A year without food (2012) • Hacker News Board

Re: A year without food (2012)

#61

Post by kalms » Wed, Jul 31, 2013, 8:52 AM UTC

neltnerb wrote: post #37

a8da6b0c91d wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The hardest part was social?! Really?! I've done a couple five day fasts and the hardest part is that after day three you have an effective IQ of 65. Your body shuts your brain down and you can't think clearly. I wonder if this has an under-explored psycho-therapeutic value, actually. When you can't mentally ruminate at all anxieties definitely dissipate. I'd recommend fasting as a way to clear one's head for sure. Y…

Day one was mostly hard due to habit (I cut out sugar and carbohydrates four days prior, so no withdrawal to deal with) and after day 8 or 9 I started to feel a bit weaker. But in between I felt more energetic and was certainly no less sharp mentally (I mean, I was still doing quite well in my coursework and research). What really stuck out for me was just how much time I was spending each day either planning meals o…

I imagine that ones metabolism factors in as well. I was sick once, couldn't eat anything for 14 days due to large wounds in my mouth. I felt fine if you factored out the pain.

Lost 8-10kg (I'm an athletic, not large person) and I could barely exit a car when I visited the doctors office. I remember being very tired, but not feverish, so I don't think that factored in.

Regained the weight extremely fast when I started eating again. I remember how that surprised me!

Re: A year without food (2012)

#62

Post by mingabunga » Wed, Jul 31, 2013, 8:59 AM UTC

D9u wrote: post #29

mingabunga wrote: post #20

I've been eating once a day since May last year, I eat only at dinner time and eat what I want and quite a lot. I don't get hungry until about 4pm, but then I go and do exercise. It's helped a lot with alertness, thinking is much clearer during the day, and I've always done a lot of sport and been quite slim, but I've really cut up since doing this (I'm 40 now, no fat around my middle). It's had no negative effect on…

I also often eat only one meal per day, have never been overweight, have always (until recently) been extremely active, and as I near my 50th year I am still not carrying around a lot of extra fat. Once in awhile, maybe every month or two, I'll go three or four days with absolutely no food but plenty of water. I've been in better physical condition, but my doctors are happy with my current BMI. That said, I've always…

Another thing is I get to save $$ by not buying lunch and breakfast. Plus I've not been sick (cold or flu or anything really) since starting this and I kind of wonder if my body has more chance to fight infections because it's not constantly processing food. Just a thought as I used to get colds/flu at least 3 times a year.

Re: A year without food (2012)

#63

Post by pilas2000 » Wed, Jul 31, 2013, 8:59 AM UTC

Everyone is overlooking the fact that he was fed yeast, a source of protein, during most of the fast.

Without protein his muscles and body organs would have been consumed and he would have died.

Re: A year without food (2012)

#64

Post by coldtea » Wed, Jul 31, 2013, 10:13 AM UTC

k__ wrote: post #58

beagle3 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The first one is appetite. The real hunger comes around after a few weeks of fasting - and unlike appetite, it doesn't go away when you do something interesting.

Really? I thought the feeling I get, when I didn't eat for >10h was hunger. It's an ugly feeling, which comes with borborygmus. Appetite is a feeling I would describe more psychological. I'm smelling something delicious and suddenly want to eat it.

10h? That's not hunger, that's regular appetite.

Not having eaten for 2-3 days would be hunger.

Re: A year without food (2012)

#65

Post by smoyer » Wed, Jul 31, 2013, 10:16 AM UTC

a8da6b0c91d wrote: post #34

smoyer wrote: post #4

I fasted entirely for lent one year (40 days) and after the first week, the hardest part was indeed that I was missing the social aspect of eating meals with friends and family. I took vitamins, and drank more water than I normally would but was quite happy. I should also mention that I stopped running so hard during this period and took a multivitamin each day. I've fasted for shorter durations and it's amazing how…

The hardest part was social?! Really?! I've done a couple five day fasts and the hardest part is that after day three you have an effective IQ of 65. Your body shuts your brain down and you can't think clearly. I wonder if this has an under-explored psycho-therapeutic value, actually. When you can't mentally ruminate at all anxieties definitely dissipate. I'd recommend fasting as a way to clear one's head for sure. Y…

I wasn't claiming it was the same for everyone ... and as I mentioned, I actually felt sharper.

Re: A year without food (2012)

#66

Post by Kiro » Wed, Jul 31, 2013, 10:17 AM UTC

a8da6b0c91d wrote: post #34

smoyer wrote: post #4

I fasted entirely for lent one year (40 days) and after the first week, the hardest part was indeed that I was missing the social aspect of eating meals with friends and family. I took vitamins, and drank more water than I normally would but was quite happy. I should also mention that I stopped running so hard during this period and took a multivitamin each day. I've fasted for shorter durations and it's amazing how…

The hardest part was social?! Really?! I've done a couple five day fasts and the hardest part is that after day three you have an effective IQ of 65. Your body shuts your brain down and you can't think clearly. I wonder if this has an under-explored psycho-therapeutic value, actually. When you can't mentally ruminate at all anxieties definitely dissipate. I'd recommend fasting as a way to clear one's head for sure. Y…

For me it's the opposite. The cognitive effects of fasting are amazing and the number one reason I do it. Did you drink enough water?

Re: A year without food (2012)

#67

Post by smoyer » Wed, Jul 31, 2013, 10:17 AM UTC

true_religion wrote: post #9

smoyer wrote: post #4

I fasted entirely for lent one year (40 days) and after the first week, the hardest part was indeed that I was missing the social aspect of eating meals with friends and family. I took vitamins, and drank more water than I normally would but was quite happy. I should also mention that I stopped running so hard during this period and took a multivitamin each day. I've fasted for shorter durations and it's amazing how…

When you say you fasted entirely... do you mean you consumed no food at all, or did you eat after sunset as is the norm?

I only drank clear liquids without calories.

Re: A year without food (2012)

#68

Post by manmal » Wed, Jul 31, 2013, 10:22 AM UTC

rickdale wrote: post #16

Been fasting everyday for 20-24 hours since June 1. Once you get used to it theres nothing to it. I like that I can feast everyday and on top of that its much easier to eat healthy and make a good decision about the foods for your feast. The benefits to my focus while fasting is significant. There are streaks almost daily where I feel like I am on adderall just pumped with adrenaline. Also, you get a muscle pump duri…

Do you workout in fasted state (before the feast)? If yes, how well does that go? Martin from leangains recommends taking large quanitites of BCAA before fasted workouts, but I don't want to live off isolated proteins.

Re: A year without food (2012)

#69

Post by manmal » Wed, Jul 31, 2013, 10:26 AM UTC

tessierashpool wrote: post #59

I've had good experiences with fasting and I'd recommend it to anyone. My longest fast so far was 7 days. No food, just water. I lost about 20 pounds. I worked from a book by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, and have since undertaken a few more fasts, with phone guidance from another doctor at Dr. Fuhrman's office. When I fast, I rest the whole time. The first few days of my 7-day fast, I hung out with a friend, did a bunch of read…

Why do you fast for so long if it's such a bad experience? If you'd do a 16h fast every day you'd be fit all year round and still have plenty of energy (for me, more energy than without fasting). Check out leangains.

Re: A year without food (2012)

#70

Post by scotty79 » Wed, Jul 31, 2013, 10:31 AM UTC

JacobSkyler wrote: post #23

reinhardt wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does the feeling of hunger go away by itself or you repress it somehow?

I usually try to fast at least once a week, the longest I've fasted for is 5 days. The first few days I get hunger pangs around my usual meal times, but they go away soon enough. Around the fourth day I get the 'real hunger' feeling where it's your whole body aches for food, but the hunger pangs go away. But that had lessened by the end of my fast. Even if you're not religious I think it's still worth giving fasting…

Didn't you get headache? When I don't eat for 20 hours or so I get a severe headache, feel terribly weak and fall asleep. Only when I wake up I feel strong enough to bother with getting something to eat.