Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Health, Good Practises, and Exercise
- Thread starter Huntn
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I used to run all winter in Minnesota, no problem. Besides a couple of layers, hat, ears covered, and gloves, on occasion I did have to wear ski goggles. With wind and cold, your eyes are the primary vulnerable point, but I’m talking when you get down around 10F.
I will run down to 22 degrees. But I've gone for walks in -20. I have a lot of gear from Eastern Mountain Sports, Nike, New Balance for running but running outside in the winter means a ton more laundry. I have a spin bike in the basement and I can just go to the YMCA and run on the indoor track or the treadmill.
I have balaclavas, ski goggles, tights, tops, baselayers, mid-layers, wool socks, lots of gloves of varying thickness.
I also have neuropathy as a result of chemo. It's like Raynaud's disease where your fingers and toes buzz or go numb in cold temperatures.
I did not wash any of my outer clothing, and my sweats not that often And… they did not reek… noticeably.
Yesterday the Missus and I stopped in at the grocery store for our fall vaccinations, 3 of them, flu, Pneumonia, and RSV. Today I have seriously sore arms, and feel a little off, will most likely avoid my Wed workout. The word is that The new COVID booster will arrive in October.
Was your RSV covered by insurance? I tried to get it a few weeks ago and it was not covered at that point ;(
Is anyone here on a fasting diet? I’ll like to hear about it.
I was at USAToday and this ad popped up about losing weight by fasting (Easy Fast), it asked a whole bunch of question then ordered a discounted plan associated with their app, and it gave me 8min to make up my mind. I have never reacted well to high pressure sales, so instead of signing up, I started researching.
www.medicalnewstoday.com
I was at USAToday and this ad popped up about losing weight by fasting (Easy Fast), it asked a whole bunch of question then ordered a discounted plan associated with their app, and it gave me 8min to make up my mind. I have never reacted well to high pressure sales, so instead of signing up, I started researching.
6 ways to do intermittent fasting: The best methods
Intermittent fasting is an increasingly popular diet option for weight loss. There are several programs, but this guide can help you find which one is right for you.
www.medicalnewstoday.com
1. Fasting for 12 hrs.
2. Fasting for 16 hours
3. Fasting for 2 days a week
4. Alternate day fasting
5. A weekly 24-hour fast
6. The Warrior Diet
Last edited:
Have done all kinds of fasting.
Right now, I just lsten to body and some days, weeks - it's more other less.
It helps to have an app to keep track with. This was the only free I found now - enough to use on 1 device, my iPhone.
The apps I used earler have like all other apps, gone subscription.
Right now, I just lsten to body and some days, weeks - it's more other less.
It helps to have an app to keep track with. This was the only free I found now - enough to use on 1 device, my iPhone.
The apps I used earler have like all other apps, gone subscription.
Fasta Intermittent Fasting
Inga annonser. Inget konto / registrering. Bara fasta. Här är den enklaste, mest integritetsvänliga appen för intermittent fasta på App Store! Med stöd för iPhone och Apple Watch har denna app allt du behöver för att hålla dig på rätt spår med dina fasta mål. Appen har alla nödvändiga...
apps.apple.com
I don't really consider it fasting.
I think of it as "time restricted" eating.
I do it not so much for weigh management, but because I work better on an empty stomach.
During the week, I do OMAD, or One Meal A Day with dinner being that one meal.
I just function better on an empty stomach when I am at work.
On the weekends, it's usually TMAD, or two meals a day, brunch and dinner, so I guess technically it would be a 16 hours between Friday night and Sunday dinner. But again, that's just more a lifestyle choice and less about weight management.
All that said, there's nothing magical about fasting for weight management. It's simply calorie restriction using time as a crutch.
I do intermittent fasting. Typically, I fast on Saturday's only because during the summer months I am usually outside mowing my father's 4 acres, and then I come home and do my 1 acre. So it works out that I don't have a lot of time to be bored and wanting to eat. I'll go 24 -36 hours on a fast once a week.
Additionally, I only eat once or twice a day. It might be a small breakfast with Greek yogurt, blueberries, and pecans. I'll have lunch during the workday and then no dinner. Or I'll skip breakfast and have a light dinner.
I am on a very low carb diet, and I eat good fats and protein. I have been off sugar for several years and my body and brain have been thanking me ever since. I stick to whole foods where the ingredient list is 1 or 2 things, like chicken, beef, fish. I buy organic when I can, but it's not always available.
The new thing I am trying now is to ween myself off of caffeine. I stopped drinking coffee/espresso several weeks ago. I have replaced it with some teas which has less caffeine than coffee. Once I finish off the tea I have, I'll switch to a green tea which has yet even less caffeine than black teas. When the green teas are gone, then I will stop caffeine altogether.
It's an interesting experiment I am undertaking for myself. I want to feel how my body and mind do once I've been caffeine free for some time and the withdrawals are over with. I want to know what it's like to have an even energy level from sun up to sun down and no stimulants in my system. The last time I was caffeine free had to be when I was a young kid before my parents allowed me to drink soda pop.
When I was in my twenties I didn’t wean myself from caffeine, I stopped cold turkey. It was a rough few days but then eventually the headaches and cravings stopped. The list included all liquid forms of caffeine.
I lasted 6 months. I went back because I enjoy the smell of brewed coffee and the taste of brewed coffee.
I’m not a believer in weaning. When I make a lifestyle change I just do it.
Thanks for the replies! ☺️
Based on the link I posted, and this one:
www.medicalnewstoday.com
I chose a 2 day a week, 24hr fast. I started yesteday after breakdfast and everything seemed fine drinking liquids. I did suck on 2 lifesavers (15cal each) during that time. This morning I woke up 4 lbs lighter! 🥳🎉🕺🏼
Ok, that’s the truth, but I realize that not eating for a day might have that effect. 🙃 However, I’m looking forward with interest to a month from now. Downloaded and set up the Body Fast app. It’s god for tracking and basic functions are free.
Thoughts:
Based on the link I posted, and this one:
6 ways to do intermittent fasting: The best methods
Intermittent fasting is an increasingly popular diet option for weight loss. There are several programs, but this guide can help you find which one is right for you.
www.medicalnewstoday.com
I chose a 2 day a week, 24hr fast. I started yesteday after breakdfast and everything seemed fine drinking liquids. I did suck on 2 lifesavers (15cal each) during that time.
This morning I woke up 4 lbs lighter! 🥳🎉🕺🏼Ok, that’s the truth, but I realize that not eating for a day might have that effect. 🙃 However, I’m looking forward with interest to a month from now. Downloaded and set up the Body Fast app. It’s god for tracking and basic functions are free.
Thoughts:
- If you cut out 2 days of food a week (28%) and don’t eat extra on the other 5 days, that’s a significant reduction in calories.
- And on the other five days you can eat “normally” so it’s not like you’re facing dieting everyday. And besides it makes you tend to be more diet-minded on the normal days, like you’re volunteering to diet. ☺️
I ‘ve done my 3rd, 24 fast, and weighed myself this morning: 222 lb a lose of 6lb. I am exercising on the day of the fast, I’m noticing no issues and the fast is not unduly stressful. Basically I’m eating breakfast and skipping lunch and dinner on fast days, drinking lots of liquid. If I’m feeling hungry, I will fix a cup of chicken bouillon. I drank 2 cups yesterday. One cube is 5 cal. Also coffee is supposed to help and that it suppress your appetite.
More on Fasting:
www.medicinenet.com
More on Fasting:
How Often Should You Do Intermittent Fasting
How Often Should You Do Intermittent Fasting? 7 Ways
Intermittent fasting is an eating plan that involves fasting for a set amount of time before eating again. Here are 7 ways to do it.
Intermittent fasting is an eating plan that involves fasting for a set amount of time before eating again. Here are 7 ways to do it
While most diets focus on what to eat, intermittent fasting focuses on when you eat. It’s a popular health and fitness trend that alternates between fasting eating, where you fast for a set amount of time before eating again.
There are different fasting schedules you can try, but the principle is roughly the same: you eat only during a specific period of time, and avoid consuming anything other than water and other noncaloric beverages during the fasting period.
When you fast, your body exhausts its sugar stores and starts burning fat for energy, leading to weight loss.
Before embarking on an intermittent fast or deciding how often to fast, it is important to talk to a medical professional about potential benefits and risks, especially if you have a medical condition.
Below are 7 popular methods of intermittent fasting:
While most diets focus on what to eat, intermittent fasting focuses on when you eat. It’s a popular health and fitness trend that alternates between fasting eating, where you fast for a set amount of time before eating again.
There are different fasting schedules you can try, but the principle is roughly the same: you eat only during a specific period of time, and avoid consuming anything other than water and other noncaloric beverages during the fasting period.
How does intermittent fasting work?
The food we eat is broken down into macro and micronutrients. Carbohydrates, such as rice and starchy vegetables, get broken down into glucose and used for energy. Unused glucose gets stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen and fat in the fat cells.When you fast, your body exhausts its sugar stores and starts burning fat for energy, leading to weight loss.
7 ways to do intermittent fasting
There are several methods of intermittent fasting, varying in the fasting period and the calorie allowances. Since different methods may suit different people, you may want to experiment to see what works best for your lifestyle and preferences.Before embarking on an intermittent fast or deciding how often to fast, it is important to talk to a medical professional about potential benefits and risks, especially if you have a medical condition.
Below are 7 popular methods of intermittent fasting:
- 16/8 method: Involves fasting for 16 hours and restricting the eating window to 8 hours. Within the eating window, you can fit in 2-3 or more meals.
- 12-hour fast: Involves a 12-hour fasting window every day. The easiest way to do the 12-hour fast is to include sleep in the fasting window.
- The 5:2 diet: Involves eating normally for 5 days of the week and restricting calorie intake to 500-600 calories for 2 days of the week.
- Alternate-day fasting: Involves fasting every other day either by not eating anything or eating about 500 calories on fasting days.
- Eat stop eat: Involves 1-2 complete 24-hour fasts per week. Fasting from dinner one day to dinner the next day amounts to a full 24-hour fast. This is an extreme form of fasting and is not recommended.
- The warrior diet: The warrior diet involves eating small amounts of raw fruits and vegetables during the day (a 20-hour fasting window) and eating 1 huge meal at night within a 4-hour eating window.
- Meal skipping: Another way to do intermittent fasting is to occasionally skip 1-2 meals according to your hunger levels or time constraints. This flexible approach may be good for beginners, since you don’t need to follow a structured plan to reap benefits.
What are the benefits of intermittent fasting?
Studies show that intermittent fasting may have health benefits, including:- Weight loss: Calorie deficit, increased metabolic rate, and enhanced hormone function can contribute to weight loss.
- Reduces risk of diabetes: Reduced insulin resistance can lower blood glucose and insulinlevels if you are at risk of diabetes. It may also help those who suffer from polycystic ovarian disease by reducing insulin levels.
- Lowers cholesterol: Improved lipid profiles, including lower overall cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglyceride levels, have been linked to intermittent fasting.
- Improves heart health: Intermittent can help prevent heart disease, as well as recovery after a heart attack, by:
- Decreasing inflammatory factors, such as C-reactive proteins and cytokines
- Lowering blood lipid, cholesterol and triglyceride levels
- Reducing blood pressure
- Improving resting heart rate
- Stabilizing blood glucose levels
- Improves brain health: Emerging evidence shows that intermittent fasting may play a role in the suppression of inflammation in the brain, thus reducing the risk of neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke.
- Reduces oxidative stress: Studies show that intermittent fasting may reduce oxidative stress, which causes aging and many chronic diseases.
- Reduces inflammation: Intermittent fasting has been shown to reduce concentrations of pro-inflammatory markers, such as homocysteine, interleukin 6, and C-reactive protein, which play a role in the development of these chronic diseases (such as atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, heart disease, and diabetes).
- May help prevent cancer: Research indicates that intermittent fasting may delay the growth of tumors and reduce the risk of cancer, although further research is needed.
- Induces cellular repair: Evidence suggests that intermittent fasting increases the frequency of autophagy, removing unwanted and dysfunctional cells. Increased autophagy prevents several diseases, including cancer, inflammatory diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cardiovascular diseases.
- May extend lifespan: Intermittent fasting may increase overall quality of life and reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases. Weight loss, decreased blood pressure, and other benefits may contribute positively to extending lifespan.
What are possible drawbacks of intermittent fasting?
Potential risk factors associated with intermittent fasting include:- Weight gain: Some people indulge in binge eating behavior during non-fasting periods. Eating more calories than you burn will lead to weight gain.
- Feelings of being sick: Long periods of fasting can lower blood sugar levels and may cause headaches, lethargy, crankiness, constipation, dizziness, or nausea.
- Dehydration: Intermittent fasting is sometimes associated with dehydration because when people don’t eat, they sometimes forget to drink.
- Nutrient deficiencies: Not getting enough calories or not eating healthy food to meet basic needs can lead to nutrient deficiencies, decreased immunity, and lower energy levels.
- Sleep disturbances: Intermittent fasting may cause decreased rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep, leading to sleep disturbances. This can affect memory, cognitive processing, and concentration.
- Fatigue: Fasting can increase stress levels, leading to tiredness, fatigue, or brain fog.
- Mood changes: The biochemical that regulates appetite also regulates mood. Dysregulating appetite may cause mood changes or irritability.
- Hair loss: Sudden weight loss or nutrient deficiency, especially protein and B vitamins, can lead to hair loss.
- Menstrual cycle changes: Insufficient calorie intake, sudden weight loss, or being underweight can disrupt the hormone cycle and cause missed periods.
- Eating disorders: Skipping meals or restrictive eating may lead to eating disorders in some cases.
- Dangerous if taking certain medications: Intermittent fasting can be dangerous for people who take medications for blood pressure or heart disease, as they may be prone to imbalances of sodium, potassium, and other minerals during intermittent fasting.
- Consider a simpler method of intermittent fasting.
- Slowly reduce the time window for eating over a period of several months to help your body adjust.
- Avoid binge eating during non-fasting periods.
- Be active throughout the day so that your body can burn fat.
- Drink plenty of water or calorie-free beverages to stay hydrated.
Last edited:
Because of my PKU, I’ve had to manage a diet for most of my life. It’s a challenge, because, up until 10 years ago, my diet was mostly fruits, vegetables, and carbs with very little protein. I learned of intermittent fasting around the time my medication changed to allow more protein intake and gave that a shot. That, and a sugar detox, led to a pretty significant crash in weight. To this day, I don’t sweeten things as much as I used to, I hardly drink any soda, and I’ve mostly switched to natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup. I also make my own sports drinks rather than buying them.
However, having said all that, I need to bring up last year when we spent 8 days in Europe. We traveled mostly by walking, riding trains and public transit, and even some bike riding. I drank the most soda I had in an 8 day period for years and I was definitely eating whatever, whenever. And I lost 4 pounds! I mean, I can’t emphasize enough that I was not at all even trying to lose weight the entire time we were there. I’ve since come to realize that there are two main problems here in the US that interfere with losing weight: our low quality food and our sedentary lifestyle.
Since then, I’ve tried to replicate what I experienced in Europe. But it’s so hard to find good quality food here. Everything, even the “healthy” food has filler like gum, emulsifiers, and preservatives. And staying active? Forget about it. The secret to European success is that every errand is a walk or bike ride. Even if you take the bus, tram, metro, or train, you still have to walk or ride a bike to get to the stop/station. Car drives are occasional. In the US, all errands are car drives and walking or bike rides are the outlier. I can’t even replace a quarter of my errands with walking or biking. Everything is just too damn spread out and too damn far away. In Europe, it’s the opposite. You have to go out of your way to find somewhere to drive to. Walking everywhere is just so damn convenient.
I’ve pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I’m not going to make much progress until I actually move there. But that’ll take awhile and it’s not guaranteed at all.
However, having said all that, I need to bring up last year when we spent 8 days in Europe. We traveled mostly by walking, riding trains and public transit, and even some bike riding. I drank the most soda I had in an 8 day period for years and I was definitely eating whatever, whenever. And I lost 4 pounds! I mean, I can’t emphasize enough that I was not at all even trying to lose weight the entire time we were there. I’ve since come to realize that there are two main problems here in the US that interfere with losing weight: our low quality food and our sedentary lifestyle.
Since then, I’ve tried to replicate what I experienced in Europe. But it’s so hard to find good quality food here. Everything, even the “healthy” food has filler like gum, emulsifiers, and preservatives. And staying active? Forget about it. The secret to European success is that every errand is a walk or bike ride. Even if you take the bus, tram, metro, or train, you still have to walk or ride a bike to get to the stop/station. Car drives are occasional. In the US, all errands are car drives and walking or bike rides are the outlier. I can’t even replace a quarter of my errands with walking or biking. Everything is just too damn spread out and too damn far away. In Europe, it’s the opposite. You have to go out of your way to find somewhere to drive to. Walking everywhere is just so damn convenient.
I’ve pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I’m not going to make much progress until I actually move there. But that’ll take awhile and it’s not guaranteed at all.
Decades ago I dropped 20 lb on the Atkins diet, which relies on ketosis to burn your body’s fat as you deprive yourself of carbohydrates. It worked but it was a horrible diet, from a health standpoint, to be on full-time. So the idea was you use the diet to drop your weight and then figure out a way to introduce carbs into your diet without gaining it all back. That’s the hard part.
An aspect of intermittent fasting, is that by virtue of cutting cat calories you will lose weight, but it’s promoted as more benefits than just weight loss.
The first two weeks of fasting I was stating my hunger by sucking on maybe a total of two 15 cal lifesavers, and drinking chicken bouillon made from a single 5 cal cube. It’s debated whether the bouillon breaks your fast in other words, it causes an insulin spike. Now my guess is the lifesavers definitely break your fast even though you’ll still benefit from restricted calories. So in my mind if you’re going to go through the effort of fasting, you might as well get the full benefit, drink water, coffee, tea, without sweetners. There is some debate about herbal tea/coffee such as chickory. This time I start with black coffee, tea/green tea, water/carbonated water.
I started two weeks ago at 228 lbs and woke this morning at 221 lbs.
Disclaimer: I can’t verify any of the following. Spoilers are used to lessen the wall of text factor. 🤔
Of possible interest:
perfectketo.com
The health benefits extend far beyond simple weight loss. Fasting promotes mental clarity and mood[*], improves immune function[*], increases muscle growth[*], and more.
However, not all fasts provide the same benefits. There are multiple stages of fasting, and the benefits you get from fasting depend on the length of your fast.
Here’s a look at the five main stages of fasting, the specific benefits that come with each one, and a brief look at how to incorporate fasting into your life.
This stage of fasting has a few benefits:
Paradoxically, fasting begins to get easier as you fast for a longer time. After the first stage of fasting, appetite generally declines.
In addition, this stage of fasting decreases ghrelin, the hormone that makes you want to eat a lot of food, and also stabilizes your insulin levels, which prevents food cravings[*].
These factors work together to prevent overeating. If you can do intermittent fasting for 16-18 hours a day, you’ll burn through body fat and fill up quickly when you break your fast, which makes it easy to stay in a calorie deficit and lose weight.
BDNF is a protein that your brain makes to protect existing brain cells. BDNF also encourages the growth of new brain pathways. It also enhances learning[*] and boosts mood[*].
Fasting[*][*] and ketosis[*] both increase BDNF in animal studies, and researchers theorize that they do the same in humans[*] (although there haven’t been reliable human studies yet).
As you undertake multiple days of fasting, your growth hormone levels begin to shift, which provides you with a new set of benefits.
Before you read about the benefits, note that a 72-hour fast is a serious undertaking. If you’re going to try it, make sure you drink plenty of water, get plenty of electrolyteslike sodium, magnesium, and potassium, and stop fasting if you feel lightheaded or otherwise unwell.
An aspect of intermittent fasting, is that by virtue of cutting cat calories you will lose weight, but it’s promoted as more benefits than just weight loss.
The first two weeks of fasting I was stating my hunger by sucking on maybe a total of two 15 cal lifesavers, and drinking chicken bouillon made from a single 5 cal cube. It’s debated whether the bouillon breaks your fast in other words, it causes an insulin spike. Now my guess is the lifesavers definitely break your fast even though you’ll still benefit from restricted calories. So in my mind if you’re going to go through the effort of fasting, you might as well get the full benefit, drink water, coffee, tea, without sweetners. There is some debate about herbal tea/coffee such as chickory. This time I start with black coffee, tea/green tea, water/carbonated water.
I started two weeks ago at 228 lbs and woke this morning at 221 lbs.
Disclaimer: I can’t verify any of the following. Spoilers are used to lessen the wall of text factor. 🤔
Of possible interest:
The 5 Stages of Fasting (And The Benefits of Each One)
Fasting sounds simple… You simply don’t eat and after a while, you begin to experience all the benefits. Not so fast... Fasting actually comes in 5 different stages, ranging from a 12-hour fast to 72 hours or more. Each stage of fasting comes with unique benefits, including fat loss...
perfectketo.com
The 5 Stages of Fasting (And The Benefits of Each One)
Intermittent fasting is more than just a weight-loss strategy.The health benefits extend far beyond simple weight loss. Fasting promotes mental clarity and mood[*], improves immune function[*], increases muscle growth[*], and more.
However, not all fasts provide the same benefits. There are multiple stages of fasting, and the benefits you get from fasting depend on the length of your fast.
Here’s a look at the five main stages of fasting, the specific benefits that come with each one, and a brief look at how to incorporate fasting into your life.
Stage 1 Fasting (8-12 Hours): Stable Blood Sugar
Fasting begins about eight hours after your last meal. This stage is characterized by changes in your blood sugar levels.Stable Blood Sugar
After about eight hours without food, your blood glucose begins to dip. You may experience hunger, fatigue, food cravings, and trouble concentrating.
However, if you can make it over this initial hurdle, these symptoms pass pretty quickly. By 12 hours, your body will begin to tap into your glycogen stores (sugar stores), and your blood glucose levels will stabilize[*].
At 12 hours, you’ll also start switching into the early stages of ketosis — your body stops relying on carbohydrates for fuel and begins burning your body fat stores instead[*].
Short-term fasting may also lower blood pressure and increase insulin sensitivity, making this type of fasting useful for people with type 2 diabetes or other blood sugar control issues[*].
However, if you can make it over this initial hurdle, these symptoms pass pretty quickly. By 12 hours, your body will begin to tap into your glycogen stores (sugar stores), and your blood glucose levels will stabilize[*].
At 12 hours, you’ll also start switching into the early stages of ketosis — your body stops relying on carbohydrates for fuel and begins burning your body fat stores instead[*].
Short-term fasting may also lower blood pressure and increase insulin sensitivity, making this type of fasting useful for people with type 2 diabetes or other blood sugar control issues[*].
Stage 2 Fasting (12-18 Hours): Ketosis, Fat Burning, and Mental Clarity
After 16 to 18 hours of fasting, you should be in full ketosis[*]. Your liver begins converting your fat stores into ketone bodies — bundles of fuel that power your muscles, heart, and brain.This stage of fasting has a few benefits:
Appetite suppression
Fat Loss
Mental clarity
Appetite Suppression
Ketones suppress appetite, which means your hunger should actually start to subside during this fasting stage[*].Paradoxically, fasting begins to get easier as you fast for a longer time. After the first stage of fasting, appetite generally declines.
Fat Loss
Stage 2 fasting is ideal if you want to lose weight. Your body switches fully into fat-burning mode, and because you don’t have any food in your system, you begin to burn through body fat quickly.In addition, this stage of fasting decreases ghrelin, the hormone that makes you want to eat a lot of food, and also stabilizes your insulin levels, which prevents food cravings[*].
These factors work together to prevent overeating. If you can do intermittent fasting for 16-18 hours a day, you’ll burn through body fat and fill up quickly when you break your fast, which makes it easy to stay in a calorie deficit and lose weight.
Mental Clarity
At this stage of fasting, you may also enjoy a boost in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).BDNF is a protein that your brain makes to protect existing brain cells. BDNF also encourages the growth of new brain pathways. It also enhances learning[*] and boosts mood[*].
Fasting[*][*] and ketosis[*] both increase BDNF in animal studies, and researchers theorize that they do the same in humans[*] (although there haven’t been reliable human studies yet).
Stage 3 Fasting (24 hours): Autophagy and Anti-Aging
After a full-day fast, your body goes into repair mode. It begins recycling old or damaged cells and reducing inflammation. If you’re looking for anti-aging or anti-inflammatory benefits, a 24-hour fast may help.Autophagy
When your body is under mild stress (such as exercise or an extended fast), your cells respond by becoming more efficient.
One thing they do is turn on autophagy. The term is Greek for “self-eating,” and that’s exactly what happens. During autophagy, your cells check all their internal parts, find anything that’s old, damaged, or functioning poorly, and replace them with shiny new versions. The old parts are either recycled into new materials or destroyed.
Studies show that fasting-induced autophagy comes with a variety of benefits.
One thing they do is turn on autophagy. The term is Greek for “self-eating,” and that’s exactly what happens. During autophagy, your cells check all their internal parts, find anything that’s old, damaged, or functioning poorly, and replace them with shiny new versions. The old parts are either recycled into new materials or destroyed.
Studies show that fasting-induced autophagy comes with a variety of benefits.
- Fasting triggered autophagy in the brain, clearing out misfolded proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease[*].
- Autophagy declines naturally as you age, which is connected to a variety of diseases. Fasting may be able to combat the age-related decline, keeping you biologically younger and protecting your cells from oxidative stress[*].
- Early research suggests that fasting-related autophagy may help kill cancer cells[*].
- Fasting reduces bodywide inflammation via autophagy[*].
Stage 4 Fasting (36-48 hours): Growth Hormone and Recovery
At stage 4, you’re leaving intermittent fasting territory and entering a longer fast.As you undertake multiple days of fasting, your growth hormone levels begin to shift, which provides you with a new set of benefits.
Muscle Growth and Repair
A study of healthy adults found that 48-hour fasting increased human growth hormone (HGH) secretion by up to 400%. It also increased the frequency of growth hormone bursts throughout the day[*].
HGH increases muscle mass[*] and stimulates faster muscle repair[*]. It may also speed up the healing process for wounds and more serious injuries[*]. HGH is so effective that taking it externally is banned in professional sports and is considered doping.
It seems counterintuitive, but occasionally going without food for two days may actually help you build muscle, not lose it.
HGH increases muscle mass[*] and stimulates faster muscle repair[*]. It may also speed up the healing process for wounds and more serious injuries[*]. HGH is so effective that taking it externally is banned in professional sports and is considered doping.
It seems counterintuitive, but occasionally going without food for two days may actually help you build muscle, not lose it.
Stage 5 Fasting (72+ hours): Stem Cells and Immune Function
The final stage of fasting begins after a full three days without food.Before you read about the benefits, note that a 72-hour fast is a serious undertaking. If you’re going to try it, make sure you drink plenty of water, get plenty of electrolyteslike sodium, magnesium, and potassium, and stop fasting if you feel lightheaded or otherwise unwell.
Immune System Regeneration
A 2014 study found that 72-hour fasting led to a near-complete rejuvenation of the immune system. Fasting triggered stem cell production, creating brand new immune cells to replace old ones[*].
The same study also had cancer patients fast throughout chemotherapy treatment. Normally, chemotherapy devastates the immune system, increasing the risk of infection and illness for cancer patients.
But when patients fasted during chemo, their immune system stayed strong throughout the process.
The same study also had cancer patients fast throughout chemotherapy treatment. Normally, chemotherapy devastates the immune system, increasing the risk of infection and illness for cancer patients.
But when patients fasted during chemo, their immune system stayed strong throughout the process.
For losing and then maintaining normal weight I got rid of all fried foods in my diet. Fried foods is a source of inflammation. I felt better and my digestive system didn't struggle to process. This, with more veggies and fruit along with ground flaxseed and chia seeds mixed in a daily drink. But I think daily exercise is also key.
Last edited:
I’ve noticed that while fasting is not a traditional diet, that it gives me incentive to cut back on bad foods on the days where I am supposed to be able to eat whatever I want.
Yes, it may give a new perspective in changing one's diet. I've read fasting is a healthy thing to do occasionally and has a cleansing effect (as you mentioned above). Reduced cancer risk and may slow aging. And maybe a good way to lose weight.
But for me, I'll just stay on a steady almost no meat and no fried foods diet and swim laps everyday.
Last edited:
There's a little bit more to it than that.
You keep about 12 hours worth of glucose stored in your system, and the idea of going beyond the 12 hours without eating forces you body to burn ketones rather than living on glucose.
Ketones- pyruvate- comes from fat- tri-glyceride- so it's forcing your body to burn fat.
Otherwise, if you are trying to lose weight it's easier for your body to burn muscle and you don't really want that.
If you manage to get over the 12 hours you will find it has a sort of turbo effect on fat loss.
The other thing is you enter a state of autophagy- although you may well have to to do it longer that that.
It's a bit like having nothing to eat in the fridge so you go searching in the back of the cupboards and find a tin of tuna that's been there for 4 years. You'd never consider eating it normally.
So it is, that cells which are not functioning at 100% and white corpuscles, get stressed and the body now in scavenger mode, notices them and uses them for food when it usually doesn't bother. You then use more energy creating new ones and you get better functioning cells which is particularly important for your immune system.
There's also something more controversial in that cancer cells only live on glucose not pyruvate. Otto Warburg won the Nobel prize in 1931 for discovering that healthy body cells can happily live on pyruvate- in fact they do it more efficiently- but cancer cells can't- they are slightly damaged in that way.
Well, we know that isn't quite true now and some cells like pancreatic cancer seem to be able to, and I think when cancer is very advanced then it forces to body to make glucose which is why people waste away, but what about pre-cancerous cells or cancer when it's just beginning? Does autophagy mean the body absorbs those cells? There is some evidence it does but in any case, they are definitely being stressed and that makes them more visible to the immune system, and it's sure they are going to be happy if they are given a 24 hour a day buffet and who wants happy cancer cells with unlimited food? (We all have some all the time by the way. They usually amount to nothing though)
Finally, there is a lot of evidence that some types of dementia are caused by inflammation in the brain caused by either fructose or insulin. These can be largely cleared out by long periods of fasting. There are a kind of sticky plaque and fasting is the only way to get rid of them. If you fast for 36 hours I'll bet you will notice a marked improvemnt in cognitive ability. Reaction times, ability to remember names that sort of thing (for an oldie like me the difference is quite marked. It's definitely worth trying if you've got to the age where you walk into a room and can't remember why you have gone there)
In fact, a ketogenic diet in trials has proved to be more effective in treating Alzheimers than any medicine (I could link you to the research in Toulon but I'd have to search for it, but Georgia Ede is a good reference for this sort of thing).
Sorry is that's long, I hope it's interesting
Ok, so I eat breakfast and not eat until the next day about Noon. Technically for a 24 hr fast, I can eat the next day at breakfast, but after reading about the benefits of going longer than 24 hours (which I posted about 3 replies back), I'm shooting for Lunch or even Dinner if I feel ok. And so far I'm not being plagued at all with feeling starved at the end of the fast and wanting to gorge. I saw immediate positive results after the first fast, and this gives incentive. I'm 2 weeks, 4 fasts in. Started at 228 lb, and last time I did a weight check, morning before eating, I was down to 221 lbs. I'm hoping to break 220 by Saturday.
So far, I'm not suffering, and note I've always had a huge sweet tooth. The key for me is keep all the poison ie, large calorie deserts out of the house. I have rice pudding cups, and one of my favorites is a bag of peppermint lifesavers, 15 calories each. They do a good job of satisfying my desire for sweets (outside of the fasting period). I'm also drinking 15 oz of coffee a day, and 15 oz of red roibos tea daily.
I've been toying with the idea of starting a fast by skipping dinner, sleep, and eat dinner the next day. But it seems like eating a breakfast in the morning to start the fast will be easier, sleep, and then hold out till lunch or dinner the following day.
Way back when , when I was in the Navy going through SERE (Survival & POW) school, we did not eat for basically 3 days, drank a lot of liquid, and was very surprised I did not feel like I was starving. I had no hunger, but a distinct loss of energy, not helped by being forced to march 5 miles or so, and other physical activity such as trying to avoid being captured. The fasting literature I read says that if you feel hungry, it will pass. Black coffee is an excellent appetite suppressant.
I also bought some zero calorie, keto diet electrolyte powder. I'm not sure how import this is during fasting.
I know all about that.
That said, no one should fast as a way to cure cancer or dementia. No fcuking way. That's just voodoo science. Let's not rewind medical science back to the days of "frontal lobotomy is a cure for mental illness.
And autophagy constantly occurs in our body, with or without fasting. One of the best ways to induce autophagy is (surprise!) by exercising.
Fast because it fits your lifestyle in terms of overall ease of calorie maintenance, not as cure for any medical disease.
Not arguing about medical benefits, but weight loss via exercise might peripherally improve things like short term memory and cognition. It is known to help with depression.
Regarding weight and metabolism, at my age, 72, I feel confident that the overwhelming determiner of weight is calorie intake. My evidence is that today, I put just as much, if not more effort into exercise/burning calories, and have much less to show for it, and more to show weight wise. When I was 20, 5’10” height, at my current exercise level, I weighed 160ib and could eat whatever I wanted, and that included a significant sweet tooth. Exercise definitely helps your health, but what you lack as an elder is the boost in metabolism the ability to drop weight, you had when younger.
Concluded my latest fast this evening, woke up this morning, weighed in at 220lb, down 8lb.
Last edited:
This is key. I’ve avoided fatty foods for about 8 months, and I’ve lost 40 pounds. I cheated a little with a GLP-1 drug (for other health reasons too, not just weight loss), but my appetite for those foods really just disappeared.
Eating more protein also helps. It makes you feel full, so you eat less. Of course, calories in/calories out is the key to weight loss.
I’m now doing a 30hr fast. I eat breakfast on the starting day, and then eat dinner on the following day. I purchased some electrolyte powder to help keep me balanced.
Yesterday when I started, I was out working in the yard. I had a large limb to cut down, a small tree to move and to plant a second tree. The temperature was about 80. In the afternoon after several hours of working, I hit a wall, no energy, I had to sit down frequently.
I got out my iPad and researched fatigue while fasting, and I read that your body burns up the carbs it has to burn, but then it switches over to keto which is burning your internal fat and during the switchover, you can feel wasted, which was how I felt. Came in, took a a long, hot bath, drank several glasses of the electrolyte powder and water, and I recovered. Never felt sick or dizzy just extremely weak. Day two of my fast, today, I did OK but could feel myself approaching a fatigue state so I stopped working before that point.
www.drberg.com
Yesterday when I started, I was out working in the yard. I had a large limb to cut down, a small tree to move and to plant a second tree. The temperature was about 80. In the afternoon after several hours of working, I hit a wall, no energy, I had to sit down frequently.
I got out my iPad and researched fatigue while fasting, and I read that your body burns up the carbs it has to burn, but then it switches over to keto which is burning your internal fat and during the switchover, you can feel wasted, which was how I felt. Came in, took a a long, hot bath, drank several glasses of the electrolyte powder and water, and I recovered. Never felt sick or dizzy just extremely weak. Day two of my fast, today, I did OK but could feel myself approaching a fatigue state so I stopped working before that point.
How to Reverse Fatigue When Fasting | Dr. Berg
So many people get tired when they are fasting. Dr. Berg explains why that occurs and how to reverse fatigue when fasting so you can get your energy back.
www.drberg.com
I'm just wondering about your fasting program. Is it to lose weight or for health reasons, or both? It takes a lot of discipline to fast as there's hunger much of the time. Unless with protein power and electrolyte drinks that can be mitigated somewhat.I’m now doing a 30hr fast. I eat breakfast on the starting day, and then eat dinner on the following day. I purchased some electrolyte powder to help keep me balanced.
Yesterday when I started, I was out working in the yard. I had a large limb to cut down, a small tree to move and to plant a second tree. The temperature was about 80. In the afternoon after several hours of working, I hit a wall, no energy, I had to sit down frequently.
I got out my iPad and researched fatigue while fasting, and I read that your body burns up the carbs it has to burn, but then it switches over to keto which is burning your internal fat and during the switchover, you can feel wasted, which was how I felt. Came in, took a a long, hot bath, drank several glasses of the electrolyte powder and water, and I recovered. Never felt sick or dizzy just extremely weak. Day two of my fast, today, I did OK but could feel myself approaching a fatigue state so I stopped working before that point.
How to Reverse Fatigue When Fasting | Dr. Berg
So many people get tired when they are fasting. Dr. Berg explains why that occurs and how to reverse fatigue when fasting so you can get your energy back.
Why not try a daily exercise program like swimming laps for an hour every day. Then just eating regular, modest portion meals eliminating fatty, greasy, and fried foods and sweets, and switching to a lean diet.
I found that approach worked fairly well for me, losing 25 pounds in a couple months. Fasting would be a bit of suffering for me, but it might work well for you or others as I never really tried it. So not wanting to pass judgement on that either.
Last edited: