Intermittent Fasting

[Dani]

OK, I didn't really know where to post this, but I guess this could certainly be considered frugal. LOL! You can definitely save money by going a day or two per week without eating.

I wanted to start this thread b/c I would love to hear who else is doing IF and how their progress is coming along. The main gist of IF (intermittent fasting) is to get your body to a state of fat burning (ketosis). I'll admit, I really didn't think this was going to work for me. I'm not a dieter.....never have been. When I feel like I CAN'T have something......I have to have it. So, I just don't diet. I just try to clean up my eating instead. Well, I have been doing IF for a few months now and I feel like it is working rather well for me. My clothes are looser, I feel like I have more energy, and I have lost some weight. I know I have lost FAT. I workout 4-5 days per week typically and I can see a difference in the mirror. I'm pear shaped....so I was thrilled when I saw a difference in my hips, thighs, and love handle area. For me, IF has given me the maximum benefits of anything else I have done with the least amount of work.

So what do I do? I stop eating Sunday nights at around 5 or 6 pm and only drink water, tea, or black coffee until 5 or 6 pm Monday night. Then I repeat going from Tuesday night to Wednesday night. For any of you who think that sounds too hard, there are many other ways to go about IF. Some people have an eating window. Start with a generous eating window such as 7-8 hours of when you can eat.....like from 1 pm to 9 pm......and then don't eat anything (or drink anything other than water, black coffee or unsweetened tea) during the other part of the day. As you get good at it, make your window smaller. A 5 or 6 hour window is what many people feel is effective, but it's different for everyone. If it's getting too hard for you, widen your window back up or just try and do every other day until you get better at it. Whats great about IF is that if you're just not feeling it for some reason.....you can always break the fast by eating. Then you can try again whenever you want. There are no strict rules that you HAVE to abide by b/c there are many different ways in which to do intermittent fasting.

I do the 24 hour fast on Mondays and Wednesday because those are usually the two busiest days of my week so not eating is pretty easy. The key for me is to keep busy. The hunger comes in waves. Once you learn how to ride out the wave, you're golden! It really isn't that hard to ignore those hunger pangs and it DOES get easier the more you do it. I've also found that I don't get the incessant cravings like I did before. It's so great to be off that roller coaster! Plus, I don't have to give up any of my favorite foods. I just may have to delay when I'm going to have them.

If you're considering playing around with this, I would suggest the following books. I read them in the order I am posting them. These books will explain the science behind fasting, which is VERY compelling, even from an overall health perspective.

"The Fast Diet" by Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer- don't let the "diet" part of that title turn you off.....I almost didn't read this book since I don't DIET but this book was a great beginner book. It gives lots of advice on how to start along with tips and tricks to help you along the way. It started me on the 5/2 way of fasting which I still do today.

"The Complete Guide to Fasting" by Jason Fung (which IMHO is the leading expert on the subject) This is not quite as good as Obesity Code, but does focus more on IF then just on Ketosis in general. Again, some really good health information here including disease reduction in people who fast.

"The Obesity Code" by Jason Fung - This really explains the science behind IF and it is really interesting. The reviews on this book are truly though the roof! Reading this book once is not enough b/c there is SO much information in here. It is presented in a very readable way however. Reminds me, I need to read it again! If there is only ONE book you are willing to read on the subject, pick this one!

"Delay, Don't Deny" by Gin Stephens - This would be good for a beginner and it may have been more beneficial to me if I had read it before reading the more in-depth books mentioned earlier. It is a very quick read and can serve as a motivational book to anyone doing IF. It's more of an autobiography of the person who wrote the book on how she lost weight by doing IF.

I don't consider myself an expert at IF, but I would love to have a discussion with folks who are doing IF or who are interested in it. Let's share some experiences!!

My boss lady has recently been doing this "diet" for awhile now and has been able to lose 32 lbs. She just looks amazing!

 

[FarmOR]

Yup. Funny how that works. I've heard people try to argue that but I've also seen the people who ignore it a few of which are zero carb. The thing I find the most fascinating is the appearance of youth among some aging carnivores. I've seen 60, 70, even 80 year olds on a long term carnivore diet that look 20 to 30 years younger than their real age. I've also seen vegans at 60 or 70 that look like death warmed over that wanted to preach to me about their "healthy" diet.

Not gonna suggest what anyone else should do. But when I see the things I mention above, I notice. FWIW, I used to be a vegan. Spent the better part of a decade trying to get that right. I didn't find it a healthy place to be and have since changed my ways. I only wish I hadn't waited so long to change them. (Changed some other stuff too, but that's not the topic at hand.) If some do find plant based and/or vegan lifestyles healthy, God bless 'em, and I don't say that sarcastically.

The power of the personal affidavit?

I try to share what I have learned and experienced gently with great patience. Because I also had the correct information proposed to me before I was ready for it. Wish that I could have changed sooner?

Timing matters. Makes me more considerate about what else I am missing. Without removing all filters? Lest we fall for all liberal mindless confusion?

Data matters.

There's only two ways to learn: the hard way=experience. The better way is from others= education. So important that we continue to learn to learn, so we can learn from others?

 

[angie_nrs]

I saw this today. Perfect timing! I was planning on doing a fast starting tonight anyways even though I don't have a vaccine injury.

 

[angie_nrs]

I just finished my 48 hour fast tonight. I really struggled with it 5 hours before it was done. But, I stuck it through to the 48 hour mark. Once that minute was up, I was eating. I even visited this thread to get motivated to get through and not give up early. That one graph shows 300% autophagy at the 48 hour mark and (dang it!) that's what I wanted!!

For a distraction, the best thing I did was to get outdoors. I took the dogs for another walk and sat in a chair in the sun and read the Bible for a while. It felt so nice to get some Vitamin D and feed the spirit at the same time.

 

[FarmOR]

For beginners, the very idea of fasting can be intimidating? At least it was for me. I shuddered at the thought of missing a meal. Especially if I was doing significant amounts of manual labor. I've suffered the effects of hypoglycemia, commercialised by the word "bonk"? Terrible feeling that you want to avoid at all costs.

But I discovered that the dependence on " refuelling " frequently, was an effect of carb addiction! Once you break the carb addiction, it's so easy to skip meals that it feels natural? A big obstacle for that is overcoming the big fat lie. That dietary fat is the ultimate evil...

I was employed in the sports nutrition food manufacturing industry. The mantra for our product was formed by the experts trained nutritionists from good old u of C! The birth place of low fat high carb diet? The opposite purveyors of high fat and low carb were ridiculed. We expected all them to be ruining their cardiovascular health. But when athletes from our own inner circle were dying from massive coronary, it spun the narrative?

 

[angie_nrs]

Unfortunately some people have been taught that small frequent meals throughout the day is the way to lose weight. They think that IF is completely unhealthy and that it ruins the metabolism. I kinda laugh at that b/c most of those people are not healthy. If those frequent small meals work so well, then why don't they work? LOL! Some people can make that work for them if they are eating the right things but they are still ignoring the benefits of IF. They should educate themselves.

My mom is one of those who would never try IF. Her immediate response was that she'd never do it b/c it would give her a headache. Well, how do you know? Answer.....she really doesn't. And, if it did, she's not doing it right IMHO. It's something you slowly work up to and with IF, you can stop anytime you want to.

I exercised during most of my fasts so I should have taken more sea salt. I did use some this time, but I probably should have taken more since I was hit with a heavy urge to eat at about the 43 hour mark. Next time I will try to quell that with more salt and even some green tea to see if that helps.

Right about that time (when the eating urge hit) I took on a complicated paperwork project. I didn't want to dig into it, but at the same time I wanted to get it off my desk so I thought.....what the heck, it'll burn up some time so that I can eat. Well, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. I attribute that to the mental focus that I had due to the fast. Now I don't have to worry about that project next week. Yeah!

I fouund some really good videos by Dr. Berg on fasting. Here is a beginner one that's interesting and very informative. Dr. Fung also has some really good videos on YT as well. I think this video takes some of the fear out of IF.
blob:https://www.youtube.com/75a5bc7d-099f-4988-a9b0-dfc5ce9ed485

Just as a side note, Dr. Berg is a chiropractor not a MD or DO. It seems weird that he is an expert on IF, but he studied in the area of natural health and changed his direction of expertise.

 

[FarmOR]

New evidence that the associated press is lying about the pharmaceutical impact of ozempic? The surging stock price for dexcom?

The makers of the popular continuous glucose monitors. Diabetics every where can get them by prescription. There's other health conscious folks paying out of pocket $250-400 for real time, minimal invasive blood glucose data.

From this data, you can undoubtedly conclude what foods do to your blood glucose. Or you can do what I do and simply learn from others that publish their data. There's a lot of information out there that hasn't been censored yet!

"but every body is different. And I'm special."

"okay then. Get a cgm and learn the hard way, for yourself. But we are not really all that different"?

And drop it " like it's hot!" Sugar. Processed. Carbs. Because what you're body thinks is sugar is more important than the compromised government label printed on the product...

 

[Spikedriver]

As a Type 1 diabetic since age 15, and as a Dexcom user, I can attest that the Dexcom is the greatest thing since sliced bread - for those of us who actually need it. Real time data is invaluable for our safety. But the morons who use them just because they want them are silly as hell. For $45 they could buy a generic Walmart glucose meter, 100 test strips, and a finger sticker. Then they could eat pizza and check their blood glucose every 20 minutes for 3 hours, and know pretty much the same thing as what the Dexcom says. For healthy people it'll show their blood glucose levels going somewhere between 140 and 180, then dropping back to normal levels quite quickly. With the way supply chains are presently, I'm always concerned I won't be able to get my Dexcoms because some fitness nerds bought them all up...

 

[hashbrown]

My wife never eats until 1 pm she stays very trim. For me though life’s too short for that sort of crazy behavior.

 

[joel]

I have cut out sugar, grains & most carbs.
I am on a low carb - high protein Diet.
I am hunger less & fill full longer, while eating less.
I try to fast eight to twelve hours every day, I do not always make that goal. I have went twenty hours a few times, including eight hours of sleep. I have lost 20 lbs. in three months.

https://www.inhousestudiofitness.co...hour-by-hour-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting

 

[Bacpacker]

I've mostly went to 2 meals a day. Dinner and supper. Somewhere around 11 and 6. Finding I don't miss breakfast unless I'm planning a heavy workday. Then I go for several eggs and some fruit

 

[Pearl]

My wife never eats until 1 pm she stays very trim. For me though life’s too short for that sort of crazy behavior.

Yeah, just eat!!

 

[angie_nrs]

I just heard about Dr. Mindy Pelz. It looks like she has quite a few videos, but I noticed most of them are long. I'm just parking this here so I can come back to it later. I haven't seen the whole thing, nor any of her other videos but they look interesting. Hopefully it will offer someone else some motivation.

The WORST Intermittent Fasting Mistakes That Lead To WEIGHT GAIN | Dr. Mindy Pelz​

 

[Dani]

My five work days, I don't do breakfast and will normally come home to eat a "big" meal at around 1pm. For dinner, it's light. Tonight I had three bites of a steak that my Hunny grilled. I will eat the rest for lunch tommow along with a big salad with some shredded cheese. May do a baked potatoe, depends on how hungary I am.

 

[Pearl]

As usual, I am eating!!

 

[Dani]

I just finished my 48 hour fast tonight. I really struggled with it 5 hours before it was done. But, I stuck it through to the 48 hour mark. Once that minute was up, I was eating. I even visited this thread to get motivated to get through and not give up early. That one graph shows 300% autophagy at the 48 hour mark and (dang it!) that's what I wanted!!

For a distraction, the best thing I did was to get outdoors. I took the dogs for another walk and sat in a chair in the sun and read the Bible for a while. It felt so nice to get some Vitamin D and feed the spirit at the same time.

Oh Hun, every time you feel that way, just eat a big salad! My favorite dressing is one that I make, Honey Mustard, but was out, unfortunately today.

 

[Dani]

As usual, I am eating!!

If you are working hard throughout the day, I don't blame you one bit.

 

[Supervisor42]

If you are working hard throughout the day, I don't blame you one bit.

That is key.
When I was working, I easily blew thru 3,000+ calories every day.
After I retired that all changed.
Today, I mostly sit on mybut all day.
I only eat a huge supper at 8pm everyday... and have beer.
The weight stays steady.

 

[angie_nrs]

Oh Hun, every time you feel that way, just eat a big salad! My favorite dressing is one that I make, Honey Mustard, but was out, unfortunately today.

Nope, when I have my mind set on something, I'm gonna do it! A salad would have broken the fast. If I was just starting out on fasting, then maybe I wouldn't have been so rigid, but I know I can do it and I was aiming for the health benefits of the longer fast. I like to push the limits on what I think I can do and with the health benefits of doing so, I see no reason to not do it.

For me, it isn't about weight, it's about health. At this point, I have no major chronic medical conditions and I want to keep it that way. Intermittent fasting is just a tool I use to do it. Wihtout even trying I typically fast at least 15 hours per day without any hunger. I've never been a breakfast eater so that's not an issue. However, I love to snack at night. I have cut that out and now typically only have 2 meals a day and no snacks during the week.

 

[Bacpacker]

The snacking is what I've always struggled with, fasting or not

 

[Dani]

That is key.
When I was working, I easily blew thru 3,000+ calories every day.
After I retired that all changed.
Today, I mostly sit on mybut all day.
I only eat a huge supper at 8pm everyday... and have beer.
The weight stays steady.

ok, but Wow! 8 pm for dinner. . . Ha! I don't do breakfast on my work days. My "lunch" at work is 8 am. I don't eat until I get home which is around 1 pm. Today I had the leftover of my steak from yesterday. For dinner, it was a couple bites of a grill porkchop and a big salad with Honey Mustard dressing that I made, along with some candied jalapenos. Yeah, I'm kinda nursing this last jar I have. I'm normally eating around 5;30-6 pm at the latest.

 

[angie_nrs]

I just fininshed my longest fast yet. I got through just over 3 days at 74 hours. I was really aiming for 4 days, but I lost my motivation a bit early. I sat down and started sluffing off online. In retrospect, I shouldn't have done that. I should have just continued on my to-do list but I needed a break. Although, I'm glad I got a lot of stuff done.

I did a couple of things different this time. I started my fast at 1pm after a rather early lunch for me. It wasn't really intentional, but I had a meeting that night and so it was easy to just skip dinner. The worst part (hunger wise) was at the 36 hour window which would have been the second evening. I can easily skp breakfast and lunch, but dinner is tough. The thrid morning at about 67 hours was super easy. It was in the late afternoon that I wanted to stop. I had a bit of a back palate not feeling right issue.....almost like a burning sensation in the back of my mouth/throat area. I had this issue before too. Other than that, with a few calf cramps and eye twitches, everything went smoothly.

I also used keto drops this time to help with electrolyte levels. They really don't have a taste other than maybe making my water a little bit salty. I think that helped control hunger too. I also took Mg supplements in the evening due to some calf cramps and eye twitches.

I watched some more of Mindy Pelz's fasting videos for motivation. Wow! I learned so much from her. She says basically to not eat when it's dark out. That will help to keep melatonin levels in check and keep cortisol at a lower level. Cortisol will increase fat and stop fat burning. I feel like my hormones were re-set. I went to bed earlier last night b/c I was tired earlier and woke up earlier too. I got 8 hours of good sleep, although with weird dreams.

I ordered a couple of Mindy's books. Thus far, I highly recommend her videos as they were very motivating for me. She is not nearly as dry as Dr. Berg or even Jason Fung.

My goal this time was to get my body to self heal some issues I've been having. Just minor ones, but I wanted to see if a longer fast would improve them. I was motivated to try it by Mindy who said she had a achillies tendon problem and said that she felt a sensation in that area on her 4th day and it was healed, with no problems ever since. I have a shoulder issue that I was hoping might heal but it's still wonky. Oh well, maybe next time I can go longer. I still feel like I got rid of some fat and hopefully the autophagy cleaned out my system.

The next time I will make sure I have a solid refeeding plan. I was going to have eggs and sausage to break my fast, but then realized that hubby took the thawed sausage with him to camp So, I had eggs, a slice of toast, celery and PB, string cheese, a piece of salami, and some yogurt with granola and berries. That's not really a stellar refeeding meal. The frig was pretty empty and I didn't really realize it b/c I hadn't been in the frig in days. Hubby pretty much cleaned me out. LOL! That's OK, he'll bring lots of stuff home when he gets back.

The seratonin has kicked in and I don't feel hAngry now.....I was getting grumpy and I hate that! I feel full now so I'm off to tackle more chores before hubby gets home. Break is over!

 

[Neb]

I just fininshed my longest fast yet. I got through just over 3 days at 74 hours. I was really aiming for 4 days, but I lost my motivation a bit early. I sat down and started sluffing off online. In retrospect, I shouldn't have done that. I should have just continued on my to-do list but I needed a break. Although, I'm glad I got a lot of stuff done.

I did a couple of things different this time. I started my fast at 1pm after a rather early lunch for me. It wasn't really intentional, but I had a meeting that night and so it was easy to just skip dinner. The worst part (hunger wise) was at the 36 hour window which would have been the second evening. I can easily skp breakfast and lunch, but dinner is tough. The thrid morning at about 67 hours was super easy. It was in the late afternoon that I wanted to stop. I had a bit of a back palate not feeling right issue.....almost like a burning sensation in the back of my mouth/throat area. I had this issue before too. Other than that, with a few calf cramps and eye twitches, everything went smoothly.

I also used keto drops this time to help with electrolyte levels. They really don't have a taste other than maybe making my water a little bit salty. I think that helped control hunger too. I also took Mg supplements in the evening due to some calf cramps and eye twitches.

I watched some more of Mindy Pelz's fasting videos for motivation. Wow! I learned so much from her. She says basically to not eat when it's dark out. That will help to keep melatonin levels in check and keep cortisol at a lower level. Cortisol will increase fat and stop fat burning. I feel like my hormones were re-set. I went to bed earlier last night b/c I was tired earlier and woke up earlier too. I got 8 hours of good sleep, although with weird dreams.

I ordered a couple of Mindy's books. Thus far, I highly recommend her videos as they were very motivating for me. She is not nearly as dry as Dr. Berg or even Jason Fung.

My goal this time was to get my body to self heal some issues I've been having. Just minor ones, but I wanted to see if a longer fast would improve them. I was motivated to try it by Mindy who said she had a achillies tendon problem and said that she felt a sensation in that area on her 4th day and it was healed, with no problems ever since. I have a shoulder issue that I was hoping might heal but it's still wonky. Oh well, maybe next time I can go longer. I still feel like I got rid of some fat and hopefully the autophagy cleaned out my system.

The next time I will make sure I have a solid refeeding plan. I was going to have eggs and sausage to break my fast, but then realized that hubby took the thawed sausage with him to camp So, I had eggs, a slice of toast, celery and PB, string cheese, a piece of salami, and some yogurt with granola and berries. That's not really a stellar refeeding meal. The frig was pretty empty and I didn't really realize it b/c I hadn't been in the frig in days. Hubby pretty much cleaned me out. LOL! That's OK, he'll bring lots of stuff home when he gets back.

The seratonin has kicked in and I don't feel hAngry now.....I was getting grumpy and I hate that! I feel full now so I'm off to tackle more chores before hubby gets home. Break is over!

You dis better than me. My best were 72 hrs. I would get light headed at about 48hrs. but that was it. At 72hrs I just wasn't hungry. But now I am repeating myself.

Ben

 

[angie_nrs]

I just completed another 40 hour fast. I wasn't really planning on it until I looked at the calendar on Monday and realized that this Wednesday was Ash Wednesday. Growing up our family didn't eat meat on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday. Well, since I have been on my IF journey, I felt it would be a good idea to honor Jesus and fast. I didn't realize it was Valentines Day too. LOL! I told hubby he needed to eat leftovers b/c I was fasting. He said "oh, so I don't have to take you out to dinner tonight?" LOL! NO! I wouldn't go out to dinner on that day anyways b/c every place is busy and I refuse to wait for a table.

Anyways, I ended the fast this afternoon and clocked 40 hours. That wasn't really my goal, but I thought it was interesting that Jesus fasted for 40 days, so it seemed symbolic to me. I'm glad I did it b/c I really think my body needed the hormone reset since I haven't done a long fast in quite a while. I think this time of year is especially hard on the body without adequate sunshine and the blahs set in...so I tend to eat and drink things that I shouldn't. I also ate only one meal and no snacks on Tuesday so I hope the back to back fasts helped kick my autophagy into gear.

 

[joel]

Jeff Shrewsbury
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Former DJ, Hotel Guy From the 80's to Now2y
Related
What should I eat to break my water fast?
I participate in a 21-day fast done by our church, annually. I don’t always do the full 21-days, and I’m not berated by my brethren for that.
When preparing for it, our pastor, who has 40-day water fasted for 40 years, has developed and stream-lined a fasting guide which advocates emptying the bowels of poop, using a laxative, or prune juice. Effectively putting the bowels to sleep. If one’s not eating, one’s not passing poop, and there is nothing for the bowels to do, but absorb water.
The return to eating, confirmed by experience and a fasting-believing doctor, is: Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup. It’s bland, and the crushed solids from chewing are easily manipulated by one’s bowels.
Take as many days to return to eating, as you took to water-fast. Don’t hit solid foods for a week after. Don’t start back with a steak & potatoes dinner. Don’t start back with Pizza, etc.: You’ll regret it, and likely suffer extreme discomfort as your bowels try to push that through.
I’ve read other water-fasters who recommend bone-broth, or bland soups. I, personally, used the chicken noodle soup route and did that twice a day, for 5 days.
https://www.quora.com/What-should-I...an a day, for,days returning to normal eating.