Intermittent Fasting is miserable

[Slowontheup]

Why would you spend half your waking hours feeling dizzy and sick with zero energy.

opt out of breakfast, the best meal of the day.

or, opt for a life that couldn't include eating dinner in a restaurant.

I don't get it but every health thing says to do it. Does it actually work (I don't need to lose weight anyway just health driven)

how long until it's bearable?

Unless you are very small or slight, doesn’t seem a lot. My family have to eat three times a day or we’re grizzly bears. And probably 2000 calories or thereabouts. Different strokes.

Bloody love it. Started here, on MN, on the original 5:2 thread when the Michael Mosley documentary came out in 2012. Lost a load of weight then (30+ lbs), which, unusually for me, pretty much stayed off, went back up about 7-10lbs over the years, but no more yo yo dieting Felt great, lots of energy.

I then did the Zoe IF study (about 3yrs ago)- where you had to "clean fast" - only water, black tea/coffee (I had previously had milky drinks in the "fast" period) that was a revelation, felt even better, lost a bit more weight.

Then I started the Zoe programme, had my blood sugar, fat and gut microbiome tested. Changed my diet radically, combined that with doing a basic 16:8 fast, lost more weight. I'm now 70 and weigh what I did 50yrs ago.

Fasting is easy once you get your body used to it. I fasted from 8.30pm last night to 4.30pm today - and certainly didn't feel faint or hungry. I walked the dogs, was then out and about, had the dentist, visited a relative in hospital, didn't worry about eating until I got home. My weight has now been stable for 18 months (with the usual seasonal variations of a few pounds that I don't worry about), I literally eat what I want, and I eat well. I just don't want to eat all the time and my tastes have changed.

I was never hungry in the mornings - but "most important meal of the day" and all that crap - I made myself eat breakfast, which meant being hungry again by mid morning. Now I'm rarely hungry before midday, if I am then I eat, but my usual pattern is 12-8pm for eating. I might have a nice breakfast at the weekend, but it will be a late one after the dog walk and more of a brunch. If I was out for a meal with friends I would just eat at whatever time we were out - no worries. Most of the time I do 16:8 sometimes I don't, sometimes I fast more. I'm relaxed about it.

Unless you are very small or slight, doesn’t seem a lot.

It's that 'unless' ...many women are small, and calories requirements reduce as you age too. 1600 cals is the right ballpark for many of us, and that really doesn't fit well with the 'three meals a day' (plus drinks) convention.

IF obviously isn't going to suit everyone, and just having an 'eating window' but filling it with sugary/low GI crap is likely to be unhealthy and unsatisfying. It's not an either/or - eat good food (more protein, veg, fibre) but also think about when you're eating what within the day and relative to when you're active or not.

I don’t do it the exact proper way, my eating window is between 7:30am and 5:30pm. I have a really healthy, wholesome breakfast, lunch, snack (fruit / piece of non-UPF chocolate) and dinner. (I can’t not eat breakfast because I have an active job.)

Lunch is where I fall down because unless I have leftovers, it’s usually quite small and unsatisfying because I can’t be bothered to cook more than once a day and I’ve quit ultra processed food.

Having said that, my way of fasting works for me. I sleep better, healthy weight, good skin.

I've been doing it and it works well for me as long as I drink plenty of fluids in the morning. I do the 8pm - noon no eating window. I have time off at the weekend if I want but I don't go crazy!

@TronaldDump people are built differently. I tried to do no breakfast and was miserable. I was incredibly hungry, I was cranky and I'd end up eating junk all afternoon.

It doesn't come naturally to me, I need breakfast and a big lunch. I moved on to skipping dinner while my DH was away for 6 weeks and the weight came off, I wasn't even thinking about it! If I could just skip dinner for the rest of my life,I would. It's unfortunately incredibly antisocial...

I lost 5 stone doing it. I still do it, now, to keep the weight off.

I'm unsure if there are other health benefits that you're looking for. I do a 16:8 fast.

It is hard, at the start, for sure. In time, your body will adjust to it. I don't eat until 12:30pm and now never feel hungry in the morning. Ive been doing it for near 18 months, though.

I accidentally "fast" for 15 hours most days - I'm not slim either, and there is absolutely no difference in my health to the days when I worked and ate breakfast earlier. If I want to lose weight I eat less and walk more - and it works.

I stopped for exactly that reason. I was utterly miserable.

I think if you are miserable and have to force yourself it is not for you.

I think if you’re not eating nutritious food in between, then IF would leave you feeling hungry. Essentially, it’s just eating less.

@XxSideshowAuntSallyx I don’t think anybody is talking about minuscule meals. You can eat your usual calories in the window making sure you get all your nutrients. Aiming for higher protein and healthy fats is a good way do to this.

Could anyone who does this for immune system benefits tell me how it’s worked out for you? Did you have immune system problems before, or do you feel just you’re getting sick less often now with the fasting? TIA as I have had this recommended to me by a friend who has found it really helpful.

It's more the other way round - if I ate breakfast (other than when I'm about to do a big walk) my other meals would have to be miniscule.
Actually when we're on holiday we'll sometimes have the big hotel breakfast but then very little at lunchtime and then a nice dinner - not doing IF but just being realistic about how much we should be eating.

I've tried it several times and it just makes me feel dreadful - headaches, sick, dizzy. I can cope with the hunger as I do think you get used to that, but it ruined the whole day for me.

I feel like it's just a trend. In e.g. the 1930s/40s, my grandparents' generation, hardly anyone was overweight, they had three meals and sometimes snacks, but the portions were small and there were not that many processed foods. I guess most people who do intermittent fasting want to lose weight, and I think for most people if they cut down sugar and portions and have three medium meals a day, that would happen anyway. During COVID I got into a habit of late night heavy unhealthy snacks and gained 7 kilos in a few months. Stopped that habit and it went away. It's just very hard to not reward oneself with unhealthy, always available food especially when you're middle aged and knackered.

But WHAT you eat is more important than WHEN you eat it!

If you eat a nutritionally balanced diet you won't feel hungry or miserable.

Healthy Mediterranean type diet. Lots of vegetables, moderate protein, small amounts healthy fats and dairy, a little healthy carbs.

In the 30’s and 40’s most houses were cold, most people had physically more demanding lives, and most food was unprocessed. It would be difficult to replicate that today.

But WHAT you eat is more important than WHEN you eat it!

But I have over several years found a noticeable and significant improvement in specific areas of my health when I don’t eat in the evening.

It would surely be patently ridiculous for anyone else to tell me my own experience is wrong?

Yes! All the PTs I know all eat a healthy balanced diet. No stupid fad diets, no starving yourself and only eating during 12 and 8pm. Their bodies are their jobs. They even drink a beer or two and have the occasional slice of cake or Pizza.

Most people don't eat after an evening meal it isn't anything special. But a doctor has found a way of making money out of something people do anyway. I mean I have dinner at 6pm then don't eat until 8 or 9 am the next day. I don't class that as IF it's just how I tend to eat. I only eat in a 9 hour window naturally.

Sorry, I had meant to quote/respond to another poster when I posted.

I definitely agree that not eating after dinner is one of the best strategies to manage weight. The point of my post was that, at the end of the day, what one eats and how much one eats are the key determinants.

And never forget exercise, which is absolutely crucial.

My sister has arthritis and has noticed a marked difference in her inflammation from about 6 months into starting IM

I am not saying it's healthy, it's not always a choice either, but the point was that most of us are function very well without needing food every 10 minutes.

I know my daily protein and calorie target, I am not obsessive about it but I reach it fairly easily. If I am busy, I just don't remember to eat for a few hours, it's not a big deal. Most people are like me, food is not the priority. Intermittent fasting is not a big thing because many people do it without noticing.

I don't over-eat to compensate later.

Food is fuel, not a treat. Nice restaurants are a treat, but daily meals not really.

You're doing it wrong. I don't feel dizzy or sick, I have the sam energy as before. Eat breakfast at lunch if you love breakfast. It totally includes eating dinner at restaurants.

Why are you doing something you don't understand, don't like, and apparently don't need?

weight loss is about 20% exercise, 80% roughly!

Exercise daily by all means, for health, for mental health, for toning up, because we are not designed to be inactive, but not many people exercise enough to actually lose weight from it.