I'm Losing A Lot Of Weight On Intermittent Fasting

[cyclops]

Been doing IF the best few days and already seeing results in terms of weight/fat loss. Nothing seems to drop fat like IF. The only downside, and its a big one, is I'm getting extremely cold feet during fasting period, so I may stop. Just really hard for me to drop fat otherwise. It seems difficult to lose bodyfat when constantly ingesting carbs even when on a VLF diet.

Also, I actually enjoy this way of eating. It suits me. I get more done during the day without getting as tired and then have a bigger meal(s) in the evening which I tend to look forward to.

But this probably will be my last day doing it unfortunately.

 

[Glassy]

Been doing IF the best few days and already seeing results in terms of weight/fat loss. Nothing seems to drop fat like IF. The only downside, and its a big one, is I'm getting extremely cold feet during fasting period, so I may stop. Just really hard for me to drop fat otherwise. It seems difficult to lose bodyfat when constantly ingesting carbs even when on a VLF diet.

Also, I actually enjoy this way of eating. It suits me. I get more done during the day without getting as tired and then have a bigger meal(s) in the evening which I tend to look forward to.

But this probably will be my last day doing it unfortunately.

It’s pretty convenient not stuffing around with breakfast!

Why are you stopping?

 

[cyclops]

It’s pretty convenient not stuffing around with breakfast!

Why are you stopping?

I got cold feet!

 

[ecstatichamster]

I never really lost fat with IFing. I think what helps me is low starch and lowish fat. But IFing just kept my weight the same. There may be long term benefits (or not) but for me it wasn't weight loss.

I think I was eating isocalorically because I'd catch up when I started eating.

And I think it increases cortisol and insulin resistance.

 

[cyclops]

I think what helps me is low starch and lowish fat

Yea, I was already doing this and fat loss was stalled for me.

I guess what it comes down to is having to eat less calories than you burn. IF may be a way for some people to do that, but it may come along with some problems as well.

 

[ecstatichamster]

Yea, I was already doing this and fat loss was stalled for me.

I guess what it comes down to is having to eat less calories than you burn. IF may be a way for some people to do that, but it may come along with some problems as well.

has a lot to do with metabolism. State of androgens for men, and amount of endotoxins. I think the reason IF works is really reduction of endotoxins. I've reached that conclusion. I find that cutting most starch (and grains 100% including no white rice) seems to help more than IFing.

I really think it's endotoxins that is the reason IFing kind of works. I eat no raw veggies and very few cooked veggies, but eat fruit, drink ripe OJ and have a bit of cooked potatoes now and then (not many though) and mostly eat seafood and fish and lean meat, with some cheese. That seems to reduce endotoxins a great deal.

 

[cyclops]

has a lot to do with metabolism. State of androgens for men, and amount of endotoxins. I think the reason IF works is really reduction of endotoxins. I've reached that conclusion. I find that cutting most starch (and grains 100% including no white rice) seems to help more than IFing.

I really think it's endotoxins that is the reason IFing kind of works. I eat no raw veggies and very few cooked veggies, but eat fruit, drink ripe OJ and have a bit of cooked potatoes now and then (not many though) and mostly eat seafood and fish and lean meat, with some cheese. That seems to reduce endotoxins a great deal.

Interesting, you're probably right about that.

I was originally thinking IF gives you some time to actually burn off fat or get in "fat burning mode", but that can't be right, because too many people have gotten extremely lean eating 6 (or more) small meals a day.

 

[ecstatichamster]

Interesting, you're probably right about that.

I was originally thinking IF gives you some time to actually burn off fat or get in "fat burning mode", but that can't be right, because too many people have gotten extremely lean eating 6 (or more) small meals a day.

fat burning mode is awful. It's a sign of aging. You want to be in sugar burning mode.

 

[Glassy]

For me (now) it’s about making less choices. I’m more inclined to take a premade lunch to work, which means less chance of stray PUFAs coming in. My weight is pretty stable now but I’m not trying to restrict calories or lose fat at the moment.

Your body is always burning fat and sugar as a fuel source but it will preferentially burn sugar if it’s abundant and store ingested fat if energy is in surplus. To burn fat you just need to maintain an energy deficit, the frequency of your meals has little impact on this although if you eat less frequently it’s harder to meet caloric requirements. The biggest problem with significant weight loss in my opinion is the metabolic adjustments your body makes. Slowed metabolism and muscle wasting sling shots your weight back up when you can no longer keep restricting calories. As your metabolism slows you need to restrict more and the stress hormones only intensify, eventually making you sick or depressed (you essentially run out of runway).

I think consciously losing fat can be a risky activity regardless of the method used to create a caloric deficit. It is inherently stressful. The hard part for me is transitioning back to maintenance and restoring equilibrium rather than the actual fat loss itself. I’ve been essentially not concerned with fat loss while peating for the last 7 or so months and it’s been a good break from the 2.5 years prior to that. I also don’t regret the 20lbs of weight I put on while peating because I think it was pretty inevitable for where I was at. At least the fat I put on was low in PUFAs and my metabolism is back in a range I feel is more natural for me.

I can’t say that I know what having endotoxins feels like. When I’m stressed I feel the tension in my gut more than anywhere else and I wonder whether this is from endotoxins or if the stress is causing peristalsis to slow right down. When I get into bed I sometimes have to consciously relax my gut which then causes a series of rumblings and gurgling to occur. My diet is relatively high in fat and starch with minimal fibre and a bit of sugar (usually around lunchtime). I’ve tried various macro combinations but this seems to be what is most convenient for me (eating sugar all day is a bit of a pain in the ****).

 

[cyclops]

At least the fat I put on was low in PUFAs and my metabolism is back in a range I feel is more natural for me.

Can we really be sure of this? I beginning to think that most all stored bodyfat is PUFA because all fat foods contain some PUFA and saturated fats are more easily burned as energy. Maybe even when eating a Peat inspired diet, it is the PUFA being stored.

 

[Glassy]

Can we really be sure of this? I beginning to think that most all stored bodyfat is PUFA because all fat foods contain some PUFA and saturated fats are more easily burned as energy. Maybe even when eating a Peat inspired diet, it is the PUFA being stored.

Yeah I don’t think we can be sure of much when it comes to this stuff. At the end of the day you can only steer yourself towards a desirable state hoping you are moving in the right direction and not on a collision course with something you haven’t really considered.

I think PUFA depletion is a relative state since human body fat seems to be largely made up of mufas and safas anyway (again surprisingly little info on this and it was old data). I think the SAD is a bit of an experiment (without real controls) in that the sheer volume of PUFA consumed potentially pushes the ratio of stored PUFA up (would be interesting to see the results lol). I suspect that the metabolic effects of PUFA in humans are primarily caused by circulating PUFAs rather than stored PUFAs (again there’s not much certainty around the metabolic affects of PUFAs IMO). It then makes me think the biggest impact happens when you consume PUFA or release it from adipose tissue.

Great question - it really challenged my thinking and assumptions!

 

[Nik665]

Have you done an insulin sensitivity test (aka glucose challenge)? Just because you are losing weight is not a guarantee for good health. Most people I know that lost weight through fasting were shocked to find out they were insulin resistant upon challenge. And you know what the doctor told them? "Well, it just shows you have to keep avoiding sugar for the rest of your life". If you also fail a a glucose challenge test, I would seriously reconsider fasting as a long term health plan. Fasting insulin is NOT a good biomarker of insulin sensitivity. How well you handle a glucose load is the real measure.
Just my 2c.

But just like bears after ending hibernation, this effect can be reduced with high sugar consumption again. Bears become insulin resistant when fasting and hibernating but when they feed on berries again and high carbs insulin sensitivity is restored, it is not necessarily a bad thing to be insulin resistant while losing fat. if anything it can be beneficial as losing fat means less estrogen in the body. just lift heavy weights once or twice a week to maintain muscle mass and of course calcium and enough protein and of course introduce high carbs once fat loss phase is over

 

[Nik665]

Yeah it would be nice if you could eat your way out of it. I know some can because I've seen the results, but it isn't the majority.

My guess is that some people's livers are compromised to the point where it just bottlenecks the amount of calories you can consume and have a higher metabolism. So for example when you raise your calories from 1500 to 2000, your metabolism responds and increases, and you do better, but just a little...then you raise it from 2000 to 2500 and your dealing with the same bottleneck and those 500 calories extra are just being stored. No raise in metabolism. Maybe even a drop if there is more Endotoxin. Lots of this forum is experiments in getting rid of that bottleneck and there is definitely hope, thankfully.

actually there are many studies showing that genetics play a role how those excess calories will be utilized, i recall reading one where people were overfed by thousands of calories in a metabolic ward meaning they are monitored and every morsel of food is weighed, some gained weight upwards of double digits and some gained zero. metabolic rate stayed the same in both. what happened? Some people become more fidgety without realizing, tap their feet more, blink more, talk more. Others become sluggish when overfed. The genetic fidgeters burned thousands more calories per week as this movement adds up throughout the day. This is why some people are skinny and eat a lot and others eat the same and are overweight. Genetic adaptations are interesting to watch, yes calories in calories out matter but the calories out portion can be extremely varied and difficult to measure. Imagine two desk workers yet one bounces his feet for 8 hours. We often forget how adaptive the body is when overfeeding and undereating...and that is kind of out of our control. unless of course we consciously tell ourselves to tap our feet to match the skinny guy

 

[Nik665]

I had barely any adaptation period going from afternoon-to-night eating to morning-to-afternoon eating. Body was already circadian yoked at that point, with habits such as dimming lights during night time, using blue blockers, waking at dawn, etc .....

If not, then the standard answer is 3-7 days, which is the typical time it takes for Ghrelin and other hunger driving hormones to adapt to new feeding time.

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I have no clue why lethargy for me is related more to food volume and/or type of food, rather than total caloric intake.

eg: almost all dairy will make me feel bad in general.
eg: 1.0kg of boiled potatoes (slightly over 700kcal) can make me feel lethargic, but not if I bake down the exact same quantity (to contain much less water)

The less volume, higher caloric density, less fiber (in general), and more processed (in general) the food, the easier I feel it digests in my system . Weetbix has been common staple as cheap and easy almost-pure-carb calorie filler for when I need to top off the day's intake.

I have no explanation for any of this, but at the end of the day, the general rule of thumb is "experiment with specific food types and do not lead to lethargy, and try to spot similarities between such foods".

.....

this is me . fruit and sugar, milk, ice cream are easy to digest and makes me feel great. compared to the caloric equivalent of meat potatoes and well cooked greens