Noticed a weird condemnation of IF on other forums you would think might get it. Not that everyone on those forums holds these views, but my god the people who do really think IF is some kind of weird torture or even more strange - unhealthy. A few points:
Sorry, bit of a rant - but just been frustrated by people who out of fear or ignorance seem to think that IF is some kind of, IDK, some kind of cult. . .when. . .I gather most people around here are doing it because they have some health goals, they’ve either tried it and seen that it works, or heard or read about other people who’ve tried it and seen that it works, and they want to give it a shot. And like, why would anyone be mad about it? Why all the hostility to IF?
I agree. I’ve found that IF has been the easiest ‘diet’ to maintain and you’re so right about humans having evolved to eat infrequently or with long fasting periods.
I think when people hear fasting they think ‘trendy starvation’ but I know that most of us plan out meals during our eating period because it really matters that we get enough calories and nutrients within that time frame.
I also think it’s easy to find fault with IF because it’s one of the few (maybe the only) diet that doesn’t evolve around having at least three meals a day.
I’ve actually started to see a lot of pushback from Keto folks as lately IF seems to be “taking their limelight”. They don’t like that people are getting similar results with insulin regulation as they are by keto. They don’t like seeing people able to eat healthy carbs and get the same results through fasting. Keto works so well but its main issue (for me) is that it can be difficult to maintain over time and that is something that IF lends itself to well.
In my very limited experience helping a few friends to get fit, I noticed that hostility against IF always came from those who had disclosed emotional issues with food. So I get it, you suddenly get told 66% of the day, you can’t turn to the thing that you always have for comfort…
Because it works BETTER. Just the other night my friend said I was starving myself with a side of “get help for your eating disorder,” and “you’re just going to fail.”
In all honesty, people don’t like seeing success in others, and if it works for you they see their own weakness. Hence, something simple like cutting your calories by 200 less is accepted, it’s slow and not many people stick with it for the 2-3 years. Whereas prolonged fasting and just living with omad or IF has quick and effective results so it’s hard to deal with emotionally. Especially if you’re already a jealous person. It’s not right but that’s just the way some people behave.
In fact, chimps have a similar response to success in others. Being viewed as hostility or you getting ahead of them. Ignore it, continue, and live happily without them weighing you down.
I remember reading a book on low carb keto diets, and one of the professors interviewed casually mentions that he doesn’t get hungry anymore, often he goes a whole day without eating. I didn’t think much about it at the time but the reality is he’s actually supporting IF without realizing it. And I wonder how many times diets are successful not because of the diet itself, but rather because it falls into IF protocols.
Because a lot of people are food/sugar/carb addicts and will defend their crummy way of eating because it makes them feel right in their minds. My God, the flack from random people like old co workers I used to get for just saying I was keto (been keto 3 years now) was absolutely ridiculous. They’d try to say it was incredibly unhealthy. Oh, I’m sorry, so me eating REAL food such as unprocessed meats, veggies and nuts is gonna hurt me but you are gonna be much healthier eating your carbs, processed snacks and fast food? GTF outta here
Fasting, in some form or other, has been around for a looooooong time. Nothing new or trendy or weird about it.
Some kind of cult, indeed. That’s funny.
I guess some get mad about it because they want to eat 3, 4, or 5 meals a day and don’t want to be told that they don’t need to do that.
I don’t know if I can answer your question but I agree — I’ve learned the hard way to avoid discussing IF or quoting Jason Fung outside of this IF subreddit. People seem to be very hostile to having their views challenged.
One possible reason is that there are a lot of vested interests in relation to which IF would be detrimental. Breakfast cereal companies, any company that sells low-calorie fake foods (no reason to eat them if you don’t need to count calories!), many health/ fitness “gurus” & doctors etc have built a living of advocating CICO/ low fat/ eating “little and often”/ eating according to specific meal plans etc etc.
Another reason could be that people are misinformed eg. with the idea that IF would cause “starvation mode,” (Fung has debunked this myth).
<edited> just to add, I know this isn’t “proper” evidence but I’ve seen so many stories, comments on reddit, comments on youtube videos, basically everywhere you look not only with people saying that IF helped them to lose a lot of weight but also that they enjoy sticking to it, and it helps them to keep it off permanently. Have never seen so much “anecdotal evidence” for anything else, even if you look at most Biggest Loser contestants (basically CICO diet) most of them ended up gaining it all back and more
Love this! I thought that this forum was for achievements, suggestions, ideas and advice. Not hostility.
I’m fairly new to IF, but have gained lots of insight from Dr. Jason Fung.
Thanks so much OP!
I am from a small country in Europe and I have to say that there people really don’t know or do much IF. Once I remember how one pretty famous blogger wrote about IF and her OMAD. I was like oh cool, somebody does that and omg, comments about it. I am not sure was there any positive comments. At least most of the comments were negative and telling how she promotes eating disorder. I was like… you got to he fcking kidding me right 🤦♀️🤦♀️ I am all about intermittent fasting and find it very easy. People can’t wrap around their head idea that you don’t have to munch all the time. The country I am living now people seems to be much more open about it and I really hear here and there that somebody is doing it and it has a quiet big fb group also.