I’m also interested in:
- any disadvantages and/or negative effects people experienced?
What hours worked well for you, why etc.
I did intermittent fast (or time restricted eating) for 2-3 years without break.
I loved every part of it. I felt way better not eating all day.
Turns out my gut biome was a bit off and food made me tired regardless of what or how much I ate. I was treated for SIBO and now food actually makes me feel energized and eating 4-5x a day, I feel just as great (if not better) than following IF plus I don’t get the crashes after eating two mounded platefuls of food. Food had made me tired most of my life. Turns out that’s not normal lol
There’s several known benefits of fasting from fat loss, blood sugar control, improvement in insulin resistance, autophagy and renewal of cells, increased energy, increased focus, etc.That said, your body hadn’t evolved to do this long-term. You should ease yourself into it, do it for no longer than you can tolerate (sadly cortisol increase can’t be spotted without a blood test) and make sure you follow with ample (at least double) time not fasting before cycling a fast again.I personally do a 24 hour fast once a week, every 4th one is a grain fast (no grains) and about once every quarter, I do a 5 to 10 day 18hr / 6hr fast.Due to other underlying conditions, I get a full panel blood test every quarter and commence the multi day fast only after confirming normal cortisol levels.The biggest benefit is ketosis, also the biggest drawback is ketosis. In other words it’s good for you within your tolerance, which is trial and error for you. Ketosis is a process that evolved where your body draws energy from fat (stored) or protein (eaten or muscle stores) to recover your systems (mainly digestive) from sickness. Needless to say, extended periods of mimicking sickness is not a good idea, although, ymmv.Hope this helps.
Personally haven’t felt any negative effects, and I do OMAD almost every day. I hear a lot of bad stuff about it in terms of muscle growth and adaptation, but my personal experience is that I have still been able to put on muscle (granted from beginner standpoint) and lost fat. Mainly I find it easier to do than to plan meals, clean up etc…and I feel good all day with no food in my stomach weighing me down. I used to be able to do 3-5 day fasts easily when I was bigger but now I’m closer to my goal weight, I find it very difficult. Anyway like most things, if it works for you then do it!
My personal routine is go to the gym after work, then eat omad. I find it a lot easier to reduce carbs as much as possible but I do have fruit, oats, potatoes etc once in a while. I lost about 150 pounds this way.
Fasting can have benefits but have in mind it’s not magic - all the things like fat loss, better sleep, autophagy, better insulin sensitivity etc. will be achieved through healthy, non-time restricted dieting (and generally caloric deficit if you want weight loss).
So if fasting fits your life style - sure, go for it. I did it unintentionally when I was too busy in the mornings and felt great, but now I eat every 3h and also feel amazing plus fully achieving my health and fitness goals.