AIBU to think Intermittent Fasting is a gimmick?

[NeedToChangeName]

I know a few people who swear by Intermittent Fasting and make a big deal of only eating between 12 noon and 8pm

To me, this just sounds like (1) skip breakfast and (2) no snacks after dinner

AIBU?

Correct. They don't know yet.

No, it's not about eating LESS, it's about eating within a certain window.

You don't have to have a protein shake just afterwards, that's been debunked.
If you are hungry early in the day you just have your eating window earlier.

I am finding that I'm not eating larger meals during my window - my appetite does seem to have reduced.
I'm perimenopausal and struggling to lose weight though. I know all the experts say that HRT doesn't make you put in weight but I'm not convinced.

Yeah, to me those are two different ways of framing the same thing, one of them ordinary language describing a thing many people naturally happen to end up doing anyway, and one of them making it a whole conceptual Thing, sounding a bit wanky and selling glossy paperback manuals. The only real difference is psychological.

But psychology is 90% of the battle when it comes to diet and health. Giving it a name, making it a whole Thing, and formalising it in a framework can help some people get their eating into a manageable and sustainable pattern that helps them avoid overeating (and may have some metabolic benefits), without having it gradually drift at the edges. It also helps if people want to do scientific studies, to have specific named eating patterns they can compare.

To be fair tho, back when the Style and Beauty board denizens were all about the "hot cloth cleansing", all I could think was "isn't that what we used to call washing your face with a flannel?"

I think simplifying it to skipping breakfast and not snacking in the evening is misleading as even if that is the 8h window you choose, you're forgetting about drinks. E.g. you can't have your usual teas or coffees with milk in the morning or your glass of wine/gin and tonic/diet Coke/hot chocolate/tea with milk or whatever in the evening. That's what's giving your digestion a proper break. Those saying you eat in that window naturally, I'd be interested to know if you naturally only drink water (or black coffee/tea) as I doubt that's the case for most people so you're actually not doing it already.

The cells have time to have a good clear out once you've not been consuming any calories for 14+ hours so it's for more than weight loss. Your skin can get brighter, you can reduce your risk of various diseases, etc. Damaged and old cells get the boot which they think will decrease risk of developing some cancers as well.

Thank you for replying!there are so many do’s and don’t’s around food I get completely confused!

I go to the gym for 5.30…heavy weights. I don’t eat until 11. I’m still making great gains.

the only thing worked for me really. Within the 8 hrs I eat whatever I feel like.

I’ve done this for a while now and it works well for me. I generally eat lunch around 12:30 and I finish eating by 8pm at the latest but often earlier. I also am on a low sugar diet so I eat large amounts of greens, certain types of dairy and protein during that time.

A gimmick is a trick designed to attract attention. The research is very clear that it has medical benefits. Obviously if people pig out for 8 hours it won’t help them lose weight so in that way it isn’t a trick to eat what you want and still lose weight.

Needing intermittent fasting is a cultural thing. In many places, it's unheard of to be constantly eating, snacking, drinking tea loaded with milk and worst sugar.
People have 3, 4 at most, regular small meals and their whole life doesn't revolve around food, snacks, "treats!".

Some people have taken the notion of human being natural grazers to try to justify their unhealthy food patter and it has become a bit too fashionable. "Grazing" and and a handful of food throughout the day has never meant it was natural to eat 4 full meals and snack every 30minutes in between.

It's not a gimmick to remove all unnecessary snacks, stop one from waking up in the middle of the night to raid the fridge and stop all these unhealthy behaviour.

A pro-athlete might need to "refuel" after intensive training sessions, within the frame of a very strict diet they tend to have, you don't even need "a banana" to refuel after running coach to 5k, or a zumba class. A banana won't hurt you, but it's usually unecessary.

It worked for me. I got my BMI down from 35 to 29 in four months. I ate what I wanted (although I will say that I don’t have a sweet tooth, so naturally ate no choc, cake etc). Also hit the gym and did 12k steps daily. Got loads of compliments. Felt good. Clothes loosened or became too large.

Then, I was stuck. For a few weeks, I lost nothing. So am now doing IF but with calorie counting too. Bread/crisps is my weakness so it isn’t easy.

I am a maths and modern languages person not a scientist, so I won’t comment on the science aspect, being unqualified to do so. All I can do is relay my story.

Years ago I tried the 5:2 version of intermittent fasting (eat normally for 5 days, restrict calories and time frame for 2 days) and the difference to my menopausal stomach was amazing! I've let that slip in recent times and really need to get back into it - a gimmick is only a gimmick if it doesn't work. Otherwise, it's a pro tip :)

It had worked for me on multiple levels. I started early April, only had 3kg to lose, which I have done now. I also lowered my blood pressure which is now at 121/82 (was 133/86) and my arthritis has almost disappeared as the long fasts break down inflammation in the body. I have gained energy and I sleep like a log for 8 hours a night.

I don’t think it’s a gimmick-i do this in general (although with a shorter gap overnight), it’s really healthy to give your body a break.

I've done this for 2 months and lost 14 lbs so far.

LadyBird1973 · Yesterday 21:29
@Zarataralara , nuts and cheese and bread are quite calorific, even though they are good for you. You might just be going above the calories your body needs.”

This. You still need to keep a check on the calories.

I have a friend who is a gastroenterologist. She said almost every single Dr in her department practises intermittent fasting and many of them do OMAD (one meal a day). These are the people who know about digestion/health etc, if it’s good enough for them…

I started IF (usually 16:8) in summer 2020 after piling on lockdown weight. I lost a stone in 6 weeks (I wasn’t overweight but was at the upper limit of a “healthy” BMI) and have maintained it ever since. I allow my self to lapse on occasion and don’t beat myself up about it.

BMI has gone from 26 (overweight) to 24 (healthy weight).
Much easier to do than 5:2 imo and I'm feeling really good for it too.

It's not exactly a gimmick but just a reminder to everyone to stop eating constantly and to make better decisions.

You don't have to stick to that timeframe. You can 'fast' between meals too. So eating breakfast at 8, lunch at 12, having a small snack and/or dinner/supper by 8pm and then nothing til breakfast will also work (depending on what you're eating). It's how people traditionally ate in this country and people were slim and there was less illness like diabetes.

Giving it a name makes it look some sort of amazing idea or invention. It isn't.

I have tried it. It was just another way of reducing calories for me. I lost the same amount of weight calorie counting.

Your body reacts to the fasting differently to overall calorie deficit.

There is science behind it, it’s not just skipping meals.

Didn't a scientist win the Nobel prize for science when she identified that when you are in a fasting state your cells repair themselves?

To me, this just sounds like (1) skip breakfast and (2) no snacks after dinner

Well, I do it and that is exactly what it is and is why it works. I