Best way to lose weight for over 55 year olds

[BigRedBuster]

Here is something I do that I honestly don't recommend for anyone else but I have figured it out that it works for me.

I don't eat ANYTHING before noon.

I know...I know....Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Well, what I do is don't eat anything till noon. I will then eat a very light lunch like a salad or wrap. I try to keep it to around 500-600 calories. I then eat a fairly normal meal in the evening with the family that will be around 1000 calories. So, I end up with around 1500 calories for which is always my goal. The maximum I ever want to go is 2000 calories. This leaves me some room if I see something I want to snack on in the afternoon.

Again....it works for me but I don't recommend it.

What I find is if I eat breakfast, I really don't change what I eat the rest of the day and I end up with more calories than I want.

I've heard actually that is a bad idea, because it gets the body to slow its metabolism. I don't know how true that is, but I try to start my day with something, however small, soon after waking up. But, again, what works for one may not work for another. I like the idea of maybe having a smaller dinner than lunch, but that rarely works for me.

There are usually two reasons why people say it's important to eat breakfast:

1) it jump starts your metabolism. I can see that and think it probably is true.

2) You end up starved at lunch and eat more than you should.

Well, I've learned to control # 2 and when I try to lose weight, I'm just not as good at it if I eat breakfast because I end up eating more calories.

 

[BigRedBuster]

Here is something I do that I honestly don't recommend for anyone else but I have figured it out that it works for me.

I don't eat ANYTHING before noon.

I know...I know....Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Well, what I do is don't eat anything till noon. I will then eat a very light lunch like a salad or wrap. I try to keep it to around 500-600 calories. I then eat a fairly normal meal in the evening with the family that will be around 1000 calories. So, I end up with around 1500 calories for which is always my goal. The maximum I ever want to go is 2000 calories. This leaves me some room if I see something I want to snack on in the afternoon.

Again....it works for me but I don't recommend it.

What I find is if I eat breakfast, I really don't change what I eat the rest of the day and I end up with more calories than I want.

I've heard actually that is a bad idea, because it gets the body to slow its metabolism. I don't know how true that is, but I try to start my day with something, however small, soon after waking up. But, again, what works for one may not work for another. I like the idea of maybe having a smaller dinner than lunch, but that rarely works for me.

Not eating breakfast is a terrible idea. After a night of sleep, your body is starving for something to fuel itself.

What I typically try to do is eat breakfast, but try to have my biggest meal of the day at lunch, and then eat a light dinner. I have all afternoon/evening to burn the calories from lunch, and then I try to go to bed slightly hungry.

Hey...I don't disagree that it's a terrible idea for most people. I even said above I don't recommend it.

I can't get away with eating a larger lunch and a lighter dinner due to having teenagers at home so we tend to make a larger meal at home for them in the evening.

 

[ColoNoCoHusker]

The idea is that you don't allow your body to get used to just one movement or exercise. Continually stressing it in different ways will show much bigger gains.
Again, burn more than you take in.

BRB is especially correct with these statements. In your age group, you also need to think about joint & bone health. Range of motion with different excercises will help with both of these. If you just do one thing, it's harder to push the body in regards to calorie management.

I am 6' and ~6 years ago, I decided to drop ~35 lbs. I have kept almost all of it off since then (~32.5 lbs). I played competive sports until my early 30s and that was when weight became an issue. I was running at least 7 miles per day, weight training at least 3x per week and eating healthy and still got out of balance on calorie intake vs expenditure.

It starts & ends with diet for your age group. The healthier you eat, the easier it will be, imo. With the exception of highly processed foods & soda, it's about moderation. Sugar is a killer as with most processed foods. My big issue was fresh fruit. I ate healthy but too much fresh fruit can be like too much soda...

One tip I got from a GI Dr & nutrionist that works with a lot of Olympic & pro atheletes is fiber intake. She was religous about males over middle-age needing well over 40g fiber daily. At least 60% from natural food sources (non-processed veggies). This is bare minimum & her general rule over 35+ was 45-50g per day. For myself, I found that staying within this range gave me way more flexibility with the rest of my diet. Her rule for meals was carb to fiber ratio...

My recommendation is definitely speak with someone in this space (GI and/or nutrionist) as it will make it much easier to make adjustments to your diet. Losing the wieght only to put it back on again starts a very unhealthy cycle. Best to avioid if you can...

Thanks everyone for your input. It is really appreciated. I think you hit on something here ColoNo. I eat pretty decently - my wife has to be gluten free so that affects our meals at home, I normally have a salad, fruit and either chicken or salmon on my salad for lunch. However, I may be getting too much fruit - normally a apple (or 2), banana, orange a day. Plus my "healthy' snacks typically are peanuts, nuts and sunflower seed (and the occasional junk salty chips from the snack machine). I rarely have a soda and we know the problem wt sugar (cancer loves it - so we use more healthy alternatives if possible). So I may be getting too many natural sugars from the fruit, too much salt from my snacks, and not enough fiber. I've lost 20 or more lbs before only to gain it back

Thanks for the input

The importance of how much you're eating versus what you're eating can't be overstated..

Portion sizes are why most Americans are overweight. I include myself in that comment. I like to eat a lot of food when it tastes good.

Portion sizes in America are out of whack. The problem is lack an awareness of caloric, nutritional balance, & moderation. We need to be aware of all these things... A lot of vegetarians out here eat stupid amounts Kale & have kidney issues as a result (stones). It's a healthy superfood but in excess can be as unhealthy as anything else.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

Here is something I do that I honestly don't recommend for anyone else but I have figured it out that it works for me.

I don't eat ANYTHING before noon.

I know...I know....Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Well, what I do is don't eat anything till noon. I will then eat a very light lunch like a salad or wrap. I try to keep it to around 500-600 calories. I then eat a fairly normal meal in the evening with the family that will be around 1000 calories. So, I end up with around 1500 calories for which is always my goal. The maximum I ever want to go is 2000 calories. This leaves me some room if I see something I want to snack on in the afternoon.

Again....it works for me but I don't recommend it.

What I find is if I eat breakfast, I really don't change what I eat the rest of the day and I end up with more calories than I want.

I've heard actually that is a bad idea, because it gets the body to slow its metabolism. I don't know how true that is, but I try to start my day with something, however small, soon after waking up. But, again, what works for one may not work for another. I like the idea of maybe having a smaller dinner than lunch, but that rarely works for me.

Not eating breakfast is a terrible idea. After a night of sleep, your body is starving for something to fuel itself.

What I typically try to do is eat breakfast, but try to have my biggest meal of the day at lunch, and then eat a light dinner. I have all afternoon/evening to burn the calories from lunch, and then I try to go to bed slightly hungry.

Hey...I don't disagree that it's a terrible idea for most people. I even said above I don't recommend it.

I can't get away with eating a larger lunch and a lighter dinner due to having teenagers at home so we tend to make a larger meal at home for them in the evening.

I am not looking forward to when my kids are teenagers and they eat everything in sight. Those grocery store bills have to be crazy.

 

[BigRedBuster]

The idea is that you don't allow your body to get used to just one movement or exercise. Continually stressing it in different ways will show much bigger gains.
Again, burn more than you take in.

BRB is especially correct with these statements. In your age group, you also need to think about joint & bone health. Range of motion with different excercises will help with both of these. If you just do one thing, it's harder to push the body in regards to calorie management.

I am 6' and ~6 years ago, I decided to drop ~35 lbs. I have kept almost all of it off since then (~32.5 lbs). I played competive sports until my early 30s and that was when weight became an issue. I was running at least 7 miles per day, weight training at least 3x per week and eating healthy and still got out of balance on calorie intake vs expenditure.

It starts & ends with diet for your age group. The healthier you eat, the easier it will be, imo. With the exception of highly processed foods & soda, it's about moderation. Sugar is a killer as with most processed foods. My big issue was fresh fruit. I ate healthy but too much fresh fruit can be like too much soda...

One tip I got from a GI Dr & nutrionist that works with a lot of Olympic & pro atheletes is fiber intake. She was religous about males over middle-age needing well over 40g fiber daily. At least 60% from natural food sources (non-processed veggies). This is bare minimum & her general rule over 35+ was 45-50g per day. For myself, I found that staying within this range gave me way more flexibility with the rest of my diet. Her rule for meals was carb to fiber ratio...

My recommendation is definitely speak with someone in this space (GI and/or nutrionist) as it will make it much easier to make adjustments to your diet. Losing the wieght only to put it back on again starts a very unhealthy cycle. Best to avioid if you can...

Thanks everyone for your input. It is really appreciated. I think you hit on something here ColoNo. I eat pretty decently - my wife has to be gluten free so that affects our meals at home, I normally have a salad, fruit and either chicken or salmon on my salad for lunch. However, I may be getting too much fruit - normally a apple (or 2), banana, orange a day. Plus my "healthy' snacks typically are peanuts, nuts and sunflower seed (and the occasional junk salty chips from the snack machine). I rarely have a soda and we know the problem wt sugar (cancer loves it - so we use more healthy alternatives if possible). So I may be getting too many natural sugars from the fruit, too much salt from my snacks, and not enough fiber. I've lost 20 or more lbs before only to gain it back

Thanks for the input

The importance of how much you're eating versus what you're eating can't be overstated..

Portion sizes are why most Americans are overweight. I include myself in that comment. I like to eat a lot of food when it tastes good.

Portion sizes in America are out of whack. The problem is lack an awareness of caloric, nutritional balance, & moderation. We need to be aware of all these things... A lot of vegetarians out here eat stupid amounts Kale & have kidney issues as a result (stones). It's a healthy superfood but in excess can be as unhealthy as anything else.

Also, we have conditioned our kids to think they need a snack at every event there possibly is....soccer game??? must have snacks.....Husker game??? must have concessions...HS BB game???? must have concessions.

We don't need all this. The next time you are at an event like a Husker bb game or what ever, just sit and watch people. There are people who think they need to have something in their hands eating or drinking (pop) constantly throughout the event. Then, I'm sure they go eat a full meal before or after the event also.

 

[ColoNoCoHusker]

Here is something I do that I honestly don't recommend for anyone else but I have figured it out that it works for me.

I don't eat ANYTHING before noon.

I know...I know....Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Well, what I do is don't eat anything till noon. I will then eat a very light lunch like a salad or wrap. I try to keep it to around 500-600 calories. I then eat a fairly normal meal in the evening with the family that will be around 1000 calories. So, I end up with around 1500 calories for which is always my goal. The maximum I ever want to go is 2000 calories. This leaves me some room if I see something I want to snack on in the afternoon.

Again....it works for me but I don't recommend it.

What I find is if I eat breakfast, I really don't change what I eat the rest of the day and I end up with more calories than I want.

I've heard actually that is a bad idea, because it gets the body to slow its metabolism. I don't know how true that is, but I try to start my day with something, however small, soon after waking up. But, again, what works for one may not work for another. I like the idea of maybe having a smaller dinner than lunch, but that rarely works for me.

Not eating breakfast is a terrible idea. After a night of sleep, your body is starving for something to fuel itself.

What I typically try to do is eat breakfast, but try to have my biggest meal of the day at lunch, and then eat a light dinner. I have all afternoon/evening to burn the calories from lunch, and then I try to go to bed slightly hungry.

Anything in your stomach first thing in the morning kick-starts the metabolism & digestive processes. Not doing this causes your body to think it needs to store fat. It gets your metabolism & digestive system working against you. You don't need to eat a lot but gotta eat something.

As far as going to bed hungry, be careful with that. You want to be satiated when you go to bed or you can fall into the same issues as not eating breakfast...

 

[ColoradoHusk]

Here is something I do that I honestly don't recommend for anyone else but I have figured it out that it works for me.

I don't eat ANYTHING before noon.

I know...I know....Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Well, what I do is don't eat anything till noon. I will then eat a very light lunch like a salad or wrap. I try to keep it to around 500-600 calories. I then eat a fairly normal meal in the evening with the family that will be around 1000 calories. So, I end up with around 1500 calories for which is always my goal. The maximum I ever want to go is 2000 calories. This leaves me some room if I see something I want to snack on in the afternoon.

Again....it works for me but I don't recommend it.

What I find is if I eat breakfast, I really don't change what I eat the rest of the day and I end up with more calories than I want.

I've heard actually that is a bad idea, because it gets the body to slow its metabolism. I don't know how true that is, but I try to start my day with something, however small, soon after waking up. But, again, what works for one may not work for another. I like the idea of maybe having a smaller dinner than lunch, but that rarely works for me.

Not eating breakfast is a terrible idea. After a night of sleep, your body is starving for something to fuel itself.

What I typically try to do is eat breakfast, but try to have my biggest meal of the day at lunch, and then eat a light dinner. I have all afternoon/evening to burn the calories from lunch, and then I try to go to bed slightly hungry.

Anything in your stomach first thing in the morning kick-starts the metabolism & digestive processes. Not doing this causes your body to think it needs to store fat. It gets your metabolism & digestive system working against you. You don't need to eat a lot but gotta eat something.

As far as going to bed hungry, be careful with that. You want to be satiated when you go to bed or you can fall into the same issues as not eating breakfast...

Eating in bed can be fun, but it may not provide much caloric intake, if you know what I mean.

 

[ZRod]

Here is something I do that I honestly don't recommend for anyone else but I have figured it out that it works for me.

I don't eat ANYTHING before noon.

I know...I know....Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Well, what I do is don't eat anything till noon. I will then eat a very light lunch like a salad or wrap. I try to keep it to around 500-600 calories. I then eat a fairly normal meal in the evening with the family that will be around 1000 calories. So, I end up with around 1500 calories for which is always my goal. The maximum I ever want to go is 2000 calories. This leaves me some room if I see something I want to snack on in the afternoon.

Again....it works for me but I don't recommend it.

What I find is if I eat breakfast, I really don't change what I eat the rest of the day and I end up with more calories than I want.

I've heard actually that is a bad idea, because it gets the body to slow its metabolism. I don't know how true that is, but I try to start my day with something, however small, soon after waking up. But, again, what works for one may not work for another. I like the idea of maybe having a smaller dinner than lunch, but that rarely works for me.

Not eating breakfast is a terrible idea. After a night of sleep, your body is starving for something to fuel itself.

What I typically try to do is eat breakfast, but try to have my biggest meal of the day at lunch, and then eat a light dinner. I have all afternoon/evening to burn the calories from lunch, and then I try to go to bed slightly hungry.

Anything in your stomach first thing in the morning kick-starts the metabolism & digestive processes. Not doing this causes your body to think it needs to store fat. It gets your metabolism & digestive system working against you. You don't need to eat a lot but gotta eat something.

As far as going to bed hungry, be careful with that. You want to be satiated when you go to bed or you can fall into the same issues as not eating breakfast...

This isn't necessarily true. Intermittent fasting may have some merit to it. Not eating for a 16 hour period can have your body burning fat stores. There aren't a whole lot of studies out there on it, but some show decreases in body fat and increase in insulin sensitivity.

 

[ColoNoCoHusker]

Here is something I do that I honestly don't recommend for anyone else but I have figured it out that it works for me.

I don't eat ANYTHING before noon.

I know...I know....Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Well, what I do is don't eat anything till noon. I will then eat a very light lunch like a salad or wrap. I try to keep it to around 500-600 calories. I then eat a fairly normal meal in the evening with the family that will be around 1000 calories. So, I end up with around 1500 calories for which is always my goal. The maximum I ever want to go is 2000 calories. This leaves me some room if I see something I want to snack on in the afternoon.

Again....it works for me but I don't recommend it.

What I find is if I eat breakfast, I really don't change what I eat the rest of the day and I end up with more calories than I want.

I've heard actually that is a bad idea, because it gets the body to slow its metabolism. I don't know how true that is, but I try to start my day with something, however small, soon after waking up. But, again, what works for one may not work for another. I like the idea of maybe having a smaller dinner than lunch, but that rarely works for me.

Not eating breakfast is a terrible idea. After a night of sleep, your body is starving for something to fuel itself.

What I typically try to do is eat breakfast, but try to have my biggest meal of the day at lunch, and then eat a light dinner. I have all afternoon/evening to burn the calories from lunch, and then I try to go to bed slightly hungry.

Anything in your stomach first thing in the morning kick-starts the metabolism & digestive processes. Not doing this causes your body to think it needs to store fat. It gets your metabolism & digestive system working against you. You don't need to eat a lot but gotta eat something.

As far as going to bed hungry, be careful with that. You want to be satiated when you go to bed or you can fall into the same issues as not eating breakfast...

This isn't necessarily true. Intermittent fasting may have some merit to it. Not eating for a 16 hour period can have your body burning fat stores. There aren't a whole lot of studies out there on it, but some show decreases in body fat and increase in insulin sensitivity.

Two different things - Intermittent vs Consistent. Fasting will typically cause the body to burn stored nutrients. Doing this intermittently might not cause the "rebound" where your metabolism stays slow once you eat to store fat. Doing this consistenly will typically cause this rebound. Consistent Fasting without excercise increases the likelihood that muscle gets burned before fat reserves are touched.

 

[ZRod]

Here is something I do that I honestly don't recommend for anyone else but I have figured it out that it works for me.

I don't eat ANYTHING before noon.

I know...I know....Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Well, what I do is don't eat anything till noon. I will then eat a very light lunch like a salad or wrap. I try to keep it to around 500-600 calories. I then eat a fairly normal meal in the evening with the family that will be around 1000 calories. So, I end up with around 1500 calories for which is always my goal. The maximum I ever want to go is 2000 calories. This leaves me some room if I see something I want to snack on in the afternoon.

Again....it works for me but I don't recommend it.

What I find is if I eat breakfast, I really don't change what I eat the rest of the day and I end up with more calories than I want.

I've heard actually that is a bad idea, because it gets the body to slow its metabolism. I don't know how true that is, but I try to start my day with something, however small, soon after waking up. But, again, what works for one may not work for another. I like the idea of maybe having a smaller dinner than lunch, but that rarely works for me.

Not eating breakfast is a terrible idea. After a night of sleep, your body is starving for something to fuel itself.

What I typically try to do is eat breakfast, but try to have my biggest meal of the day at lunch, and then eat a light dinner. I have all afternoon/evening to burn the calories from lunch, and then I try to go to bed slightly hungry.

Anything in your stomach first thing in the morning kick-starts the metabolism & digestive processes. Not doing this causes your body to think it needs to store fat. It gets your metabolism & digestive system working against you. You don't need to eat a lot but gotta eat something.

As far as going to bed hungry, be careful with that. You want to be satiated when you go to bed or you can fall into the same issues as not eating breakfast...

This isn't necessarily true. Intermittent fasting may have some merit to it. Not eating for a 16 hour period can have your body burning fat stores. There aren't a whole lot of studies out there on it, but some show decreases in body fat and increase in insulin sensitivity.

Two different things - Intermittent vs Consistent. Fasting will typically cause the body to burn stored nutrients. Doing this intermittently might not cause the "rebound" where your metabolism stays slow once you eat to store fat. Doing this consistenly will typically cause this rebound. Consistent Fasting without excercise increases the likelihood that muscle gets burned before fat reserves are touched.

Intermittent fasting has quite a few different meanings and one of the is what BRB is describing. Essentially not eating for an extended period of time everyday, but consuming what you need with in a window during the daytime. Nobody is talking about doing these diets without exercise. That's obviously an option but like you said your going to lose your muscle mass, as you would on any extended diet.

 

[BigRedBuster]

I despise the word "diet".

I have chosen a different way of looking at and consuming food. It's a change in life style. Not a "diet".

The word "diet" to me seems temporary and I believe it's why people gain weight back after they lose it.

To maintain weight loss, you have to change how you look at food and how you eat.

 

[ZRod]

I despise the word "diet".

I have chosen a different way of looking at and consuming food. It's a change in life style. Not a "diet".

The word "diet" to me seems temporary and I believe it's why people gain weight back after they lose it.

To maintain weight loss, you have to change how you look at food and how you eat.

I feel the same way. I try to use diet in its most literal sense, the sum of food consumed, not the latest fad that everyone is on. Although sometimes there isn't a better descriptor...

 

[ColoNoCoHusker]

Here is something I do that I honestly don't recommend for anyone else but I have figured it out that it works for me.

I don't eat ANYTHING before noon.

I know...I know....Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Well, what I do is don't eat anything till noon. I will then eat a very light lunch like a salad or wrap. I try to keep it to around 500-600 calories. I then eat a fairly normal meal in the evening with the family that will be around 1000 calories. So, I end up with around 1500 calories for which is always my goal. The maximum I ever want to go is 2000 calories. This leaves me some room if I see something I want to snack on in the afternoon.

Again....it works for me but I don't recommend it.

What I find is if I eat breakfast, I really don't change what I eat the rest of the day and I end up with more calories than I want.

I've heard actually that is a bad idea, because it gets the body to slow its metabolism. I don't know how true that is, but I try to start my day with something, however small, soon after waking up. But, again, what works for one may not work for another. I like the idea of maybe having a smaller dinner than lunch, but that rarely works for me.

Not eating breakfast is a terrible idea. After a night of sleep, your body is starving for something to fuel itself.

What I typically try to do is eat breakfast, but try to have my biggest meal of the day at lunch, and then eat a light dinner. I have all afternoon/evening to burn the calories from lunch, and then I try to go to bed slightly hungry.

Anything in your stomach first thing in the morning kick-starts the metabolism & digestive processes. Not doing this causes your body to think it needs to store fat. It gets your metabolism & digestive system working against you. You don't need to eat a lot but gotta eat something.

As far as going to bed hungry, be careful with that. You want to be satiated when you go to bed or you can fall into the same issues as not eating breakfast...

This isn't necessarily true. Intermittent fasting may have some merit to it. Not eating for a 16 hour period can have your body burning fat stores. There aren't a whole lot of studies out there on it, but some show decreases in body fat and increase in insulin sensitivity.

Two different things - Intermittent vs Consistent. Fasting will typically cause the body to burn stored nutrients. Doing this intermittently might not cause the "rebound" where your metabolism stays slow once you eat to store fat. Doing this consistenly will typically cause this rebound. Consistent Fasting without excercise increases the likelihood that muscle gets burned before fat reserves are touched.

Intermittent fasting has quite a few different meanings and one of the is what BRB is describing. Essentially not eating for an extended period of time everyday, but consuming what you need with in a window during the daytime. Nobody is talking about doing these diets without exercise. That's obviously an option but like you said your going to lose your muscle mass, as you would on any extended diet.

Sorry Zrod, you are referencing the fad diet/dieting pattern group. I did not realize that until this last post.

It's still totally different. Skipping breakfast just cuz is very different than going with a fad diet/dieting pattern with presciptive calorie/intake guidelines. It's passive vs active diet management...

 

[BigRedBuster]

Look...with me skipping breakfast is simply a calories in calories burned decision. I have never ever been a big breakfast eater in my life so missing it really didn't mean much as far as hunger.

I don't recommend it.

The key though is that most people don't realize really how little food you really need and many people need to go through a period retraining their bodies to realize that also. You don't need that much food.

 

[ZRod]

Here is something I do that I honestly don't recommend for anyone else but I have figured it out that it works for me.

I don't eat ANYTHING before noon.

I know...I know....Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Well, what I do is don't eat anything till noon. I will then eat a very light lunch like a salad or wrap. I try to keep it to around 500-600 calories. I then eat a fairly normal meal in the evening with the family that will be around 1000 calories. So, I end up with around 1500 calories for which is always my goal. The maximum I ever want to go is 2000 calories. This leaves me some room if I see something I want to snack on in the afternoon.

Again....it works for me but I don't recommend it.

What I find is if I eat breakfast, I really don't change what I eat the rest of the day and I end up with more calories than I want.

I've heard actually that is a bad idea, because it gets the body to slow its metabolism. I don't know how true that is, but I try to start my day with something, however small, soon after waking up. But, again, what works for one may not work for another. I like the idea of maybe having a smaller dinner than lunch, but that rarely works for me.

Not eating breakfast is a terrible idea. After a night of sleep, your body is starving for something to fuel itself.

What I typically try to do is eat breakfast, but try to have my biggest meal of the day at lunch, and then eat a light dinner. I have all afternoon/evening to burn the calories from lunch, and then I try to go to bed slightly hungry.

Anything in your stomach first thing in the morning kick-starts the metabolism & digestive processes. Not doing this causes your body to think it needs to store fat. It gets your metabolism & digestive system working against you. You don't need to eat a lot but gotta eat something.

As far as going to bed hungry, be careful with that. You want to be satiated when you go to bed or you can fall into the same issues as not eating breakfast...

This isn't necessarily true. Intermittent fasting may have some merit to it. Not eating for a 16 hour period can have your body burning fat stores. There aren't a whole lot of studies out there on it, but some show decreases in body fat and increase in insulin sensitivity.

Two different things - Intermittent vs Consistent. Fasting will typically cause the body to burn stored nutrients. Doing this intermittently might not cause the "rebound" where your metabolism stays slow once you eat to store fat. Doing this consistenly will typically cause this rebound. Consistent Fasting without excercise increases the likelihood that muscle gets burned before fat reserves are touched.

Intermittent fasting has quite a few different meanings and one of the is what BRB is describing. Essentially not eating for an extended period of time everyday, but consuming what you need with in a window during the daytime. Nobody is talking about doing these diets without exercise. That's obviously an option but like you said your going to lose your muscle mass, as you would on any extended diet.

Sorry Zrod, you are referencing the fad diet/dieting pattern group. I did not realize that until this last post.

It's still totally different. Skipping breakfast just cuz is very different than going with a fad diet/dieting pattern with presciptive calorie/intake guidelines. It's passive vs active diet management...

No, it's exactly the same. You're not eating for an extended period of time and then eating throughout the day. Either way there's enough evidence to suggest that when it comes to losing weight it doesn't matter whether or not you eat breakfast. If it works for you not to eat breakfast then do it, if not that's fine too.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/06/05/skipping-breakfast-may-not-be-so-bad-for-weight-loss-study-finds/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-berardi-phd/breakfast-health_b_4436439.html

https://www.yahoo.com/health/5-reasons-to-skip-breakfast-97835884338.html

I'm not into the fad stuff like Paleo, etc. you're body doesn't really know the difference between "good" carbs and "bad" carbs it just knows the differential in amounts. But personally I've tried IF for a little while and I like way that I felt and looked, it just wasn't practical for me to do it.