Fasting
Obroom2016
Posts: 10 Member
Does anyone else here do any find of fasting? Whether it's intermittent fasting, 24-hr or greater fasting, etc.? How often are you fasting and for how long? What have been your results? I'm on my 2nd 24-hour fast and have been happy with my results so far, and plan to sick with it.
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Replies
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Due to my work schedule and sleep needs I find that I IF 16:8 without even trying! It has helped with my hunger cues as I don't eat my first meal until I'm hungry. That being said I still have 3 meals and 2 snacks during my eating window, they are just closer together. I think it helps me feel less hungry throughout the day and I don't feel like I have to force myself to eat early in the morning. I don't think I've gone more than 20:4 but that was probably more due to some type of schedule issue or illness.3
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I firmly believe you should not do 24 hour fasting for weight loss... ever. That should be reserved for meditation/religious purposes only.
It is, IMO, not a healthy mindset to starve yourself for weight loss. If you skip a meal or choose to eat a little less one day to make it up on other days is fine because in the end you are still eating all of your calories (or you are supposed to eat all your calories).
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It varies for me.
I've done 16:8 for longer periods of time with good luck because it works with how I prefer to eat (fewer, larger meals)... but it's also triggered/worsened binging tendencies, so I'm currently not IFing at all. "success" is determined by my own discipline or lack there of. Period.8 -
Everyone is entitled to their opinions/beliefs. I don't believe you can "starve yourself" in 24 hours lol. 24-hour fasting has helped me loose 4lbs this week, so I'll continue to do it at twice a week. Whether you're fasting for weight loss or religious beliefs, it still has the same effect. I for one, really like the idea of fasting as an ancient practice. Human scavengers did not has access to food 24/7, and would go without eating for 24 hours or more quite often. I like taking my body back to it's origins. It's responded very well.45
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Obroom2016 wrote: »Everyone is entitled to their opinions/beliefs. I don't believe you can "starve yourself" in 24 hours lol. 24-hour fasting has helped me loose 4lbs this week, so I'll continue to do it at twice a week. Whether you're fasting for weight loss or religious beliefs, it still has the same effect. I for one, really like the idea of fasting as an ancient practice. Human scavengers did not has access to food 24/7, and would go without eating for 24 hours or more quite often. I like taking my body back to it's origins. It's responded very well.
Just don't confuse losing water weight with losing fat weight, even if they look the same on the scale.27 -
Obroom2016 wrote: »Everyone is entitled to their opinions/beliefs. I don't believe you can "starve yourself" in 24 hours lol. 24-hour fasting has helped me loose 4lbs this week, so I'll continue to do it at twice a week. Whether you're fasting for weight loss or religious beliefs, it still has the same effect. I for one, really like the idea of fasting as an ancient practice. Human scavengers did not has access to food 24/7, and would go without eating for 24 hours or more quite often. I like taking my body back to it's origins. It's responded very well.
Yes, it's an ancient spiritual practice. It has no meaningful impact on weight loss.
And if you're taking your body back to origins, you should shut off the internet and go out in the forest and run down squirrels and rabbits with a sharp stick.
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Obroom2016 wrote: »Everyone is entitled to their opinions/beliefs. I don't believe you can "starve yourself" in 24 hours lol. 24-hour fasting has helped me loose 4lbs this week, so I'll continue to do it at twice a week. Whether you're fasting for weight loss or religious beliefs, it still has the same effect. I for one, really like the idea of fasting as an ancient practice. Human scavengers did not has access to food 24/7, and would go without eating for 24 hours or more quite often. I like taking my body back to it's origins. It's responded very well.
But you didn’t lose 4 pounds of fat, mostly water.13 -
Well, I do go out in the forest quite often (I'm a hiker), but I don't run down squirrels. I'm a vegetarian!
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Even if it were not mostly water weight you should not be aiming for 4lbs a week to lose anyway. If that is you in the picture I doubt you should lose more than 1lb a week tops to be healthy.
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Obroom2016 wrote: »Well, I do go out in the forest quite often (I'm a hiker), but I don't run down squirrels. I'm a vegetarian!
So you're really not doing anything like taking your body back to it's origins.
Which is fine, but you've bought off on quite a bit of nonsense regarding weight loss.
Just make sure you set and maintain sustainable weight loss habits that you'll continue when you reach your goal.21 -
I used to when in a deficit ... really helped me keep to my calorie goal by missing the 1st couple of meals a day then eating normally it was easy to maintain a deficit ... and it taught me that nothing happens when you feel hungry, other than feel hungry
now I am at maintenance (or teeeeny deficit if I am over goal) ... I eat normally again ... my morning workouts ARE better with a few hundred calories rather than none2 -
If you really want to take your body back to it's origins I hope you didn't plan to live past 40 or so.18
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There's a friendly IF group here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
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I'm definitely not aiming for 4lbs a week, that's just what happened this week. You aren't going to change the minds of people by coming at them on the internet, so if you don't fast why are you even commenting? Or do you just search for people who do fast so you can come at them for kicks?
Anyway, fasting is what works for me. I've been stuck at 180lbs for a long time so I'm going to keep at it and continue to eat vegetarian and hike in the forest, and encourage others to do whatever works for them Just wanted to reach out to anyone else who does fast and hear their experience with it. 15 -
I have fasted. No one is here for kicks. Just pointing out that fasting is fine, but you have it wrong about your 4 pound weight loss. If you think the scale number is good for your psyche, good for you.8
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I do fast for the purposes I mentioned. I don't and won't ever do it for weight loss and my day long fasts are usually no more than 3 to 4 times a year. Twice a week is too much and from what I understand this is a means to triggering eating disorders in people with predispositions so please don't encourage others to follow you.15
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Obroom2016 wrote: »I'm definitely not aiming for 4lbs a week, that's just what happened this week. You aren't going to change the minds of people by coming at them on the internet, so if you don't fast why are you even commenting? Or do you just search for people who do fast so you can come at them for kicks?
Anyway, fasting is what works for me. I've been stuck at 180lbs for a long time so I'm going to keep at it and continue to eat vegetarian and hike in the forest, and encourage others to do whatever works for them Just wanted to reach out to anyone else who does fast and hear their experience with it.
Unfortunately, you see the down side of MFP (and the internet). People can get snarky, especially when you don't agree with them or word things just they way they want/like. However, people are offering some good context to this conversation, so don't be so quick to dismiss it.
Ultimately, a calorie deficit is what works. Period, end of conversation. How you get to that point is entirely up to you. Different people will do different things, will prefer different things, and will fail/succeed with different things.10 -
Obroom2016 wrote: »I'm definitely not aiming for 4lbs a week, that's just what happened this week. You aren't going to change the minds of people by coming at them on the internet, so if you don't fast why are you even commenting? Or do you just search for people who do fast so you can come at them for kicks?
Anyway, fasting is what works for me. I've been stuck at 180lbs for a long time so I'm going to keep at it and continue to eat vegetarian and hike in the forest, and encourage others to do whatever works for them Just wanted to reach out to anyone else who does fast and hear their experience with it.
Most of us here who fast understand that it's benefits are primarily mental/emotional/spiritual and have very limited direct impact on weight loss.
This being a public forum, my comments aren't just for you but also for others who may have similar misconceptions and are looking for straight talk and answers.
I'm sorry you're offended, but sometimes reality does that.17 -
While the scale number does matter, I also feel better. I have more energy, more motivation and drink SO much water. I only drink water anyway but now it's a least twice as much. My skin has cleared as well. I'm going to head over now to the Fasting Group someone mentioned above...thanks for the suggestion!10
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I only fast for medical reasons and when I'm asleep. I'm not mentally capable of being around food all day and not eating. Water only does so much.3
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No worries, not offended...to each their own0
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I used to do 24 hour fasts twice a week. It worked for me. Initially the scale would drop 2-3 lbs after each fast. Obviously we know that is a water dump and waste from my GI tract but after consistently doing 24 hr fasts twice a week for a couple months I was steady losing 2 lbs a week. Actual lbs that were not water. This worked for me because I worked 24 hr shifts and it was easy to eat breakfast before 8am shift and just not eat until I got home after 830-9am the next day. I ate maintence calories the other days and therefore it was basically dieting 2 out of 7 days in the week instead of every day. It was easy and sustainable. I enjoyed the added benefits of feeling stronger, more endurance at the gym, my skin looked better I was no longer bloated when I did eat which was a huge problem for me previously.
You can’t convince everyone that this way works. Some people can’t fathom not eating for a whole day but that is fine and is their choice. I also don’t appreciate the kicks/attacks from people who judge it and assume that it isn’t healthy just because it’s not their style or their choice. If I still eat 10,500 calories a week to lose weight it doesn’t matter whether I eat them throughout the whole week or only on five on the days.
I could also eat 5,000 calories (intentionally inflated for drama) over my daily allotment one day and then go insane and try to burn off 5,000. If I were to succeed, theoretically I would still be in a deficit if I ate and burned off the same overage. It is the best idea? No. Is it not much easier to just consume my allowance and not have to kill myself to burn off my overage? Yes, yes it is. But there’s more than one way to skin a cat and not everyone will agree on the best way to go about it.12 -
I do a 24 hour fast when I'm feeling sluggish or feel like I over did it for a couple days previous; I usually do that 24 hour fast about once a month as needed. I REGULARLY do a 60 hour fast once a month, limiting calories from bone broth and carbohydrate free electrolyes to less than 300 calories a day; usually about 150 calories.
The 60 hour monthly fast is a great reset for me, and helps remind me of my fitness goals. During that 60 hours I don't excercise intensely, I drink lots of water, and drinking coffee (black) and broth are fine. Bone broth has almost no calories, and the protein helps curb hunger.5 -
Obroom2016 wrote: »Everyone is entitled to their opinions/beliefs. I don't believe you can "starve yourself" in 24 hours lol. 24-hour fasting has helped me loose 4lbs this week, so I'll continue to do it at twice a week. Whether you're fasting for weight loss or religious beliefs, it still has the same effect. I for one, really like the idea of fasting as an ancient practice. Human scavengers did not has access to food 24/7, and would go without eating for 24 hours or more quite often. I like taking my body back to it's origins. It's responded very well.
Loss of weight more than 4 pounds a week is usually not a safe idea, with a few exceptions.3 -
I firmly believe you should not do 24 hour fasting for weight loss... ever. That should be reserved for meditation/religious purposes only.
It is, IMO, not a healthy mindset to starve yourself for weight loss. If you skip a meal or choose to eat a little less one day to make it up on other days is fine because in the end you are still eating all of your calories (or you are supposed to eat all your calories).
Having read some of your other responses I am not sure if you have really researched this very well or not. That said, you are welcome to have a personal belief of whatever you like. There are plenty of people that believe in a lot of things, such as climate change not being something humans had anything to do with despite what the science shows or that their religion is correct despite any evidence of any deities. Where does the basis for your belief about 24 hour fasting lie?
People routinely use multiple day fasts for both health reasons as well as part of their weight loss. It is not uncommon for people to do 5:2 fasts (not the 5:2 program) where they eat normal calorie restriction during the week and then fast on the weekend. Your body isn't going to kill itself simply due to a lack of food for a very long time for most people. Heck, the longest recorded fast was a 27 year-old male patient who fasted under supervision for 382 days and went from being 456 to 180 lb. During that entire time he was consuming nothing but vitamins and minerals and non-caloric drinks. Five years after losing the weight and undertaking the fast, he has managed to maintain his weight.
The benefits of fasting go well beyond weight loss. Countless people have been able to reverse or improve their diabetes, insulin resistance and blood glucose numbers. Fasting, especially in combination with a Keto eating plan, has shown benefits in lowering your body fat and more importantly your insulin levels that make your body work with the insulin much better rather than simply turning everything into fat because the cell receptors have shut off because they are full of all the glucose they can handle.
I have recently started IF and am doing 20:4 while keeping roughly the same number of calories as I was doing previously, the only difference is that instead of eating 6 small meals/snacks throughout the day and constantly telling my body to produce insulin to store fat it doesn't need, I am eating 1-2 times in a smaller window and making my body use itself and it's stores of glycogen/fat instead for 8-10 hours of the fasting period to get the energy it needs. This coming week I will be getting baseline bloodwork including fasting insulin levels as well as a 3 hour GTIR test and DEXA scan to be able to compare starting point and track overall affects as time goes on.
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How can people sleep while doing this? I cannot sleep if I’m overly hungry.2
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UncaToddly wrote: »I firmly believe you should not do 24 hour fasting for weight loss... ever. That should be reserved for meditation/religious purposes only.
It is, IMO, not a healthy mindset to starve yourself for weight loss. If you skip a meal or choose to eat a little less one day to make it up on other days is fine because in the end you are still eating all of your calories (or you are supposed to eat all your calories).
Having read some of your other responses I am not sure if you have really researched this very well or not. That said, you are welcome to have a personal belief of whatever you like. There are plenty of people that believe in a lot of things, such as climate change not being something humans had anything to do with despite what the science shows or that their religion is correct despite any evidence of any deities. Where does the basis for your belief about 24 hour fasting lie?
People routinely use multiple day fasts for both health reasons as well as part of their weight loss. It is not uncommon for people to do 5:2 fasts (not the 5:2 program) where they eat normal calorie restriction during the week and then fast on the weekend. Your body isn't going to kill itself simply due to a lack of food for a very long time for most people. Heck, the longest recorded fast was a 27 year-old male patient who fasted under supervision for 382 days and went from being 456 to 180 lb. During that entire time he was consuming nothing but vitamins and minerals and non-caloric drinks. Five years after losing the weight and undertaking the fast, he has managed to maintain his weight.
The benefits of fasting go well beyond weight loss. Countless people have been able to reverse or improve their diabetes, insulin resistance and blood glucose numbers. Fasting, especially in combination with a Keto eating plan, has shown benefits in lowering your body fat and more importantly your insulin levels that make your body work with the insulin much better rather than simply turning everything into fat because the cell receptors have shut off because they are full of all the glucose they can handle.
I have recently started IF and am doing 20:4 while keeping roughly the same number of calories as I was doing previously, the only difference is that instead of eating 6 small meals/snacks throughout the day and constantly telling my body to produce insulin to store fat it doesn't need, I am eating 1-2 times in a smaller window and making my body use itself and it's stores of glycogen/fat instead for 8-10 hours of the fasting period to get the energy it needs. This coming week I will be getting baseline bloodwork including fasting insulin levels as well as a 3 hour GTIR test and DEXA scan to be able to compare starting point and track overall affects as time goes on.
How long have you been doing KETO?
I hope this WOE helps you. Let us know how you progress.0 -
UncaToddly wrote: »Having read some of your other responses I am not sure if you have really researched this very well or not. That said, you are welcome to have a personal belief of whatever you like. There are plenty of people that believe in a lot of things, such as climate change not being something humans had anything to do with despite what the science shows or that their religion is correct despite any evidence of any deities. Where does the basis for your belief about 24 hour fasting lie?
People routinely use multiple day fasts for both health reasons as well as part of their weight loss. It is not uncommon for people to do 5:2 fasts (not the 5:2 program) where they eat normal calorie restriction during the week and then fast on the weekend. Your body isn't going to kill itself simply due to a lack of food for a very long time for most people. Heck, the longest recorded fast was a 27 year-old male patient who fasted under supervision for 382 days and went from being 456 to 180 lb. During that entire time he was consuming nothing but vitamins and minerals and non-caloric drinks. Five years after losing the weight and undertaking the fast, he has managed to maintain his weight.
The benefits of fasting go well beyond weight loss. Countless people have been able to reverse or improve their diabetes, insulin resistance and blood glucose numbers. Fasting, especially in combination with a Keto eating plan, has shown benefits in lowering your body fat and more importantly your insulin levels that make your body work with the insulin much better rather than simply turning everything into fat because the cell receptors have shut off because they are full of all the glucose they can handle.
I have recently started IF and am doing 20:4 while keeping roughly the same number of calories as I was doing previously, the only difference is that instead of eating 6 small meals/snacks throughout the day and constantly telling my body to produce insulin to store fat it doesn't need, I am eating 1-2 times in a smaller window and making my body use itself and it's stores of glycogen/fat instead for 8-10 hours of the fasting period to get the energy it needs. This coming week I will be getting baseline bloodwork including fasting insulin levels as well as a 3 hour GTIR test and DEXA scan to be able to compare starting point and track overall affects as time goes on.
I wish you good health and good numbers on your upcoming tests.
The rest of your post is hardly worth my time. I have seen these claims about fasting and Keto too many times. The miracle of better health in any diet almost always coincides completely with weight loss. Plenty of people have reversed bad numbers without doing anything more than just dropping weight. Also, your body does not store fat if you are in a deficit so you can eat 30 meals a day or eat in a 4 hour window it doesn't really matter.
As far as the kid that fasted for a year. Maybe it happened that way, maybe it didn't. If I recall correctly he was home and unsupervised quite often. It doesn't matter because it was reckless regardless of the variables and hardly "proof" of anything.6 -
UncaToddly wrote: »Having read some of your other responses I am not sure if you have really researched this very well or not. That said, you are welcome to have a personal belief of whatever you like. There are plenty of people that believe in a lot of things, such as climate change not being something humans had anything to do with despite what the science shows or that their religion is correct despite any evidence of any deities. Where does the basis for your belief about 24 hour fasting lie?
People routinely use multiple day fasts for both health reasons as well as part of their weight loss. It is not uncommon for people to do 5:2 fasts (not the 5:2 program) where they eat normal calorie restriction during the week and then fast on the weekend. Your body isn't going to kill itself simply due to a lack of food for a very long time for most people. Heck, the longest recorded fast was a 27 year-old male patient who fasted under supervision for 382 days and went from being 456 to 180 lb. During that entire time he was consuming nothing but vitamins and minerals and non-caloric drinks. Five years after losing the weight and undertaking the fast, he has managed to maintain his weight.
The benefits of fasting go well beyond weight loss. Countless people have been able to reverse or improve their diabetes, insulin resistance and blood glucose numbers. Fasting, especially in combination with a Keto eating plan, has shown benefits in lowering your body fat and more importantly your insulin levels that make your body work with the insulin much better rather than simply turning everything into fat because the cell receptors have shut off because they are full of all the glucose they can handle.
I have recently started IF and am doing 20:4 while keeping roughly the same number of calories as I was doing previously, the only difference is that instead of eating 6 small meals/snacks throughout the day and constantly telling my body to produce insulin to store fat it doesn't need, I am eating 1-2 times in a smaller window and making my body use itself and it's stores of glycogen/fat instead for 8-10 hours of the fasting period to get the energy it needs. This coming week I will be getting baseline bloodwork including fasting insulin levels as well as a 3 hour GTIR test and DEXA scan to be able to compare starting point and track overall affects as time goes on.
I wish you good health and good numbers on your upcoming tests.
The rest of your post is hardly worth my time. I have seen these claims about fasting and Keto too many times. The miracle of better health in any diet almost always coincides completely with weight loss. Plenty of people have reversed bad numbers without doing anything more than just dropping weight. Also, your body does not store fat if you are in a deficit so you can eat 30 meals a day or eat in a 4 hour window it doesn't really matter.
As far as the kid that fasted for a year. Maybe it happened that way, maybe it didn't. If I recall correctly he was home and unsupervised quite often. It doesn't matter because it was reckless regardless of the variables and hardly "proof" of anything.
The one I recall was hospitalized the whole time. and got IV vitamins/minerals/hydration as well as regular blood draws to ensure he wasn't being harmed.0 -
stanmann571 wrote: »The one I recall was hospitalized the whole time. and got IV vitamins/minerals/hydration as well as regular blood draws to ensure he wasn't being harmed.
That might be the case too. It was from 50 some odd years ago so there could be several versions of the story by now. The story I recall had him coming to the hospital for regular checkups being given supplements plus yeast for nutrition/protein.
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