I did not mention to my doctor when I started IF. I just started doing it because really, how harmful could 16:8 be if you are generally healthy and trying to lose weight? Then, at a recent appointment, unbidden by me, my doctor asked me, “have you ever looked into intermittent fasting?” So then I grinned and confessed I’d been doing it 4+ months and it was responsible for me losing \~40 pounds. She was happy for me.
I think most people in the medical field were trained (or not -according to Dr Fung) in a certain mindset when it comes to diets, eating and wellness. Hopefully as IF starts to spread into the mainstream, more studies will be done, more doctors will attend trainings, and it will become a game changer for a lot of struggling people.
CREST.BD just started a survey for people living with bipolar who are doing IF. If the survey has interesting results, there will likely be more studies on it. The field of nutritional psychiatry is starting to emerge and the mental health benefits are starting to be measured. I believe any bias against IF will change in the next few years.
No shade to dieticians, but my former step-sister is a dietician, and she’s not exactly an out of the box thinker. They follow what they’ve been taught, and unfortunately, the dogma of government dietary recommendations is a lot slower to change than people trying something new and finding what works for them.
And I’ll second that my endocrinologist also told me her patients had had a lot of luck with IF, and that she recommended it.
Most of them seem to be fine with it as long as you are eating healthy macros, getting your vitamins and getting sufficent healthy fats. But iv not spoken to one in ages. I have a freind who is studying something regarding diet but I cant remember what if they are training to be dietician then I will ask them
Edit: iv sent her a text hopefully will get a response in the next couple of days
The main (justifiable) argument I’ve heard against IF and fasting in general is the relationship to eating disorders. I think they are thinking about a specific, albeit very common, type of person who has a very unhealthy relationship with food and has a continuous cycle of binging and purging. They would prefer you to have a healthier relationship with food. I’ll admit that despite the fact I lost about 150 pounds on fasting, I still do not have a very good relationship with food. I put foods into categories of good/bad and feel guilty when I eat something bad, particularly outside of my eating window. I also tend to overeat when I allow myself ANY sort of “bad” food.
​
Having said all that, fasting gives me structure and I did in fact lose all that weight, and kept it off, by doing it. I think unless you’re underweight or have a major psychological issue, it should be accepted or even promoted. It simply works for so many of us.
I just had my annual physical and my GP was supportive. In fact she said she wished more people realized the benefits of “eating like a dog vs eating like a bird”. She’s also tech savvy and up on latest research so possibly an anomaly.