As someone tempted to try it, I’m curious - what IS the consensus on intermittent fasting / keto?
edit: Luckily "It works on my hardware" is perfectly acceptable for nutrition ;)
That’s basically what I do: high fat and moderate protein, very low carbohydrates and sugars. One meal a day on average.
aka: calorie restriction
This still comes all the way back to calorie restriction. If you feel more full, you eat fewer calories.
> Low carb in most cases leaves people feeling more full.
That has less to do with the carbohydrate content and almost everything to do with low carb food being physically more difficult to digest.
Fat and protein stay in your stomach longer than sugar but - and here's the point "low carb" advocates ignore - so does fiber. You can eat a diet of not-low carb, high fiber, plant-based foods and still lose weight while feeling full.
There's not enough hormone-altering magic in carbohydrates to overpower the effect of calories or the satiation of physical digestion.
* It does decrease hunger relative to other diets (for me, possibly others)
* It doesn't have to just be steak and bacon. It's encouraged that people add in broccoli, celery, cauliflower, nuts, berries, and a variety of meats, not just steak, bacon and cheese
* It is much easier on your insulin levels than traditional diets
* It can include plenty of fiber
* Diets need to include psychology and account for it. A successful diet will not just be "calories-in/calories-out". Very few people have the will power to starve themselves to a successful weight. Almost all of the people I've met that said that never successfully lost weight or never had a weight problem to begin with.
* Don't talk down to people when clearly they have had success and have studied the topic.
The only thing we seem to disagree on is that I believe a successful diet is overwhelmingly due to CICO. Yes, it's not the only aspect of a successful diet, but it is mandatory. I also agree that everyone needs to tailor their diet to their individual psychological needs, but not at the expense of CICO.
> Don't talk down to people when clearly they have had success and have studied the topic.
If we're comparing anecdotes, I always have success losing weight with a mainstream healthy diet (moderate protein, moderate carbs including some sugars, very low fat). I have had success with other diets - including high fat ones, which I don't do anymore because I don't think it's healthy.
In every case I attribute my success to weighing food and tracking calories.
IM (or "timed eating") has been studied extensively and has been shown to help people control their weight. But it isn't magic. We're talking about around 5 lbs sustained loss.
The "exciting unknowns" of IM and whole-day fasting are around if it is good for your medium-long term health (e.g. blood sugar control), but jury is still heavily out on that one.
So, super unhelpful summary here, sorry. But nutritional science moves very slowly, in particular with long term health questions. Neither one seems outright dangerous.
Because you can go between meals, or even two meals without feeling hungry, it makes IF easier.
I recommend this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1vvigy5tQ
That some people find it to be a useful method of calorie restriction, but it's not magic.