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Fasting can improve overall health

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Re: Fasting can improve overall health

#51

I've been doing 23 hour (dinner-to-dinner) fasts twice a week (not back to back days) for nearly 6 years. It's the easiest form of weight control I've come across. It's nice to see it may extend my longevity as well. Anyone wanting to try it just know the first 2-3 times are the most difficult. It does get much easier after that. I've had blood levels checked and it stunned my doctor. He said my LDL is at the level o…

how are your energy levels on the fasting days? I presume you load with water to help distract from the hunger?

I drink at least a liter of water to help keep the feeling of hunger away. I learned that if I keep the meal small preceding the fast I don't struggle during the fasting day. Sometimes even if I follow all these rules I may feel hunger regardless after hour 21.

I'm not the best person to ask about energy levels because I take a medication that depletes my energy so I'm drinking caffeine a lot to stay energized. I can honestly say the last hour is the real challenge after doing it this long.

Re: Fasting can improve overall health

#52

I've been doing 23 hour (dinner-to-dinner) fasts twice a week (not back to back days) for nearly 6 years. It's the easiest form of weight control I've come across. It's nice to see it may extend my longevity as well. Anyone wanting to try it just know the first 2-3 times are the most difficult. It does get much easier after that. I've had blood levels checked and it stunned my doctor. He said my LDL is at the level o…

Whats your weekly protocol?

Monday night after dinner I only drink water until bed. Tuesday I only drink water and black coffee until dinner time. I do this twice a week. Fasting is flexible. You can do it whatever times or days you like. I prefer to fast beginning at night because I sleep through the first part and I've never been a big breakfast person. I pretty much never eat breakfast. Always been a big dinner person so it works well for me.

Re: Fasting can improve overall health

#53

I've been doing 23 hour (dinner-to-dinner) fasts twice a week (not back to back days) for nearly 6 years. It's the easiest form of weight control I've come across. It's nice to see it may extend my longevity as well. Anyone wanting to try it just know the first 2-3 times are the most difficult. It does get much easier after that. I've had blood levels checked and it stunned my doctor. He said my LDL is at the level o…

how are your energy levels on the fasting days? I presume you load with water to help distract from the hunger?

This is anecdotal, but I've typically fasted in a similar way (eat between 4-8pm only) for around 5 years. A few years ago I was running 20-30km while fasted without issues. I was running slow (5:30 per kilometer) but I felt pretty good, with steady energy and no weakness or crashing. I took a while to adapt to not eating first, but I'd say it was a matter of a month at most.

I personally did (and do) drink a lot of water if I feel hungry. I usually end up hungry the next day if I allow myself to eat past 8 or so - it's always a mistake for me to do that.

I allow myself to have tea and coffee, which some people say isn't true fasting because you have to metabolize the things in the tea or coffee. I don't mind. I'm doing this to maintain control over bad eating habits which lead me to be very overweight. I have ADHD and I suppose it comes with poor impulse control in my case - I tend to be very "all or nothing", so fasting works very well for me. I have nothing until I can have it all :)

Re: Fasting can improve overall health

#54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whats your weekly protocol?

Monday night after dinner I only drink water until bed. Tuesday I only drink water and black coffee until dinner time. I do this twice a week. Fasting is flexible. You can do it whatever times or days you like. I prefer to fast beginning at night because I sleep through the first part and I've never been a big breakfast person. I pretty much never eat breakfast. Always been a big dinner person so it works well for me…

Do you have keto breath on whole of Tuesday? I work with people and probably can’t do this.. but very interested.

Re: Fasting can improve overall health

#55
post #31
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What did the study consider to be "low-carb"?

I don't recall specifically, it was a TV show I watched a few weeks back. I find your question interesting, though. Why do you not care about what the low-fat diet was as well? Also, since they lost weight on the low-carb diet, I can only assume that it's one that works!

This was one of the Vox episodes.

Re: Fasting can improve overall health

#57
post #8

I only have anecdotal evidence but occasional 24 hour fasts seem to reset my appetite in a way that makes me less hungry throughout the day. The easiest way to do it is to start after lunch - and have a late lunch the next day.

Did it affect your sleep? I find that being hungry at night affects my sleep significantly.

I’ve fasted quite a bit, and the first two to five days of any fast your body never wants to go to sleep when you want it to sleep.

It’s been my experience that after seven to ten days fasted, my sleep cycle is basically ‘ideal’ — for me that’s getting tired between 2200 and 0100, and waking up naturally between 0600 and 0830.

Re: Fasting can improve overall health

#58
post #10
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did it affect your sleep? I find that being hungry at night affects my sleep significantly.

The thing with fasting/low-carb is that once you are adapted it takes quite a bit more to "feel hungry". In fact the feeling is qualitatively different. I eventually tried the low-carb (actual low-carb of It was like the scales fell from my eyes when I realized that much of what I thought was "hunger" my whole life was actually "addictive cravings" for carbohydrates. And I was really not a fan of grains and sugary st…

This is exactly my experience with the diet.

I've been doing intermittent fasting for about 3 months now. I fast for 16 hours, and have 2 meals a day (lunch at 12PM and dinner at 8PM), I eat 0 to low carbs, since my diet is mostly animal based products (meat and eggs, and I have protein powder from beef and egg which I occasionally take as well).

I really don't feel hungry at all, never. It's insane. I go to the gym at 7AM, after 11 hours of fasting, and I can workout just fine. The difference has been absolutely crazy.

Re: Fasting can improve overall health

#59
I've been doing intermittent fasting for about a year now in combination of lifting weights, training mma and bjj and I'd say that it would be very hard for me to go back to a "normal" eating pattern. I've always been in good shape before starting intermittent fasting but the difference is huge. Not only have I decreased my fat precentage but I've also gained muscle mass.

I don't feel hungry even when I'm fasting, I sleep better, and I don't crave for fast food, snacks etc anymore what so ever. On top of that I also save a lot of time that I used to spend eating 6-8 meals a day.

This is my new normal.

Re: Fasting can improve overall health

#60
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And for only 24 hours of fasting. I wish we could get more scientific literature on the 16:8 fasting cycle.

Now that the 16:8 fasting method is becoming more popular, more research is being done specifically for that regimine.

I've been doing 16:8 for decades without knowing it was a thing :) For me it basically burns down to skipping breakfast, eating lunch at 12:00 and dinner at 18:00, and that's it.

I did 5:2 for 3-4 years as well, and lost 20kg (~44 freedom units). I did 36 hour fasts, and after a while it just felt naturally, but i'd be lying if i said the fasting days were easy. It gets "easier" but never easy.

I usually took a break from fasting during holidays, and a few years back i never really got back into it, and reverted to my old 16:8 ways. I'd love to see more research on it, but from my own experience, it's nowhere as effective as a regular 5:2 diet.

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