe with a piece of protein, small amount of pasta and green salad, and a glass of red wine, around 5:30 or 6. Dessert will be a couple of squares of dark chocolate with almonds. I do not feel starved or deprived.
I have maintained my weight loss and feel so much better. I have more energy. No acid reflux at night. I no longer need to do the keto diet -- I saw it as a way to kickstart things, not as a rest-of-my-life eating plan. I DO see intermittent fasting as a on-going change.
13
This guideline is for sedentary people? I would expect one might adjust the hours a bit for active folks.
"Most people trying to lose weight should strive for 16 calorie-free hours, he said, adding that “the easiest way to do this is to stop eating by 8 p.m., skip breakfast the next morning and then eat again at noon the next day.” (Caffeine-dependent people can have sugar- free black coffee or tea before lunch.) But don’t expect to see results immediately; it can take up to four weeks to notice an effect, he said."
2
Yes it works. I did it successfully last year and lost 20lbs. Fell off the wagon over the holidays, regaining 5lbs. Back on the wagon now. I’m 64 yrs old. This is the most sensible way for me to eat and lose weight. I spend 4 to 5 evenings per week in One or more exercise classes, yoga, spinning, Zumba etc. I come home and have a cup of tea. Then go upstairs, not to return to the kitchen until morning. I feel so much better
13
I’m going to stop reading these kinds of articles because when i do i feel inadequate. I’ve had several frightening hypoglycemic episodes and the thought of fasting makes me very nervous.
13
@Lulu If you cut down a little on carbohydrates, skipping breakfast is easy. I would find it hard to believe that hypoglycemia is a risk.
4
It can be if you are diabetic. I tried IF but my morning blood sugar readings went sky high! I now do low carb< 40g carbs/day & no food after 8pm except for a small protein snack before bed-a slice of cheese or a tablespoon of peanut butter-that seems to quell the morning sugar monster. Low carb keeps my appetite and blood sugar levels under control but everyone’s needs are somewhat different.
1
If you suffer from migraine (and millions of women and men do) then fasting of any kind is definitely NOT a good idea. Fasting or skipping breakfast is the one sure way to bring on an attack as it can dramatically lower blood sugar levels. So you all enjoy your fasting craze but I will sit it out.
10
@Karen Schmucker Migraines are complex and incredibly varied in how they affect individuals. Hard training can, at times, cause an attack for me; however, in five years of doing intermittent fasting, I have not had a single migraine in the morning. In fact, while seeing an endocrinologist before starting IF, we found my blood glucose was far more stable after several months. Before IF, my post-meal glucose was lower than fasted. TLDR: Don't discount fasting because you suffer from a complex disorder with numerous causes (I do, and they've improved, not worsened).
14
@Karen Schmucker
Karen, and also Lulu - You know what is best for you. If you need to eat to prevent migraines or low blood sugar, eat, don't attempt fasting. Fasting is not safe for everyone, especially people with certain medical conditions.
2
Americans would not have to fast intermittently if all the prime American soil did not grown corn for fructose syrup, or soybeans that all wind up in processed food. Devote the farm to fruits and vegetables and your frenzied attempts at fad practices will no longer be necessary.
19
I can’t believe people can’t go more than a few hours without eating. Get a grip. And be happy there is so much food so readily accessible in this county.
If, like the author recalls, you don’t eat all day, then binge eat at night, well, there are other issues at play.
As for that 7pm dinner invitation, if you finish eating at 8pm, count your 16 hours from there. Not a big deal. Your eating shouldn’t take over your life. I wouldn’t want to eat at 10pm anyway. How can you sleep?
20
The author mentions the limited studies on humans, the short duration of the studies as well as the more obvious limitations: social situations, hunger, irritability and potentially eating disorder behaviors that are a mental illness due to dieting. What it doesn't address is why we are continually obsessed with "health, weight and longevity" in our culture? What about living today, in the moment, mindfully eating when we are hungry and stopping when we are satisfied? Why are we always made to feel like we aren't doing "enough" when it comes to our health or weight or our age?
\
Why aren't we reading articles that address this issue and challenging what has become societal norms?
20
@Tina Thompson, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S
Because we as a society are not doing enough for our health. We have an obesity crises, all sorts of weight, diet, heart, liver, and organ crises...
While we don't need to compare ourselves to the photoshopped folk on magazine covers, "living in the moment" is not a good mantra given our current national health situation.
The new societal norm has changed to: I feel bad about my lifestyle and consumption habits because I know they are unhealthy to some degree, but it isn't fair to compare myself to people on magazine covers or beat myself up over my health... and then for some reason the train of thought ends and people don't reach any sort of conclusion or definitive course of action. People are caught in the limbo of simply existing, usually feeling some degree of guilt about their habits, but also judging those who spend too much time and effort on pursuing healthier habits or trying to obtain unrealistic goals.
Good health isn't easy and it is a choice, people need to just be honest with themselves about what they want and go for it.. There are legitimate benefits to intermittent fasting, I do it Mon-Fri to save money on food during the work week and have felt very healthy since I started about a year ago. Why rain on the parade of someone who is simply saying "there is something to be said for a daily fast, preferably one lasting at least 16 hours"... no need to judge the article beyond what was written.
13
@Tina Thompson, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S
'' What about living today, in the moment, mindfully eating when we are hungry and stopping when we are satisfied? "
In defense of IF (not that I called it that at the time), I always found that reducing the window of time I ate: eating no breakfast then a really late lunch, or the times in my life when I just ate one really large meal per day, that always helped me be MORE aware of my body and hunger. When I get in the habit of snacking whenever I feel snacky or whenever I see a food I really like, I inevitably end up eating just because I enjoy it or it's filling some emotional need, etc. IF has always helped me put food back in its rightful place as fulfilling a physical need.
15
The problem is most of us can’t handle eating only when we are hungry. Especially when we are bombarded by advertisements telling us to eat more and to eat more unhealthy foods. It’s like saying we don’t need pensions or social security because we should all be wise and save our money for the future. Some can but most cannot.
2
This seems like another fad diet that most people could not keep to for the long term. Forty years ago Jane was advocating for the benefits of carbs, regular meals and the inevitable pages of recipes.
It seems she is just pushing a new diet fad.I would like to know more about these studies;how long they were, how many participants and how many dropped out. I'm happy for the people who have benefited from this approach, but most people can't keep to diets long term.
9
@M.M. I would agree with your conclusions about people not being able to stay on diets. But this is more of a way of life than a diet. If you skip breakfast and eat for 8 hours, you don't have to think very much about what you're eating. You just need to be a little reasonable.
11
@M.M. Okay, then look into it. I don't doubt your skepticism, but it's worked for me. So far.
4
I have unintentionally practiced Intermittent Fasting to control Irritable Bowl Syndrome during work hours since 2002. I don't lock refrigerators precisely at 8pm or deliberately starve myself in the morning, but I rarely consume more than 100 calories between 12AM and 5PM. According to my doctors, my health is fine. No idea if Intermittent Fasting keeps weight off or on. Intermittent Fasting might be helpful if you have a delicate stomach or digestion problems. We are all unique individuals and don't all need to robotically eat three meals during designated dining hours.
6
Just a thought. If one waits until real hunger pangs strike before eating, wouldn't that be clever? Also, if one stops eating as soon as hunger pangs disappear, now that would be downright brilliant.
16
What I have learned is to wait for about 20 minutes after consuming a small meal. It helps to “register” the consumption of food in my body. I don’t need that 2nd helping if I eat slowly & pause to wait for the feeling of satisfaction. I absolutely cannot fast due to a hypoglycemic reaction to the lack of sustenance.
5
@Judy Brown Great idea. Works for me.
I have been intermittent fasting for some time. It works if you include portion control the rest of the time.
6
I do this daily anyway, because I'm just not hungry until 11. BUT... coffee. I need my 1/2 and 1/2 and sugar. Guessing this kicks me out of a fast, does anyone know if partial is better than noen?
6
@KD I break my 16hour fast with a big cup of coffee with a spoonful of coconut oil and a spoonful of whipped heavy cream ( I'm 3 years on keto fit healthy and enjoying life ) stirred into it. Delicious! You could add a tsp on stevia sweetner. Great way to start the day!
1
@KD i share same misgiving re 1/2 and 1/2 in my morning coffee. my guess is that a tablespoon of dairy fat isn't going upset much of anything.
otherwise, i'm pretty much in accord with intermittent fasting already -- i've just never been a breakfast eater. fwiw, the morning meal has always seemed a big jolt of sugar and fat setting up a drowsy afternoon. so much better to stay hungry until the evening slide into sleepy oblivion.
3
@KD I've been IF for 6 weeks through a guided program. As long as you consume less than 50 calories during your fast, you should be okay to add a little something to your coffee. I use Laird's superfood creamer and just keep it less than 50g. You can do the same with half and half.
3
So it's the joyless people who will live forever.
23
@Joni doh!!
@Joni Relax, it's just information. Some of us are interested. If you aren't, fine - move along to something else...without the insults, please.
24
@Joni Far from it, Joni, fasting for a very serious medical condition! Life is good, productive and full of joy. But you do find plently of joyless people in comment sections.
30
“It takes 10 to 12 hours to use up the calories in the liver before a metabolic shift occurs to using stored fat,” Dr. Mattson told me.
Then why wait 16 hours? For me, 12 hours is very easy to avoid eating. What about exercise to speed up the process?
I think a general recommendation to fast for 16 hours if you could do less is just a recipe for failure. Of course we are all our own best experiment. I have seen personal benefit when I go for 12-13 hours consistently and it's not difficult for me at all.
5
@Steve S
Nope, 16 hours works for countless people. It takes you 12 hours to use up all the stores in the liver so if you eat at that point, your body will use the just ingested food for energy and you won't get to the fat burning adaption. I have adapted to it and with eating to satiety on healthy, fresh cooked food (low carb, good fats and no more than 100g protein) I am comfortably full and wake up looking forward to breakfast at 11am - really good coffee at 8am.
9
@Steve S I do yoga on an empty stomach in the morning, then I go to work and don't eat until 12PM 12:30PM, no snacks and then around 7PM I eat a light dinner. If I eat anymore during the evening, I perform horribly in my yoga class the next day.
2
I didn't do IF to lose weight. I did it out of a suspicion that it might help my IBS/acid reflux and yes, out of control FARTING. I was on **10** antacids a day + Nexium. Within a week my antacid consumption went down to zero and I stopped taking Nexium. I'm on week 8 of IF (16 hours a day) so it's not a placebo effect. Does anybody have a read about why IF would have such a dramatic effect on dysfunctional digestion?
6
@michael alvear
My cousin is off reflux pills and antacids after taking them for thirty years, also off statins and hopefully will be discharged from MCI monitoring this summer. No processed foods, no sugars, healthy fresh delicious food - oh, and she lost 50 lbs over the past two years using IF without hunger, having yoyo dieted and counted calories for decades. Fitter, healthier, happier. Google Dr. Jason Fung to get all the facts on IF.
5
@michael alvear Did it help the farting too? And, do you do 7pm to 11 am, or how do you do it?
3
After reading all the positive comments I decided to give the 16:8 fast a try. During the first overnight I had to get up to urinate four times, very large volumes each time. I read some online resources which said this behavior is normal but it could take weeks to overcome. I’ll stick with a traditional Mediterranean diet.
5
@RANV Try Mediterranean diet and IF. Most Greeks eat late dinners, light breakfasts and a normal lunch followed by an afternoon nap (depending on region/profession). Unfortunately unhealthy eating habits have taken root there too and you can quickly tell who's succumbed to the convenience of fast food.
I started Intermittent fasting 06/30/19 and my eating window Monday through Friday is 10:00 am to 6:00 PM and the weekend, it's 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. I cut out dairy except a little shredded cheese on my salad for lunch. No beef or pork ( haven't eaten pork in over 40 plus years and beef since 1991). Organic Chicken breast 1 to 2 times a week and Salmon is my main go to.Dinner or my last meal of the day is always a Lean One protein shake. I exercise 4 days a week on the recumbent bike for a total of 60 miles. As of today I've lost 60 lbs. No need for Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers. I just wish I knew about it sooner
10
As I sit at my Brooklyn hole kitchen table having my daily Super Green Shake. I want to bring to everyone's attention the following.
To the ones that can't seem to own their health. Before you throw stones at this and at others that keep a positive and open mind such, take an in-depth hard inward look at your inner world then at the external. Look at your behavior and relationship with food.
How your daily food intake contains unhealthy additives; processed sugars, added fats, and high sodium.
Step back and look if you are doing any exercise, aside from sitting on your ”couch.”
How much good restful sleep are you getting every night?
Are you a cigarette smoker, and why can't you stop the addiction?
How much alcohol do you consume every week?
I highly recommend focusing on a genuinely positive, healthy lifestyle is a fantastic journey.
Intermittent fasting is a beautiful way of detoxification. Give it a try, and those who are skeptical may find that by cleaning out their bodies will increase energy, mental acuity, help you sleep better, change your body flora, reduce body inflammation, and alleviate other issues. Even reduce body fat.
Keep it positive, people. Be open minded, fluid, and adaptable.
From Brooklyn with Love!
53
the only way to lose any weight is to eat less calories than your body needs
if you do IF, but then binge on food after the fasting period because you "deserve" it for fasting, you will not lose weight
eat less -- that's the magic diet to lose weight
10
@Tom, that's obviously true, but I think you are missing the point, even focusing just on weight loss and not the other potential health benefits from intermittent fasting described in the article.
The real goal is to find a way of eating that makes it easier to eat less. That does not force you to fight the urge to eat excessively all the time. It presumably takes a lot less discipline and direct application of willpower to adapt to a new eating schedule than it does to constantly deny an urge to eat more.
12
@Tom Actually, if you practice something like IF, I think you would find that over time, you are gradually less hungry. Whenever I have engaged in similar eating behaviors, it actually helps me become more in tune with what hunger and satiation really feels like. Anyway, I've always found just eating for a smaller time frame of the day to be the easiest diet to follow. I still ate whatever and however much I wanted, so I never felt deprived.
6
Go figure. If you don’t eat for the majority of the day, you can lose weight.
6
Two comments about this excellent review. First, thanks for pointing out that ketosis is not a desirable state. Second, some “fasters” simply overeat in the non-fasting window. That won’t work.
6
@LTJ
This article is wrong about ketosis. It is a desirable state, at least on an occassional/periodic basis, if induced by nutrition/exercise and as long as one is not a T1 diabetic. Go read the literature.
As others have noted, the article improperly conflates diabetic ketoacidosis with ketosis. It is not possible for a human who does not have T1 diabetes to get ketoacidosis without pharmaceutical interventions. Indeed, even during extended water only fasts of 7-40 days, ketone levels stabilize at 6-7 mMol, which is well below the potentially negative levels that T1 diabetics can encounter without exogenous insulin.
11
@LTJ
Think you are confusing ketosis and ketoacidosis. Cycling in and out of ketosis or maintaining it at a keytone level between 0.5 and 1.0 is very good for you. The data is in. Check out Dr. Sarah Hallberg's research, among hundreds of others. Through ketosis, people are reversing diabetes and metabolic syndrome. It just might save us all from bankruptcy due to the vast healthcare costs of the 50% of the population who are currently diabetic or pre-diabetic.
The research is fascinating. The American Diabetic Association recently adjusted their guidance in light of it. Check out Dr. Jason Fung and Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt. And I haven't even mentioned the misery of living with metabolic syndrome that IF can undo.
12
If you want to be "naturally normal and healthy" then this 7-11 IF thing sounds absurd. I never thought animals looked a the clock when they eat - they eat when they're hungry - if they have food. They also stop eating when they've had enough. They don't schedule regular 1-3-5 or 7 specific meals every day or take regular 16 hour fasting breaks each day. All of those are man-made ideas that have nothing to do with what's naturally normal. Eat unprocessed foods when you're hungry, drink water when you're thirsty and sleep when you're tired. Be physically active. You never need the same amount of calories every day, nor daily 16 hour 'fasting breaks'. Go with how you feel, and what makes you physically feel good each day. Eat more when it's cold out, and less when it's hot. Switch it up to keep your metabolism alive rather than trained and/or stagnant. People seem to really have lost touch with their body and feelings, it's sad.
7
@Aly
Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone had your outlook? But you only have to around to see that the old advice isn't working. So do a little reading on the science and the programs that are making a difference to the millions of people who are struggling and if you can't 'like' it then at least put away the Debbie Downer and open your mind to something that is working and changing lives for the better and healthier. 10 years of injecting insulin, 2 months of no processed foods or sugars and IF and hallelujah no more insulin discomfort or BILLS! Google Dr. Jason Fung or Dr. David Unwin, a doctors who are rescuing patients from misery every day.
15
@Aly "[Animals] also stop eating when they've had enough."
Most animals gorge when they have food because they don't know when they'll eat again. Even domesticated animals that are fed regularly, like your dog, eat until their food is gone or until they throw up. Our dog only leaves food in her bowl when she doesn't feel good.
7
@Aly Many people are exhausted but can't drop everything they're doing to sleep. Poor people struggle to buy, or even have access to, unprocessed foods. And people with chronic pain, illness, working more than one job, raising children, do not have the luxury of exercise.
Please check your elitism.
10
This feels like another theory that may be good for some, awful for others. Eating patterns and circadian appetites also fluctuate with age, and this particular style (basically just skipping breakfast) seems more comfortable and productive for older people, many of whom come to it on their own. Turning it into a clinically approved thing is as ridiculous as the weekly nyt phys ed articles telling us that exercise is now "proven" to be good for us. No kidding! Are the editors out of ideas?
6
I have a question for Jane Brody. I have read that if you have a couple of teaspoons of heavy cream in your coffee in the am, it does not break the fast. Is this true?
@SMS no, not true. Of course it breaks the fast
3
@SMS It does not break your fast.
1
@CDP It breaks a "clean" fast and it becomes a "dirty" fast.
Buried near the end of this article the author mentions that intermittent fasting can trigger eating disorders. But this is tossed off as if it is not a very big deal, ignoring the fact that anorexia is the deadliest psychiatric disorder (https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/anorexia-nervosa/news/20110711/deadliest-psychiatric-disorder-anorexia) and the great toll that eating disorders can take on your life. In addition, none of these studies on intermittent fasting have been long term, and studies on other diets generally show that any weight lost is gained back in 1-5 years. Is temporary weight loss really worth the risk of ruining your relationship with food? It’s frustrating to see the New York Times minimize the risks and overstate the benefits of dieting behaviors like this.
10
@Sonja Peterson You've missed the long term investigation (2 years) by Dr. Sarah Hallberg among many others. BTW, I'm old enough to remember when people considered it normal to eat within a window of time and genuinely 'broke their fast' after many hours of fasting. The recent trend of eating often and in big portions is the lifestyle that is out of kilter - as the stats showing 50% of Americans are diabetic or pre-diabetic prove. If you can cite me a case in which IF triggered an eating disorder I'd love to read it. My experience is that this more normal way of eating restores a healthy relationship with food, and good health in general.
11
@Claire McFadden: Love your point that this is actually a very old concept-- attested to by the word "breakfast"-- it is very new for people not to go 12+ hours per day without eating. And this during the years when the daily tasks of life and work meant that our bodies were much more active than many are with today's lifestyles.....
2
Dieting, which IF is no matter how you want to dress it, is a risk factor for eating disorders. Take your pick of the thousands of studies supporting that finding.
Can we please refer to this as "time restricted eating"? The term "fasting" should really be reserved for periods of non-eating that are greater than 24 hours.
22
Congratulations Jane Brody on giving us sound health, body and mind information for over 40 years
6
Experts have also found that restricting food intake during the day can help prevent health problems such as high cholesterol, heart disease and obesity, as well as improve mental health and well being. By not consuming any food, our body is able to concentrate on removing toxins, as we give the digestive system a rest. Nutritionist Claire Mahy once said "Fasting allows the gut to cleanse and strengthens its lining. It can also stimulate a process called autophagy, which is where cells self-cleanse and remove damaged and dangerous particles."
Scientists have also been studying the link between diet, gut health and mental wellbeing and, as Mosley explained, fasting can lead to the release of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) in the brain. "This has been shown to protect brain cells and could reduce depression and anxiety, as well as the risk of developing dementia," Mosley added. Many people who have embraced fasting have also found that, done properly, it has helped them lose fat and gain lean muscle mass.
Muslims were commanded to fast during Ramadan more than 1,400 years ago, the ancient Greeks recommended fasting to heal the body, and today some scientists are advocating a modified fast for its mental and physical benefits.
In 2012, Michael Mosley released his TV documentary Eat, Fast and Live Longer and published his best-selling book The Fast Diet, both based on the 5:2 concept of intermittent fasting.
7
Bad for you: Skipping breakfast.
Good for you: Don't eat anything between 7PM and 11AM.
Huh.
6
@Lethe Erisdottir "skipping breakfast is bad" as health advice was apparently the work of Kellogg's, which had some processed grains in a box to sell you.
18
@Lethe Erisdottir haha, kelloggs isn't going to like this idea!!!
@LK Not so, although I'm sure they jumped on that bandwagon early on! If you do some simple internet searching, you'll find the medical research and advice on breakfast was rampant back in the day...and in fact persists to THIS day.
So, did the author pratice what she preaches? I missed it if she did.
2
@Art She's not preaching, she's reporting.
Also, she told us that she is prone to eating disorders, and IF is not a good idea for people who have this risk factor.
5
My intermittent fast, a fruit fast, going on six years now, has informal start and stop boundaries. I start after dinner and end late morning/ early afternoon. Being a fruit fast, I eat only raw fruit during the fast window. The length of time varies from 16 to 12 hours. I can take a med (« with food ») and nutraceuticals and have coffee or tea (no sugar). Eight months ago I reached a second threshold of homeostasis, weight being 165# |- 3#. Previous phase starting soon after starting this pattern, 170# |- 3#. I am a MWM of 77 years.
A fruit fast is a fast in my understanding as fruit doesn’t require metabolic energy in the alimentary tract and takes about 20 minutes to pass through the stomach.
Doing it: other food temptations are ruled out by having made the decision, “I only eat fruit in the morning.” (Or, ...during the night and morning.)
Positive side effect: This separates my main intake of sugar from proteins, vegetables and starches. Sugar starts a rapid fermentation and, given enough time, possible putrefaction of the other foods. Avoiding sugar combining with other foods appears to be a good thing.
Missing side effect: I am still given to flatulence.
Intermittent fasting has worked for me, but I have also eliminated processed foods, "white" foods, and sweets (90% of the time). I eat high fat/low carb and my bloodwork looks better than it has in 20 years - for example my cholesterol is now 158. I've lost 15 lbs and, more important, inches around my midsection and hips.
It was hard in the beginning, but it's easy now. And when I go off the plan (vacations, for example) I just get right back on as soon as I can. It's not a diet, it's a way of life.
19
hmmm. The gallbladder may not benefit from fasting...gallstones, high cholesterol.
I don't think there is magic bullet.
Intermittent fasting? - Doesn't sound like rocket science. You don't eat...you lose weight.
I'm not convinced that regularly forcing the body into starvation mode is all that healthy.
8
@Chris P
Hardly starvation mode!
7
I've done this very successfully for years, at first just because I always skipped breakfast, and then intentionally once studies came out years ago on the effect on rats who fasted. I have little self control when it comes to eating, so this allows me to eat what I want, and still stay trim (with exercise). It is super easy to skip breakfast, but as soon as I break my fast then it is tough to stop eating so best to go with nothing but coffee or tea for me until lunch.
I also think the opposite idea of eating constantly to keep our metabolism works for people, but is something we're going to eventually find is simply not healthy for us. We did not evolve to eat constantly and our bodies need a break.
5
Intermittent fasting is not that easy for the typical carboholic.
Carbs are not just processed food, which is 60% of American calories, but also vegetables and grains.
But it is easy when you never eat any carbs at all, which you absolutely do not need because you make whatever small amount you need on a demand basis from fatty acids and proteins.
All carbs turn into the short-term fuel of glucose which pushes your energy up and down, and is managed by large amounts of insulin throughout the day. Note that the average person only has four grams of blood sugar, whereas a can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar. The necessary continual dosing throughout a day with insulin due to the typical high carb diet is why we have an epidemic of diabetes.
When you go zero carb all your organs are not being continually dosed by insulin and your energy state is steady.
Then intermittent fasting becomes very easy, in fact you can easily skip your one meal per day and get the benefits of an even longer fast which will bulletproof you from all the chronic diseases.
10
My weight has been stable for years no matter how much or how little I eat and is healthy for my age (in my 80s). A couple of years ago, I decided that my arthritic knees would benefit from a little less poundage (I want to lose no more than ten), but eating less had no effect. Recently I tried a new schedule: eating a good breakfast at seven, big main meal at noon, and a salad with nuts (for protein) before five. I'm flexible; if friends invite me for dinner at seven, I accept and eat a full meal.
I've lost seven pounds. Maybe I'm consuming fewer calories, but that has never worked in the past. Maybe it's the 14 hours of fasting. Maybe it's not consuming a big meal late in the day when my metabolism is slowing down. Maybe I would have lost the weight anyway. A little skepticism about the actual cause is appropriate. Meanwhile, I'm sleeping better at night and plan to keep my evening meal early and light.
20
@Jo Creore Chances are you weren’t actually eating less calories during previous attempts. It’s very hard to know and keep track of exactly how much calories are in the food we consume.
1
Ms. Brody doesn't seem to grasp that intermittent fasting goes hand-in-hand with a low-carb, high-fat diet, which allows the body' natural mechanisms for hunger and satiety to operate correctly once the insulin response normalizes. That means you are not uncontrollably hungry between meals. "Hangry" doesn't exist on a ketogenic diet.
(She also seems to conflate ketosis with ketoacidosis, as someone else already mentioned.)
Until Ms. Brody or someone else can explain why 40% of normal-weight people also develop the metabolic disorders that accompany the Standard American Diet -- diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, just to name a few -- I'll just stick to my keto and IF, which has eliminated my acid reflux, and allowed me to walk 3 miles a day and drop 25+ pounds so far.
12
@Sharon Foster I eat all of the carbs I want (and anything else I want) and usually walk 5-6 miles per day (7 miles or strenuous hikes on the weekend days to wear out the dogs). I've never had those afflictions (diabetes, etc.) so I'll just stick with what I'm doing too!
6
@MiniBar That's because you are lucky enough to be 'insulin sensitve' and can tolerate carbs. A huge percentage of the population are 'insulin resistant' and after years of eating carbs they develop carb intolerance. Read about the 'long silent scream of the liver' and how the Western diet fosters fatty liver disease and how we are exporting the misery to other parts of the world via the Standard American Diet with its high carbs, bad oils, sugars and processing.
6
@Sharon Foster
Lean people can be metabolically sick and obese people can be metabolically healthy. Dr. Robert Lustig in 'Is a calorie a calorie? Processed food, an experiment gone wrong' explains it in depth. Fascinating! Explains why children commonly get fatty liver disease today, something unheard of ten years ago.
4
More than 10 years ago I invented for myself what I called the "stomach growl" diet. Now I gather the world has caught up and is calling it intermittent fasting. What inspired me was the observation that, when I was a kid, everyone's stomach growled mid morning. Now nobody's stomach growls ever. So I decided to let my stomach tell me - with a growl - when I needed to eat: I have coffee with milk in the morning and then wait for the growl. That is rarely before noon or after two, but I wait and, guess what, I am no longer 'hungry'. I tossed out the idea of 'a good breakfast' as from an earlier time when people without much food did strenous physical work from morning to night. I thought of our hunter-gatherer ancestors who had few ways to store food safe from predators and started each day looking for food, not eating. I knew a few people who were fat as kids and now were slender, and all said their secret was not eating at all until dinner time. Because I knew I wasn't about to suffer from starvation or malnutritition, I began the stomach growl diet. Once my stomach growls I eat whatever I want. I never ate much junk food and I love vegetables, but I'm not surprised that 'intermittent fasting' works for everyone. The stomach growl diet has kept my weight where I want it to be. My advice: don't eat until you hear the growl of the stomach. On a daily basis.
30
I have never been one to "diet" in any form. For every other organism, their "diet" is what they eat all the time. So if I make a change, I try to have it be long-term, if not permanent. I have been trying restricting my calories to between 9:00 am and 5:00 or 6:00 pm. One of the first and biggest benefits I found to not eating a second dinner, or snacking between dinner and bed, was that I am sleeping much better. I don't wake up starving, just ready to eat something. And my digestion has been better. Socially it can be difficult. I am trying to be done eating before my wife is even home from work, so there are some days that it doesn't work, but in general, I am very happy with how I feel.
3
It would be helpful to refer specifically to Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. These are two diseases of high blood sugar, but they are caused by completely different medical issues, and will respond to something like fasting in completely different ways. it's extremely dangerous to conflate type 1 with type 2.
3
The point isn’t weight loss, it’s autophagy: clearing out old, damaged cells to make way for newer, healthier ones.
11
The most "extreme" form of daily intermittent fasting, One Meal a Day (OMAD) has been very successful for me. Over the course of one month I was able to lose 15 pounds doing the OMAD regimen during weekdays. During the weekend I would revert back to eating "normally".
Now I use OMAD about 2-3 times per week to counteract my "cheating" on other days and it has successfully allowed me to maintain my lower body weight for half a year. I highly recommend intermittent fasting in general, and especially OMAD to anyone who can pull it off.
15
I lost ten pounds since I started limiting my food consumption after 7pm and until 9 am. I will consider waiting longer for breakfast and perhaps eat dinner a little earlier to get a six to ten fast. I have continued to eat as normal, and have increased my walking..what else can I do after finishing the paper and waiting for breakfast?
8
@Joe Barnett I find that drinking a lot of water helps! I do 16/8 every day.
1
Just eliminating breakfast creates a long overnight fast. That change plus eating low carb have resulted in my remaining pre-diabetic for 8 years and my husband's most sustained weight loss. We recommend the work of Dr. Jason Fung, a Toronto nephrologist. He has several excellent books and a blog on The Fasting Method.
21
Fasting cannot be considered in a vacuum. One must factor in his/her level of physical activity. If one is burning more calories because of a regular, intense workout routine, fasting can be risky.
9
@Jerry, I was wondering about this, too, as I read the article. I do a combination of mixed weights and high octane cardio 4-5 days a week. I also eat a plant-based diet. My guess is that I'll simply have to increase the amount of vegetables, whole grains, and fruits I already eat.
2
Love fasting. I discovered a whole side of myself I knew existed but could not tap into. I learned how to build an interactive game and have no computer science experience whatsover after a three week period of intermittent fasting. Can't wait to see what 40 days opens my brain up to. I lost about 5 lbs in three weeks. I didn't want to eat again after fasting for 16 hours. I just didn't have the desire but I did it anyway. One thing though, you have to eat healthy and light when coming off or you will get the runs..lol.
8
(Jay's wife, actually :-) )
We've been following a 16 hour fast for 6 weeks now. We do not eat between 7:00 PM and 11:00 AM. When we do, we eat greens, beans and protein (chicken/fish), berries, nonfat greek yogurt, apples, unsalted nuts, coffee/tea. We take one day off a week where we can be a bit more flexible. We plan this around socializing with family/friends and do include a glass or two of wine with that meal. We've lost 10+ pounds each. Resting heart rate has improved. We've each had physicals with our lowest BP readings in years. My doctor said, "Wait?! What? It went down?" The best news of all is the very consistent energy level throughout the day and the really good full night of sleep that we're getting every night. This is probably not for everyone, but it certainly is for us.
26
Nearly all western diseases are related to the over production of insulin. A low carb diet is essential to fight inflammation and reduce the impact or occurrence of auto immune diseases.. normal blood glucose levels can mask the fact that abnormal levels of insulin are required to deal with it... some people are even referring to Alzheimer’s as diabetes III... take a HOMA IR test to see if you are insulin resistant... if you are abolish sugar, reduce carbs to minimum and eat more fat... cholesterol does not cause heart disease...
13
I'm surprised that Ms. Brody did not look at the millions of Muslims in the United states (and the hundreds of millions abroad) who fast from dawn to dusk every day for a month every year. Nothing is eaten or drunk, not even water, during the entire day. As someone who does it each year during the month of Ramadan (it is a religious obligation, one of the five pillars of Islam), the benefits are immense, and not only for weight loss. It is good for self-discipline, and the health benefits -- for physical, mental, and emotional health -- are incredible. Yes, it is difficult for the first few days, but then we find ourselves looking forward to fasting the next day. Ms. Brody, please look into this phenomena of Muslims fasting and report on your findings. Ramadan this year begins in late April and lasts for a month.
24
@Salim Durrani
The problem with Ramadan fasting and other religious fasting that focuses on daylight hours as the non-eating window is that it's not biologically optimal. Eating at night after sunset and especially eating carb and sugar laden foods is far from ideal, if your goal is optimizing health. A substantial body of work on circadian rhythms shows that feasting after dark and fasting during daylight is orthoginal to our biology.
3
@Salim Durrani that is nice. Christians and Jews also fast once a year. Imagine if we fasted once a week or twice or three times even and prayed for the world. We would be humbling ourselves and God would heal the land and the people. The bible teaches us this but we don't do it. I mean I do now but not many others do.
1
Because people have lost natural 'self-control' they need to impose restrictions on themselves - whether they come from any religion or some new/old medical guru. Fasting can be just as problematic as overconsumption and is simply another of the many countermeasures people need to keep their hedonism in check. It's disordered eating is what all of that is.
3
What most people don't consider when thinking about intermittent fasting is that is can often times be a gateway for those with disordered eating. When I was in the midst of a relapse and low point of my life, I decided to take a go at intermittent fasting, but soon, I was simply just restricting and trying to see how long I could go without eating. IF can work for some, if you are doing it carefully and still consuming the nutrition you need in a day. For those of us with histories of poor relationships with food and self, it can be just another way to write off disordered behavior as normal.
17
One great positive I've found with IF (I eat between noon and 7) is the elimination of the carb roller coaster. When I had toast, cereal or oatmeal for breakfast, I was starving by 10 a.m. Now I get up, work out and wait until noon or after to eat. No frantic starving - no grabbing the closest thing possible to eat. It has become easy to tell myself that I'll have something great to eat at lunch - either an omelet with vegetables or a salad with protein - or an apple with plain greek yogurt and almonds. Then I'm fine until dinner, which is only 6 hours away. I'f I'm hungry I eat a few peanuts or almonds. For me, IF combined with getting rid of bad carbs (sugar and white flour, white rice, white potatoes, etc) is a game changer.
16
@btcpdx Why Americans need to eat their biggest meal at the end of the day has never made ANY sense to me. They stuff themselves full of energy ... for sleeping?!?
3
@Aly Is there anything in my comment that makes you assume dinner is the biggest meal of the day? I said I eat lunch and dinner, no quantities specified. We can all do what works best for us. My comment is simply that this has worked well for me. Eating at 6pm is not stuffing yourself for sleeping. Sleeping is 5 hours away. Everyone's body and metabolism is different. You do you. So sad when people have a need to criticize anecdotal comments with limited information.
5
For many years I was under the care of a clinical nutritionist who counseled that all daily calories should be consumed by 5 pm. It works for me, and I believe it is better for those of us who keep somewhat regular sleeping hours. I like the "16 hour fast," and doing it from 5 pm to 9 am the next morning makes it a little easier. He also said that proteins are better consumed in the morning and evening, with carbs limited to the middle of the day.
4
Some degree of fasting has helped me feel better. Due to digestive stress-related issues I gradually stopped eating breakfast, mostly during weekdays. Also having a light stomach helps my productivity and mood. Tea and black coffee and the distractions of work helped me glide through. Also frequently drinking water. After a couple weeks I got used to it and now it is routine. It helped me lose weight and I keep it off. I sometimes skip dinner once in a while if I'm going out late. I occasionally exercise and try to keep a balanced diet, but don't go bananas. Obviously do everything in moderation and balance... nothing works out well when taking it to an extreme.
4
Read The Obesity Code by Jason Fung, a Canadian medical doctor who treats Type 2 Diabetes and obesity. It’s all you need to know. For those skeptics out there, the science behind this is stands up to scrutiny. But of course, you have to make smart choices about eating during your eight hours. It’s not a diet, but it does require some common sense.
17
Intermittent fasting (or time-restricted eating, if you don't want to "fast") in combination with a low-carb diet is incredibly powerful. I effortlessly lost 60 lbs in about six months when I started doing it two years ago. For the first time I had blood pressure under 120/80, high HDL, low trigs, resting heart rate around 40, waist circumference lower than half my height in inches. Without a problem, I now tend not to eat until 5pm every day, doing what's called "OMAD'' (one meal a day). It's not restrictive because if hungry for lunch or invited out by colleagues, I simply eat some lunch. The great thing is saving money -- all those suckers waiting in line to pay $12 for a salad every day. Generally, it's been the greatest and easiest thing to integrate into my life, all benefits, no drawbacks.
15
There is, in fact, a recently published study in Journal of American College of Cardiology that monitors humans over a long period of time (~27 years), showing that intermittent fasting leads to INCREASED risk of adverse cardiac events, such as stroke. Note that the NEJM study is still mostly just animals and theory (note this article devotes considerable attention to the theory of why fasting would make sense, despite real data in humans).
13
@Tom I did a couple of searches for that article and couldn't locate it. Can you provide a link? Thanks.
please provide a link to that study, interesting
@Tom
http://www.onlinejacc.org/content/73/16/2025
But you unfortunately need a subscription to see more than just the summary.
I am a convert. I am a 66-year-old man who has gained ten pounds a decade, typical for Americans, since my thin 20s. I've tried low carb, low fat, vegan - you name it - and would lose a few pounds which I'd promptly gain back. This September, inspired by two friends, I tried intermittent fasting. Since I LOVE breakfast I tried instead to skip dinners. I have lost over 25 pounds and feel great. It has some social challenges but I work around them; meeting friends for lunch (which in restaurants is just as good but cheaper!) and allowing myself dinner three or four times a month for something special - a dinner party by a good cook, Valentine's Day. I can even join a friend for informal dinner and sip white wine, and be fine. I find that the zombie-like trip to the fridge at 10pm is gone. I feel hungry in the evening, but a kind of calm hunger, imagining breakfast. Clearly I am somehow following my blood sugar levels. We each much find our own pattern. Dinner is not a normal meal anyway, we evolved to eat early and midday, with only a snack in the evenings (remember supper?). I also find that I am eating more healthily, craving vegetables and protein. The test is: I feel that I could comfortably eat like this for the rest of my life, with occasional time off. And when I DO have dinner, boy do I enjoy it.
30
@Ken of Sag Harbor I'm glad you posted this. I get annoyed when reading comments sections like this one because most people act as if skipping breakfast is the only way to do IF. I too find it much easier to skip dinner. I've never been an evening or late-night snacker so that's not an issue.
2
I just started fasting three weeks ago along with a half hour on the treadmill daily. I have lost 13 pounds and feel amazingly better. I plan to continue and see where it takes me. I used to walk 4 miles everyday years ago and was able to lose and keep weight off then but my motivation changed. This is definitley re-motivating me!
14
Metabolism adjusts to routine. In my early 30's I stopped eating after dinner each Saturday and ate nothing until Monday evening. Every week for a year or so. I was running 85 miles per week including long runs on Sunday. It was very satisfying and contributed to weight loss and a feeling of great vitality. My research at the time showed that blood sugar levels naturally adjust to such a schedule.
Oddly, I miss the feeling this routine provided, but I'm less motivated now.
1
When my wife is at work, I usually skip breakfast and lunch: eating is too much trouble. My reliable hunger-suppressor is a cigar, accompanied by strong coffee.
5
I eat this way regularly. I lost a lot of weight and my heath greatly improved.I learned to do it through a program called Naturally Slim (to which I have no connection other than having used it). Here are THE tips that make it work. 1. Dehydration feels like hunger. Mix orange juice/water at 1:7 ratio and drink 750 ml to 2 liters a day. 2. Eat 1 very small protein-rich snack (like 10 peanuts) or tiny bit of fruit (3 strawberries) 1-2x per day if you just can't stand it. 3. No sugar for at least a month to get started. 4. No, you don't have to clean your plate (I know Mom).
6
I fast every day. Between meals. Well, between snacks, actually. But it's not that hard. Everyone can do it.
44
Another wellness or diet fad. I don't doubt that it may contribute to weight loss for some, and others may just enjoy a lifestyle where they eat only eight hours out of the day. It is possible to be healthy while intermittent fasting. However, it is not realistic for a lot of people.
A lot of studies like this fail to recognize the stress that dieting and weight loss strategies put on the body. Personally, I love bonding with friends over brunch, meeting a colleague for coffee and a pastry in the morning or a fresh batch of homemade cinnamon rolls way too much to participate in the wellness and diet industry's intermittent fasting will finally be this silver bullet for being healthy. It is just glorifying starving yourself for 16 hours of the day.
One more point, weight does not equal health! If you disagree or are just curious I highly recommend that you look into Health At Every Size.
8
Kay,
I would love to be able to have a long positive conversation with you regarding your perspective and demonstrate all the positive benefits intermittent fasting does for the entire body ecosystem.
How, along with a comprehensive, holistic approach to health, it's only one small part of a daily approach to health.
With love from Brooklyn!
4
@Kay N
Weight may not = health, but being overweight or obese certainly does contribute to ill health. And I don't believe anyone feels better in a body carrying too much weight.
7
@Kay N
Not eating for less than a day is not starving yourself. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I lived in a country with real hunger. Most Americans have no clue what it is or feels like. And it's not the minor discomfort of missing a meal or two.
11
I have followed the Intermittent Fasting diet known as 5:2 which was introduced in the U.K. by Dr Michael Molesley sometime in 2012. I started with a weight of 122 kg at an age of 73. The diet is one where you eat 'normally' 5 days out of the 7 and 2 days you reduce your calories to 500 for women and 600 kcal for men, during your fasting day.
I kept up the diet for 20 weeks and lost 30 kg (66 lbs) my glucose levels fell to a constant 5.2 to 5.8. My blood pressure also stabilised to average of 118/65 with a pulse of about 52 when sedentary.
I am now 78 and have still got the above conditions. Taking regular exercises and making sure that I don NOT sit for long periods of longer than max 60 mins. It is a life changer and a life saver!!
17
Without having a name for it, I now know I have engaged in intermittent fasting for my whole life. I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner but never anything in between, including nothing between dinner and breakfast. The result for me has been, not only maintaining a consistent weight, but also having a mouth full of healthy teeth. Since I am 76 years old, I guess it has worked for me.
7
Something overlooked in discussions of IF is how hunger actually lessens for many practitioners once you are off the blood-sugar roller coaster. I only eat between 2-8pm and find that less than half the dinner portion that was my previous norm satiates. I know it is hard to believe that somehow eating less can make you much less hungry over time, but for many of us that is, happily, the outcome.
35
Like almost every article we've seen about diet and health, this one needs to be 'taken with a grain of salt' (LOL).
Prior research has indicated that the opposite eating pattern is healthier: people who consumed their calories in small, paced snacks throughout the day gain less weight than when they binged their calories, into a few meals, weighted to the evening.
Personally, I've eaten no breakfast, except a cup of coffee, eating only lunch and dinner, for most of the last 20 years, and always been overweight.
Shouldn't it concern us that these 'studies' about the timing of eating, conveniently leave out any mention of the content being consumed, the number and types of calories, which is probably the 'heart of the matter'.
The only lessons we can take from decades of advice articles about diet are that the science is surprisingly complex, the data poor and no one factor can explain our current epidemic of obesity. Every new fad is contradicted in a few years by another.
Eat a balanced diet, exercise moderately, get your sleep, value your family. Mortality and disability can be delayed, but not avoided.
15
@CityTrucker
Fair enough. But fasting isn't a new 'fad'.
While it may look to Americans like a novel way of healthy eating, it's been the norm in other countries for centuries, often linked to religious practices. But not always.
And when I lived in France no-one ate between meals, ever. The food was healthy and servings were small. I was never hungry.
2
I fast intermittently, but after six months I remain so hungry at dinner that I easily can binge eat two big meals. This worries me; it’s the first time in my 59 years I’ve done this at mealtime. I would say “this can’t be healthy” and stop, but my husband has done intermittent fasting for two years to great benefits, so I’d like to keep going. Any suggestions re this?
2
You might consider food choice: Some foods are naturally more satiating, while others actually make you hungrier. A big culprit are processed foods with added sugar (almost all processed foods have added sugar, unfortunately). Healthy fats are useful for moderating hunger -- a little can go a long way.
2
@Karen Hill
Drink a lot of water, one or two tall glasses half an hour to an hour before dinner.
Remember, research has shown that some diets work for some people and not for others. This is why debates rage. Some people lose weight on low-carb diets, others on low-fat.
You could decide to have a salad for lunch. If you want a low-cal dressing, I've found low-fat plain yogurt with flavorings (herbs, mustard, lemon, etc) works well.
1
I did 5:2 Intermittent Fasting for three years in my early 50’s. If you don’t have a lot of weight to lose (25 lbs for me) you’ll find the loss very slow. I never got the extra energy and lucidity I was promised. Morning workouts suffered without breakfast, so I made sure to have a small meal. However my body did not have the same capacity as days where I ate normally. Working in events, I found it impossible to fast post 7 pm for 16 hours. It all came to a head when I was preparing for an event and at 4 pm a staff member kept repeating a simple question for which I lacked the concentration to answer. I was starving and so was my brain, I ate something and soon was able to think clearly again. For me, calories in and calories out with a variety of strength and cardio exercise is the only long term weight strategy that works FOR ME.
21
Not mentioned in this article are very important advantages of IF, which are: (1) Detoxing: giving the body time to eliminate toxins during fasting, leading to: (2) body repairing/upgrading, which happens mostly during sleep. The digestion takes up a big fraction of our metabolism, and the idea of short period fasting is to basically give the body a break so that it can repair itself. And let's not forget the other advantage of early dinner, that is high-quality night sleep!
13
@TO Define Detoxing...define what biochemical processes are taking place. What are the toxins? My liver removes toxins whether I am fasting or not.
Digestion is also how we extract energy from the food we eat. The logic of not taking in calories in order to burn less calories is oxymoronic. Maybe I could spend all day laying on the couch and leave lots of energy for detoxing and repairing.
Better sleep from eating an early dinner... really?...For you maybe. An early dinner for me means hungry by midnight and I can't sleep when I am hungry.
My point...your comment is pseudo science. People need to have a healthy scepticism when they are reading and should make sure it is from a reputable source.
4
@PC If you eat a full meal at 6-7 pm you won't go to bed hungry. If you eat red meat in the evening the body will spend the night trying to digest it, and there will be more toxins to evacuate than if you had eaten instead fish and vegetables, for example. And you won;t sleep well. Calories have nothing to do here. And no it's not pseudo-science. I am a scientist and this is based on empirical evidence and sound statistics.
1
@Angy Again, what toxins? Identify them. Never wanting to give specifics is the hallmark of of a pseudo scientist. Please give me specifics, educate me. What branch of science are you in? Is it related to food? Biochemistry?
And don't tell me when I am hungry, if I eat at 6 or 7pm I will be hungry by midnight. Do you know how many calories I burn, do you know how much exercise I get? I eat when I am hungry and stop when am full, I am perfectly healthy and sleep just fine.
I got into IF by accident. After a bad back injury two years ago, I had therapy sessions at 10 am three times a week. Due to severe reflux, I couldn’t eat beforehand so it was 1 pm by the time I got home, showered and finally got around to eating. On no-therapy days, I did my home exercises in the morning. Due to the reflux, I long ago stopped eating in the evening, usually having nothing after 7 pm. I quickly realized I didn’t miss eating in the morning and have happily continued my 7 pm to noon fasting pattern (and my home exercising) ever since. During the first 6 months, I lost 8 pounds without trying. I am 5’5” and now stable at 112 pounds.
9
I began IF in September (Male mid-50's). One of the benefits that I have rarely seen raised is the elimination of acid reflux issues that I have had for years. By stopping eating after 8, I am not going to sleep with a stomach still digesting food. Less food, less stomach acid when I lay down to sleep at night. My late night "snacks" were also usually the least healthy food I ate all day. As a result, I have lost weight from the calorie reduction, eaten a better balanced diet without counting and weighing every morsel, and ended reliance on acid reduction medications to get a good nights sleep.
12
I have discovered that one of the best benefits of intermittent fasting is the building and strengthening of discipline.
All too often, I eat and make lousy choices more out of habit than self control or discipline. If something's fast, easy, or sugary, I grab it, inhale it, and then after a little bit, I get extremely angry and annoyed at myself for being reckless with my food choices.
Intermittent fasting allows me to actually stop and refocus and evaluate if I'm really hungry or simply grabbing and eating out of habit, depression or anxiety.
There is no one fix for all as I painful discovered over time.
But at least something like intermittent fasting is a valuable tool for me in at least addressing and accessing the whys and frequency of my eating habits as well as keeping me out of the kitchen and fridge, searching for food as if I had not eaten in days.
In my case, it's more about mental attitude than merely being hungry.
20
Those who mistake intermittent fasting for another fad diet or method for weight loss are missing the point.
The goal is to eschew eating habits that are injurious, incompatible with our evolutionary history, and altogether a product of modern habits and agriculture. In a constant state of satiety, entire genetic programs are turned off, and the balance tips from autophagy (ie cleaning up cellular debris) and cellular repair to unmitigated growth and its negative consequences (malignancy, cellular aging, etc). This has been shown repeatedly over decades and numerous studies in humans and animals.
Even if intermittent fasting does not produce weight loss (a sliver of what determines health), it holds the promise to improve the healthspan and, potentially, lifespan.
David Ziehr, MD
64
I get in my workout early in the morning and then head off to a busy day of teaching and other engaging activities. I eat a substantial and healthy breakfast around 6:30 AM and then eat a nutritious lunch/dinner around 2:30 or 3 PM. After that, I don't eat again until the next morning. I have been doing this for years and my weight has maintained at 135 lbs. I am 5'9" tall and age 56.
I don't think the same diet regimen works for everyone, but this diet has been easy to follow and has worked well for me.
22
Access to the NEJM article Jane Brody recommends is password protected but I have read other serious scientific studies (a few cited by Dr. Valter Longo who may have been the first to experiment with this type of fasting) that support the benefits of intermittent fasting for people until age 65. After that, it seems the benefits can change and not necessarily for the better if sustained long fasts are undertaken. Particularly noted was the body’s need for more protein after age 60 to maintain muscle mass. I wish Brody had been more specific about this issue as it could be a serious concern when making a decision if one is an older adult.
17
@Kedi a correction to my own comment. Dr. Valter Longo wasn’t the first to experiment with intermittent fasting but his lab has researched and done important studies of it for many years which are relevant to the way we live, eat and contract disease today.
1
@Kedi
You can get free full text at Pubmed (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/). I used NEJM and fasting as the search terms.
3
@Harvey Thanks!
1
I have used intermittent fasting to lose 30 lbs. it has worked well for me. I do 12-8 for my window.
12
It seems like most who are successful at this are working largely sedentary jobs, with a few exceptions.
When I taught high school (for years), if I skipped breakfast, the morning teaching hours were brutal. It was difficult to be focused and on top of things.
Now, I work as a ski instructor in the winter months. If I don’t eat before my first lesson, I will be tired within a few hours, because I burn a tremendous amount of calories on the job.
If blood sugar levels are amok and weight is rising, then I could see IF as a possible solution. But if one is active and maintaining a healthy weight, why fix what isn’t broken?
8
Good question. I have found that this 16 hour fast helps an active life style. And the effects on aging well are my goal. Maybe once you are in your 50s you can give it a try. You will be surprised what your body can do.
2
I started intermittent fasting on November 14th, after finding out I suddenly had high cholesterol at age 52. It's been 3 months and I've lost 17 pounds and feel great (woman, 5'6", starting weight 169). I stop eating around 7pm, drink black coffee in the morning, and don't start eating again till 11. I eat regularly, and even have an early drink now and then. I adjust the hours if have dinner or breakfast dates. Trying to make this a lifestyle, I adjust as needed, and have broken thed 3 fast early on vacation or when hungry after working out. Not going back!
20
I like losing weight while not being hungry. A whole-foods, plant-based diet is the only one I have ever been on that lets you eat a lot while losing weight fast (30 pounds in two months) and most importantly keeping it off. It has the added benefit of staving off disease! I would not have done it except for a medical issue but glad I finally got here!
10
From all I've read, including this article, it seems "intermittent fasting" = skipping breakfast. Is this really news to people? Dieters have skipped meals forever. I've helped maintain my weight for over a decade by skipping breakfast almost every day. I'd hardly call it a revelation. Also, as far as social aspects go - if you have a dinner date, just fast further into the next day. easy!
10
Exactly. It's like that old piece of advice, "skip a meal." That could reduce daily calories by as much as a third. The timing just seems like playing a mental game with yourself.
2
@Kas
No, it’s not skipping meals. It’s eating your normal number of meals within an 8 hour period. So you’re not nutritionally deprived.
3
@Kas it's the continuity of the fast that makes the difference, not the missing meal. Your body behaves differently during periods of extended fasting.
Did you read the article?
4
Mark S
Allentown, PA
I am a 67 year old man who has been fighting a losing battle with weight for most of my life. I have tried pretty much everything out there from simple calorie counting, to Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach, etc etc. I lost weight on all of them and gained all of it back plus. Reason? I hated giving up all carbs, or all fats or.. well if you have dieted you know what I mean.
I began intermittent fasting in August of 2019. I was 241 lbs ( maybe more but that was what I wrote down as a starting point. )
I started, because of my schedule with 6 PM until 10 AM but over the months have adapted that as I needed to for changes in my schedule. I am currently just hovering around 200-202. Intermittent Fasting has been a life changer for me.
I am religious about the 16 hours of fasting, What that means is that there are some days when, for special events or work related issues, I eat as late as 9 or 10 PM. Well, the next day I don't eat until 16 hours have passed. Yes, somedays I don;t eat until 2 in the afternoon. BUT, I didn't deny myself the fun of the dinner party or wedding.
16 hours is my new norm. If a weekend goes by when I feel I have over eaten, the fasting brings me back to "normal." I am no longer on a diet. I just eat at certain times.
Try it.. what have you got to lose?
106
For me, intermittent fasting isn't that difficult. I do it 5 to 6 days a week. Most of the time I don't eat until I get home from work, which makes it more like 20hrs instead of 16hrs. If I feel hungry, a glass of water and patience will do the trick.
11
I am a rather healthy man in my 40s but slightly overweighted. I practiced intermittent fasting for about 6 month last year. I felt much more energetic and better at concentrating then. I also lost about 12 pounds. However, afterwards I developed a persistent although not severe headache and lightheadedness that lasted for few months. So I started to eat dinner again, and the weight came back. Unlikely most people practicing IF, I skipped dinner instead breakfast. I believe IF was too dramatic a change to my body, and it may be better for me to just cut down my calories intake. If any research scientist wishes to discuss with me about my experience, you are welcome to contact me via New York Times.
4
@Louis Liu
Remember that IF isn’t about skipping meals. It’s about having your normal meals within an 8 hour period and fasting for the other 16 hours. So you’re not nutritionally deprived.
1
Why would anyone want to give up breakfast?! Scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, warm toast...Also there’s plenty of research showing breakfast-skippers tend to be overweight. So who can really be sure about any of this?
6
@Comet
I agree, I’ve started the 5:2 version of intermittent fasting due to chronic inflammatory issues. I eat only 500 calories two days of the week, and the rest of the week I eat a healthy varied diet including scrambled eggs, fruit and toast. It has been a life changer for me...
1
@Comet
Overweight people find breakfast the easiest meal to skip. (Correlation, etc.) Recent studies have tended to debunk the idea that skipping breakfast leads to being overweight.
5
@Comet - Scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, warm toast are also delicious at lunch or dinner :-)
2
I agree .
This works well and the weight stays off after years of being on it - it is just an adjustment that most of us can easily make ! 😊
5
Skip the dishes blaring from every platform Is the perfect antidote for intermittent fasting. If the app could also show the calories of the food chains waiting to ensnare the sedentary, consumerism would chaotically run amuck.
2
I have tried different diets in the past and always managed to achieve my weight loss goal, only to see the weight pile back on a few months later. The Atkins diet had me gorging on burgers, salami, eggs and cheese. I lost the weight but had no energy to get out of a chair. The Mediterranean diet was fabulous - I ate fruits and nuts, fish, salads, feta cheese, extra virgin olive oil.....for awhile.
Finally, over five years ago, a friend recommended the fasting diet. I started, and at first, it was very difficult. It became more manageable within a few weeks. It is important to note that the weight did not fly off. I steadily lost a couple of pounds every month. Within a few months, I had gone from 180 pounds down to my university weight of 155 pounds. Most importantly, I have now maintained this weight for over five years.
I do not consider myself 'on a diet'. Rather, it is an eating plan, and it works.
47
I am a primary care doctor and I have been recommending intermittent fasting to my patients for about a year now with very positive results. I believe it is not only an effective weight loss strategy but also a radical and subversive idea in our consumerist culture. Fasting can be a gateway to cutting back on other forms of needless consumption such as buying useless junk online which will end up in a landfill, or watching garbage on television such as the nightly news. For this reason, I am very pessimistic that fasting will ever become broadly popular.
105
I just do this because I like how I feel -- I go to bed feeling lighter, it's cut down on alcohol consumption, and I've learned how to deal with being a bit hungry (I no longer get "hangry"). It does have the added benefit of making it easy to maintain my weight, and of keeping my heartburn in check, but again, I really just like the clean feeling it delivers.
32
I tried intermittent fasting starting with the New Year. I lost 5 pounds with no effort (I am petite, but had been slowly gaining weight) and am now at my ideal weight -- I even fit into pants that I could not wear last year. This was not easy for me since I love breakfast, and my stomach is growling by 11 a.m. The secret is to keep very busy and physically active in the morning, and then eat a healthy lunch at around 12:30 or 1 p.m. I exercise early in the morning to get my metabolism going.
I do this every day, but have on occasion (three times since I began) made exceptions to meet colleagues for breakfast. The point is that you don't have to be totally rigid in following the program to get the desired results. Also, I try to eat healthy foods -- nothing processed or packaged, and that is helpful in being fit and feeling well.
77
For decades, I tried everything the doctors advised to get my cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL into normal range. My triglycerides were 601 at one point. Decade after decade, I kept doing what the "experts" advised. Eat high carb, low fat, limit meat, eat more whole grains, fruit and veggies (on that one we did agree). Still, even though I did that, I watched my glucose rise, my lipids rise and I developed fatty liver disease. Then, I discovered Dr. Jason Fung and my life changed.
In one year, I've lost 35 lbs. My cholesterol is 177, triglycerides 125, HDL 129, LDL 98, fasting glucose 95 (A1c 5.2 and liver enzymes AST 17 ALT 21 (where they were previously 34 and 30). I don't eat a keto diet but rather low carb (50 carbs per day). I'm healthier now at 68 than I was in my 30's. I thank Dr. Fung for his valuable information and I stopped believing the doctors (who believed Dr. Ancel Keys and his bogus information). It's been a combination of IF 16/8 and low carb eating that's healed my body. I take no medication whatsoever. Please people. Before you poo poo the idea that this way of life isn't healthy, try it. It's been around for thousands of years. Give up the sugar, flour and processed foods. Your body will love you. I promise
122
If Dr. Mattson believes that to "eat healthy foods" one should include "whole grains . . . [and] limit saturated fats", he is living in the past and no less misguided than Ancel Keys was over 50 years ago.
22
@Peter C.
Whole grains are still grains and are poison, but saturated fat is not as 100% good as we now believe.
Some people have mutations that interfere with saturated fat metabolism and do better with a bit less. Many people find that coconut oil does not work for them.
1
@Fourteen14 Thanks for replying! Good to know.
correlation
does not
equal
causation!
10
It does not rule out it either. I teach Correlation and Causation for a living.
26
@Adam
That's what everyone says, but they always fail to realize that causation does always equal correlation.
1
@Austin Ouellette. The problem with listening to your doctor is many doctors have even less understanding of intermittent fasting than the average person who has actually read some decent literature on the subject.
I am fortunate to have an endocrinologist who is from India and when told him I was fasting intermittently his response was, “In my culture we do it [fast] all the time. You will live longer.”
36
I have done this off and on for years. Now maybe I have good genes, but I have found two keys to looking young. Eat real food and Worrying never made you a penny.
Thank you for reminding me that this would the normal way things would be in nature.
No more breakfast
11
Even though you get the info out there, it doesn't seem like you're convinced. It's actually easy if you take it very gradually. And if you get a dinner invitation for 7 pm, you go. It's not like the world ends if you don't stick to your window one day (and my window is noon to 8 p.m., like is mentioned in the article.
16
I started intermittent fasting (7-11) four months ago and I now practice it it not as a diet but as a life style. I thought that skipping breakfast would make me cranky. Instead it taught me to live in peace with the feeling of hunger. For me at least temporary hunger is much easier than the continuous deprivation that comes with dieting under calorie restriction.
30
I think an important aspect of intermittent fasting, discussed only in the last sentence, is that it is best to begin slowly. Decide it's what you want to do and then figure out how to incrementally bring it into your eating life. Give yourself 1-2 months to get to where you want to be (more if need be). I have several friends who start all kinds of diet plans but they make a 100% change and last about a week before quitting. Give yourself plenty of time to adjust physically & mentally. You'll be able to hang in there for the long term that way and see the results.
15
@ThinkinginUSVI That's exactly how I did it. For most of my life, I couldn't imagine not having a big breakfast, and breaking the habit takes time. If you do it very gradually - first I just tried one day a week (Saturday), pushing off the first meal for an hour or two. Over time, it became easy - now I could go to dinner if I wanted, and I have a few times when I'm really trying to lose weight.
3
IF not only helps with insulin management and autophagy as referenced by other comments, but in my case, it also helped my immune system reset itself do my body could finally fight off a chronic case of hives that had persisted for four months despite medical interventions of massive antihistamines, prednisone, supplements, elimination of high histamine foods and admonition to get rid of stress. Once I switched to an 8:16 IF and continued eliminating most high histamine foods, my hives are gone. I’m a believer that giving your digestive system ( which represents a large portion of your immune system) a resting period is a good thing.
13
Cool. The Atkins Diet in only 16 hours.
2
This approach can play havoc with your blood sugar levels. What has worked for me is eating in small amounts 5 or six times a day. and restricting my intake of fast foods and processed foods. We use to be a relatively fit and thin people until we started eating everything that now comprises two aisles of "snack food" in the grocery store and visiting the drive up window at the fast food joint.
5
@steve Intermittent fasting stabilized my sugar levels, instead of always being over 100. Now for example 4 pm with blood sugar monitor 83. So for me it works very well keeping me from being diabetic. If you do a bulletproof coffee with butter, coconut oil you seriously do not get hungry. So with no meals to interrupt until dinner, I get a lot more done :)
8
@Oh My PLEASE give up the butter and coconut oil....yes, you might not be hungry but you're killing your heart long term.
2
@Steve, maybe it works for you, but to me, that is just another example that our metabolisms do not all function the same way. I am diabetic, do all our food prep with whole (unprocessed) foods, and my blood sugar kept climbing. With IF and a mostly keto diet, I finally am seeing control that had long eluded me. I find it far easier to follow and more effective than the ADA diet or trying to remember to eat healthy snacks every few hours. No crashes here.
8
Intermittent fasting works. During a 3-month period, I shed 10 pounds gradually and felt healthier afterwards. Most importantly, I was only mildly overweight and took the pounds off slowly and healthily, while enjoying casual sports, like walking and riding my bike. The most encouraging aspect of intermittent fasting is that it's easy and sustainable. I've also found that reducing my portions has been easier with intermittent fasting, and that by reducing intake of added sugar I feel happier!
18
Just a few years ago, we were told that it’s good to graze all the long, so blood glucose level stays constant, as a way to lose weight. Now we are saying fasting is better. When I was in college, all the college women ate a bagel for breakfast, because that was perceived as healthier than eggs/meat. Then paleo came, and said, no carbs. Interesting!
17
Absolutely right. Another fad diet.
5
You left out some of the other options for fasting. I have been doing the 5/2 plan for a number of years, and it was the only thing that worked for me to lose weight (including 10 years of 2+ hrs of martial arts 3-4 times a week). I lost 25 pounds and have kept off 20 for at least 6 years. Was able to cut back on my blood pressure medications. I have now switched to what I call "maintenance mode" and do a 6/1 plan. Just one day a week of "fasting," and I just skip lunch and eat very low calories for the day, per the "Fast Diet" method.
4
I do a 5:2 diet, fasting Monday PM to Wed AM and Wed PM to Fri AM, meaning 2 x 36-hour fasts a week.
It works wonderfully for me. I lose weight, albeit slowly, and I'm surprisingly relaxed and clear-headed on fasting days. The first week was hard, but hunger pangs and such are not that common, and can usually be alleviated with water or coffee
This doesn't work for friends who are diabetic but it's worked for me for a while. It can get awkward; I don't usually accept dinner invitations on Tue/Thu, and Mon/Wed if they run late (past 8pm, which is start time). On the whole, it's a worthwhile exercise that's improved quality of life.
4
I've been intermittently fasting for years, however I only eat after dark (or later afternoon) skipping breakfast/lunch most of days - drinking (sugary) coffee and natural juice all day long. Eating meat and veggies without restrictions, consuming (brown) sugar daily - no milk as personal preference.
No health problems, no overweight, no regular exercises... a very sedentary life currently working from home office!
I believe it's not just the fasting but what you eat, I do eat junk food but try not to do regularly... eating home cooked meals most of days makes a difference.
3
I think there is great merit in this idea. The reality is that our modern bodies aren't mean to ingest 3 whole meals a day. Eating three squares each day is a tradition born of the requirements when we were all farmers or manual laborers and were physically active from sunup to sundown. Most of us have ceased that level of physical activity and do not need a near constant influx of calories, which is why we're all fat. Personally, I have had great success on a one meal a day plan, with one extended (40-48 hr) fast per week. You can also savor your food a bit more when it comes around less frequently.
16
I have been on IF for around three months. I have lost around 28 pounds. According to my scale, I am now down to 30.1% body fat, vesus the 33% I was when I started. However, I have to say I feel as though I am losing muscularity, and it is hard to summon the energy for weight lifting, calisthenics. I am able to climb stairs, and walk at least 24 flights in two sessions per day (which just about kills me). I think some of us are more genetically programmed to rely on glucose for energy and muscle building than others. It is an easy diet to stay on, however, and I am glad so many have benefitted.
8
I find this entire piece a bit shocking - it has value because Ms. Brody tried it and liked it?
8
@Kelly She didn't try it.
For people with a known or hidden tendency to develop an eating disorder, fasting can be the perfect trigger, which I discovered in my early 20s. In trying to control my weight, I consumed little or nothing all day, but once I ate in the evening, I couldn’t stop and ended up with a binge eating disorder.
2
Bizarrely, this seems to completely omit the role of exercise. If you don't eat from 7 pm to 11 am, are you supposed to exercise during that period without replenishing afterward? (A bad thing, most fitness gurus will say.) Or are you supposed to somehow fit in exercise between 11 am and 7 pm, say after lunch during your workday? Squeezed in after you get home from work and then immediately have dinner (who's cooking)? Or is this just another pointless study with little benefit for people who already have healthy habits.
6
@Carlos Alcala
It really depends on your goals, but outside of body builders and elite performance or professional athletes, almost everyone else will do fine exercising during the daily non-eating window. Zone 2 exercise (moderate aerobic) is entirely fueled by fat-oxidation, and even those of use who are very fit are walking around with at least 70,000 calories of store fat in our bodies. Even high intensity interval training or intense resistance training can be fueled by your muscle glycogen stores, which will then be replenished by the body during the daily eating window. I train 5-6 days a week in a fasted state, with aerobic and weighlifting, and have gained muscle while doing. All while limiting my eating to 6-8 hours a day, mostly modified keto.
17
@Carlos Alcala
I think you don't really know unless you try it. I'm not an IFer but in the past I'd typically do whitewater kayaking in the afternoon, eat dinner, and then do weightlifting the next morning with no breakfast, then have lunch around noon. Can't explain why but my system just wasn't hungry the next morning before weightlifting. This typically was the scenario when I spent 4-5 hours on the water.
Other days, when I kayaked after work and spent only a couple hours on the water, then worked the following day I'd need to eat something before weightlifting in the afternoon even after I'd had breakfast and lunch that day. You do what works.
3
@Carlos Alcala flexibility is the key. window is flexible not rigid. be flexible with the exercise component. your body has STORES of energy in form of glucose. That is why people hit the wall during marathon they run out of readil avaible glucose intheir body.
12 years ago I weighed 245 pounds while eating 1100 calories a day. Almost zero fat (as per doctor's order), low protein, lots of sugar. What else was there to eat? At 5'2" I waddled.
Fired the doc, started IF, ate 2 meals a day, raised calories to 2500 a day with lots of fat, complex carbs, zero added sugars and good protein.
3 years later - and as of today - i weigh 128, size 7. Added weight lifting once a week, raised calories to about 2700 a day. Still doing IF, 2 meals a day, and laughing at the ridiculous concept of CICO.
I'm still 5'2" (darn it!) - but yesterday did 330 reps (heavy weights) in my weekly session. And - I'm 75.
Yes, IF is sustainable. No, calories are NOT automatically lowered (if you're smart). Yes, it's an incredibly healthy way to eat. And eating homemade foods definitely helps. Try it - you'll like it!
233
@Susan B. A. Thank you! Yes, I wish I'd found IF many years ago, when CICO was the golden rule that didn't work and made those of us overweight look like we were lazy and weak-willed. It was the insulin all along... Your post is inspiring.
4
This craze is totally bogus. All you have are a few people who have tricked themselves into eating fewer calories over a period of a few months and think they have re-invented the wheel. Over time, every one will adapt their diet to satisfy their hunger whether it takes 2 meals per day or 6. Losing 12 pounds in 2 months is a piece of cake (no pun intended); I can do it 3 or 4 times a year. I can also gain 10 pounds in a week but no one wants to read about that.
14
@Chris Bader so your arguing with results?
more to it then that and everyone is not you.
Basically, we eat too much. Skip one meal a day, and you don’t ingest almost 1000 calories.
Voila, we lose weight! Who would have thought?
17
Would intermittent fasting help with sleeping disorders? Does one sleep better after being on an intermittent fast, say, for one month?
3
@james lochrie Here is what you need to do. Cut all sugars put, eat meat and veggies and you must eat healthy oils coconut oil, olive oil. Ditch canola oil it’s garbage. Your sleep is being disturbed most likely from sugar highs and lows. Read keto diet and how to implement. Been on keto and intermittent for about three years. My husband is jealous, I sleep like a long. My husband still ingesting sugary desserts and carbs - his choice of dessert Oreo cookies dark chocolate - sugar and caffeine. He is a wreck and wakes all night long. Told him time to ditch the treats you will sleep better. When he gets a bill from a sleep disorder place maybe that will convince him his sugary ways are involved with wakey sleep
8
Where ya been, Jane?
Better late than never.
3
Has anyone tried combining IF and hypnotism?
1
As a long time fan of Ms Brody, I found this article more meek than so many of her great pieces. My husband and I have been in therapeutic Ketosis and 24 hour IF for three years. We are back to our weights on our wedding day (52 years ago). We have no illnesses, zero pains are strong, active, and sleep 10 hours straight most nights, no waking. We keep our calories around 900 to 1600 a day. All very healthy. A great way to live.
When we have guests we adjust our eating hours as is useful. Life is to enjoy in health. We are both 76!!
Thanks for article...pls do more with more human clinical trials...many diabetics could stop insulin if they knew the data. Check Dr Eric Westman, Duke Med. School.
15
I am a strong proponent of Intermittent Fasting. I have been doing it for 2 years and it has worked for me and for others I know for weight control. I don't have much to add to all the really excellent testimonials made by other supporters but I do want to comment on Ms. Brody's summary of one multiple sclerosis (MS) study. She linked to the abstract and the abstract is enough to know that the study dealt with calorie restriction (CR) NOT IF. Here is a link to the actual study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6107078/
The study was about how different calorie restricted eating patterns (IF is an eating pattern) affected MS. The conclusion was "CR diets are a safe/feasible way to achieve weight loss in people with MS and may be associated with improved emotional health". So, the upshot is that losing weight (through restricting calories in all eating patterns) was beneficial to people with MS NOT that IF was beneficial to people with MS. There is lots of research supporting IF for weight loss and health benefits that Ms Brody could have used. It concerns me that she has instead mischaracterized a study that is about restricting calories as a way of supporting IF.
12
I use a modified 8/16 split, and being on your own schedule (retired, work at home etc) makes it much easier. I'm up by 8 most days and do not eat until noon or later, sometimes as late as 2pm. I am fairly hungry at first, but that fades. I usually eat next meal 3-4 pm but varies greatly, and final meal around 8 pm, and either of last two meals my be largest meal of the day, depending on mood, or whether eating out. Smaller meals is also key. Lost about 25 lbs in 6 mos or so, but you have to be patient. I am 73 and feel better than I have in years. Carrying around 25 lbs all the time is exhausting.
10
What happened to all the earlier research showing the importance of eating a balanced breakfast? Were all those studies flawed?
5
@Mainah I think eating breakfast is very individual - for some it works well and some not so much. I have found that if I'm not hungry when I wake up I do not eat, and eating tends to trigger my hunger even more. When I don't eat first thing I find that I have more energy.
9
I decided many years ago to "starve a little each day." I weigh what I weighed when I was 20. And I am 85.
13
I have been doing 5:2 fasting for over 5 years now. I lost some weight, which was appreciated, but got something more important out of it: feeling control over food--or rather, control over my physical and emotional feelings about food. I know what hunger feels like, and that it is OK to feel hungry. When I am bored or looking to be distracted, I do not need to eat. In our society, we have become fortunate to be able to avoid discomfort (hunger or boredom) and as a result we have lost mindfulness. I very much appreciate now the cup of coffee with milk and sugar that I have the day after a fasting day. Something so simple brings me joy and anticipation! And eating a healthy meal after feeling truly hungry means so much more to me than just eating because it's 5:00. And, if I get hungry while away from good food, I know that I can wait until I can eat something good rather than whatever is convenient right now. We seem to avoid discomfort so much these days; I find that feeling uncomfortable from time to time makes me more focused and more in touch with myself. I also find it fascinating how much it bothers other people when you aren't eating. Why do people care so much that I don't eat a cookie? Even with that, not giving into peer pressure just because other people are eating has made me stronger. Food for thought, haha!
29
Eating from 11 am to 7 pm is what I do except for coffee and milk in the early AM to get going. Fasting is great but no coffee is a real inconvenience. And what about all those diet articles saying that a good breakfast is one key to weight loss? At 11 AM I am ready for lunch not oatmeal.
4
I think you can file the those articles away with the ones that told us to eat low fat everything. When I think of the 50 years I spent drinking skim milk and throwing away egg yolks I want to scream. Now I am 60. Diet and exercise stopped working for me at menopause. Thought I had to accept it but no...IF and keto have helped me lose the weight, yes, but they also got my brain unmuddled again. I can think so much better again. That happened within just a few weeks, and I would have been a convert just for that. The f alone didn’t do as much for me; I may have also needed the better omegas in high quality fats of keto. Please Try it before you write it off. And find a doctor who has tried it too; most of the others just roll their eyes.
1
I lost my sense of smell in the mid 1990’s in retrospect, due to an autoimmune illness finally diagnosed in 2015.
On December 26, I started overnight 16 hour fasting. One week later I was startled to suddenly smell my hand washing soap. I can now distinguish between spices. My ability to detect scents is not perfect, but definitely improved, and has remained fairly stable.
In addition, my asthma peak flow meter readings have improved by 150 points, and colon inflammation symptoms are more stable. I also read that IF helps improve LDL cholesterol readings; the next test is several months away.
23
I have been doing IF for at least 2 years now at 16/8 on a daily basis. I workout in the mornings in a fasted state and my runs and workouts have never been stronger. IF becomes pretty easy after the transition period. In a way it is liberating compared to eating throughout the day and night. I also sleep better as I usually have no calories for at least 3 hours before I fall asleep
I recommend adopters consider doing a period of Keto or LC eating for a period to drive the fat adaption process and get the body accustomed to using ketones for energy.
I really believe in IF and it can be a life changer for so many.
18
It's common sense. Human beings weren't designed to eat all day long from dawn until bedtime. I don't like the term "intermittent fasting" and I don't think of it as a "diet." It's just eating fewer hours a day.
I used to eat breakfast at 7 am and end my day by snacking after dinner as late as 11 pm. My weight wasn't bad but I didn't feel healthy.
Don't change your eating habits suddenly. I know people who tried right away to eat from 12 to 8. I started by reducing my eating time to 12 hours a day. Even that wasn't easy! 8 am to 8 pm was a big change for me. Cut back your hours very gradually, by one hour a week.
It doesn't have to be strict. I try to keep my eating time to 8 or 9 hours a day but, for me, any day when I eat for less than 12 hours is a good day.
Regardless of what I eat or how much I eat, when I eat within a limited amount of time I simply feel better.
BTW, some call it "Buddha's Diet."
15
I don’t understand the negative reactions that this eating pattern has triggered. I am a 55 year old female who has never been on a diet, nonetheless interested in one. Having always been relatively healthy (BMI 19), I found the encouraging (and well researched) benefits of intermittent fasting (IF) on the mind and body fascinating and well worth trying. After reading numerous research studies (e.g., NCBI), I began an IF 16:8 schedule 10 months ago to see whether it could help me deal better with stress, sleep problems and improve my overall physical and mental health. Within weeks of starting it, my brain fog started to lift, my energy ramped up, my productivity increased (especially mornings despite -or because of- an empty stomach), my sleeping improved and food tasted better than ever! Since then, I often decrease my eating window (to 6, 4 or fewer hours) depending on my schedule, without any difficulty or adverse effects. I see IF as a useful and flexible tool to stay healthy and have not had any inconvenience incorporating it into either my social or business life. As others have already pointed out, eating windows can simply be adapted to the times one chooses to eat. I still meet people for breakfasts, brunches and dinners, while sticking to a minimum 16:8 cycle without any issues. Due to travel and changing time zones, it was a challenge a few times, but not significantly so. I haven’t seen much of a difference weight wise, but muscle tone has improved noticeably.
21
@Eli Me, too. All of that. I think people just get all worked up because...they have to change ideas that for so long have been dictated, sanctioned by society, their families, their Doctors, scientists etc. and so its and Emotional reaction. We live in Argentina and my boyfriend mentioned to one of our neighbors he was considering a more Vegetarian diet and this guy told him he should "check with his Doctor...cuz it might be dangerous" lol!! I've done IF for 3-4 years all wit excellent similar results as you.
5
In traditional Indian households, people skip one or both meals on 11th day of the fortnight (half month in Indian lunar calendar). In each month there is usually at least one or two other days of cultural or religious significance where the same routine is kept. So, approx 3-4 days a month. Many skipped one meal on Mondays or some other day each week. It is acceptable to eat fruit if one is hungry but no grain or cooked food. There is no dietary or religious edict. Purely voluntary and widely practiced.
It was tradition (and not dietary fads) that has sustained this practice for centuries.
9
@Global Citizen And most Indians I know are in terrible shape. 35 yrs old w the body of a 65 yr old.
3
Like all diets there is no magic here. Intermittent fasting helps people lose weight because ultimately you are taking in less calories.
12
You’re right. Certain diets and exercise regimens can help burn fat instead of muscle but ultimately there is only one way to lose and that is burn more calories than you consume. The entire multi-billion dollar diet/nutrition industry has a vested interest in making it more complicated than it is.
5
@Doug Actually not true. Work by Mattson and others indicates that intermittent fasting (or time-restricted eating) can lead to moderate weight loss with absolutely no change in nutritional input. When you eat does matter.
26
@Don Brown As I'm sure you know human nutrition science is quite problematic. I like to follow the best data and keep an open mind. Yes it seems when you eat matters however the only way to loss weight is to take in less Kcals than you burn. Obviously there many biopsychosocial impediments making this process hard. Finding what works for you is very important. But the data clearly shows successful diets work because of calories in/calories out. The evidence has repeatedly shown there is no magic in weight loss: its not carbs, insulin, calorie counting, keto etc. At the most basic level it is about energy in and energy out.
Please link a human trial, preferably a metabolic ward study, showing an intermittent fasting cohort losing more weight than a control group on the SAME amount of daily Kcals. Here is a systemic review showing no difference between time restricted feeding and continuous caloric restriction: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6836017/
Fasting may offer some health benefits but I'm not convinced these metrics are not due to the lower Kcal intake and weight loss.
6
I read "The Obesity Code" by Jason Fung, M.D. about a year ago and started following it loosely. It's complicated, but he says that obesity is caused by hormones (insulin, not estrogen) and that intermittent fasting regulates insulin. I started fasting between about 6-7 pm and 9-10 am and have lost about 2 lbs per month (25 lbs.). It is the easiest thing I have ever done. I eat regular, (basically healthy) food as I always have (including some simple carbs such as potatoes, pasta, bread and white rice) and drink wine almost every day. I have not cut out desserts and sweets, but have cut down. I have not had problems with hunger and feel great. The best thing is that I don't feel deprived and can continue this "diet" forever. I feel like I've discovered The Secret!
29
I think we know where ‘hangry’ comes from by now: low blood sugar. When my pancreas first went wonky, I was hangry a lot! I ate carbs when it happened bc I was STARVING and it just happened again. I was diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia. (Years later I found out I also had pancreatic insufficiency.) With no good help from the doctors, I finally consulted a nutritionist who told me to eat fat, fiber and protein. Greatly reducing ‘white’ carbs has really eliminated the old angry-starvation sensations. I find it easy to not eat if I have to. My only ‘problem’ now is that a more veg diet still leaves me weak and hungry- I really need to have meat. I care about the environment but my digestive situation means that meat is always on my plate. Luckily, I live in a rural area and we can harvest a lot of it ourselves or get it from local growers.
14
I read this column because of the headline. Specifically because I thought, upon reading the headline, "Hey, I do this all the time." I'd never really thought about it. And I certainly never mentioned my eating habits to a doctor, given that I knew I would get yet more chiding advice that I had no intention of taking.
I come by my eating schedule naturally. I have never in my life seen the point of eating if I was not hungry. Unless I'm living in some kind of setting that makes meals available only during set hours--as was the case when I was an undergraduate at a private college--there are no fixed-time meals. But "breakfast" has always meant black coffee to me; I can't stand the sight of food in the morning. I had never correlated this with my health, though, given the propaganda that has always said I was doing everything wrong.
I'm slim, of course. I've always been in good shape, and at 68 I still am. But I'm gratified to learn that resisting advice from supposed "experts" has served me so well.
17
What I like about eating between 11 and 7 is that I don’t have to think about food outside of those times - it is already decided: Food happens between 11 and 7, that’s it. It’s a relief and one less thing to think about/plan for.
24
A hospital in Miami, Florida, recently put a 64 year old patient suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, initially evidenced by sudden appearance of jaundice and swollen ankles, on an "enforced" fast for 8-10 days,(unclear if first days had any food because he was Baker Acted, possibly because he resisted walking into the ambulance. Under HIPAA it is impossible to determine what happened for 72 hours) On the 10th day of his hospitalization, he climbed out of the stupor induced by Lorazepam every 6 hours by IV and Naxolene Hydrochloride IV, to assert that he was sane, that he was hungry and wanted soup.
Because of the tranquilizing effects of the drugs, making it difficult for him to stay awake to swallow properly, to avoid aspiration to his lungs, the doctor ordered that he be subjected to nasogastric intubation that delivered Nepro and put mitts on his hands so he couldn't pull out the tube. Unsurprisingly, this regimen exacerbated his malnutrition, which in turn negatively impacted his liver and kidneys.
After 3 more weeks of stupefying sedation, uncalled for after a week to avoid agitation of withdrawal symptoms, where alertness interpreted as agitation to justify larger doses of zombie medicine, he fell into acutely weakened state of decline. The hospital obtained consent from an out of state brother to become his "proxy" He rubber stamped hospital decisions.
Medical schools should give potential doctors more instruction on nutrition and treating the whole person.
6
@She
The hospital situation you describe is horrifying. The oath to "do no harm" clearly means only "Don't harbor any intention to do harm."
The problem with training med students on nutrition is that they have already been culled to consist of people who are not receptive to independent thinking. They are true believers, which makes them susceptible to every idea that comes down the pike as long as it has the stamp of approvable from the medical establishment.
One of the caveats of medical training apparently is to disregard what patients say. The "hard copy" from tests--blood tests, X-rays, MRIs, etc.--trumps whatever a patient says. The patient is not believable; the hard copy is.
When my grandmother, who was in remarkable shape, was in her nineties, the federal government sent someone out to check on her because her Social Security checks were regularly cashed but she had never used her Medicare. The government feared abuse. Granny lived alone but next door to my mother. Granny assured the guy that she was very well taken care of (which was true) and just didn't like doctors (also true). She was not often sick, but when she was, she ressted every appeal from family to go to a doctor.
She had wanted to see her 100th birthday, and she did. But she had no ambition to see 101. She died one week short of her 101st birthday.
Would she have lived such a healthy long life had she relented on doctors? A true believer would say yes. But I am not one.
11
@NormaMcL Granny lived because of her rightful aversion. I suffer too!
1
At 67 the health benefits of IF are worth the effort. Most of the time I can only make it 15 hr, with breakfast being the biggest meal after exercising at the end of the fast.
2
@Ro John and others, here is my question - you say you can often only make it to 15 hours, but is there research showing that 16 hours is some kind of magical number? I tend to do 14 hours and that feels pretty good and I am REALLY ready to eat at that point, so I do. I'm not seeing evidence that I need to push to 16 - is there evidence on this? Does anyone know?
If I ate whenever I get hunger pangs I would gain 50 pounds so IF is a great help because I can withstand the hunger much easier in the morning, especially if I work out. A healthy brunch at 12:00 is very satisfying and then an apple around 3:30 and dinner at 6:00 really works for me.
14
It does not need to be for 16 hours. I eat dinner between 5 and 6 pm and breakfast at 8 am, so my fasting period is 14 hours. I eat 3 meals at the same time every day: 8am/1pm/5-6pm. I typically do not get hungry before lunch. In the afternoon if I do get hungry a snack is a carrot or an orange or some water. I eat things I like, (no refined sugar) between 1600 and 2000 calories per day, mostly plant-based but not all. I exercise for 25 minutes daily, in addition to riding a bike or walking a couple of times a week.
My stats: I am 70 years old. I got serious about doing my current regimen just 8 months ago. I have lost 30 pounds (213 to 183) after knocking off 10lbs with a 60 hour water/fruit fast last summer to begin it.
12
Awesome! I'm passing this on to my husband who does intermittent fasting with me and vegetarian Keto foods. We used to be gym nuts but over time less so. You're my inspiration to get back to that. Thanks so much for sharing!
2
Orthodox Jews fast six times a year of varying lengths. A larger number of Jews starting at ages 12 (girls) or 13 (boys) - Reform, Conservative and Orthodox - fast for 24 hours or less on Yom Kippur. As a child I dreaded that day. Now at almost 70 I look forward to it as the most tranquil day of the year. The next day I feel healthier than any other day of the year. This is just my own anecdotal evidence but I think that Orthodox Jews are healthier than the general population.
6
I eat dinner that’s it. Bulletproof coffee in morning. Green tea during the rest of the day. Numbers all good. Energy great. Been doing this for years. My one meal is keto based.
14
@Oh My So extremely low calorie then?
it's worked for me. about 9 months ago i started a 16/8 schedule - since then i've lost about 25 lbs and my cholesterol (unmedicated) has dropped over 100 pts. on a typical day, i stop eating around 9 or 10 pm and have my first food about 1 or 2 the next day. fact is, for me, this feels natural - as a kid i never ate breakfast. it didn't ever really digest well but over the years hearing how it's the most important meal of the day i got used to it.
sure, i get a little hungry, before my first meal but i've never feel anywhere "hangry" the way i used to at 11:30, before lunch even though i had eaten just a few hours earlier. also turns out i need a lot less food to satisfy my hunger ... 3 full meals per day was just way too much food. oh and i eat what i want - while i was never a big processed food eater there's very little i ate before that i don eat now.
10
What ever happened to “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”? I guess it went out with the “Four Main Food Groups.”
It’s hard to keep up with the shifting philosophy of nutrition. Notice I didn’t call it a “science.” It looks more like sequential fads.
17
To get the maximum benefit from intermittent fasting, I have my last meal at 3pm and my next meal around 7am. Breakfast is still my most important meal and having an early dinner, the food is well digested before I go to bed at night. I have lost weight and inches from my waist, rarely feel hungry and have fantastic energy throughout the day. Of all the nutritional changes I have made over the years for my health, this feels the most sustainable. Highly recommended!
14
Breakfast was never the most important meal. That was Big Cereal advertising corn flakes to you. I rarely eat breakfast and kept my weight off despite eating rather badly. My wife pointed out I’ve unknowingly been doing IF for years.
13
@Kathy The person that invented that saying was John Harvey Kellogg. It was advertising for his brand new breakfast cereal.
13
Here's an inane thought. Eat when you're (truly) hungry; when your body says it needs food and not because it's a habit of mind. It's what I do.
What this means is, while eating pretty much whatever I want - and that has evolved to fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and the occasional slice of animal carcass, I basically eat once a day. I suffer no weight or health problems, I sleep just fine at night and my body percolates along during the day seemingly happy with how I treat it.
I am growing older, though, so there are no guarantees that this will continue. But so long as time and circumstance allows me to remain this way I guess I'll adhere to the logic of "if it ain't broke don't fix it." I'll keep to this habit until something comes along to force a change.
John~
American Net'Zen
4
@John
I agree with your approach. What's good for one person may be disastrous for another. Apparently I am a natural "faster"--I just never thought of it that way until reading this column. But that is simply my nature.
Two points: First, a vast number of Americans have lost their ability to listen to their own bodies; they have turned their bodies over to medical doctors instead and, in the process, have abrogated their own responsibility for their health.
Second, Americans are trendy. They expect to find some wisdom in every trend that comes down the pike. Doctors, too, are trendy. They fall in behind every idea that comes with backing from the medical establishment--right up until it is contradicted by the next "latest wisdom."
We deny everything about our physical individuality---our ethnic backgrounds, our individual bodies and psychological makeups--in hopes of a surefire bullet that is good for all. Chances of that succeeding for all strike me as nil.
4
@NormaMcL: Well I'll have to admit that we American's do tend to look for a magic pill to solve all that ails us. This is not to go all critical on my countrymen; it's a human peculiarity you can find pretty much across all cultures and creeds.
But it does seem to have a strong....resonance, here in America. Perhaps this is because of what you point out; we tend to not be as in touch with ourselves as we should, or could, be.
It's an interesting irony that the citizens of arguably the most powerful country on this planet, a society almost literally drowning in information, suffer from a lack of a certain base-line awareness about themselves and what is good for them.
But as the late great Kurt Vonnegut would say....so it goes?
Regards!
John~
American Net'Zen
1
As one ages ones ability to digest food late in the day deteriorates
I started having dinner at 7 when I developed acid reflex
Going to bed at least 3 hours after a meal helps and breakfasting as late as possible
Eat when you are hungry, but not late at night, makes you feel so much better as the article explains
9
"He eats nothing from 7 p.m. until 11 a.m. the next morning, every day." So, he skips breakfast, and has an early lunch. I guess we can give that a name.
7
This would be difficult for me, but I appreciate how the article has me thinking about it. However, my chief reason for writing is to say that Gracia Lam's graphic for this article is brilliant. So clever yet so simple. Kudos.
6
60% of Americans are overweight or obese, because they eat highly processed food. A blueberry muffin at Starbucks has 460kcal, a Big Mac 540kcal, and a Chipotle steak burrito a 1000kcal. Yet, a healthy male office worker of average height can only consume 2000kcal a day without putting on weight. Fat chance with food like that offered in his office park or in his cafeteria! And of course, women can consume even less. Little wonder that half of America will be obese by 2030.
9
As Director of The New York Center for Eating Disorders, I know for sure that manipulating and controlling one's food - as in intermittent fasting or dieting - can be the gateway for an eating disorder. Or at the very least, it heightens people's chronic obsessions with food, eating, weight, and body image. How about practicing intuitive eating: eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full. As a specialist in emotional eating (I coined the original term), we also help people separate their feelings from their food, their emotions from their eating. Intuitive eating + resolving one's emotional eating triggers is the key to declaring peace with food and body image.
49
@Mary Anne Cohen
You're probably right for those that already have an eating disorder. Fasting doesn't create one.
8
Hey @Mary Anne Cohen, I believe you are right about the gateway thing. But with the increase in this up-and-coming fad of keto lifestyle and fasting, do you also see an increase in disorders? There are new understanding in addictive behaviors in that, a 1st use filling in a blackhole in a soul vs a well adjusted individuals 1st use is all the difference in the start of addictive behavior.
Would you look at one-meal-a-day differently if it was done for health and not diet. My particular weight loss was just one of many many benefits and I did it for the Alzheimer’s benefits. So I don’t know how well that is working even though I’ve been keto and fasting once a month for 2 years. But, from the perspective of one who has had addictive behavior, I don’t see a black hole if you are just looking for health.
My 2 cents for sure but 1st hand cambio non-the-less. 😝
1
@Mary Anne Cohen But what about when biochemistry changes your idea of "full"? I obviously eat more than I need (the extra flab on my body is not huge, but is obvious); I think Jason Fung (Obesity Code) is right that our "body set weight" gets reset and the body keeps us eating to keep up to that weight, and that the way out is: lessen the insulin. IF seems to be a proven way to do that. Read the book.
1
Underlying all these fad diets is one common factor: privilege. Please remember there are millions of people in our country who fast a lot but not by choice.
34
I tried IF while teaching high school. There was no way it was sustainable for me...I simply needed calories in the morning to get my brain working.
Now I’m working as a ski instructor. If I also don’t eat in the morning, I experience a crash and burn like no other by noon.
It seems like the success of IF depends on how active one is during the day.
10
If you want the benefits of intermittent fasting, make it work to fit you. For example, how about a great breakfast and lunch and then fast till the next morning?
19
@Wendy depends on what you are eating in addition to the times. If you are high carb, work through that carb in the morning skiing and then hit the 'wall' like marathoner. also, your hyrdration and electrolyte levels factor in.
A modified version that works for me: nothing before noon but coffee, slight milk and sugar, plus a gym workout. *Only* if I’m truly starving, I’ll have an apple or an orange - which on the old Weight Watchers platform was “zero points.” The weight loss is gradual, a pound a week, but it’s working as motivation for my 10-lb loss goal.
10
I’ve been told my whole life (I’m 59) that by not eating breakfast I was missing the most important meal of the day. But I’ve never been hungry until lunch time. I also don’t like snacking at night. So for 40 years I’ve eaten most of my meals in an 8 hour window between noon and 8:00 pm. I’m the same 175 lbs. now that I was at 18. Who knew I was an intermittent faster?
47
Hey@AA , then how about unlocking a power-up. Try 72hrs. You will love your new brain. The great Roman Orators always fasted before a speech for awesome clarity. Quick fun fact. Fasting is way good for your gut biodiversity. Medium chain fats are produced right in there and are the only substance known to not have to go through the liver to be processed 1st. It was thought that only coconuts and Palm nut oil were the only place to find a source, but it is there for the harvesting right in your gut. Mct is the only thing that doesn’t have to bind with a protein to move about the body. It also doesn’t have to be broken down to burn for energy. Slips right into the cell and into the mitochondria and gives a good clean burn. Cancer is a cell whose mitochondria died but the living cell reverts to another form of energy production- fermentation. If you have MCT and all the other fat in there and no sugar, the cell will be snipped up during autophagy and used for fuel in the muscle building pathways. It takes sugar for cancer, and America is all about fermentation. (SugarDiet)
Man! I know I could eat me a loaf of peanut butter sandwiches. That was my truck snacks everyday. Even though I ran and exercised I knew I was losing the carb battle. If 60% of Americans are overweight, mostly the 40% are like you, @AA.
2
I was hoping for more info on longer fasts. But my own experience with 48 and 72 hr fasts reinforces these findings. Neither is there any mention of the antioxidant activity excited by fasting, and that it is the same mechanism excited by 40 minutes exercise. It is no coincidence, that, showers aside, one feels "clean" after each. Longer term fasts have other positive side effects, portion reduction after fasting, and food regains its incredible richness of flavour after abstinence, all the more reason to eat only the best when one does eat. Once the stomach goes off duty, one realizes it is more or less upset all the time from all the work we give it. All your systems need a break, and what better time to clean up all those oxidizing waste products. You can be certain our ancestors often went 2- 3 days with no food, and we are descended from those very tough people.
8
Dr. Jason Fung wrote an entire book on the subject. I read it a few years ago. I’ve fast 1 day a week for about 20 years. Then after reading the book I did a 72 hr. fast. It went fine, but I think for my activity level, 2 hours of exercise a day, I prefer nothing from dinner at 6 until noon the next day. Nice to see other people that have done longer fasts though.
3
Intermittent fasting is not in itself a method to lose weight.The only way to lose weight is to consume less energy as food than to use this energy throughout a day. Consuming the same amount of energy in a shorter time span will not make this energy magically disappear.
However, intermittent fasting can be a useful tool to make calorie-restrictive diets easier, more practical and less unpleasant by increasing the feeling of saturation and fullness after meals.
Skipping breakfast works only if you do not replace the calories you would eat for breakfast with additional calories you eat for lunch or supper, which you otherwise would not.
5
Eating the same amount of calories with IF, you would still spend more fat than having those calories spread out during the day.
4
@Sanjay This is not possible, because the extra energy cannot disappear.
The way it probably works is that during fasting period you burn the fat but during eating period you store more calories as fat. (If the theory with the glucose is correct)
@Dimitri I'm sorry, but you have a fundamental misunderstanding of how the body works and processes food. Our body uses physiology, not physics. The old "calories in vs calories out" is simply not true, and has been proven false over and over again. It's more complicated than that; period. Check out "The Biggest Loser" TV show and let me know how many contestants have maintained the weight loss. The fact is, it's more about WHAT you eat, and WHEN you eat. Hormones drives our body, not physics. I recommend doing some more research.
11
I started to do a modified version of intermittent fasting - unintentionally. And not every day - some days I would be eating dinner later for instance. Because I go to bed early and wake up early, I can manage 10-12 hours of fasting. Over several months, I dropped weight! I attribute this to the fasting - or choosing not to eat - at night. And then I sleep 7-8 hours. So it can work in the more modified version.
8
I would suggest looking more into how this affects women. I tried it for a year and a half. I walk 4 miles a day, 5x a week and do a weight workout 2-3x a week. I eat a very healthy food—I did not lose a significant amount of weight and in fact began gaining weight about a month ago. I have read articles that talk about how fasting for 16 hours might not be good for women in the long run. I have adjusted my fasting time from 16 to 12-14 hours to see if it makes a difference.
20
“IF” is life altering in the best ways possible. I maintain 16/6 or 18/4 schedules. Doing so quickly resolved high blood pressure and I maintain stable energy with no more peaks and falls I struggled with at work. I rarely if ever feel hungry, have lost 30+ pounds in 5 months, and my mental clarity is phenomenal. I now have solid energy at work that I never experienced the first 30 years of working. (Research Jason Fung MD if curious.)
6
@John Smith
Reducing days to 22h s certainly an innovative step
19
@t.tero I was thinking the exact same thing! LOL
"ketosis can damage the liver, kidneys and brain and is especially dangerous to people with various chronic disorders like diabetes and heart disease"
This isn't true, and one would think someone as experienced as Brody wouldn't conflate nutritional ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosis.
But then again …
21
A diet is a diet is a diet.
10
If you skip breakfast every day you will lose weight because you will be consuming fewer calories.
Duh
6
@JQGALT Not if you are making up for the calories by eating more for lunch and dinner.
I'm all in, but is a dash of milk with the coffee cheating too much?
16
My question exactly. I can’t face the day without coffee and can’t drink coffee without a little bit of milk. Lately it’s been almond milk. Does that totally ruin the fast?
1
@Karen from what I've read, as long as it's under 100 calories, it doesn't hurt during the fast.
2
@Karen and @Celeste Unfortunately, milk (or sugar or flavoring) in your coffee does totally ruin the fast, because it triggers an insulin response. Suggest the book, "Delay Don't Deny" by Gin Stephens and the Facebook Group (225,000 members!) associated with it.
3
The Buddhist monks in Myanmar all finish eating their second (and final) meal of the day at noon. They wake up about 4 AM, pray, have breakfast. Similar to this schedule.
5
I've been doing a version of this, fasting for about 14 hours most days, with the occasional lapse. It's the only thing that has worked to get rid of the dreaded 'menopot'.
8
In my personal experience, the best way to loose weight is to fast for 3 days & then eat whatever whenever. If you fast for 3 days, your stomache has shrunk & you're a lot less hungry & consuming a lot less calories than you were before. So you automatically loose weight. Whereas not eating for certain hours each day is a perpetual tease, which leave me perpetually hungry.
3
16 hours of eating. 8 hours of no eating. Got it. Doable. Thanks.
17
@Kevin No. 16 hours of NOT eating!
3
You cite a study of intermittent fasting in patients with MS, yet when I followed the link, the abstract reads "Randomization to either CR diet [intermittent fasting or daily calorie restriction] was associated with significant improvements in emotional well-being/depression scores relative to control." In other words, weight loss made all the people feel a bit better regardless of how it was achieved. That is not an endorsement for intermittent fasting. Please do not add to the confusion out there by making diet recommendations when the evidence is not conclusive. I expect better of the NYT.
18
Mouse studies are one thing. Most of the human studies have been done on men. With women, IF is a mixed bag, but I’ve noticed the “IF cult” online is quick to rise against any naysayers who might even dare suggest IF doesn’t work for their constitution. We are unique as individuals. If it works for you, great. I’m currently healing from hormonal issues & both my OBGYN and endocrinologist have stated plainly that women should be careful with fasting as it disrupts our hormonal axis.
9
What really works well for me : no breakfast, no lunch, just one meal a day, for dinner.
9
@JP Benoni
Yes, it worked for me too. Every day before 09:00am or sometimes 10:00am, I drink coconut oil with one spoon of coffee mixed (as it is hard to drink coconut oil) which is almost the same as bulletproof coffee. And one lemon water between 1 to 2pm and start and finish my dinner before 05:00pm. That’s it and this repeats everyday from Monday-Friday. I have reduced my belly fat and weight 8kgs in two months.
3
How does intermittent fasting differ from an eating disorder?
I'm genuinely curious - how is this not basically starving yourself to lose weight?
This is how I behaved as an anorexic teenager. Would you not be concerned if your child restricted their eating this way?
22
This is entirely different. The goal with intermittent fasting is not just weight loss, but a healthier relationship with food. This isn't some sort of controlled starvation, and certainly, most reasonable people will make changes when needed for special occasions. I've looked at it more as a way to put the brakes on mindless munching, thoughtless snacking, a lack of total consciousness with our relationship with food. Anorexics, and pro-ana sites, glorify the destruction of the action of eating, at the most basic level, with daily determinations about how to eat less, how to purge most effectively, how to use your most casual moments of leisure time to make sure that you're still losing weight..(shake and jiggle your legs while on the subway or at your desk to lose that extra pound!!!!)...When there are serious discussions about how to fit in 2 extra pieces of chewing gum without feeling guilty, you're discussing anorexia. Nothing as simple and lame as intermittent fasting would ever be viewed at seriously.
4
@Me It doesn't feel like starvation once you've eliminated sugars and processed foods and replaced them with healthy fats. The normal mechanisms of satiety have a chance to take over once the constant flood of insulin abates.
3
I do not go on diets or fads. I am currently trying to gain weight, having lost 20 lbs in two months due to an infection. People always tell me, "Wow, I wish I could do that!" "Not the way I did," I tell them.
My doctor tells me that I can and should eat anything I want, anytime.
I already did anyway. People obsess too much about food.
Good food is easy to find. Eat what you like. Potato chips won't kill you.
But of course, look at those fruits and vegies.
5
I used to be that way. I could eat anything I wanted without gaining weight. Most people gain weight if they do that, and now, post-menopause, I would too.
1
Why is a person with a lengthy history of disordered eating and fanaticism, the one who is writing "health columns" about dieting and exercise -- especially here, fasting and food restriction?
17
Social eating, especially family meal times with children, can be very important. So I can eat dinner with family at 6:00 PM, then begin a 24-hour fast and not eat again until 6:00 PM (dinner) the next day, with nobody being the wiser or even knowing that I’ve fasted - it’s very doable - and once you get used to it, it’s even enjoyable. Don’t let silly fears or excuses stop you.
12
I know I feel much better when I eat only dinner.
Virtually nothing else.
Virtually.
4
This sounds like what happens on low-carb diets. The dieter eats fewer carbs, the body thinks it is starving, draws on stored fats for energy, and you lose weight.
3
@Mark Siegel Wrong. Low carb works for weight loss because their is less insulin. Insulin prevents the energy in stored fat from leaving.
2
I am 52 and had gained over 30 extra pounds in the past four years or so (thanks, menopause!). About nine months ago, I started this schedule of eating (eating within an eight hour window) and lost all of the weight within five months. I have kept it off easily, despite a hectic seasonal work schedule and a great deal of travel in the off season. I feel very well, my digestion is better, my generalized aches and pains have dimished and my cholesterol dropped 100 points. I was always a breakfast person but now don’t really miss it at all. If I do, I have breakfast for a treat and go back to my routine the next day. It has worked very well for me.
34
I have done the 5:2 intermittent fasting lifestyle for about 4 years. It has kept me healthy as I approach 60. It’s not for everyone, but it works for me and I can see myself doing it for the rest of my life. I was never very good at pushing away from a meal, but I’ve always been good at just not showing up. It’s not for the hangry....
5
So, uh, does this suggest intermittent keto should be a thing? You know, normal balanced intake during non-fasting period, but strict no carb during what would be fasting period? I dunno, seems like an implication from the scientific justification.
2
Through intermittent fasting I learned something really important about how my body works. Fasting is completely different from CCR (continuous calorie restriction). CCR means eating a small amount of calories throughout the day, and if I do this, especially if the diet is low fat, it makes me incredibly irritable and physically weak. But fasting 16 or 18 hours a day never makes me irritable or weak. Once I learned that, it radically changed the way I dealt with food. I love fasting for a big part of the day. In the end I eat less and have more energy. CCR is a nightmare. IF is liberation.
39
when I lived alone I tended to eat vegetarian during the busy working week - quicker and easier to cook and clean up - no greasy pans !
then on Sundays I'd fast all day until dinner time - when I often cooked up a Sunday oven-roast lump of meat - which satisfied my cave man cravings for another week.
10
I’ve been doing 16:8 for a couple of weeks now (eating usually between 9am and 5pm - my choice) and I’ve found the obvious solution to the social dilemma. Just add 16 hours to when I last ate. So, for example, dinner out at 8pm, my next food period starts at noon the next day but still ends at 5. No biggie. It’s working.
28
Coincidently I've been doing this just because I don't have time to eat and at the end of the day with my true list city and other medications, my hunger isn't too great but my sugar will go through the roof when I drink too much water or something. I can't stand this I have to get exercising I hope I'm getting some calories reduction by reciting to my tablet — dictating actually — but it won't keep me from drinking Diet Coke's and stuff I think my type two diabetes is just spiting me, For the fun of it!
It's called eating an early dinner. Really, that's it. But I guess that doesn't have the same buzz as the misnomer "intermittent fasting." Oh well.
14
It’s eating nothing for the sixteen hours hours following - no breakfast and no snacking. Somewhat more than an “early dinner”.
13
@Bjh : actually it's calling "skipping dinner".
If you skip dinner and never eat breakfast (except for black coffee)….you've significantly restricted your caloric intake.
It's not rocket science. The problem is for most people….over time, you get hungry (hungry?) and irritable, and eventually you can't stick to not eating for such long periods of time.
If it works for you, or you just like it -- do whatever you want. Adults can choose to eat whatever they want, whenever they want to eat.
2
@Bjh Early dinner but don't forget the late breakfast. Needs both to get 16 hours
2
Intermitant fasting works because you are taking in fewer calories. No magic. People on calorie restricted diets see the same benefits. I have not heard of any blue zone cohort studies that practiced IF.
7
The difference between intermittent fasting and simple calorie restriction is that with prolonged fasting you spend more continuous time restricting the insulin circulating in your blood, which improves insulin sensitivity, and that is a healthy thing.
41
Many (most?) Italians don’t actually bother with breakfast, just an espresso before leaving the house. So that would apply to the Sardinian blue zone as well.
3
yes, and time for autophagy and fat burning to kick in, both healthy things.
4
Reading this article this morning, and reading about 100 comments, I am going to try it. I began today. I am never hungry in the morning--coffee and one slice of ezekiel bread dunked is all I want. That's about 9 a.m. I can have a nutritious lunch at 1 (some version of bean and veggies with protein crumbles stew/soup) and then a giant salad with protein (sardines, for example) for dinner at 6. Well, I'll see how it goes.
I like the discipline although not having my soy yogurt and blueberries as a night snack will be hard.
Comments welcome.
9
@Bandylion I did the same thing about 5 months ago and love it! I also had a breakfast “habit” that was tough to break initially, but I replaced my latte with green tea. It’s actually so much easier than I thought it would be. I would say, however, that you need to give it 4-6 weeks before you can truly realize it’s ease. For the first 3-4 weeks I had trouble working out (cardio and fairly heavy weights). Now, it’s literally unnoticeable during my workout. I can work out hard for an hour or more at the end of my fast (hours 16 and 17) without noticing. Once you get used to it and form a new habit, it’s the easiest weight management tool out there.
5
@Bandylion
Hi, since comments are welcome (thanks), I could not eat your diet.
Let's see. I do not like blueberries or sardines or soy milk.
Bean and vegies is good with me. Enjoy your morning meal!
Why not have your yogurt and blueberries with your main meal. They are both EXCELLENT foods which support your well-being! Good luck!
4
I didn't know the way I've been eating my whole life is now considered a diet! I'm never hungry for breakfast but I eat and drink everything I like/want and always enjoyed nutritious foods. Keeping same weight for 45 years since my twenties.
6
I've been eating once a day for at least 3 years and I have found that it agrees with me. The backstory is that I got braces at 60 years of age because my teeth were 'hyper-mobile". During braces, I did not want to eat during the day because it was painful and labor-intensive (all the clean-up). So I got to the point that I just ate one meal a day -- dinner. The braces came off a few years ago, but I still follow the same routine and probably will as long as I feel good doing it. I have noticed that others are alarmed by it. They want the 3 meal a day routine.
12
Ms. Brody's article implies that there is a lack of good research on many of the questions you would want answered about such a regimen. Anecdotes are not the best foundation for a significant change in dietary habits. Long term peer-reviewed studies are called for. Until then, hidden but significant negative health risks are certainly possible.
5
there are more and more studies. first, a lot with model organisms like rodents. now, more with people.
1
@Jon Silverberg A lot of anecdotes is often better than studies for many reasons. Many of the latter are too focused, or have poor input selections, or have an agenda.
OTOH, when many hundreds of people going carnivore report the same stunning health improvements and physiques, we might be onto something. www.meatrx.com .
I have been practicing daily IF for nearly two years. In seven months I lost 35 pounds (down to my goal weight of 130) which is normal for my height of 5'6", the same as I weighed the day I graduated from college!! I went from size 16 stretch jeans with an elastic waist to size 4 skinny jeans, something that at age 66, I never would have dreamed possible. But most importantly, I have kept that weight off for over a year now...without counting calories or restricting carbs. IF has saved my life and my health.
I practiced as a PA in Emergency and Occupational Medicine for over two decades and just wish I had this powerful and life changing tool available to me and to my patients years ago!
42
@Ellen B ...how many times a week do you practice IF and what is your time window of fasting/eating? What kind of diet do you practice for the eating window? I’m so impressed with your results!
I started IF almost two years ago. I'd always suffered from being hangry and thought i needed three meals a day plus evening snacks. I was very surprised to find that I adapted to fasting within days, had more rather than less energy in the morning whether working out or teaching class. While I started it because of the evidence for improved health and for its preventative effects I also experienced weight reduction. At age 60 my weight, which was at around 175 has now stabilized at under 155 (I'm 5' 10"). One of the many virtues of the diet for me is that once the discipline of not eating after 7 kicked in and I stopped automatically eating the moment I felt hungry, my behavior shifted. I now enjoy the feeling of ignoring hunger and have the satisfaction of delayed food gratification.
As for interference with social life, I am very comfortable at either adjusting my window or just skipping IM when I'm with friends or family. At this point I'm on the regimen about nine days out of ten over the course of the year.
IM is not a diet because it isn't about what you eat or how much you eat. It complements dietary choices. The biggest advantage in terms of sticking to it is the bright line about when to eat and when not to.
I think given all the likely health benefits, the simplicity of the diet and the fact it is free all make it worth a look or a try.
32
IF works however not for the reasons people think. In reality (studies show) when people IF they just take in fewer calories. No real magic there. You can pretty much get the same benefits from a calorie restricted diet. As far as I have read no Blue Zone cohorts do any IF regiments. Just saying...
1
The main difference between intermittent fasting and simple calorie restriction is that with intermittent fasting you spend more continuous time with less insulin circulating in your blood. This helps improve insulin sensitivity, which is a healthy thing, something that does not happen with simple calorie restriction.
19
you also give the body time to switch to fat burning mode and autophagy. the timing is critical.
6
@kenc I also find I am less hungry when I don’t eat at breakfast time. I am “famished” by lunch if I do. I also find I have increased energy, I wake up feeling as if I had a cup of coffee already, when I haven’t eaten since the afternoon before. You are reducing calories, but not trickling them in all day, and that is why I personally feel way better than counting calories.
3
Socializing over food and especially family dinners with children can be very important, yet I find I can eat dinner at 6:00 PM and then begin a fast that lasts nearly 24 hours until dinner the next night, without anyone, even my family, being the wiser that I’ve fasted. Everybody’s happy.
While it may not be for everyone, intermittent fasting can give health benefits, especially by reducing the insulin in one’s blood and improving sugar and lipid profiles - and once you get used to fasting intermittently, it’s even enjoyable. Don’t let silly fears or excuses stop you.
22
Part of this healthy breakfast: Mattson cautioned that intermittent dieters should “eat healthy foods, including whole grains, healthy fats and protein, limit saturated fats and avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates. And on fasting days, be sure to stay well-hydrated". Cereal companies are not the only ones out to make a buck.
6
For the past two years I have more or less followed the IF philosophy... now it just seems normal. In fact, the notion of 'resting' aka 'fasting' is downright pleasant. I'm down to a bowl of breakfast about 11, and a plate of dinner about 7. Energy? Check. Digestion? Check. Sleep? Check. Weight? Check. Still out riding my horse daily, still running the dog. Still 80 years old.
As they say in the Army, If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Works for me.
53
Lost 73 pounds doing IF combined with eating sensibly. As for the social aspects, I just shifted my eating windows on weekends. Weekend dinner over at 9 pm, sleep in the next morning and lunch at 1 pm. Easy peasy.
25
I was doing this back in college without realizing it; I’d intentionally miss breakfast (easy since I wanted as much sleep as possible) because I noticed I’d get really hungry if I ate breakfast, and would starve during my last class prior to lunch. I figured at the time that this must be due to my stomach getting used to having food and thereby needing more.
This habit followed me for years, and it went well with both my late-rising habit and jobs that allowed it, counter to the advice of getting a good breakfast.
Now I see that it may have explained my extraordinary metabolism at the time - I couldn’t put on any weight, regardless of how much I ate. Except, however, for the one week when I crammed for exams and ate half a pizza at midnight prior to sleep, and put on 5 lbs: I had unknowingly broken the fast.
10
@mm That's exactly my experience, starting in college and trying to maximize sleep and money, as I was pretty poor. I'd skip breakfast (also noticed that if I ate breakfast, I'd be ravenous by 11am), eat beans and rice and veggies and pasts with sauce most days for lunch and dinner. Couldn't afford alcohol. I was extremely thin and healthy - and energetic. I felt great. With better finances all these years later, I realize I do very much struggle with that level of discipline and I eat more because I love, love, love food. Sometimes I wonder if the discipline back then is what causes me to eat what I want when I want now.
2
an underappreciated benefit to not eating for 16 hours at a stretch is that the stomach gets a rest. I don't know the science of it, maybe what that does is allow the energy of digestion to be sent elsewhere in the body. I wonder if it will add more hours to one's life, because the stomach is not working as hard.
another side benefit is to not be thinking of food all the time, which frees up the mind for other things.
I have found that I do not want to eat food in the morning anymore. My stomach feels very good without it, not hungry at all. I feel eating right away gets in the way of other things I want to do and I do not feel as energetic. When I do eat at 11 or 12 I enjoy it a lot.
People might say oh that wouldn't ever work for me. I don't know how a person would know till they have tried something, what the effect will be. I understand that it doesn't sound appealing to not eat for that long a period of time.
It turns out for me that I feel better in general on that schedule, and I feel that my stomach is happier not having to work so much. I eat two meals a day, once at around 11 and then at 5:30. No snacks. After that my stomach is free till the next day. Feeling hungry every day for an hour or so before I eat dinner is very good for me. I appreciate what it does for me.
43
@Thinking
This is almost my daily routine too, except I get on my indoor bike for 20/30 mins, do some floor stretches as well. When the weather improves up here, I’ll also get exercise outside. I’m 75 and going strong.
My body is happy without food from 6:30 to 10:30 at least. Just cool water by my chair and bed so I keep hydrated.
Of course, the food I eat is healthy: dash diet guidelines. No junk, sugar, processed food. I cook from scratch every day.
Not to be preachy but it’s not hard; I was a war baby and rationing taught us the value of real food, grown in our backyard.
Cheers.
36
@Morfydd
Omg, that is almost exactly what I do. Except first the treadmill... then indoor bike, floor stretches, healthy food from my garden, no sugar or processed food.
I find it enjoyable to eat food I have grown. It's a lot of work, and I spend a lot of time outdoors so that is nice. I just started my tomato plants today. I am lucky that I have found this path with many small satisfactions.
I do not intend to preach either.
8
@Morfydd I so admire the discipline of those who can abstain from sugar and processed food. It's not that I don't know what's good for me, but my great shame is that I don't stick to what's good. I'm also a war baby (age 76), literally born during the war as it raged in the Soviet Union.
2
I’ve been intermittent fasting for 4 years now. I do great with it. My fasting is about 24 hours, dinner until dinner, with healthy food and lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. I maintain a lifestyle of exercise and I feel great at my age of 70 years. May not be a good practice for many people but it fits me .
17
I've been doing intermittent fasting since June. It has not been hard to get used to, but it took time.
I started by fasting 12-14 hours and now typically fast 18-19 hours. It's a very flexible life style and works well. I don't get hungry anymore, almost not at all.
My eating time is roughly 7 AM to noon or 1PM, but, again, that varies. This allows me to drink my morning coffee with half and half then breakfast and then lunch. I can modify my times depending on social events.
I feel great and I lost close to 25 pounds from my adult high weight. I have exercised regularly, too.
I like to use an app to time and record my fasts and frequent an amazing Facebook group run by Gin Stephens, who has written several books on fasting that are based on scientific evidence as well as her experience.
The key is to get past the first month and adopt it as a somewhat flexible way of life. At least that's what worked for me!
17
@Amy : basically, you are just skipping dinner.
As dinner is typically the largest meal of the day for most people….you are cutting out about 1000 calories a day.
Of course you are losing weight.
The question is: how long can you continue on a very low calorie diet? and not eating for 18-20 hours a day? not eating dinner would cut out a LOT of most people's socialization and every sort of business dinner, family dinner, holiday dinner, etc.
What does the literature say in regards to a person intermittently fasting but who is already thin, has a fast metabolism, and has an active lifestyle?
It seems like intermittent fasting would not be recommended for someone where weight gain, not weight loss, is their main concern.
17
@Sam A. The first point is that thin people get diabetes related damage, too, such as insulin resistance, if they constantly snack and thereby force their pancreas to constantly produce insulin. The issue and goal is to have the pancreas revert to being a pulsing system and reacting to fewer meals. Weight loss is not the entire objective, but rather improved health over-all.
Second, if health in general is the objective then IF works well to maintain that condition. The point is that constant snacking and starchy snack foods are incompatible with good health. The article in total makes the point about the history of people not being able to get such easy access to food as to be constantly eating.
And yes, I am 75 now and have been doing IF for about ten years now, eating dinner at 7 or so, and the next meal being breakfast at 1;30 or 2pm. Frequently I will go 24 hours. I plan to remain on that schedule.
8
@Sam A. for many of us who have lost the weight after IF, we maintain our naturally slim selves by continuing to eat this way. We don't keep losing weight.
1
@Sam A.
Yes, I see that the comments here all focus on weight loss, which is not a goal for me. I have been doing a 12-hour fast for the sake of getting better sleep and protecting my brain from dementia. This includes a 4-hour fast between dinner and bedtime, which is the hardest part . I have not lost weight on this regimen.
1
Michael Mosley, the UK author of some dieting books, describes the process of Time Restricted Eating (TRE) as an effective way to lose weight, and in my experience following his advice, it is an effective way to do so. I lost about 10 kg in a few weeks, after following a dietary regime that he suggested, involving intermittent fasting. (I am 70 and had not previously attempted any sort of weight-loss process). The idea of skipping breakfast went against an ingrained view that I had grown up with that "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day". His other advice, which I also found effective was, when I felt occasionally hungry, to firstly have a drink (usually of water) as dehydration often manifests as hunger. To my surprise, this too is remarkably effective, and has resulted in my virtual elimination of snacking.
26
Caffeine suppresses appetite so it can be a great start to the morning.
coffee makers me hungry! so I wait until noon to have my coffee.
@Barry Kissane what we break our fast with is still important, it is just the timing of it that is different with intermittent fasting.
Hmm, I do best on a good breakfast, moderate lunch, and little for dinner now. (This wasn’t always my habit).
I’m not particularly interested in restrictive eating times, but if dinner’s at 6 pm and breakfast is at 8 am —well, maybe that enough “fasting?”
14
@Lisa No, it is not enough fasting. No, you are probably just accustomed to regular meals. There is no evidence to support your contention. Saying you do best is simply an unverified N=1 situation, and not of much value on that basis alone. You should look into some of the aspects of fasting and autophagy that are easily available on the internet. Dr. Fung, a Canadian kidney specialist has posted numerous times about all this and is very convincing.
2
I started fasting intermittently almost fifty years ago and it works for me. I get up very early to go for a long run, and I don't eat until I'm hungry, which is usually late afternoon/early evening. I'm healthy and feel great. I think the trick is to listen to your body, it will tell you what it needs.
24
I am not a big fan of breakfast and go without it except on occasional weekends. As a result for years, I have fasted most days from 8pm till noon. The mornings are my most productive time of the day.I do have about four cups of black coffee throughout the morning. I have been the same less than ideal weight for years (over but not obese), but as I head into my 60's I am not putting weight on despite being less active than I was 10 years ago.
4
A very interesting article. It should seem like common sense to even the most casual observer that our human ancestors did not eat three squares a day. It would be safe to say this is a fairly recent convention dictated by cultural assumptions. I personally have never been able to eat three meals a day. A good dinner and i'm fine until around noon the next day - wash rinse repeat.
5
For the last 20 years, I've eaten my last meal at noon and fast until the next morning, when I eat breakfast at dawn. Getting used to that is easier than one would think. I've noticed many benefits, not the least being a better night's sleep.
And since my biggest meal is in the early morning, there's all day to work that off - so I no longer have to have a rigid set of guidelines about what I should and should not eat. I can eat what I want in moderation, and am much more relaxed around eating altogether.
3
Its not just the weight loss.What is more important is the cellular repair. After a number of hours our cells go into a protect mechanism, they began to send out signals for chemicals they can activate to repair the cells damage. This repair is what offers so much health. Yes, weight loss will also occur but its the repair process that is so important.
A two day a week metabolic repair is important for aging and chronic disease. I do 18 hour 2X a week and have for years,
25
Something like intermittent fasting is recommended for people with SIBO/Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It's called meal spacing and it controls symptoms well for many.
That means no snacking between meals, space meals 4-5 hours apart, don't eat close to bedtime, and have at least a 12 hour overnight fast.
Meal spacing has made a sizable difference for me, someone with SIBO. I have heard many positive reports from others besides myself.
14
Intermittent fasting has worked for me. A couple of other ideas that seem relevant, and science seems to be showing to be broadly accurate:
Exercise is good for health, but it is very hard to lose weight by exercise alone. To lose weight you need to eat less.
Ee evolved in “patchy” environments, where one kind of food was relatively plentiful, then disappeared and another became available. So we tend to get hungry at the same time we ate yesterday. This makes our hard to change your eating habits.
But for the same reason, in a day or two, you can change your habits. They will be tough days, but the new schedule will become your new normal.
5
For decades, our friends (a married couple) have adhered to a routine whereby they awaken at 5:00, eat breakfast, walk/hike for an hour or two, tend their house and garden...then prepare their main, more elaborate meal at around 2pm. ‘Dinner’ is a small snack in the evening while socializing or enjoying a movie...and they’re asleep by 9.
They did not have conventional jobs nor lifestyle, which is what made this routine possible. They’re now age 75 and 84, respectively, and are absolutely the healthiest people I know.
25
Eat light. Eat right. Eat often, but no TOO often. THAT is all I have learned from all the wise writers and readers.
5
"“Our human ancestors did not consume three regularly spaced large meals, plus snacks, every day..."
Really? I don't know anyone who eats "three... large meals" a day - usually one larger one and two smaller ones is the pattern...
As to the fasting - no thanks. It seems mostly to be a weight loss method with other 'benefits' far from proven. I start to feel sick (nauseous) when I get too hungry - and don't need to lose weight...
8
@Anne-Marie Hislop I think the point is that we've been conditioned to believe that we 'need' three meals a day. As per the percentage of people who are overweight or obese, we clearly don't require that much food. With intermittent fasting we actually get to the point where we don't feel hungry for three meals a day. And most of us have very little experience feeling hungry at all as we are eating so often.
8
I used to get sick when I didn't eat, nausea and headache. I didn't think I could fast. I started fasting and now i no longer have the problems with delayed eating.
The benefits of IF in terms of reduced inflammation, better insulin response, lower blood pressure, just to name a few, have strong animal evidence but limited human evidence, as the research just hasn't been done.
3
I followed the IF diet for some months more than a year ago, fasting from 8:00 in the evening until noon the next day. At first, I found it relatively easy to follow , lost 20 pounds over two months and felt good. But over time I developed a serious side effect. Almost immediately following the noon meal I’d suffer from intense diarrhea, needless to say, I found the diet difficult to continue. I’ve read that this is not uncommon for individuals coming off a prolonged period ( a week or more) of fasting but little is written about this for a daily IF dieter. I would like to see some expert discussion on this issue and perhaps a modification that would allow me to return to IF.
22
@Fred there is a paucity of science on the effects of IF.
@Fred
Lack of vitamin B probably thiamine.
For a long time I ate only once a day. A big meal. Now I eat two meals a day that are small to medium. I used to snack a lot (presumably) but I started wearing invisalign and I've lost 30 pounds from 160 to 130lbs (and I'm 5'8").
I can go for 24 hours without eating. My wife cannot go for a few hours without eating and she eats a fair amount (she's about 120lbs and 5'3").
Everyone is different. What works for one person may not work for another person.
27
Ms Brodie,
Tonight we had a riff on your chili without carne, page 387 of your Good Food Book 1985. I’ve relied on this book for 35 years, adapting your ideas along the way but always found them sound and tasty, using simple ingredients. Thank you.
I’m doing the 16:8. Stop eating at 6:30pm till 10:30 am. I’ve done it for a while, don’t find it hard at all and am losing a little bit of extra weight. Combined with 20 mins on my indoor bike, gentle stretches and a hot bath, I’m sleeping ok but still wake up: then I just try to think of happy times and not worry too much.
I’m 75, weigh 128 at 5’3. It makes sense to me to allow the body to work without food for a good while. I was a war baby in UK, with rationing: no one on our street was fat. Fasting overnight was a reality. Eat real food and let the body rest well overnight.
Just my take! Exercise daily, even dancing in the kitchen.
38
In other words, finish eating dinner before 8:00 PM and skip breakfast. That isn't new. Many people have been doing it all their lives, and it seems unlikely that they're healthier than breakfast eaters. It's also possible that they'll overeat at lunch or supper because they're so hungry. Low blood sugar due to fasting can also cause people to crave unhealthy "snacks."
11
@Linda It's not how it happens. When you eat low carb high healthy fats moderate protein it is easy to do 8/16 IF. You are not hungry. It is easy to do 2 meals. Sometimes the window is less than 8 hours. Carbs make you hungry so if what you eat for your delayed breakfast is regular pancakes, oatmeal, orange juice and the like - you will be hungry after a couple of hours. If you eat 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, 1/2 an avocado - coffee with cream.....You will not be hungry until dinner. You do not get low blood sugars unless you are taking meds that get you to produce insulin. I'm a type II diabetic - am off all meds, and am considered as having reversed my diabetes. 5.3 AiC You WILL NOT overeat because you ARE NOT HUNGRY. What you eat will determine if you feel hungry. It's what carbs do - they create an insulin response and insulin makes you hungry.
49
All the evidence says that those who restrict eating style ARE healthier, and if you follow this as a discipline you might find as I did that NY desire to snack dropped once satisfying cravings wasn't part of my normal routine.
2
@jfweisen You're not hungry because you're sick of eating the same high-fat food all the time. When did eating become all about health and not about enjoying life?
IF is another diet. RULES to be broken and guilt to be drowned with a binge. The 5/2 fasting diet did not but make us fatter. We snack like a toddler because the media told us to eat "healthy snacks" so we would not be hungry because the media has no idea where is the STOMACH. The media should watch a bariatric surgery on a 450 pounder. Then discover that 48 hours later their diabetes symptoms are gone. WHY? They have a smaller stomach. FATNESS is just overconsumption to grow the economy.
3
@Joan
The rapid anti-diabetic effects of bariatric surgery are actually what prove the mechanism cannot possibly be “stomach size” or some such nonsense. Glycemic effects of foods are complex and regulated by multiple hormones and signaling inputs, most of which are the subject of intense ongoing study.
14
Near starvation is a defense mechanism of the body. We've evolved to survive near starvation. Generations upon generations of people have been farmers and most farmers for centuries upon centuries lived in boom or bust cycles. Before modern refrigeration nearly the entire world lived that way. Have we somehow evolved in the past 100 years or so to need all this extra fat in our diets? No, of course not. If anything we've evolved to be greedy gluttons and little more in the past few hundred years.
As a young man I hitch hiked with as little as zero cents in my pocket coast to coast and often went days on end without so much as a small bag of fries. Most of my adult life I've endured poverty, but am much healthier in my 60s as a result and I still often go all day without so much as a snack.
16
I suggest that anyone that does intermittent fasting do allow themselves to break the 8 hour eating window, or at least modify it on those days. To deny yourself to go to parties is a sure way to make your fasting routine unsustainable in the long run.
11
@Sanjay if I attend a night party I automatically adjust the next day by eating later in the day. I find it is very easy to simply adjust the 8 hour eating boundaries to accommodate social engagements.
32
@Mary yes, exactly, and if the dinner is set for 8pm, I just slide the beginning of the eating window forward. So if I usually eat between 12&6, then I switch to a window of 12&9. Very adaptable method of eating.
7
@Mary yes, exactly, and if the dinner is set for 8pm, I just slide the beginning of the eating window forward. So if I usually eat between 12&6, then I switch to a window of 3&9. Very adaptable method of eating.
3
One idea is that you will produce insulin as long as you are steadily eating. Having insulin continuously about is bad for you and can lead to insulin resistance, and insulin resistance is implicated not only in type 2 diabetes, but in all the metabolic syndrome disorders and Alzheimer's.
Fasting removes insulin from the system and can reverse insulin resistance.
For my money, this, not weight loss, is the primary benefit.
102
@KTT
In a normal body (i.e. not overweight/obese) insulin is simply a hormone that's produced to get blood sugars from the blood into muscle and fat after eating. Once that's accomplished insulin levels drop to normal (after 1-1.5 hrs.) In other words, insulin is tightly controlled in a normal weight individual.
For someone who is overweight/obese, it's the excess weight that's producing high insulin levels when someone eats. Excess adipose tissue (fat) in the abdominal area is responsible for excess production of a cytokine called TNF-a, which signals the rest of the body to ignore insulin produced after eating (this may actually force the pancreas to produce more insulin. And in any case, insulin probably exists longer in the blood stream as the pancreas produces insulin, the body largely ignores it, sugar continues to be present in the blood, and so does insulin.)
The body knows, as a result of fat cells in the abdomen becoming too large, that excess energy is entering the system and is trying to counteract that. That's one of the key functions of abdominal fat - helping to regulate energy use and storage of adipose tissue (fat) throughout the body.
In other words, weight loss is what's reversing insulin resistance. They are one and the same. That's why doctors tell the obese to lose weight (in addition to helping improve blood bio-markers.) The way to avoid the "insulin problem" is eat appropriately so hormones can be used normally by the body.
12
@Paul B But the insulin does not return to baseline if you keep eating frequently. There's the problem and why IF or OMAD works.
2
@Jus' Me, NYT
In a normal-weight individual where hormones and cytokines are not operating in a dysregulated manner due to overeating, insulin returns to baseline. (Otherwise, 100% of the population would have ever-escalating levels of insulin, everyone would be obese, etc.)
But I would certainly agree that for the overweight or obese, IF, Keto, med diet, vegetarianism, or something else needs to be done to get things back on track in terms of controlling weight, appetite, etc. It's just a question of what works for an individual body.
3
Our foods are "designed" by not just by fast-food restaurants, but more-so by the major food manufacturers selling their boxes and cans and bottles, in grocery stores.
Too many foods have "added sugars" - that is, the manufacturer adds sugar (often high-fructose corn syrup), to foods should not even be sweet (for example to cans of green beans, savory soups, and salad dressings).
Too many foods now add processed flours having nearly zero nutrition (those minerals and nutrients that don't give us calories, but are essential to make many amino acids, our building blocks of life). These processed flours are basically a form of sugar (carbohydrates) that are empty, and contribute to many types of inflammation (e.g. celliac disease), diabetes, and cardio-vascular diseases.
Food manufacturers must remove all "empty" carbohydrates from their products, which they add for flavor/texture. Since these manufacturers have not voluntarily improved our foods, perhaps legislation is now required.
7
So, basically, eat dinner early and skip breakfast. This is not new advice, though it apparently has a trendy new name. The directive to skip breakfast has had mixed reviews from the scientific community over the years, none of which we’re hearing here.
After following too many latest-and-greatest diets, I’ve decided to just do what my healthiest elderly friends do: eat nutritionally most of the time, eat in moderation, and move more. Down 44 pounds since May, and I’ve never felt better.
17
@Twitchly I find it easier to not eat at all than to eat in moderation.
2
If your work/life schedule permits it, I think it's healthier to stop eating far earlier than 7 or 8 pm each day. Eating within a few hours of bedtime is counter-productive for calorie burning, digestion of food (especially if you're prone to acid reflux) and sleeping soundly (because food as well as alcohol disrupts sleep). A full stomach in the late evening can also make you less in the mood for romance. This is especially true for those of us who are middle-aged or older.
When my spouse is away, I tend to a natural rhythm of eating breakfast about 10 AM and my lunch/dinner meal about 4 PM. As long as both of these meals are hearty, healthy and include adequate protein, I have no desire to eat anything else before going to sleep (about 10 PM). I do keep drinking water and/or herb tea.
Strangely, I never see this kind of timeline suggested in articles about IF. They always suggest eating your first meal at noon or later, which doesn't work for many of us, and then eating dinner late. But until you try out finishing your day's eating by late afternoon you don't know what positive effects it can have on your health, sleep, etc.
18
@Nelle Engoron A lot of people work or go to school so that is why lunch is considered 12-1pm and dinner 6-7pm. As for a brunch at 10am, that's what Sundays are for:). Brunch at 10, early dinner. People do like that but most of us are working stiffs.
13
A large portion of the population doesn’t get home from work until 6 pm or later.
2
Over the parenting years, when the fridge is always stocked and it's three meals a day, I put on about five pounds a year. As a writer, I sit all day and it was hard to exercise with busy schedules. Went from 190 the day I married to 245 lbs when I turned 50. After seeing some rather unflattering vacation pictures, I decided I needed to either get fatter or lose it while I still had time. So I started eating a single meal a day, between 6-8 PM, and otherwise not eat. I also resolved to stop eating when I felt full. Over the course of a year, I was down to 195 lbs plus my waist went fro m 40 inches to 34. More importantly, I have kept it off. Sometimes I'll lunch, like on vacation, but my weight has stabilized. It works. Just. Eat. Less.
37
@Richard R if only it were so simple. It isn’t. Some people eat too much because of deep seated psychological issues. Just like some people drink too much for the same reason. But AA don’t offer Just. Drink. Less. Alcoholics, just don’t take the cork out. Heroin addicts, just set down the needle. It’s harder than that.
4
No diet/eating plan works for every body or metabolism. Before you embark on a program, especially one as restrictive as intermittent fasting, spend some time tracking your eating patterns--time, quantity, type and mood. Get to know yourself and behaviors. Then see if IT may work for you. Do your research. And cut yourself some slack if, after a reasonable amount of time (which varies for everyone), it does not work for you. And check with your doctor/NP/PA first to make sure you general level of health can handle it.
9
I have always eaten this way but as I have gotten older, I have gained weight nevertheless. I was the same weight for most of my life until my mid-40's.
Ever since then, the weight has crept up, despite no eating between 6pm-10am or 7pm-11 or 8-noon. I assume it's because of some of the medications I have to take for chronic conditions. I wish I could lose the extra 20 lbs but I'm not too concerned about it. I'm willing to pay the price of 20 lbs to have quality of life with the medications.
7
While trying to lose weight I routinely fast from 18-24 hours at a go, and have had great success with this way of eating - while losing I also eat in a calorie deficit, something that is not universally recommended, but I have to do this if I expect to lose weight. I am 67 (female) and have finally gotten down to my goal weight (122) - after years of no success at this. I also find 20-hour fasts remarkably easy to fit into my life - I typically stop eating at 4:00 PM and then don’t eat again until noon the next day. If I want or need for some reason to skip a day I do - no biggie. I also may fiddle around with the exact scheduling of my 20-hour fast - again no biggie.
17
"Mom! There is a word for what you've been doing so long -Intermittent Fasting." My daughter relayed to me this Spring.
I've lost count of when this eating routine started. I was still a long distance runner, well over well 30 years ago. I usually had dinner around 6, and that was it for the day. I never was a snacker. In the early morning I would have a black coffee and head out the door for my run. I was not hungry until lunchtime at Noon or 1. Until then I just kept drinking water.
I never had a weight or health problem.
At 78, I no longer run, but I hike in the Mountains of Northern New Mexico and have great energy always.
For me it is a way of life, not a 'diet',
But I can recommend it, if someone wants to give it a try.
24
@Heidi
How is this different than an anorexic person skipping meals and taking long runs?
I'm genuinely curious.
How many calories do people doing IF eat in that one meal?
3
@KAD
I do not know. I'm not familiar with an anorexic's eating habit.
My weight and body mass have been very consistent throughout my life. When I have my meals, I have healthy portions and am totally satisfied. I'm a former chef, I LOVE food and everything is prepared fresh. So, I'm automatically avoiding hidden sugars, fats, additives, etc. that have negative effects on our digestion.
2
I am 64 and into my 10th month of fasting. I started last April at the advice of my doctor after an ultra-sound revealed a fatty liver (I was diagnosed with this about 10 years ago, but at the time the recommendation was to "keep an eye on it". I had never heard of IF at this point. I set an "eating window" of 2:00p.m. to 10p.m. and adhered to it. At the 9 month mark I had another ultra-sound and my liver was clear of any fat. I had actually lost more weight than I wanted to so after meeting with my doctor to go over the results went from 8 to 10 hours of eating a day.
20
I am wondering whether taking medications during the fasting period undercuts the benefits of fasting.
3
Interesting to read this because I only eat two meals a day and my normal routine is having dinner around 6:30pm, not eating again until 11am the next day. I've never thought of it as fasting, I'm just not hungry during that period.
Also, about 7 years ago my wife and I decided to permanently change our diet. That means more fresh fruits and vegetables, much less red meat and the most important thing: we don't eat desserts and have all but cut refined sugar (sucrose) out of our diet. It's easy once you lose the sugar cravings.
Hope this doesn't come across as too preachy, but I exercise daily and have gone from 180 lbs. down to 161. At my last check-up the blood work was exceptional and my doctor said "just keep doing what you're doing."
57
A gimmick, doesn’t take into account an individuals activity level. This is another iteration of a keto diet which may work short term for weight loss. Not the cornerstone of a balanced diet for optimum health and well being.
6
@Robert Hmmm, I wonder hoe true this is. My natural eating pattern tends toward not feeling hungry until noon-ish, and I wonder if this does effect aging or diseases or not. I don't think its as gimmicky as Atkins or whatever because you're not following a certain diet, just a time window.
9
Same for me. My natural rhythm is to eat twice a day. I am not hungry when I first get up and feel sick to my stomach if I eat first thing. My natural time to “break my fast” is 10-11 am.
This lead to lots of conflicts as a child when I was forced to eat breakfast because it was “the most important meal of the day”.
13
@Robert Well, I've been doing it since June and it doesn't at all seem like I diet. I eat what I want in my eating window and tend to eat quite well, so there's no sense of missing food I want. I've found it to be a flexible way of life that works very well.
8
U.S. Americans are overly worried about overweight. I can recall, from my childhood during the 1950-60s, endless ads to "lose weight now!" and "you too can be a size 4-6". Pictures of a smiling woman holding out her waistband far from her now-flat tummy. Women friends apologizing for a bit of plumpness.
Now, many decades later, Americans are still obsessed with overweight. Now it's health and longevity, rather than beauty and desirability. All these research studies, so many injunctions and prescriptives. If you do such and such between the hours of this and that, etc . . . you will have a wonderful life! It's a hoax (to use La Trumpette's favorite word).
If it's convenient to skip a meal, skip it. If you're feeling hungry, eat. Try to enjoy yourself.
12
After you try it, you may realize it is most definitely not a hoax, and that life quality and happiness can increase while doing it... at least that is what I've experienced.
2
Fasting is controversially at par with governmental politics.
That which works for some may not work for others.
It has worked WELL for me at age 72. I'm now at my high school football weight, and life is good.
9
If the science as explained in this article is correct -- eating less for 10 to 12 hours ultimately causes your body to burn fat rather than glucose -- then it would seem complete fasting is not necessary to burn fat. Just eat very light meals during that time, like a salad (only), such that the calories your body needs to do its daily business are greater than what you're putting in your mouth. That may make this approach a lot easier for a lot of people.
4
fasting is easier than eating a little. with fasting your body switches to a different metabolic system.
2
I used to weigh 80 pounds more than I do now. I had a gastric band inserted in 2003, which helped a lot, but i still had binge eating disorder, which didn’t even have a name until 2007, and could eat junk food despite the band, so my weight continued to fluctuate. A few years ago, I discovered through a friend that there’s an epilepsy medication that had been discovered in 2003 to be effective for binge eating disorder. The brain mechanism is similar to OCD. I had decades of psychotherapy for my eating disorder. After a short period of adjusting the dosage for the medication, I eventually reached a normal weight, which includes some excess skin that won’t go away. I’m now close to slender. Basically, my cravings for junk food vanished, and I could feel the difference vividly as my dosage of the medication reached what I needed it to be. I have little interest in food now. I have Type II diabetes and have a bedtime snack around 11:00 if my blood sugar indicates it could drop too low during the night. I often don’t get hungry until late afternoon, maybe 3-4 pm. My body has naturally chosen a 16/8 eating pattern that I don’t have to think about. People who have lost a lot of weight can never go back to eating as much as before, but the good part is that I don’t get hungry. At 150 pounds (5’7”), I eat maybe 1200 calories a day and don’t lose weight. I was losing about a pound a week when I lost the last 60 pounds. The most important part is to get 60 grams of protein a day.
8
How would eating like this affect diabetics?
3
@Patricia Please see Dr. Jason Fung's book, 'The Diabetes Code'. He is a Canadian nephrologist who developed fasting routines specifically for people with diabetes after watching his patients continue to deteriorate on the standard protocols. It requires medical supervision and careful calibration of medications, but it can be done.
6
@Patricia before insulin people were placed on strict, very low calorie diets to help them deal with the diabetes.
2
Muslims fast for a whole month ( of Ramadhan ) from day break ( say around 5 am ) to sunset ( around 7-9 PM ) depending upon the country and season. And this fasting includes not taking any water also. It is very tough for those who live in hot climate countries particularly when Ramadhan comes during summer. But most people particularly young ones manage it easily and eagerly wait for the holy month. And apparently this fasting improves their body as well as their mind. Just FYI
8
@Syed Abdulhaq In Muslim countries all they do is change their schedule. They sleep all day and get up at dusk ready to break their fast. Private business close their offices offices before Dawn so the workers can return home to feast before they fast all day during their sleep. No real sacrifice for the Wahhabi.
@PJ : This may happen only in a few Arab countries who have a lot of petro-dollars. Please don't conflate them with the rest of the Muslim world.
See the Facebook site: "Intermittent Fasting For Women".... women post seriously amazing results. It seems like the sanest, easiest way to loose weight.
6
Fasting is controversially at par with governmental politics.
That which works for some may not work for others.
It has worked WELL for me at age 72. I'm now at my high school football weight, and life is good.
Fasting is controversially at par with governmental politics.
That which works for some may not work for others.
It has worked WELL for me at age 72. I'm now at my high school football weight, and life is good.
I have been following an intermittent fasting regime since last May. My weight has stabilized somewhat though I still have to be diligent about what I eat - minimal added sugar, i.e, under 5 g. no processed foods and 25/25/50 ratio for fat/protein/carbs. I only lose weight when I count calories and restrict carbs. But I save a lot of time, money and effort by skipping breakfast. Good energy, I plan to stay with it.
3
There seem to be many threads to this thinking.
Intermittent fasting, like exercising in the morning before breakfast might help you train your body to burn fat by helping your metabolism learn how work when blood sugar gets low.
I have gone on bicycle trips that cover 70 to 130 miles a day for a week or ten days. You may get dizzy or light headed at times. That is one way you know your body is working hard to find energy stores. When you get to this state you will definitely loose body fat. Take a look at competitive cyclists and marathoners. You won't see much body fat in those people.
Reading about this research confirms for me that you can train your metabolism to burn fat stores and the key is to regularly go through periods when you work your blood sugar off and your body has to access energy from fat. You might be able to do that by fasting or getting lots of exercise.
5
I've never tried this so I can't say how much good it may or may not do but...it certainly stands to reason. I remember reading sometime...somewhere...that in fact, the process of digestion is the most taxing process on the body, requiring huge amounts of energy. This would naturally explain why, after a big meal, we feel tired...
4
My husband tried a variation to this fasting notion.
What he found most beneficial was his appetite began to shrink. He no longer craved big meals or large portions.
Over time (about a month into his new fasting way of life) he began to feel full after eating half of what he used to consume.
He also has dropped ten pounds in six weeks.
Everyone's chemistry and metabolism is different and unique. Like most things, intermittent fasting could be a valuable tool to some, but not necessarily beneficial to others.
The hardest thing for me is finding something, ANYTHING that works for ME. I'm still looking, reading, struggling to find that magic answer. But at least this article gives me a glimmer of hope.
11
2020 started my sixth or seventh (can't remember) year of the 5:2 diet. I lost 40 pounds in the first several months and ended up at my high school weight. It's incredibly easy. 300 weeks later and I've never missed my two days in any week.
But what is most interesting is that after I lost the weight, I lost no more. So for at least a number of years this has simply been a maintenance diet. Still, it works and I don't feel like I am ever sacrificing. I've learned which foods keep within my 600 calorie limit on fasting days.* I can hold off after hitting my quota knowing I can have some specified treat the next day, by which time I usually no longer want it. I easily fast in places I never expected, like the beach, a business trip, or vacation. And the best part is I can still have anything I want, even on fasting days, as long as the day's total is no more than 600 calories.
* 30 oz. chocolate banana milkshake-like smoothie: 330 calories; large tomato diced in bowl with light balsamic dressing: 100 calories; 20 square pretzels: 100 calories; entire package of no sugar/no-cook chocolate pudding: 320 calories; full jar of marinated asparagus: 160 calories. Even a toasted bagel with butter and nova: 550 calories. The options are endless.
6
@Paul in NJ : if you are eating 600 calories, you are not fasting -- not remotely.
Banana smoothies? whole jars of marinated asparagus? BAGELS? chocolate pudding?
Honey, you are NOT fasting.
@Concerned Citizen
But @Paul in NJ is definitely following the 5:2 fasting method, as he indicates.
1
My recommendation would be to replace lunch with dinner, that is to eat dinner early afternoon lets say between noon and 2pm. And instead of evening dinner, have a light meal such as e.g. sandwich or fruits between 6pm and 7 pm which is also called supper. The next meal would be a breakfast the next day. We eat dinner in the evening but going to bed with the full stomach is a bad idea.
4
Why is that your recommendation? Are there health benefits? if so, what are they? Do you have a background in medicine or nutrition?
5
@Molly it's a friendly comment based on personal experience. Chill.
2
Intermittent fasting was first popularize by Michael Mosley a British doctor who researched fasting in the U.S. He originally did a video for the BBC, which was widely distributed on YouTube. It was called the 5 and 2 diet, which allowed you to eat anything for 5 days and for 2 days eat a restricted diet of, in the case of men, less than 1,000 calories per day. This is easy to do and I did it for some time and I did loose weight. My other goal was to improve my health, as the research seemed to indicate. This system also makes a lot of sense.
2
Just skip breakfast, hmm? What do you propose I do with the migraine I will get each day? Not eating is a trigger for many people with migraines.
This article made me wonder about the people who work 2 jobs and come home late at night, exhausted and hungry. How are they supposed to fast for 16 hours (at least!)? As usual, the Times assumes everyone reading will be middle-class at a minimum.
29
@JenD Me too. Fasting for too long will trigger a migraine. It's too bad, because otherwise it works great for me.
At yes, not only is there a class bias being assumed here, but also an age one. So many ppl in their 60s, 70s, replying saying how well it works for them. No kidding. It's a lot easier to control your diet when you're retired and in control of your schedule. For the rest of us. lots of ppl work 2 jobs, or 12 hr shifts, or unpredictable shifts, or have social dinners with clients/colleagues are integral to their job. Don't get me wrong- I'm a big fan of IF. But the luxury of intermittent fasting isn't a matter of willpower, it's sometimes a problem of practicality.
8
@local I totally agree with you. I am a single, retired person. I have the luxury of doing what I want, when I want, most days. IF would be a struggle with a family and in many cases work life. Still, I'm going to try it.
4
I'm sure this diet would also be hard for diabetics. You'd have to try it to see if it triggered migraines or if you adjusted, and that night nit be worth doing. As a teacher working 7 AM to 5 PM most days it has worked great. There are no energy issues and I no longer get "hangry" when I miss or delay a meal. I've hiked ten miles in the morning before eating with no issues.
The bit about "middle class" feels silly. When I had to work at night, I still ate dinner, and not eating while working is bo different than not eating while at home.
2
I've been fasting for about a year. 6pm to 9pm M-F is my weekday feeding window, with no restrictions during that window. Entire apple pie? Sure! Why not? Weekends I do my best, and depends on how distracted I am. And if a colleague or friend schedules a lunch date I eat lunch. I'm not weird about it. I'm never going back to 3 squares.
2
I've just calculated that, since I quite working two years ago, I've been fasting for 12 hours a day without even trying. Hasn't made a bit of difference to my weight, my blood pressure, my osteoarthritis, or my general sense of well-being. I don't think I'll try to artificially extend it to 16 hours.
7
Several commenters appear to accept the reported conclusion from Dr. Mattson that "doctors are unable" to answer patients' question on diet/nutrition. Jane Brody does not address how Dr. Mattson came to this conclusion. It would be nice to know.
Secondly, Jane Brody writes "The human counterpart — people who evolved in feast-or-famine environments — would not have survived unless somehow protected by fasting." I suggest a more likely interpretation as humans evolved protections FROM fasting.
6
If you’re looking for 16 hours without food during the day, I found the best time is actually from noon until breakfast the next day.
If you skip dinner, the time when you’re hungriest is when you’re asleep. Then enjoy a healthy breakfast and start the day.
10
@Puny Earthling Unless that hunger wakes you up and keeps you from sleeping well. There is no one "best" or "right" diet....each of us has to figure out what works best for our body.
1
Copied from my medical records (the note from my physician) after just 6 months of IF.
"The labwork shows you no longer have prediabetes. Your sugar level is normal as well."
Regarding coffee, have it every day with either whole milk (what is in our fridge for the kids) or half & half. Low-fat milk is just sugar (lactose), you need the fats.
I even work out during the fast. Thinking back to college, my crew team's 6AM workouts didn't start with a meal.
14
Time restricted eating, as described in this article, is a type of fasting that just requires that you eat all your meals , all food, in a 8-10 hour window during the day. Preferably you should be done with eating in the early evening. Recent studies that looked at the circadian rhythm of our bodies found that all cells in our bodies perform different functions at night than during the day. Metabolism, hormonal secretion, and repair and maintenance functions all vary according to day and night rhythms, regardless if we are awake or not at night.
Eating at night can disrupt the natural circadian rhythm, causing inflammatory markers to rise, impaired glucose metabolism, disruption of sleep patterns and more.
So, this time restricted eating thing is not silly as some suggest in the comments . Many studies have shown health benefits, in cancer prevention, better sleep,better glucose control and lowering of IGF-1 (which is a tumor promoter), even though weight loss is probably not the most common effect.
14
Neither fasting nor the latest diet fad matters when you drive from parking lot to parking lot. Same for passing on plastic at the grocery store only to load your SUV. Americans are too reliant on the automobile, don’t exercise, and eat family portions.
6
@Hollis Actually, the blood-insulin levels still matters whether you are walking or driving. As noted in the Obesity Code, giving people on restricted diets insulin injections leads to weight gain; giving people burning lots of calories insulin injections leads to weight gain.
Don't drive if you don't want to, but it won't make a difference in your weight until you get the insulin under control.
3
Glad to see James mention the Obesity Code. First diet-related book I’ve read that made sense to me. I’m 74 and, after 5 months of IF (2 healthy meals between noon and 7 pm, no snacks) I’ve lost 14 pounds and am within 6 pounds of my rowing weight at age 22. Still work out and feel great.
5
I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for a couple of years without knowing it was ‘a thing’. The best feature of eating once a day is all of the time it gives me because I am not chained to a 3-meal-day habit. More thought and intent goes into my daily meal so it seems more balanced and enjoyable.
When hosting or traveling with friends who want their 3 squares, my eating preference has met with some resistance from those who think it’s nuts and that it will surely kill me. Shrug.
4
This comment is about doctors/health industry and nutrition. My partner just spent a week in the hospital. When he started eating again after a few days of being on a respirator they gave him coke to drink. COKE!!! One of the worst things on the planet for good nutrition. He doesn't drink coke much at home so when they gave him the choices, he chose coke, as a 'I deserve this treat'. And he chose it several times. Why would a hospital even offer coke?
I had started the intermittent fasting two weeks before his illness and had lost four pounds. Under the stress of this difficult time I let it go but want to start again. I ate two smallish meals a day, didn't eat after five, ate breakfast around ten. I really liked it and will try again.
11
The Coke story is appalling, but not surprising.
I worked at a major medical center that allowed a Burger King franchise on its campus. There was a lot of pushback, but the hospital chose profit over ethics. In retrospect, it was the beginning of the end for a once respected institution.
9
@sophia I worked at a hospital where they gave new mothers a champagne breakfast--INCLUDING those who were so drunk at the time of giving birth that their placentas reeked of alcohol. And some of the newborns showed the facial dysmorphia characteristic of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. How bizarre is that?
1
@sophia : if your partner was that ill, on a respirator for days and not eating solid foods…they wanted to give him something easy to swallow and digest.
Carbonated beverages are soothing to the stomach and coke syrup is known to reduce nausea.
You are wildly over-reacting to a very sick person consuming a couple of ounces of Coca Cola….you admit he does not drink it at home. So why is this a problem? what should they have served him instead?
3
Fasting in the evening has the additional benefit of cutting back on snacking. Advice to self, especially.
17
First, I have read several articles suggesting that male and female bodies may respond differently to intermittent fasting and could even result in weight gain in women. Also, those who have a history of eating disorders or even a family history of ED should AVOID this type of eating pattern as it can trigger binge eating disorder and further disrupt metabolism.
17
@ME me too. And I have also read that it may impact lipid levels for women in a way that is different from men. There is not enough research on this issue.
2
Well, let's see here. April/May, 2014, the doc said, "Are you dieting?" "No, why do you ask?" You're down about 20 lbs. We'd better have a look. Endoscopy, " you have Esophagael Cancer." 2 days later I started chemo and radiation, a couple months after they removed my esophagus and part of my stomach, and life changed completely. Down 70lbs. Couldn't really eat meat for 3 years and now I have to cut it into little pieces. But I'm not dead, although I wish I could ear more normally.
5
Meh. Just don't eat carbohydrate garbage. Avoid bread, sugar, white potatoes, corn, and any processed junk in a bag. Then get a little exercise, and live your life.
14
@Matt ---> Yep, the problem is too many of the wrong carbs in the good old USA . . .
... and then add IF because it has cardiac health and anti inflammatory effects that go far beyond just cutting out select foods.
Been doing this for the last five years -- first on the 5-2 diet and then the 6-1 diet to maintain weight. Takes a little getting used to but I think it works for healthy people very well. Took 25 pounds off five years ago and have keep the weight off.
9
In my day, we called this "skipping breakfast." This has been re-branded to "intermittent fasting."
I have two young adult children who could never be enticed to eat breakfast. I had trouble understanding this: breakfast is what gets me out of bed in the morning! I tried everything, but nope.
I now see that they're happy, healthy, and normal-weight ... whereas I was obese as a young adult! So maybe there's something to it.
16
@Ginger As a morning non-eater, I think the evening part is more important. I have gained weight because I eat too much when I start eating. Stopping eating is just as important.
6
@Susan Anderson That's a good point. One could argue that the "stopping" is actually more important than the "not-starting!"
As a lifelong dieter, fasting is an outrageous "trigger" for me (as mentioned in the article). For this reason, the very idea of even trying IF is fraught for me.
My children are fortunate in this regard. Already at their age, I had an unhealthy relationship with food. IF can be a real help ... for some.
5
Everybody is different but 16:8 fasting really works for most people. It’s one of the most potent, simple and inexpensive things that you can do for your health. The benefits are much broader than weight loss and the science behind intermittent fasting is solid and growing. The risk here is to think this is just another fad, it isn’t, it will probably change your life if done correctly for your body.
52
@Bryce What benefits would there be for someone who is not overweight and has a healthy blood pressure level?
Downsides include "bonking" during intense physical activity and loss of social contact associated with sharing meals with others.
4
I’m an endurance athlete (cyclist) who, at 50, is having trouble maintaining my ideal weight for my sport. I decided to try intermittent fasting, in my case 10 hours on/ 14 off, which I have read is preferable for women, and I fast from 5 p.m to 7 a.m. The first week, on my Saturday morning long ride, I bonked horribly. What I have learned, about five weeks in, is that I must have a later meal on Friday evening before my Saturday long ride. So I adjust, eat until about 7 on Fridays, and so far, so good on subsequent Saturday rides.
The social aspect is something I haven’t quite figured out yet, I’ll admit.
5
@Bryce
How do you know what works for most people? Why would any of us who aren't overweight, have normal blood pressure, and feel good want to go hungry on this "diet"? I don't see "solid science" behind this. What are the "benefits" you refer to that are "broader than weight loss"?
2
Maybe I didn't give intermittent fasting enough time, or perhaps my latent eating disorder roared back. I couldn't control my eating after the fasting stopped. I knew I had eaten enough, but I still didn't feel full. I didn't want to get back into binge eating so I quit intermittent fasting. It is best to do what's right ourselves.
36
@Simone Good for you. More anxiety about food and eating doesn't help at all.
The bulk of the metabolic changes (insulin sensitivity, etc.) are NOT due to intermittent fasting per se, but rather the weight loss that results from it. The research is not clear if intermittent fasting does much of anything for those who are not overweight. It’s far simpler to eat healthily and not overload on calories during the day.
6
@RBSF untrue that the improvements are merely based on weight loss. See scientific article below:
Early Time-Restricted Feeding Improves Insulin Sensitivity, Blood Pressure, and Oxidative Stress Even without Weight Loss in Men with Prediabetes
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413118302535
Intermittent fasting can improve health even in the absence of weight loss
3
@RBSF actually, it's not so simple to not overload on calories, as obesity rates confirm. IF can be an effective tool, as you suggest yourself.
Yeah the intermittent fasting craze....Going 16 hours without food could mean enduring from 12 am until 2 pm the next day. That’s a long time to be hungry and without useful nutrition. Thanks, but think I‘ll just try to eat sensibly and exercise daily.
20
@Tom Your appetite will fade as you practice the day fast. The big challenge is daily habit. We don't like to be hungry during the workday and our three-meal custom is hard to get past when it's lunchtime in the office. A weekend trial might be something you could experiment with. Not being driven by appetite feels like greater autonomy in life. Cheers.
18
@John Roberts I would liketo see some proof before I hop on yet another diet fad.
5
@jeff You can give it a one-day trial without any commitment. See how you feel after postponing all day. It is good to try this when you have no work schedule to obey.
The easiest way to find out the “truth” about intermittent fasting is trying it. My weight has not changed +/- two pounds in the last thirty years. I eat sixteen hours apart.
21
My spouse, both retired, and I eat once a day, dinner only. I struggle to keep within 5 lbs of my college wrestling weight. Long off the pill, she has no trouble weighing the same as she did as a teenager. By eating a pre-determined amount at a pre-determined time, we cheat our appetite by making hunger irrelevant. And that, I believe, weakens its control over us.
29
@CW Why deny the pain of a body’s natural response to an empty stomach? Seems like a miserable way to live.
14
@Tom, Because hunger doesn't determine when and how much you eat, it is no longer controlling your behavior and no longer determining your food intake, and it sort of becomes irrelevant. The distress it causes seems to conveniently decrease so that most of the time you don't even notice it. If you do, you just comfort yourself by anticipating of what you will be eating at your next scheduled meal.
@CW
How sad. I understand not wanting to be fat for health and appearance reasons. But to feel compelled to weigh what you weighed forty years ago by eating only once a day seems obsessive. You never go to lunch or dinner with friends?
1
"Given their limited knowledge of nutrition, doctors are often unable to advise their patients, Dr. Mattson said."
This is the sad, unfortunate reality of the health industry in the United States (and most of the world), where for some inexplicable reason doctors receive almost zero training or education about the most fundamental activity that affects our health.
83
@Ben Just now I was talking about doctors and their lack of understanding of nutrition with my husband, who gets migraines almost constantly; none of his neurologists have EVER asked him about his eating. He's now on an eating protocol that seems to helping his migraines more than any neurologist ever has. Yep. MD's need nutrition awareness, if not extra training in it.
I just started two weeks ago. I am doing the 7-12 fasting schedule. I awake at 5-6 in the morning, have my coffee and then spend my morning reading the paper and a book. Very rarely have I felt hungry. The research which sold me on this is that intermittent fasting reduces the chance of a breast cancer recurrence by 32%. I may have the percentage incorrect, but the research that was the selling point for me. I'll keep you all posted on the weight loss journey as it happens.
19
@Rosemary Can you share a link to the research paper on breast cancer recurrence and intermittent fasting?
1
"Socially, eating restrictions like intermittent fasting can be very limiting. How do you respond to a 7 p.m. dinner invitation if that’s the start of your fasting window?"
You accept and adjust your next meal accordingly, of course.
Also, you don't eat to be fasting every single day, you can start one day a week and progressively increase to a few more. Intermittent fasting is also a good way to relearn what hunger feels like because so many of us are so over-fed and eat without thinking about it, that we no longer know how it feels to be hungry. Of course, intermittent fasting is not a carte blanche to over-eat when we do eat. Bon appétit!
83
I have been a fan of Jane Brody's for years, but this was not up to her standards.Too bad she didn't look at the Harvard site while providing this under-researched article. There is very little research to support fasting for weight loss as compared to typical calorie restriction and there is evidence that intermittent fasting is so difficult that compliance is lower.
10
Actually, the New England Journal of Medicine just published a paper on the benefits of IF (which can be achieved by several methods). Weight loss is not guaranteed but commonly there is a decrease in visceral fat and inches around the waist. Also may improve length of life with improved quality as well.
2
There is abundant data showing that IF works well for many people. I did the research before I started. I do agree that there is more scientific work to be done. The research says that low calorie restrictions and 5:2 fasting are difficult to maintain, which is once reason many folks like me stick to 16:8
3
Not a single mention of how exercise fits into a fasting regime? Michael Phelps consumed a 10,000 calorie diet when he was training for the olympics. You have calories coming in and calories going out, the difference between the two is either weight gained or lost. Plus, exercising is simply fun, fasting you sit around and do nothing.
6
Agreed. While it may take 12 hours before the liver runs out of energy watching Netflix, that time may be significantly reduced by exercise, so you may not need to fast as long to get the same benefit. Work out before bed and you may burn fat while you're sleeping and earn your breakfast.
2
@C. M. Jones " fasting you sit around and do nothing"
Why? Nothing prevents you from going about your day and being active. Phelps is definitely an exception, most people don't burn the same number of calories as an olympic athlete...
7
@C. M. Jones This is exactly what I was thinking... I'm certainly no Michael Phelps, but as an amateur triathlete, I burn an average of 4000Kcal a day - and I feel that even a few hours without some kind of snack during the day affects how I feel during the next workout...
Wouldn’t recommend for diabetics. With Type II I need to perform small amounts of “maintenance eating.”
7
@Lightning14 Check out Dr. Fung's books and websites. His largest patient group is those with diabetes. But yes -- there are medical conditions that will mean you need a doctor's supervision to be sure your blood sugars are managed while you fast and diabetes is certainly one of them. But still. Go take a look.
5
As a internist the obesity epidemic were are in is one of the biggest if not the greatest crisis in modern medicine , we see it leading to the more obvious diabetes , heart disease and hypertension . However not so well appreciated is it link to liver disease - fatty liver and cirrhosis, sleep apnea / cognitive impairment and lastly cancers . It seems there are various chemical signals - cytokines made by certain abdominal or omental fat cells that drive cancer cells.
Of course fasting has been done by various religions (spiritual rationale ) - we read of John the Baptist and Jesus in the wilderness fasting . The Quran has a unique way of proscribing fasting , 2:184/185 at the end of which it says , “ Fasting is good for you if you only knew” . Seems like we are gradually coming into “ knowing “.
15
"Given their limited knowledge of nutrition, doctors are often unable to advise their patients". Tragically, that hasn't stopped them. Doctors are the biggest purveyors of nutritional nonsense and their uninformed pronouncements are given added weight because of their professional status. When caught out, doctors are fond of whining that they only get a few hours of instruction about nutrition while in med school. Fair enough. Then quit giving advice about it! I have no training in oncology, so I refrain from advising people about the best chemotherapy regimens.
29
@A. Cleary Jason Fung writes early on in Obesity Code "I always wondered why so many doctors were fat." Yep.
1
Skipping breakfast is fine, if you don't mind insomnia.
5
@Ned Kennington
Conventional thinking is that one should always have breakfast, a light lunch and an even lighter dinner preferably before 7 p.m. This fasting thing is straight out of GOOP manuals which also recommended doing strange things to one's nether regions.
7
@May Archer
Yes, we ate pretty much the same but we never had 'in between meal' snacks. You ate at the table or you had to wait for the next meal. No snacks, because no way was Mom going to let us dirty more dishes! And the playroom was outside, nothing to do inside except help Mom with cleaning. And yes you guessed it, we stayed outside.
20
In any endeavor, start with the basics, then worry about tweaking.
In the case of most Americans' weight problems, eat less and move more on a daily basis. Give that plenty of time to undo the effects of having not done so. Only later might it be worth going down the rabbit holes the Times loves to write about (intermittent fasting, 7-minute workouts, "fasted cardio," on and on and on).
7
@Scott Douglas Many overweight people have heard the phrase "eat less, move more" a million times. Guess what, it's extremely difficult to "eat less" when you're craving carbs, and even more difficult to "move more" when you're carrying around a lot of excess pounds. Intermittent fasting allows someone with a significant weight problem to shed enough weight that they feel up to exercising. The rest follows naturally.
10
@Scott Douglas
"Eat less, move more" has been the least effective advice throughout a century of obesity research. It fails because it is a fundamental misunderstanding of _why_ the body gains or loses weight in any tissue.
Recommend a read of Gary Taubes.
I've been limiting my eating to between 10:00am and 6:00pm for a while now.
The two biggest related "wins" for me have been eliminating the mostly mindless nibbling through the evening hours, and better sleeping.
I go to the gym most mornings... all I've had prior is a cup of coffee.
I don't feel deprived or hungry.
I think my body likes it.
26
Intermittent fasting has worked very well for me; but the one problem is that it creates a bitter, metallic taste in my mouth.
3
The author remains indifferent to the T2D crisis and the role of carbs in perpetuating it. Time for a new food columnist who understands that our pancreas gave up on our carb addiction decades ago. That obesity is related to nutrition per se.
8
These articles are just annoying. What are the claimed benefits, other than losing weight (and the health benefits of not being overweight)?
Absolutely nothing. This article contains no relevant information other than that being overweight is unhealthy, and fasting causes weight loss.
Well, duh.
If we want to lose weight all we need to do is eat less. We don't need to fast. Smaller portions cause our stomach to shrink. It happens in a few days. Once our stomach is smaller there is no effort to limit portion size. It's dead simple an anyone can do it.
Snacks? What about snacks? Go for a walk if you need comfort. Craving for snacks just indicates we have not respected our limits.
1
@Marc If it was that easy, we wouldn't have an obesity problem.
18
@Marc I suggest reading this piece more closely. It mentions reducing symptoms for MS and there is quite a lot of research that IF reduces inflammation and has other positive effects.
6
The credibility of the Times takes a hit with articles like this. I can count on one hand the number of people I know able to stay on this DIET. They do it for weight control, even though they'd never admit it.
How many people fail with this regimen and gain more weight as a result?
7
@Imagine : if you can eat within a window of 5-10 hours (depending on the fast)…well, many people can shove in 3000 calories or more in that time.
It sounds like meal skipping, which often leads to bingeing.
To answer the question; is fasting right for me?
A good way to find out is to listen to the body following a fast.
It will likely say thank you.
15
This is what followers of Jainism have been doing it for centuries. It is called "Choviar". You eat 60 minutes before sun down and 48 minutes after sunrise. It is new to western world, but for eastern culture and eastern religious philosophies, it is been in practice for millennium.
6
@Tennis Fan
A millennia ago, how would they “know” 48 minutes went by?
5
Yes!!! Thank you! There is absolutely nothing dangerous about going 16 hours without eating - that's hardly even fasting, really. People have fasted for millennia without harm. Muslims fast daily for a whole month every year and they don't die!!!!! The notion that we must constantly refuel is a lie, plain and simple, and it is one of the big reasons so many people are now obese. The idea that you must eat constantly in order to lose weight is just loony. You have to not eat for a while if you want your insulin to drop into the fat-burning range. Check our Jason Fung's work, or the work at Virta Health. The science is robust.
17
@Mimi
I agree about Jason Fung and the science behind it. I wish this article talked more about insulin and hormones.
What people do not understand is that this helps overweight people reset their weight to a healthy number. I wish people would stop comparing calorie restriction and intermittent fasting - it is not the same. It's all about insulin and hormones.
10
Some of us like me are designed by nature to be thin, wiry, and off the charts energetic. For one thing we don't care about food and never over eat ever. We don't have to do anything but avoid ridiculous habits like eating deserts and sugary drinks all day. We don't get fat, unless we start acting like the people who can't help but get fat because they respond to the endless opportunities to eat. Good luck to you and Oprah who need to torture yourselves because the excessive drum of answers for why some people just can't help themselves and are stuck being bigger than they dream that they should be. I wish you all well and spend my time working out the problems of modern life that my body wasn't "designed" for. Now lets see a study that tells us how we can avoid depression or anger management with a new diet …..
2
@Jon "Now lets see a study that tells us how we can avoid depression or anger management with a new diet …."
Easy. Chocolate.
7
@Jon
If as you say, you're "designed by nature to be thin," then you don't deserve credit for that thinness you seem so proud of. I think some people struggle with their weight for a variety of reasons, and a little compassion wouldn't cost you anything.
4
Eat less at each meal
Move your body more
4
"How do you respond to a 7 p.m. dinner invitation if that’s the start of your fasting window?"
Be flexible. You could delay the next day's first meal by an hour. You could settle for a 15 hour fasting window that day. You could just skip the fast and call it a "cheat day." The process will work just as well if you throw in a cheat day once a week ... and make it more tolerable. Your body won't notice the difference. You're not in the Marines after all. For a deep dive into the biology of fasting, here is a paper by Mattson and Valter Longo, two of the best researchers:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3946160/
Both of these guys have many informative videos on youtube.
They also both star in the documentary that kicked off the fasting phenomenon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihhj_VSKiTs
14
the biggest problem I have with this is that it seems to work for people with no social life. you kind of have to be a hermit.
sigh...
2
@JA My eating window is the afternoon and early evening. Plenty of time for a social life where food is a feature.
10
Why use the word "diurnal" in this otherwise informative article? I wonder how many readers can actually understand the recommended fasting pattern in that sentence?
"'Our human ancestors did not consume three regularly spaced large meals, plus snacks, every day, nor did they live a sedentary life,' the researchers wrote."
But nor did they intentionally fast for 16 hours each day. Nor did they live longer lives, nor did they enjoy less violence.
Why not eat one "large" meal (likely lunch), eat smaller and healthier snacks during the day, get good exercise, and avoid snacking on any junk foods?
3
Great article. There’s an excellent book on the subject: Buddha’s diet, that is a great introduction and is one that I found useful. As to the 7pm dinner invitation, the book suggests one free day a week from the fasting. I do find it difficult to fast whilst traveling though.
2
More important: how well you eat, not how much, plus the importance of regular exercise.
Dieting tells our metabolisms to slow down. And eating late is a bad idea no matter what; before our all-consuming glowing rectangles, people didn't stay up snacking in the wee hours.
But if we get more rigorous physical activity, we needn't obsess about when and what we eat. As long as we eat good food and avoid the sugars and starches, we do well if we get out more--better to get a good pair of running shoes than it is to obsess over the time.
5
@R Mandl But that's likely harder for most. A routine is easier to do for those who struggle with weight and poor eating habits and likely don't do much physical exercise.
I see this type of diet as being like most others, few will be able to stay on it, and many health gains can be seen by most diets in the short term precisely because people are just eating less.
2
I've practiced a daily 13 hour fast for 6 months combined with walking 3 or more miles everyday; lots of veggies and lean protein. I've lost 46 pounds. It's really a mind game; convince yourself to embrace hunger.
21
@Bob Exactly right. It happens between the ears. But if you can put yourself in the sweet spot, it's effortless.
8
@Bob
I wonder how all the people in the world, including in the United States, who can't afford to eat when they're hungry, feel about "embracing hunger"?
1
It also helps to not be too strident about it. I aim to eat the majority of my daily calories over 8 hours, but I certainly am not going to go to bed hungry. If I am a bit hungry later or earlier, I have a tablespoon of peanut butter or something like that.
5
did anybody try eating half full every meal? I mean the stomach has a limited space (though elastic) but do not try to stretch it to the full extent rather make it 60% to the normal capacity. by doing this we can reduce blotting and acidity that helps digestion. one has to measure the stomach capacity by trail and error. over eating by choice has to be managed. we need to do some research in this area.
3
I would like to see more research on how (or if) IF impacts post menopausal woman's lipid profiles. I started it two months ago (have always not eaten later in the day anyway and have maintained my same diet doing the IF). I am tall and slender, same weight for decades.
I formally started a 16/8 schedule with no falling off of it. I just got my blood work done, and relative to a year ago, my overall cholesterol jumped 25 points (from 195 to 220), my LDL jumped 22 points (from 118 to 140), my HDL is now 68 (last year 62). My Triglycerides were halved - from 127 to 64. My ratio of Total Cholesterol divided by HDL is 3.32 - a slight increase from last years ratio which was 3.14.
I am 6, post menopausal. I was disappointed with the elevated numbers (except for the triglycerides). I wonder if the IF has a downside, at least with me.
4
@Mary age 61 that is!
@Mary
I'm not a doctor but I'd say hang in there. It's only been two months, numbers fluctuate a bit, and your body may still be adjusting to the new diet.
Plus, your numbers shouldn't be that alarming. HDL (the good cholesterol) is actually above the high end of the normal range (40-60), which is impressive. Your total cholesterol would look lower if you had a "normal" number for HDL, but HDL helps clean up your arteries. The Cholesterol ratio is right in the middle of the normal range (0.0-6.0), which means you have half the average risk of coronary heart disease for women, according to LabCorp standards.
Meds will affect numbers, so that might be an issue if you're taking something. Cutting your triglycerides in half is impressive. Most people would envy your numbers. You can always monitor these more closely by just getting them tested yourself (I do this) through an on-line service that contracts with either LabCorp or Quest Diagnostics (although I don't know what exists in North Carolina.)
Good luck.
6
@Paul B thank you yes I am sticking! I take no meds. 16/8 is very easy for me.
1
In my 58 years I've seen so many food and diet fads come and go--many of them completely at odds with each other in terms of the regimens and the theories behind them--that it now falls in line with my increasingly cynical viewpoint that we are beholden to some mythical "they," as in when someone says, "They now say that whole milk is better than low-fat/nonfat milk." I always ask, "Who, exactly, are 'they'?" Yes, there are studies--again, with results often at odds with other those of other studies, but often I detect in each "must-do" regimen a bent toward marketing books, meal supplements, or what-have-you to people looking for the ultimate answer to their issues (of course, this is not limited to dietary matters). But there IS no real "they"--no single authority who can answer with certainty pretty much anything. Often we're best when left to our own devices to figure out what works for us personally.
I have a history of small-bowel obstructions from adhesions from multiple GI surgeries as a kid. They are AWFUL, and potentially fatal, but I could not find a single doctor who could tell me how to manage the problem. I was basically expected to "deal with it." So on my own, after much research, I figured out that my safest regimen is one of nearly all smoothies (the healthiest, most nutritionally-packed smoothies you can imagine), soups, and juices. I don't eat lunch. So far, it's made a huge difference, not to mention a loss of about 40 pounds. But I'm just me--not "they."
9
I have come to believe in the concept of food addiction...similar to alcohol addiction or drug addiction...some of us react differently and more profoundly to certain foods..usually they are flour, sugar and fat or salty. Often we associate these foods with good times, happy times, safe times from childhood.. And we get intense psychic relief from their ingestion like the alcoholic does from drinking. And we pursue that to extreme lengths. Obesity and and disfigurement and illness and finally death.
7
I am 36, and was never into eating 3 meals a day in the first place. I have been doing IF (without knowing I was doing it) since leaving school - a combination of laziness and an ability to "forget" to eat.
There was one time I had to train myself to get back on my preferred eating track, however, after a year of working the morning shift (waking up at 2/3 really messed up my eating habits). It was very hard for about 2 weeks, mostly because I had to basically shrink the size of my stomach. After eating a lot for a prolonged period of time, the stomach expands, and must be trained. After those two weeks, I was full faster.
2
I started doing intermittent fasting when I started working at home. It's evolved. I've never been a breakfast eater -- I have always preferred to sleep. At first I just delayed lunch till I had finished work that was urgent, and by then it was often 4 PM. So it was a light lunch, with dinner only 3-4 hours away. Then I became single and could have dinner any time I wanted. Now I eat a very late dinner (think: Spain), have a cup of decaf coffee with oat/almond/soy, etc. milk in the late morning, and then nothing till dinner again. I don't even think about food during the day anymore.
I think I might gain weight if I did eat three meals a day, or even two, but the big thing for me is not having to interrupt my activities just to stuff food down. My mother eats three meals a day and that, what with preparation and washing up, takes up about half of her time!
9
A whole food plant-based diet causes people to gradually shed weight without trying. It can be very dismaying to find that one's clothes no longer fit, even tho weight loss was not the goal.
It is practically impossible to emulate the caloric intake of the Standard American Diet on a plant-based diet. I found it difficult to even notice the change because I didn't feel deprived of anything, and not even remotely hungry ... and the change took place over a period of months.
3
@Sequel
I'm glad this worked for you but it would not work for me. I cannot tolerate wheat gluten or many other grains (e.g. "gluten-free" oatmeal, spelt) or pulses (chickpeas, lentils, beans) -- all of these lead to intestinal issues, some of them bad enough to be effectively debilitating. So vegan is pretty much out of the question to get enough protein -- nuts and yeast as the only protein-dense foods I consume is not very appealing.
I've found that consuming milk proteins in nutritionally-relevant amounts (i.e. more than a bit of parm on veggies) will make my skin break out... luckily (as it's so delicious) butterfat seems to be alright. But I can't be vegetarian, either (and anyway, most sources of milk in the U.S. are nearly as cruel as the meat sources).
I'd love to be vegan and still feel alright (medically), but until microbial or vat-grown animal-like proteins have been perfected, I don't see myself exclusively eating nuts and vegetables, coconut, and certain grains like wild rice (although some days I do eat like this). I try to eat animal products from humanely-raised animals -- the Whole Food scoring system on this has been tremendously helpful.
3
@Sequel How do you equate "without trying" to limiting your eating to just whole plant-based food? That takes a lot of trying for most.
1
@Sequel
Most people will have the same results on a whole foods omnivorous diet.
The 3 meals per day worked well until the 20th century. Office work required getting up often to file papers, share memos, print, carry etc. People did not eat at their desks. This vanished gradually since the past 20 or so years. So we must metabolically adapt too. Probably most people can easily get by with two meals daily if not one.
6
@OldtimeyMD Office work was a rarity before the 20th century - manual labor, mostly on farms, was the rule. And manufacturing jobs were strenuous, as was the work of keeping a home in the days before modern conveniences. So pretty much everyone burned a lot of calories back then, except for the rich, which is why they got gout.
6
I started IF on February 1st after a visit from my son-in-law over the holidays. He had lost 20 lbs, felt good and looked great. I have had some success in the past with Weight Watchers but found the counting points, food weighing and special recipes annoying. Since I began eating between noon and 7 only, I have lost 5 lbs.. And I can eat the same food as my husband. I am going to keep it going even though I don't need to lose much more weight. I feel good, sleep well, and my clothes fit more comfortably.
28
I recently tried intermittent fasting and found that indeed, my latent eating disorder was triggered. I might try introducing it more gradually to see if that helps, because the benefits sound intriguing.
1
I'm interested, but have a question. I take two prescription medications that are to be taken once every 12 hours with food or immediately after eating, to permit proper absorption. There is some slack in the timing, but not in the need to be taken with/right after food. So, I'm interested suggestions for intermittent fasting/reprogrammed eating with this kind of constraint. It sounds from the article that only skipping food for 12 hours wouldn't be that beneficial.
9
I think you can benefit from just 10 - 12 hours IF you exercise vigorously in the morning before eating. Vigorous exercise will deplete any remaining glucose quickly and turn on the fat burning.
I do 14-16 hour fasting plus vigorous exercise every morning except Sunday (for 30 years now despite being told I couldn’t possibly exercise without ‘fuel’). I cheat 2-4 days every month and eat something late. I suspect just 3-5 days a week would be good enough anyway. I really think the exercise while fasting is sufficient to properly train the liver to burn fat efficiently.
Keep in mind, exercise on an empty stomach is “training” your body to burn fat effectively. If you’re competing in an event, by all means, fuel up.
7
@Ed, The book Buddha’s diet suggests fasting intervals of 11-12 hours and might be helpful to you. I personally fast for only 12 hours and this has worked well for me. Good luck!
3
@Lars Watson
16 hours is when the magic begins, and is considered optimal by science, but more is better. 12 is better than most people but a few more hours is much better. Those next four hours do more than the initial 12.
7 - 10 days every three months will bulletproof you against cancer according to Dr. Seyfried who wrote the Metabolic Theory of Cancer.
Even skinny people can go 30 days without much problem. After 40 days or so we start metabolizing our muscle and organs, so that's the definition of starvation.
One guy did 382 days and kept it all off. My hat's off to him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMpvFB1Drmc
The current American eats constantly:
Breakfast - snacks - lunch + soda - afternoon snack- dinner- TV snack. And the snacks are not what used to be considered snacks - an apple or some small bite of food - they are high sugar, high calorie processed food. Just going back to 3 meals a day and reasonable portion size as we used to eat in the 50's and before would be less extreme and probably somewhat effective.
12
I'd always hated eating breakfast so after I retired, I got up later and didn't get around to eating breakfast until noon. So, I started eating more food that was less like breakfast and more like lunch e.g. avocado and tomato on toast. I eat something small around 4pm if I feel like it and dinner at 7.30-8pm. I once in a while eat some chocolate a bit later. In under three years I've lost about 30lbs - I'm also probably less active than when I worked - and hope to lose another 10lbs to get back to the weight of my thirties. I was delighted to lose weight but only found out recently I was following a new fad diet!
52
Here's my two cents: First, I don't consider anything less than 24 hours a fast--the rest is just reprogrammed eating. Starting six or seven years ago, I got into fasting. At first it was 24 hours. Then sometime 48; once, I did three days but I would not do that again. I went from 242 down to the upper 190s but over 2-3 years. The big thing was learning portion control. Given the huge servings, almost every time we eat out I doggy bag about half the meal. Yes, at first I would get hungry, but soon my body was conditioned so even after 24 hours, I don't have hunger pangs or a growling tummy. After about 24 hrs. I get a bit of an energy high. For me fasting has been good--after the first 20 lbs or so were gone, I got off both blood pressure and cholesterol medication and at 82 am not on any prescription drugs. Blood pressure this morning was 124/50, so yes, for many people I recommend either or both rescheduled eating or actual "real" (i.e. at least 24 hrs) fasting.
9
I prefer to eat mainly vegetables and some fruit throughout the day and exercise regularly, as I have lost weight and still get important minerals and vitamins, which I could not receive from fasting.
2
@Isle
I honestly don't understand how people on low-fat "fruit and vegetable" diets have the willpower to not constantly snack. I don't feel satiated unless I have fats. If my calorie intake relies on carbs, which include fruit, I eat until almost bursting and then I'm hungry a few hours later.
I try to get 30-40% of my calories from fats, as this allows me to feel satiated, and makes intermittent fasting much easier. I stay slim, and barely get any exercise.
(Not advocating for the no-exercise side of things --I would obviously be healthier if I did exercise --just that keeping weight off is mostly about how you eat.)
As another side note, I like animal fats and coconut oil as a way to add variety and deliciousness to my fats. It's arguably reasonable to eat these in balance with unsaturated oils, as the case against saturated fats has been overstated and the case against high ratios of vegetable oils has perhaps been under-reported.
2
I'm 63 and have been doing this for at least 20 years - before there was a name for it. I eat one meal per day - between 8-10pm. I also only eat beef - I did get the memo that us humans are carnivore's. I am a life-long athlete; running over 50k miles since age 14 and now focused more on strength training. I am 165 pounds and regularly do 1000 push ups per day. My best bench was two months ago - 305 pounds, on my birthday. These numbers are excellent for a 30 year old man. For a 63 year old they are freakish. We have been lied to by our government, big food/pharma and the medical industrial complex.
12
@Lost Gringo I'm with you--I've been doing this for about 20 years. I've just found I felt physically better not eating after about 5 pm (easy for a single person); plus I like being hungry in the morning. Without trying I've lost about 15 pounds over these years, too much according to my doctor, who is worried about the brittle bones of this 71 year old female. After running for much of my life, I now walk at least 3 miles a day, and eat vegetarian for the most part, although I don't deny myself cookies, bread or ice cream!
3
@Lost Gringo a diet of only beef?? I'm definitely glad I missed the "memo" about humans being carnivores because I could not imagine following such an extreme diet of only beef
6
I like it, works for me..lost 20 lbs in 5 months...need to lose 20 more but it's got to be with exercise this time for sure.
4
I tried this and gained weight because I would eat more food during my eating period than I normally would have. People need to see what works best for them and stick to it, and I'm glad this is working for people. IF just isn't for me.
7
Same here - i tried it for 30 days and gained weight. And i hated waiting 5 hours after my morning workout to eat. Tracking calories/macros works much better for me.
1
@Jen theres a technique to breaking a fast. Ideally, one would eat low glyecmic index foods, and a very little bit (basically a snack) 20 mins to an hour before the meal. Its helped me not binge during the meal. This doesnt work well for those doing less than 20/4 as many people have short meal breaks.
1
I was doing intermittent fasting for a few months. I would eat breakfast at 6:30AM and then lunch at 12PM. I wouldn't have anything to eat after 1PM in the afternoon, which would give me a 17-18 hour fasting window. Within those months I lost roughly 6 lbs, and felt great. It was a bit of a struggle to fit my caloric needs into 2 meals though, as I am very active and need between 2600 and 3000 calories per day. Eating 2 1500 calorie meals per day can be a bit difficult, but I was always hungry at meal times.
3
Whenever I read an article touting the benefits one way of eating or another, I always ask: Compared to what?
The Standard American Diet (SAD) is high in processed foods and animal products. So perhaps decreasing the daily window when these are eaten improves health; I would want to see the research evidence for it. Because I would wonder if eating during a smaller window decreases calorie intake, which in itself sounds like a good idea.
But what about avoiding both the processed food and animal products? I do that by eating whole plant foods; I start eating about 8-9 am with breakfast, and I finish with a small snack (soy yogurt, fresh and/or dried fruit) at about 10 pm. I eat 3 small meals and 3 snacks throughout the day. My BMI is 21.3, and my test results are very good. Am I healthy? I hope so. But I’m not hungry, and I enjoy my food. Life is good.
6
@Dr. J
Once again conflating processed foods and animal products.
The dietary drivers of modern chronic disease are all plant-based: sugars, refined carbs, seed oils.
Animal foods are nutritious, and humans have been omnivores since forever.
I'm 40-50 pounds overweight. My new doctor recommended I read "The Obesity Code" by Jadon Fung, MD. It gives deep explanations of how our bodies react when we eat, and why intermittent fasting is beneficial. I'm giving it a try. Restricting calories has never worked for me. I hope this does. So far so good: I've dropped 4 pounds in 10 days and am eating much healthier meals.
148
@Chef G Good for you and good for your doctor! I read The Obesity Code and learned how my body was fighting to keep me overweight. That book is the single reason I have managed to stay on 20:4 IF and CICO for nearly a year, when every other weight loss attempt failed. I guess it’s because IF isn’t about weight loss, per de; it’s about living healthy. By understanding the science of my body and the hormonal response, I was able to take control of food instead of the other way around. Dr. Fung is my hero. Good luck in your journey.
5
@Chef G . It is great that your doctor referred you to Dr. Fung's book, The Obesity Code. Check out his website and blog, too.
5
@chef g. My turning point for getting my high blood sugar and weight gain came after I read the Obesity Code. I hit a certain age, 20 pound added and my doctor gave me the alert you are on the way to diabetes. So I did what I would normally do, gym eat “healthy”. The weight did not budge.
Read the book. Started keto diet, and intermittent fasting. Lost the weight, dropped 3 points A1c, sleep better.
3
I started intermittent fasting once I learned there is a name for it. I had always liked eating midday -- I don't like breakfast, and nothing puts me off more than a late dinner. I was able to "give myself permission" to eat at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Just when I'm hungry and thinking about food. I never go to bed hungry. I'm a little hungry between 9:00 and 10:00 but nothing extreme.
I have lost little weight but I feel like a million dollars. Much of this is probably psychological as eating when you want to makes you feel good. (And all my annual numbers the doc crunches are good and I'm a person of more than a certain age -- that's is a psychological boost too.)
I can't do this every day for social reasons but I have found ways to make it work. Less clean up with two meals too. Find the times that work for you and experiment.
15
@bonnie Nardi
I agree!
My whole adult life I “skipped” breakfast, mostly due to working 4 pm to 1 am, and ate two meals a day. Now that I am no longer working I am eating one meal a day at 2 pm., and a snack before 8 pm. I don’t think I am losing weight, but I am not gaining. I also avoid sugary drinks, never liked carbonated beverages so I never drank soda, I feel badly for folks who drink soda, diet or otherwise, as I know they find it hard to stop. I drink unsweetened ice tea and hot coffee with 2% mil. Fruit juice doesn’t agree with my stomach, either from the sugar or the acid, so I only have it rarely.
People should experiment with what is comfortable and with advice from a dietician or doctor or nurse. Even if someone isn’t diabetic, knowing what a low carb, low sugar diet with what portion sizes looks like can help with food and drink choices.
I wish everyone luck!
6
Unfortunately, this latest fad seems to be about as well supported as all other nutritional fads - selected small human studies with intriguing results, and more studies on short-lived animals kept in a very artificial environment.
Even the explanation seems off - if it takes 16 hours of fasting to change to burning fat, then we would never normally burn fat, and never lose any weight. That just doesn't scan.
Remember the diet advice from a few years ago - that it was a foolish economy to skip breakfast, that it would ruin everything? How do you reconcile that with the intermittent fasting advice?
10
@Peter Davis "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" was invented by the cereal manufacturers. You're being scammed if you believe it.
And think again about the explanation. No one is saying that one MUST fast for 16 hours in order to burn fat, but it becomes practically effortless if you do. If the glycogen in the liver and muscles need to be burned off first, then one might do a lot of cardio to deplete it. Whereas if you start your day in that depleted state, you're basically beginning to burn fat automatically.
Don't be so skeptical. I've been doing it for years, and it's fantastic.
35
How did people reconcile that whole Galileo thing? Wasn't it believed, right up until his theory was accepted, that all the planets and stars revolved around the Earth? I'm being facetious, but this is basically the story of all scientific advancement. An old theory is discarded when a new one arises that explains a phenomenon better. When I heard Dr. Fung's theory about what causes weight gain, a bubble of shame that was 30 years in the making burst, and a lightbulb appeared over my head. I cried relieved tears. Eating too much, eating all day long, and even eating the "right" things (lots of whole-grain, heart-healthy cereal!) had caused my weight gain by keeping my insulin level high all the time, and intermittent fasting would reverse this by lowering my insulin level for more of the day than I was raising it. He was correct. Now, 70 pounds off my 5'7" frame, I look at a box of cereal at the grocery store, and wonder why I ever thought that was food. (Hint: the answer is advertising.)
12
Try reading the research to understand the difference between metabolic processes when the body is only processing fats. Quite different from burning shine fat cells to make up a calorie deficit, though of course calorie restriction of any kind reduces weight while we are doing it.
1
I Love intermittent fasting and it doesn’t have to be done everyday. What I really love is not having to think about the food for those hours. It’s just no.
23
@Cheryl
I also love that food tastes so delicious when it is time to eat. It makes me really savor the experience rather than it being just a routine act.
11
I'm not a doctor, but I don't think you're going to accidentally slide into ketoacidosis as the article implies. My understanding is that while there may be other exotic ways to put yourself in ketoacidosis, it almost always occurs to diabetics.
9
At 54, I am the healthiest I have ever been. Thanks to Intermittent Fasting 3-4 days a week and healthier eating all around. Along with regular exercise, 2-3 times per week over the last year. I cut out soda, added sugar, and most breads. I now have more energy, sleep better, and have lost 15 pounds of belly fat. My mood is great and not long after starting, I felt like a fog had lifted and my alertness, memory, and motivation have all improved. I can have good quality ice cream but I notice the effects and chocolate is still a daily treat. One side-effect of cutting out added sugar is that fruits and vegetables taste even better.
59
Intermittent fasting has been great for me; I started with a 16 hour fast, and am now at 20 hours during the week. If I go out to a late dinner on Friday/Saturday, I don't bother fasting the next day. Occasionally, I eat brunch on the weekend. If I do end up fasting on the weekend, I treat it as a bonus. I think a "take it easy" weekend approach has helped me stick with this regimen for over a year. Staying away from sugar and too many carbs has also helped (fewer cravings).
17
Since I eat a healthy diet from 7AM to 7 PM, this makes a ton of sense. It's my late night work and feasting that provides the added calories my body doesn't need. if there's a metabolic reason to fast for so long, than even better. But a hard stop time on eating has been my best path to losing 20% of my body weight in 2019.
21
I was basically doing this "intermittent fasting" even though I didn't know it had a name. My version wasn't 7-11 but more like 7-9 or 8-9 -- so 13 or 14 hours. I stopped eating food and drinking alcohol at around 7 or 8 pm and didn't consume anything (except water/tea) until at least 9 am the next morning. I lost 30 pounds in 6 or 7 months and I've kept it off. The other key of course was portion control. I had gained weight purely by overeating, as is true for most Americans. We just eat too dang much. Intermittent fasting was key to my weight loss but it also helped that I stopped consuming half a bag of chips every night! Now I've just accepted this as my new normal.
15
I had thyroid cancer at 23 and I'm now 61 so I don't know if that has an impact but I've always eaten with a 16 fast. I feel better and function better. A friend tried to encourage me to eat breakfast even though I wasn't hungry and when I did I reached my highest weight of 173. I went back to to the 16 hour fast and in 4 months I weigh 160 and I'm never really hungry. I don't follow the fast strictly on the weekends and Friday-Sunday I pretty much eat 1 big meal of anything I want and often ice cream as well. I'm not sure if this would work for everyone but it has always worked for me...since I was a teenager.
13
Or, just get old. I am 70 yo and seldom think about eating, at least not in the same way I did in my younger years which makes me think that food is a major stress-reliever for many. I've never been a snacker and there is, quite literally, nothing to snack on in my house. I love to cook and always eat a full breakfast after working out, but by then it's late morning and I won't eat again until my stomach starts rumbling around 6:00 PM. I guess this approximates the fast the author suggests, but I see this as just how I eat in my senior years, even my doctor has called two meals a day "the old people's diet."
13
My 92 year old mother was eating two meals/day, until she arrived at the hospital after a stroke chronically malnourished and dehydrated. There’s no one size fits all way to eat.
3
@Jennene Colky Weight loss in the elderly is a big warning flag. There is no reason for the elderly to lose weight.
2
IF benefits have less to do with weight loss and more to do with healthier blood. Lower lipids and especially normalized IGF-1 levels.
11