ADF - A diet that works and is good for your health!

[Hoofy]

I had been doing IF on Mondays for about a month.
From my food log:
October 8, 2012
IF on Mondays for 4 weeks. Last ate 10pm Sunday, lunch at 1.30pm.

I last weighed myself on professional scales around May... 65kg IIRC. Yesterday I was 61.8kg. This is despite gaining in strength when weight lifting.

[Tiggsy]

My 16/8 split has just become a "way of life" for me now - I just start eating around mid afternoon (just had my first bite at 2.20pm) and eat well until 10pm. I either train pre-food or late in the day ....on late training days I eat light until after training then go to bed on a BIG meal!

Weight is lower than it has been in almost 20 years - I'm stronger, feel better all round.

Only downside - my wedding ring is too big now I dont have fat fingers! and I feel the cold more, I used to think I was tough wearing shorts all year round - I wasnt, I was insulated on a par with a whale!

[egor110]

Tiggsy said:

My 16/8 split has just become a "way of life" for me now - I just start eating around mid afternoon (just had my first bite at 2.20pm) and eat well until 10pm. I either train pre-food or late in the day ....on late training days I eat light until after training then go to bed on a BIG meal!

Weight is lower than it has been in almost 20 years - I'm stronger, feel better all round.

Only downside - my wedding ring is too big now I dont have fat fingers! and I feel the cold more, I used to think I was tough wearing shorts all year round - I wasnt, I was insulated on a par with a whale!

So you eat later afternoon and evening then nothing all morning/lunchtime?

I'm a postie and used to never have breakfast and then eat when i got home lunchtime but by then i was starving.

[Hoofy]

I found drinking water staves off hunger. Even when discussing food with clients, I don't feel hungry.

[Tiggsy]

egor110 said:

Tiggsy said:

My 16/8 split has just become a "way of life" for me now - I just start eating around mid afternoon (just had my first bite at 2.20pm) and eat well until 10pm. I either train pre-food or late in the day ....on late training days I eat light until after training then go to bed on a BIG meal!

Weight is lower than it has been in almost 20 years - I'm stronger, feel better all round.

Only downside - my wedding ring is too big now I dont have fat fingers! and I feel the cold more, I used to think I was tough wearing shorts all year round - I wasnt, I was insulated on a par with a whale!

So you eat later afternoon and evening then nothing all morning/lunchtime?

I'm a postie and used to never have breakfast and then eat when i got home lunchtime but by then i was starving.

Simple as that - I get up and have a coffee. During the morning I may have another coffee, some sugar free gum if driving. Before I know it its gone 2pm and I eat. I get hungry but it passes quick....hunger comes in waves, it doesnt build.

On the odd day I've "cheated" and had some breakfast I cant help but eat again at 11ish and then lunch before 2pm...before I know it I've done over 1k cals before I'd even have started eating on a proper day.

[egor110]

And that's days a week or 5?

Do you still eat a certain amount of calories in the afternoon/evening or whatever you want?

[jeebus]

Tiggsy said:

Simple as that - I get up and have a coffee. During the morning I may have another coffee, some sugar free gum if driving. Before I know it its gone 2pm and I eat. I get hungry but it passes quick....hunger comes in waves, it doesnt build.

On the odd day I've "cheated" and had some breakfast I cant help but eat again at 11ish and then lunch before 2pm...before I know it I've done over 1k cals before I'd even have started eating on a proper day.

Ive been doing 20/4 intermittent fasting for about 5 weeks now and eat all my calories between 5 and 9pm, the one day I did cheat and had breakfast I was constantly hungry all day. The only downside is I have lost a lot of strength in the gym but Ive also lost a good bit of bodyfat.

[Hoofy]

jeebus said:

eat all my calories between 5 and 9pm,

Do you eat under your TDEE still?

[Tiggsy]

egor110 said:

And that's days a week or 5?

Do you still eat a certain amount of calories in the afternoon/evening or whatever you want?

Thats every day...of my life! Having food before 2pm would feel very odd now!

The calories consumed in the eating period are based on what I am trying to achieve...so right now (having gone from over 21 stone on 1st Jan 2011 to just over 15 now I am coming to the end of my 2 year weight loss period (as such I stick around 2k cals) By Jan 1st 2013 I will be about 15 stone dead (at 6ft6) so prob a body fat of around 12-14%. I could go lower but I'd be too light for my sport (basketball) so my plan will be to increase lean size from Jan - March/April (cal intake will go up to allow this) and then I'll cut down again in time for summer.

I'm a big believer in focusing on EITHER body fat burning OR lean size increase - not both, so I dont try to do that.

Should add - the nice thing about the diet is this: Today I am playing bBall at 9pm for 2 hrs. So I ate at 2.30pm (300 cals) and again at 5pm (200 cals) and just now (200 cals) - when I play tonight I will feel light and fresh and not bloated and full. When I get home my wife will have made me a curry (no rice!) so I can have a LOAD of that and Marks and Spencer chessecake and still be within my allowance

What I USED to do was eat 4/5 300 cal meals BEFORE I even left for training, play st and then come home and binge!

[egor110]

Tiggsy said:

Thats every day...of my life! Having food before 2pm would feel very odd now!

The calories consumed in the eating period are based on what I am trying to achieve...so right now (having gone from over 21 stone on 1st Jan 2011 to just over 15 now I am coming to the end of my 2 year weight loss period (as such I stick around 2k cals) By Jan 1st 2013 I will be about 15 stone dead (at 6ft6) so prob a body fat of around 12-14%. I could go lower but I'd be too light for my sport (basketball) so my plan will be to increase lean size from Jan - March/April (cal intake will go up to allow this) and then I'll cut down again in time for summer.

I'm a big believer in focusing on EITHER body fat burning OR lean size increase - not both, so I dont try to do that.

Should add - the nice thing about the diet is this: Today I am playing bBall at 9pm for 2 hrs. So I ate at 2.30pm (300 cals) and again at 5pm (200 cals) and just now (200 cals) - when I play tonight I will feel light and fresh and not bloated and full. When I get home my wife will have made me a curry (no rice!) so I can have a LOAD of that and Marks and Spencer chessecake and still be within my allowance

What I USED to do was eat 4/5 300 cal meals BEFORE I even left for training, play st and then come home and binge!

Basketball, it was you i was talking to about the olympics. My team taunton tigers is no more still espn will be showing ncaa and nba soon.

[jeebus]

Hoofy said:

Do you eat under your TDEE still?

Im only on 2000 calories per day as really im trying to lean up a bit, hence the strength loss.

Once im down to 15% bf (currently 16% was about 19%) im going to up the calories and really work on my strenth more.

Edit to add my tdee is about 2700, 5' 11" and 77.7 kg

Edited by jeebus on Tuesday 6th November 20:05

[Hoofy]

jeebus said:

Im only on 2000 calories per day as really im trying to lean up a bit, hence the strength loss.

Once im down to 15% bf (currently 16% was about 19%) im going to up the calories and really work on my strenth more.

Edit to add my tdee is about 2700, 5' 11" and 77.7 kg

Edited by jeebus on Tuesday 6th November 20:05

Ah. Problem is that you're on a calorie deficit (like me!) so is IF really the key or does it just make sticking to a calorie deficit easier?

[Tiggsy]

Hoofy said:

jeebus said:

Im only on 2000 calories per day as really im trying to lean up a bit, hence the strength loss.

Once im down to 15% bf (currently 16% was about 19%) im going to up the calories and really work on my strenth more.

Edit to add my tdee is about 2700, 5' 11" and 77.7 kg

Edited by jeebus on Tuesday 6th November 20:05

Ah. Problem is that you're on a calorie deficit (like me!) so is IF really the key or does it just make sticking to a calorie deficit easier?

I am pretty sure sticking to the cal limit is 90% of it......but its hard to judge the other health benifits.

[jeebus]

Tiggsy said:

Hoofy said:

jeebus said:

Im only on 2000 calories per day as really im trying to lean up a bit, hence the strength loss.

Once im down to 15% bf (currently 16% was about 19%) im going to up the calories and really work on my strenth more.

Edit to add my tdee is about 2700, 5' 11" and 77.7 kg

Edited by jeebus on Tuesday 6th November 20:05

Ah. Problem is that you're on a calorie deficit (like me!) so is IF really the key or does it just make sticking to a calorie deficit easier?

I am pretty sure sticking to the cal limit is 90% of it......but its hard to judge the other health benifits.

I have tried calorie restriction before and I haven't had much success losing the stubborn belly fat, but with I/F it seems to be working well. That could be down to the fact that its much easier to be strict with an I/F diet, I find it's much easier just not to eat anything until your set time rather than counting calories all day, it will be interesting to see what happens when I up the calories though.

Although I don't quite yet have the figure that im aiming for, im in the best shape and the leanest and fittest ive ever been.

[Hoofy]

Hm. It's tricky.

We need someone to eat 3000 calories a day, do no exercise and practice IF for a month.

I can't do it as my body will respond to it as it would a diet break so not behave in a typical fashion. (I did it before, eating whatever I fancied for a fortnight and didn't gain any fat.)

[a311]

Tiggsy said:

Gone from over 21 stone on 1st Jan 2011 to just over 15 now.

Well played Tiggsy 6 stone is impressive. I’ve been doing the 5/2 fasting for a fortnight although I think for me it would be easier not to eat at all on the fast days as I only seem to get hungry if I eat. On my non-fast day yesterday although I only ate 1800 cals made up of good clean protein in the main I felt awful and bloated as a result.

I was 19.5 stone a little over a year ago (6’4”), got down to 16st 3lbs for my wedding in May then put over a stone and a half back on through honeymooning and injury preventing me doing much. Back under the 17 stone barrier (just) and determined to get down to 15 stone and look to maintain that which will be allot easier than loosing it, piling it back on then having to loose it again.

[Tiggsy]

a311 said:

Well played Tiggsy 6 stone is impressive.

Its a bit odd as some people that havent seen me in a while cant even tell! over 6ft6 it was spread out!

[TameRacingDriver]

I've read this whole thread, and the only effect it has had on me is to re-affirm that I just don't know what to believe these days.

In the last few years, I've read "eat 6 small meals each day or starvation response kicks in" - which this thread seemingly disproves. I've also read that breakfast "kick starts your metabolism" and without it you'll "struggle to lose any weight". Which again, this thread disproves.

As all "diets" are about calorie deficit, who'd have thought starving yourself two days of the week would work?

I think I'll just carry on eating normal, healthy, natural food, when I'm hungry. Quite novel, eh? To me this just seems like another unsustainable diet - I'd be interested to see how many on here who are following it, still do so in a number of years.

[egor110]

I don't understand how not eating until 2pm makes any difference?

If i eat 2000 cals over a day, or eat 2000 cals between 2-11pm i've still eaten the same amount of cals?

[Carl_Spackler]

Hoofy said:

We need someone to eat 3000 calories a day, do no exercise and practice IF for a month.

You called.