Intermittent fasting works – not only for weight loss but also for heart health • Hacker News Board

Re: Intermittent fasting works – not only for weight loss but also for heart health

#181

Post by dorkwood » Sun, Jun 14, 2020, 6:54 PM UTC

Roritharr wrote: post #30

jasonlfunk wrote: post #22

My experience with IF has taught me that I’m much better at complete denial, rather than moderation. So if I want to reduce my caloric intake it works better for me to say No to everything for 16 hours and only eat for 8, then to try to just eat less and in moderation all day. It also applies to carb and other reductions. If I allow myself any bread, sweets, etc, I will eat too much. It’s easier for me to eat 0, then…

Same here, years of people telling me drastic diets are "unhealthy" etc. kept me from playing to my strengths of just doing the extremes for long periods of time instead of fighting constant urges while balancing them with a moderate calorie intake. I think most (healthy) people should try fasting for 5 days to see how your body responds. It won't kill you, but many people are terrified of the thought of not eating f…

I once fasted for about a week while suffering an illness that wouldn't let me keep any food down. I only drank water during that time. To my surprise, after several days of not eating, my hunger disappeared completely. It was scary, but also eye-opening. The experience taught me that hunger is not the "you require food right now in order to survive" signal that everyone thinks it is.

Re: Intermittent fasting works – not only for weight loss but also for heart health

#182

Post by blunte » Sun, Jun 14, 2020, 6:54 PM UTC

httpsterio wrote: post #70

blunte wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And use good water, and follow best practices for whatever brewing method you prefer. Failing any of these (including getting quality beans that are recently brewed), and your coffee may be much worse than it needs to be. I despise Nestle business and social practices, but a Nespresso machine with Nespresso pods is probably the best coffee that most people could hope to make.

Roasted *, but I disagree. Nespresso is easy, but it's expensive and even at best it tastes like hot garbage. You can grab aeropress for like 30 dollars and throw in a metal filter for like 5 dollars and that's already capable of making single cups of excellent coffee for years. My current aeropress and filter are from 2012 and I'm not really in need of an upgrade any time soon so it's honestly a very affordable brew…

Chances are, the average Joe (pun intended) will not make a better cup than Nespresso, at least based on this ( https://www.grubstreet.com/2013/03/nespresso-sold-at-micheli... ) and this ( https://www.businessinsider.com/baristas-are-going-obsolete-... ).

Of course, if you pour bad water into your machine, you're still not going to get the best you could get regardless of which method you use.

And I wasn't speaking anything about price (where Nespresso loses). Nor was I speaking of convenience (where Nespresso is great for 1-2 cups at a time).

I used an Aeropress for years, and it is tricky to get consistent results; plus it's a bit of a cleanup chore. Also, there's still the question of whether to use the Aeropress the way it was intended, or instead to do the upside-down brief-brew method.

I currently happily use a standard Melitta brewer where I can put good beans, freshly ground, and good water in and then get 10 cups of coffee 10 minutes later. My partner and I wouldn't enjoy our liesurely outdoor coffee time nearly as much if one of us were having to run back in the house and make a new Aeropress coffee every 15 minutes.

(Incidentally, make the pot of coffee and then pour it into a pre-warmed thermal carafe. It's not good to keep cooking it on the burner.)

Re: Intermittent fasting works – not only for weight loss but also for heart health

#183

Post by dorkwood » Sun, Jun 14, 2020, 7:12 PM UTC

bonoboTP wrote: post #77

For years I haven't been eating breakfast long before the IF craze. Mostly out of laziness. Buying all the ingredients, making sure they don't expire, preparing the food etc. is quite some time, so I gradually dropped the habit with no adverse effect. I live alone, but oh boy when people learned that I don't eat breakfast they'd get so defensive and try to tell me how unhealthy it was and how I must be underperformin…

Ha, I've experienced the same thing. I'm a healthy weight and don't have any obvious health issues, but people keep telling me how bad it is that I don't eat breakfast. I've even had people tell me "yeah, you might look fine on the outside, but you're unhealthy on the inside", or imply that I'll run into health complications further down the track if I don't change my habits now.

I think food to most people is a little bit like religion: everyone wants to believe that their knowledge of nutrition is correct, and that anyone doing anything differently must be wrong.

Re: Intermittent fasting works – not only for weight loss but also for heart health

#184

Post by tedmiston » Sun, Jun 14, 2020, 7:14 PM UTC

bonoboTP wrote: post #77

For years I haven't been eating breakfast long before the IF craze. Mostly out of laziness. Buying all the ingredients, making sure they don't expire, preparing the food etc. is quite some time, so I gradually dropped the habit with no adverse effect. I live alone, but oh boy when people learned that I don't eat breakfast they'd get so defensive and try to tell me how unhealthy it was and how I must be underperformin…

> After all the IF articles I immediately went back to no breakfast with no guilt.

> It's crazy how much of this stuff is in our head.

Likewise the idea that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" being ingrained in American culture despite lacking a scientific basis [1].

[1]: https://thefastingmethod.com/tyranny-breakfast-lose-weight-v...

Re: Intermittent fasting works – not only for weight loss but also for heart health

#185

Post by phonypc » Sun, Jun 14, 2020, 7:31 PM UTC

dorkwood wrote: post #181

Roritharr wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same here, years of people telling me drastic diets are "unhealthy" etc. kept me from playing to my strengths of just doing the extremes for long periods of time instead of fighting constant urges while balancing them with a moderate calorie intake. I think most (healthy) people should try fasting for 5 days to see how your body responds. It won't kill you, but many people are terrified of the thought of not eating f…

I once fasted for about a week while suffering an illness that wouldn't let me keep any food down. I only drank water during that time. To my surprise, after several days of not eating, my hunger disappeared completely. It was scary, but also eye-opening. The experience taught me that hunger is not the "you require food right now in order to survive" signal that everyone thinks it is.

There's an idea out there, no idea how true, that what most first-worlders call hunger isn't even really hunger. More like withdrawal symptoms from food addiction. The hunger that comes back when you're really malnourished is much more painful/compelling. Or so I've heard.

Re: Intermittent fasting works – not only for weight loss but also for heart health

#186

Post by andi999 » Sun, Jun 14, 2020, 7:42 PM UTC

mft_ wrote: post #127

andi999 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, it has to be in the blood first to get metabolized by the liver, so the unborn gets some. But as you say, a little wont probably matter. I was shocked how big an effect licoriice has (finnish study), before I read the stud, I thought they found something signific but not relevant. Reading the study changed my perspective and i am wondering why there are no warning labels

Everything absorbed by the gut goes through the liver before it reaches the systemic circulation. This doesn’t necessarily invalidate your overall point (that a foetus may be exposed to some alcohol, as it depends on how efficient the first-pass metabolism of alcohol is) but it does impact your logic. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_pass_effect

I didnt know. This is fascinating. Thanks for pointing it out.

Re: Intermittent fasting works – not only for weight loss but also for heart health

#187

Post by globular-toast » Sun, Jun 14, 2020, 7:54 PM UTC

nerder92 wrote: post #68

globular-toast wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, that's true for me too. I've been practising 16:8 IF for almost ten years now and this is definitely one of the reasons it works. I eat big meals consisting of traditional foods. I see others people's "diets" that don't work and they are always weird foods that aren't actually nice and weird portion sizes that aren't satisfying. The other thing I've realised is it doesn't have to be about watching the clock ever…

I'm doing exactly the same since almost 1year, but still I'm not seeing much benefit from it. Like I still have belly fat, I wonder how do you eat when you break the fast and how do you avoid binging? I'm not gonna lie, after 15-16h I start to feel hungry and as soon as the fast finish I tend to eat something pretty caloric & fatty (ie: cheese or nuts)

I eat normal meals. No snacking. Before I started IF I was actually obese. I couldn't walk a mile without breaking into a sweat and being out of breath. I now have a six pack year round and have done for the almost ten years I've been doing this. So I think I'm qualified to offer some further advice:

* Limit your meals to two meals a day. Absolutely no snacking between meals. Make sure your last meal is it such a time that you won't go to bed hungry. But if you're hungry during the day, just wait until your next meal (lunch or dinner),

* Be mindful when you eat. The French are great at this. Don't eat for sustenance. Eat for pleasure. The object of eating isn't to get calories down your throat as quickly as you can. Enjoy the aroma of the food in your nose and the feel of it on your tongue. Don't load up your fork with the next bite while still chewing. If your food is too bland to enjoy this way, learn to cook French cuisine,

* Weigh your carbs carefully. Pasta, rice, potato etc. should all be weighed every time. Do not do it by eye. Your eye will cheat you. Do not rely on your satiation reflex because carbs won't trigger it,

* Do not be afraid of fat. Note the amount of fat in French cuisine. Fat is nice, but your body will automatically regulate your intake. Butter is delicious but nobody wants to eat a whole stick of it.

* Don't drink calories. Drink water, tea and coffee. Especially avoid beer, red wine, soft drinks and sweet cocktails. If possible, stop drinking alcoholic and soft drinks completely,

* Exercise discipline and restraint in the supermarket. Never go to the supermarket while fasted. Do not stock ready-to-eat food in your house. All food should be prepared before eating, and you should only prepare the amount that you plan to eat,

* Learn to relish hunger. Hunger is completely normal and something you are supposed to feel. Observe how fat people eat the moment they feel hunger. Remind yourself that you don't want to be one of them. If you feel hunger, just be safe in the knowledge that your next meal is planned and ready for you to prepare,

* Most importantly, find something that works for you. The first month should be discipline. After that it should become natural. If it feels like you want this new way of life to end at some point, revise your strategy. This should be easy. It's for the rest of your life.

Re: Intermittent fasting works – not only for weight loss but also for heart health

#188

Post by elric » Sun, Jun 14, 2020, 8:19 PM UTC

slothtrop wrote: post #172

Jommi wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This book? https://guzey.com/books/why-we-sleep/

His critique is flawed.

Would you care to elaborate on that?

Re: Intermittent fasting works – not only for weight loss but also for heart health

#189

Post by copperx » Sun, Jun 14, 2020, 8:40 PM UTC

londons_explore wrote: post #168

Roritharr wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same here, years of people telling me drastic diets are "unhealthy" etc. kept me from playing to my strengths of just doing the extremes for long periods of time instead of fighting constant urges while balancing them with a moderate calorie intake. I think most (healthy) people should try fasting for 5 days to see how your body responds. It won't kill you, but many people are terrified of the thought of not eating f…

Lots of people I speak to seem scared of accidentally loosing too much weight and starving to death... I don't really understand it though... Between 'too heavy' and 'too light' exists 'just right', and it's pretty hard to miss...

Like the people that are afraid to lift weights because they might get "too bulky."

The human mind is bizarre.

Re: Intermittent fasting works – not only for weight loss but also for heart health

#190

Post by smohare » Sun, Jun 14, 2020, 8:50 PM UTC

ubercow13 wrote: post #111

gvjddbnvdrbv wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've literally measured a glass of wine for someone who then told me the measure must be wrong rather than admit they had always drunk three glasses rather than one. (Person was not pregnant and is not someone that would be described in any way as having problems with alcohol.)

Well 'glass' is an entirely arbitrary measure and until they have looked it up in mililitres it's not clear why anyone would know how much it is. I don't. I think public health advice about drinking should stick to more concrete terms.

It’s really not though. The standard understanding is that a 750ml bottle consists of five 150ml (or 5oz) glasses of wine.

Calling that amount a “glass” perhaps is unfortunate, but it is convenient and well understood by most. But then again, I’ve also never known anyone who claimed that their 375ml pours were a “glass”. That just strikes me more as ignorance.