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Ask HN: Are You Fasting?

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31–40 of 48 posts

Re: Ask HN: Are You Fasting?

#31
post #7

I have tried multi-day fasting several times. Painful to start, but it feels OK in the middle of it, and it feels great after it's finished (works best when immediately followed up by a keto diet, I recommend a vegan keto one, to avoid nasty things). Below 48h of fasting, you don't enter ketosis, so you miss out on many benefits. But never stop drinking water througout any type of fasting.

Another thing not to forget: you need not only water, but minerals with it (sodium, potassium, magnesium...). There was a time when I did not pay attention to this and fasted with water only - the result was very bad sleep and muscle cramps, which are quite scary. Also I lost all my flexibility for a short time. Maybe others are not so sensitive to this, I certainly am.

Re: Ask HN: Are You Fasting?

#32
First meal around noon, last around 6PM (18:6 they call it I guess). No eating out, only cooking at home, and no alcohol. Together with some exercise (running 4x a week) lost 7kg in 3 weeks. Sleep has improved dramatically. If you feel hungry, just drink a large glass of water (400ml).

Re: Ask HN: Are You Fasting?

#33

No, but I eat in the evening at 7pm then don't eat/just have water until breakfast at 7am, after I have been to the gym for 60mins. I have lost 30lb since 01/01/2023. Just cut out junk, reduced portion sizes & only drank alcohol at weekends.

Same, but with long walks instead of gym time!

Re: Ask HN: Are You Fasting?

#34

I've been doing intermittent fasting for years now, on a not-so-typical schedule: first meal late in the day (5PM-ish) and the second (final) one within a couple of hours. What I love: * Total mental clarity during the first half of the day, can focus fully on work or life responsibilities without a single thought about food. * Freedom to not have to organize the day around food (making choices, planning logistics, "…

I find it amazing how much experiences vary. I think a large part of it may be what you eat when you do eat, and also the quantity. Portion sizes seem to vary drastically.

If I fast, I generally get moody and all I can focus on is food. A lot of friends fast for religious reasons too, and the overwhelming majority of them get cranky instead of more productive and able to focus.

Re: Ask HN: Are You Fasting?

#35
post #6

"Wait till you are actually hungry" seems to work fine. It is extended version of @Jack's "I eat only once a day", except there is no rules. Interestingly first thing they teached to American Injuns, was "warm meals thrice a day" and the result can be seen in the Indian population even today.

You know “injuns” is a pretty bad racial slur?

Re: Ask HN: Are You Fasting?

#36
I eat my dinner at ~19:30 and then lunch at 11:45. This is 16 hours of fasting every day.

Why? Because I am not hungry in the morning and the canteen opens at 11:30 (and there are less people then - I am in France where between 12:00 and 13:30 the world stops and everyone is downstairs queuing up to eat).

The effects? From 101kg to 85kg with 3% fat. Just kidding - I did not see any difference and I am still overweight (despite biking and eating healthy - this is probably one of these rare cases where thyroid-induced metabolism is the main culprit).

I also followed (and plan to follow again "~tomorrow") the JFEH diet. It works great (JEH stands for Just Fucking Eat Half (TM), a Scientifically Sound Diet (C) where you eat about the size of your fists put together). I really need to get back to that.

Re: Ask HN: Are You Fasting?

#37

I eat my dinner at ~19:30 and then lunch at 11:45. This is 16 hours of fasting every day. Why? Because I am not hungry in the morning and the canteen opens at 11:30 (and there are less people then - I am in France where between 12:00 and 13:30 the world stops and everyone is downstairs queuing up to eat). The effects? From 101kg to 85kg with 3% fat. Just kidding - I did not see any difference and I am still overweigh…

I'll apply the JFEH for sure :D

Re: Ask HN: Are You Fasting?

#38
I fast, not intermittent fasting but real fasting, 48 hours or 72 hours or longer depending on social obligations, during parts of the year. I might be the only one who does this so I hope my testimony helps you out.

During these fasts I have water and nothing else. If I feel inclined to exercise or if I'm peeing excessively I will take electrolytes in the form of powder in water, but that's it. In the morning I'll have black coffee. So technically this is called a "dirty fast".

Initially it sucks. The first day in particular can be a bit hazy. Tip of tongue syndrome, tendency to hyper focus on a single thing, etc. It is objectively terrible.

After about 24 hours it becomes a very smooth feeling and you feel mentally agile. It might be placebo but it feels like more mental agility than when not fasting.

After about 48 hours it becomes peaceful on top of all that. Forgiveness comes easier, anger comes slower, you will feel like you should do less harm, things like that. It's a bit of a trip. Hunger is still there, might even be roaring with hunger at this point. Sense of smell is greatly sharpened.

After 72 hours you no linger are hungry. It's scary. There is just no desire to eat other than a psychological worry that you're missing whatever vitamin you're recently obsessed with. You might ask yourself "what's happening to my nicotinamide riboside reserves" and other such questions. However, physiologically there is not much hunger at all, and it is a bit scary because you know that you need food so it's strange and makes you mistrustful of your impulses to experience a disconnect between instinct and need.

Beyond 72 hours it stays the same, you've evolved beyond needing food and bowel movements and are closer to machine, you can get a lot done and you will have more time than you know what to do with. If you're someone who enjoys indulging in earthly pleasures you might be extremely bored.

Disclaimer the following contains information about fasting, it is not qualified medical advice as I am not a doctor nor am I claiming that it is safe:

My "advice" to someone who has just started is to take it slow, primarily for medical reasons. Electrolytes aren't exactly safe to tinker with. If you have a heart condition I would say straight up don't do any extended fasting. However if you want to know how it feels like to fast then work your way up to an extended fast, try an all day fast then resume regular eating for 3 days then try again. Then work up from there. Don't become obsessive about whether one calorie from sugarless gum breaks a fast, focus on the discipline required to fast through meals and let that discipline strengthen other aspects of your life. Also, take a very thorough accounting of your own health. If fasting causes you to lose minerals, you should be able to notice it right away. Take careful care of your teeth and nails so you can see any potential warning signs before they become issues. If anything goes wrong just resume eating, there is always tomorrow. And remember that water is your friend but if it is absorbing too much electrolyte out of your body then use powdered electrolytes to stay balanced.

Lastly, in general, and in stark contrast to the above, I do NOT recommend fasting to most people unless they hunger for a challenge that requires immense self-discipline. You can get plenty of metabolic health benefits from IF or OMAD without nearly as much discomfort. You can say "I'm fasting" and simply skip breakfast or dinner. It's almost a no-brainer especially if your only goal is weight management.

Source: me about to be 72 hours fasted

Re: Ask HN: Are You Fasting?

#39
Yes, I'm an Orthodox Christian so bit more than half of the year is fast day. Fast day means that I eat vegan food moderately (with some exceptions, like fish allowed on some days) and also don't use oil when cooking. There are four longer lent periods around the year and each Wednesday and Friday are fast days. Although after some big feasts and before the Great Lent (which is before Eastern) there are weeks that are fast free.

At the beginning of Great Lent there are also three days that I try not to eat anything but usually it's not possible for me because of work, so I pick something small in the evening. Also during Great Lent I don't eat breakfast (to not break my fast ;)). Oh, and on Sunday if I attend Eucharist in the church I don't eat and drink anything before that.

Trying to follow these rules gives me a lot of joy and rhythm to my life. It makes me appreciate food, and also has made my diet simpler also in days that I'm not fasting. But the point isn't to restrict food but to be able to focus more on the spiritual struggles and tame your passions.

Re: Ask HN: Are You Fasting?

#40

I've been doing intermittent fasting for years now, on a not-so-typical schedule: first meal late in the day (5PM-ish) and the second (final) one within a couple of hours. What I love: * Total mental clarity during the first half of the day, can focus fully on work or life responsibilities without a single thought about food. * Freedom to not have to organize the day around food (making choices, planning logistics, "…

I find it amazing how much experiences vary. I think a large part of it may be what you eat when you do eat, and also the quantity. Portion sizes seem to vary drastically. If I fast, I generally get moody and all I can focus on is food. A lot of friends fast for religious reasons too, and the overwhelming majority of them get cranky instead of more productive and able to focus.

I think the key is simply letting your body get used to fasting. If you only do it occasionally but usually eat at all the socially "normal" times then of course you're going to be cranky and hungry when you decide to suddenly deprive your body of what it is accustomed to. Eventually, with consistent intermittent fasting, that will change.
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