Intermittent Fasting

[Bare Lee]

Interesting, I used to eat like this, three meals within an eight-hour window. With my present lifestyle it's not possible, but I still eat the majority of my calories within the first eight hours after waking up. Anyway, thought some folks might want to read this: http://www.sentientdevelopments.com/2013/04/why-you-should-starve-yourself-little.html

 

[Antonio Madriñán]

is very interesting how our body and we are not very aware of all the power we have, thanks to IF I could run marathons fasting completely and make good records.

 

[mokaman]

I've been skipping breakfast for over 25 years...a couple years ago I discovered on a weight training website they were calling it Intermittent Fasting. I never thought of it as fasting I just don't like to eat for a few hours after I wake up. Most of the time I do my running fasted then eat my first meal of the day afterwards....glad there is some health benefit to it since I would be doing it anyway.

 

[Zetti]

I did intermittant fasting during my wrestling diet for quite a few years....does that count?

 

[NickW]

Kind of funny that our society today throws the "we should be eating 5+ times a day" at us all the time. It's common knowledge among the common person that this is the way we should be eating, but who has the time? Glad to see maybe this belief is wrong, which I always questioned anyways because I didn't think our ancestors even had access to the same amounts of food that we do today. We are a society today that doesn't understand how over fed we are nor do we realize just how good we have it.

 

[Go Barefoot]

Interesting that you bring this up Lee as I was planning on starting a version of this known as the 5:2 method. About 3 weeks ago my wife and I watched a program on the Nebraska public television called "Eat, Fast & Live longer by Michael Mosely which was an hour long program about this type of diet. After seeing the show and the fasting results it convinced me to give it a whirl. My only problem is I kinda like to eat. But I'm gonna try it. In Michaels method a male is to consume only 600 calories or less on the 2 consequtive fasting days or 500 calories for women. Ok, so I thought fasting meant eating nothing. But on this 5:2 method fasting is eating only 600 calories (for me) 2 days in a row. That is better than starvation for 2 days in a row. I believe I can do it with 600 calories a day. We will see how it goes. On his show Micheal was splitting his 600 calorie meal up into 2 meals. One at breakfast and the other half in the evening. Thought that 2 small meals might make it a bit easier to stomach. I see he has some postes about it here:

http://thefastdiet.co.uk/author/michael/

His book about it is called "The Fast Diet". Haven't read it yet.

 

[happysongbird]

It's probably like many things, in that much depends on the individual. I have tried all kinds of eating patterns. I've never been more than 20 lbs heavier than I am now (not counting pregnant state), which is really the lowest I can be and be healthy. For me, the body is obviously less effective if I am not eating regularly. But, then, I don't generally eat a lot at one time, either. It makes me feel ill. Maybe I am a squirrel?

 

[Barefoot Dama]

Maybe I should give it a try but I am always hungry as is I think I am going to start tomorrow and see if can make it.

 

[NickW]

For me, I really normally only eat in a 10 hr window, so to change it to an 8hr period probably wouldn't take much. I wonder if that really even makes a difference as it's only a 2 hour difference...

 

[Zetti]

I generally fast between meals

 

[Smogz]

In the book he says 16 hours of fasting, two non consecutive days a week and only 600 calories a day the fasting days.

I'm on my third week feeling great. Starting to look forward to my next fasting day. Right now as I write this it has been 16 hours since I ate something and I won't it until morning (11 pm now).

Also I have lost a few pounds.

 

[Go Barefoot]

In the book he says 16 hours of fasting, two non consecutive days a week and only 600 calories a day the fasting days.

I'm on my third week feeling great. Starting to look forward to my next fasting day. Right now as I write this it has been 16 hours since I ate something and I won't it until morning (11 pm now).

Also I have lost a few pounds.

I noticed later his web site says 2 nonconsecutive days also, but I thought for sure he fasted two consecutive days in a row on the tv program. I must have mistaken that.

 

[Smogz]

I think you're right, but in the program I think he was still experimenting with it.

 

[Bare Lee]

Interesting that you bring this up Lee as I was planning on starting a version of this known as the 5:2 method. About 3 weeks ago my wife and I watched a program on the Nebraska public television called "Eat, Fast & Live longer by Michael Mosely which was an hour long program about this type of diet. After seeing the show and the fasting results it convinced me to give it a whirl. My only problem is I kinda like to eat. But I'm gonna try it. In Michaels method a male is to consume only 600 calories or less on the 2 consequtive fasting days or 500 calories for women. Ok, so I thought fasting meant eating nothing. But on this 5:2 method fasting is eating only 600 calories (for me) 2 days in a row. That is better than starvation for 2 days in a row. I believe I can do it with 600 calories a day. We will see how it goes. On his show Micheal was splitting his 600 calorie meal up into 2 meals. One at breakfast and the other half in the evening. Thought that 2 small meals might make it a bit easier to stomach. I see he has some postes about it here:

http://thefastdiet.co.uk/author/michael/

His book about it is called "The Fast Diet". Haven't read it yet.

If I had a more active lifestyle, I might give it a try. I can fast pretty well if my body's moving, but sitting at a desk all day, reading and writing, it's hard to go more than an hour or two past the point where I start to feel hungry again. I get kind of light-headed. I don't think my metabolism can regulate itself so well when the body is inactive. Maybe I need one of those desk treadmills, or need to get up every hour and do some burpees or something. I do have a sit-stand desk, so it's good to stand once in a while, but it doesn't really get the blood flowing. I'll probably stick to my current method, which is to eat three meals of raw nuts, fruits, and vegetables within the first eight hours of waking up, and then have animal flesh and veggies at dinner, forgoing the 'carbo' portion (Potatoes, rice, etc.). My stomach feels relatively empty by the time I go to bed, which I think is another key to losing/maintaining weight, if not necessarily good health.

I also agree with Laura, in that I'm skeptical of any one-size-fits-all dietary advice. Talk of our 'ancestors' is specious, because hunter-gathers--in the present, recent past, and remote past--inhabit a wide variety of ecological niches, with an attendant wide variety of food stuffs and daily to seasonal changes in availability. Some places involved prolonged starving over winter months, some places offered an abundance year-round. And then within a given population, there's always going to be people who fit better with circumstances than others. Humans never adapt perfectly to their environments. If they did, then they would never be able to adapt to changes.

OK, time for another Zetti one-liner . . .

 

[happysongbird]

We at our house also have a theory that when people "feel" better from all of the diet programs, they are often changing their diets in other ways, too, that aren't getting the same billing. For instance, if a person is limiting what they are eating, he is probably also being more selective about what he eats. And there is the fact that somehow change seems to have positive effects also, both mentally and physically. There are just too many variables to make definite conclusions.

 

[Zetti]

We at our house also have a theory that when people "feel" better from all of the diet programs, they are often changing their diets in other ways, too, that aren't getting the same billing. For instance, if a person is limiting what they are eating, he is probably also being more selective about what he eats. And there is the fact that somehow change seems to have positive effects also, both mentally and physically. There are just too many variables to make definite conclusions.

Yep...and Im just too hungry to mak any definite conclusions

 

[ChasingShadows]

It's also meant to reduce systematic inflammation. I declared war on my body's stupid inflammatory over-reactions a week & a bit ago (honestly, I'm mis-wired, half an hour of interval training lead to flu-like aches all over & a sore gut that didn't clear for a week, this is not unusual if I really push myself, hence why I tend to avoid really hard exercise). Now ok, it's hugely non-scientific, plus I've only been doing it 5 minutes this time around, but I've combined eating within a six hour window at least five days a week (which I've kept to so far) with trying to eat more anti-inflammatory/fewer inflammatory foods (this has been a bit hit & miss, though have definitely been eating more healthily). Have done a couple of hard runs/workouts in this time & the only affect is slight stiffness. Frankly I don't care if it's pure placebo effect, just so long as it keeps working. Liking the weight loss too, oh & I feel like I'm getting a better night's sleep & have a clearer head in the morning.
I couldn't do the seemingly more common pattern of eating lunch & dinner, I go with breakfast, lunch & all the snacks I want in between (trying to thinking of improved snacks mind!).

 

[Smogz]

So my next thing to try now is earthing. It's also supposed to help inflammatory symptoms. Just by walking barefoot outside you earth yourself, but to sleep on a conductive sheet earthed is the shit according to those that belive in it. I think I will try, it's too cheap not try it with all those supposed benefits.

 

[Zetti]

http://www.thebarefootrunners.org/threads/any-grounding-experience.13586/page-2
^^^^just one of the many!! hahahahha

 

[Sid]

I think that it's important for people to eat according to their needs. There is no single perfect diet. Figuring out those needs is the hard part. Many people seem to be out of touch with their bodies. I've discovered that I have to change up my diet based on the amount and type of activity. Even then, it usually takes me a few weeks for me to realize this and adjust my diet accordingly.