Any of y’all had any experience?

I have a couple very fit friends who swear by it. They got in a debate with another friend who called it junk. Said it is simply caloric restriction. Others said it had to due with controlling insulin.


All had good points. I have no idea who to believe.

Thoughts.

I would say meh. I eat @ 6pm then not again until noon most every day and my weight has stayed the same.

I'm 78 years old. Back in 2018 my cardiologist told me I was on track for an early death and recommended I look into the work of Dr. Jason Fung regarding intermittent fasting. He's the author of the book The Obesity Code. That was perhaps the best advice I have ever received from a doctor.

Dr. Fung’s explanation as to why diet plans based on low fat and reduced calories do not work. His description of the cycle of losing weight for a month or two then gaining it right back was the story of my life. More importantly, his explanation of how and why intermittent fasting overcomes that failed diet syndrome made perfect sense.

After considering how some of the various intermittent fasting options fit my personal lifestyle, I embarked on a program that involved fasting on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The first week was a bit tough. The second week wasn't so bad. The third week wasn't a problem at all. I chose a pretty tough plan, but one of the beauties of intermittent fasting is that you can design a plan that fits your lifestyle.

So, what happened? When I began the intermittent fasting program I weighed 244 lbs. (I’m 5’9”). Six months later I was at 191 lbs. As my weight began to decrease so did my blood pressure. By the second week into the program I began to experience slight dizziness due to lowering blood pressure. I began cutting back on my blood pressure medication. By the fifth week I totally eliminated all blood pressure medication. My home resting BP readings are now consistently below 130 systolic and 75 diastolic. I sleep better, have more energy and feel better overall than I did before the fasting program. I still fast every Tuesday and Thursday. That's about a 36 hour fast twice a week (from dinner Monday night until breakfast Wednesday morning, and dinner Wednesday night until breakfast Friday morning. The rest of the week I eat like a teenager - anything I want whenever I want. It works for me.

Fung's book is a bit of a hard read. But he has a six-part lecture series on YouTube based on the principles in his book that I highly recommend.

Here's the first video in the series. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpllomiDMX0)

Actually, that is intermittent fasting. You're fasting for 18 hours every day. A very sensible plan for many people.

It works, Personal experience

100% agree.........

I've done intermittent fasting since 9/1/21. It does not work as advertised, as many studies have proven, the largest of which finished up last year. I know personally, I lost 6 pounds in 10 weeks through it. The reason why I keep doing it is I am a grazer. I eat when I see food...or I did. If I was bored, if I was just walking in the kitchen, whatever, I'd get food...not usually high calorie foods, but still more than I needed. Intermittent fasting keeps me disciplined to not do this. I am down 108.2 pounds since 9/1/21, but it's primarily because I eat a boatload of fruits and vegetables and very little processed foods. I do eat turkey sausage (ground and the link) and turkey bacon, but that's pretty much for processed foods. I don't eat bread anymore (I will eat a small piece of cake and ice cream on a few birthdays, but not always. I was not a big sweets person anyway. I eat a serving of protein (ground chicken, boneless/skinless thighs or breast, skinless leg quarters, ground turkey, lean beef, salmon, etc.), usually a fat like avocado or nuts, and 4 to 5 sides consisting of vegetables or fruits, with every meal. I watch my macros and that's what has helped the most. Sugar is so inflammatory, and salt is a killer...gotta figure things out. When I make stews, or chili, or rice, or anything using a broth, I get the reduced sodium or no salt added. The turkey bacon I eat is low sodium, and I wish to God Butterball would have a low sodium turkey sausage (if they do I haven't found it in any store)...

I wish you all good luck, but really, for me at least, it's been about watching my macros. My blood numbers are great, and when I had my blood pressure checked last week, it was 102/70 and a pulse of 61. I'll be 48 on April 7, and I used to weight 362 pounds before I started...never had high BP or any blood sugar issues, thank God....and I don't want any.