Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.
How do you feel about fasting?
blarue2
Posts: 1 Member
I have read different articles and different ideas about fasting and intermittent fasting. I think within reason it can be a great way to cleanse the body and to "reset" your mechanisms. I also think it can be dangerous. What are your thoughts?
20
Replies
-
Its an eating style, works for some people to help them hit their calorie goal.
There are some claims that it has health benefits as well.7 -
The body doesn't require a special regime to cleanse itself and we don't have a "mechanism" to reset.
Assuming one is using common sense, I can't see why it would be dangerous though. People have been fasting for thousands and thousands of years as part of religious/philosophical traditions. As long as it doesn't cross the line into depriving your body of what it needs, I think it's perfectly safe.19 -
I follow the 8:16 plan in that I'm asleep for 8 and allow myself to eat the other 16.48
-
MelanieCN77 wrote: »I follow the 8:16 plan in that I'm asleep for 8 and allow myself to eat the other 16.
^^^^ I follow the same plan. Been working wonderfully too.1 -
MelanieCN77 wrote: »I follow the 8:16 plan in that I'm asleep for 8 and allow myself to eat the other 16.
^^^^ I follow the same plan. Been working wonderfully too.
I hope this is trolling cause 8 hours is no where near fasting....
Also fasting is kinda pointless and unsustainable imo21 -
pinggolfer96 wrote: »MelanieCN77 wrote: »I follow the 8:16 plan in that I'm asleep for 8 and allow myself to eat the other 16.
^^^^ I follow the same plan. Been working wonderfully too.
I hope this is trolling cause 8 hours is no where near fasting....
Also fasting is kinda pointless and unsustainable imo
I know fasting is pointless (except for rare medical cases: generally before surgery and giving birth) and unsustainable. So yeah, the 8:16 IF plan is a joke.8 -
Some people have great success using fasting as a technique to restrict calories. However I personally don’t do well with imposing theses types of restrictions on myself. I would feel deprived7
-
I have read different articles and different ideas about fasting and intermittent fasting. I think within reason it can be a great way to cleanse the body and to "reset" your mechanisms.
I think it's a great way (for me) to stay in a calorie deficit. Re cleansing the body and resetting mechanisms, the body doesn't work like that. The only cleansing you need to do for your body is wash it. Your liver and kidneys will do everything else.5 -
I hope this is trolling cause 8 hours is no where near fasting....
Also fasting is kinda pointless and unsustainable imo[/quote]
Why is it unsustainable? I've been doing 5:2 since new year, and I find it suits my life perfectly...not for the cleansing and other stuff, but because it is a nice way to "bank" calories for the weekend6 -
I have read different articles and different ideas about fasting and intermittent fasting. I think within reason it can be a great way to cleanse the body and to "reset" your mechanisms. I also think it can be dangerous. What are your thoughts?
Do it because you enjoy doing that diet, not because of the so-called benefits. Every diet have their pro's and cons. Your goal is to be at a caloric deficit (if you want to lose weight), then you chose whatever diet helps you stick with that deficit. Simple as that. What's the point of doing a diet if you don't enjoy it, but do it based on the so-called benefits??? What usually ends up happening is that people end up binging again.5 -
I have read different articles and different ideas about fasting and intermittent fasting. I think within reason it can be a great way to cleanse the body and to "reset" your mechanisms. I also think it can be dangerous. What are your thoughts?
Fasting doesn't cleanse or reset anything. Your body does not need those things anyway.
As long as you are getting adequate calorie/nutrition intake to support and fuel your body and you do not have a medical condition then I think it is fine to consume all of your calories in a shorter amount of time vs spread out throughout the day.
I think not eating at all for a day or 2 or longer is not a healthy practice or very sustainable.
I think if you want to lose weight a reasonable deficit and small sustainable changes are going to work better long term than any plan that requires you to do extreme or odd things.3 -
IF works for me as I'm just not hungry in the mornings and in general I don't snack. So I usually eat dinner around 6 and then don't eat again until lunch the next day around 12-1. It is certainly a great help with calorie restriction. Also, I love a big plate of food, so much prefer splitting my 1300 or so calories between 2 meals instead of 3 meals and snacks.8
-
IF helps with calorie restriction only. It has no specific health benefits. If you log your intake adequently and exercise, and you’re at or below your daily calories, IF isn’t needed. I tried IF (16:8 ratio) awhile back and I found I was eating MORE later because I felt famished. Eating 3 times a day has eliminated that.8
-
I have read different articles and different ideas about fasting and intermittent fasting. I think within reason it can be a great way to cleanse the body and to "reset" your mechanisms. I also think it can be dangerous. What are your thoughts?
Do it because you enjoy doing that diet, not because of the so-called benefits. Every diet have their pro's and cons. Your goal is to be at a caloric deficit (if you want to lose weight), then you chose whatever diet helps you stick with that deficit. Simple as that. What's the point of doing a diet if you don't enjoy it, but do it based on the so-called benefits??? What usually ends up happening is that people end up binging again.
The IF community doesn't believe it to be diet but a lifestyle because most people who fast, continue to fast indefinitely. Also more and more research is becoming available that argues that calorie deficits in fact reduce your metabolic rate over time, which makes it nearly impossible to continue to lose weight and/or maintain. You also learn appetite correction, which prevents binge eating. Books like "The Obesity Code", and "Delay, Don't Deny: An Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle" are great resources.37 -
IF helps with calorie restriction only. It has no specific health benefits. If you log your intake adequently and exercise, and you’re at or below your daily calories, IF isn’t needed. I tried IF (16:8 ratio) awhile back and I found I was eating MORE later because I felt famished. Eating 3 times a day has eliminated that.
That is a false statement. The benefits are numerous and there studies and research to prove it, which include weight loss, reducing inflammation, increasing muscle, reducing/eliminating type 2 diabetes, preventing cancer and alzheimers, to name a few. The 2016 Nobel Prize for Medicine went to a person that identified the process of Autophagy, which happens during a fasted-state. It's the process of your body cleaning out cellular junk and broken down proteins. Also, you were probably hungry because you were consuming something that released insulin and triggered digestion. It could have even been lemon in your water.
48 -
I have read different articles and different ideas about fasting and intermittent fasting. I think within reason it can be a great way to cleanse the body and to "reset" your mechanisms. I also think it can be dangerous. What are your thoughts?
I have recently committed fully to intermittent fasting. I wasn't losing over 6 months and was beating myself up. One of my friends here started and updated us on her results, which were impressive. She also said she felt great! So I started researching and decided that the evidence was substantial. So far, I am in love with it. I am not counting calories at all, which is an extremely difficult concept to overcome. I went through Weight Watchers twice, so Calories In/Calories Out is what I know. BUT, it is so liberating. I find, like many who fast, that you start craving nutritious whole foods. And the relationship with food is better because I'm not restricting myself. It's something you have to research and experience for yourself. I also feel less bloated and more energetic on a daily basis.33 -
LeeshaSeal - I’m not a trained nutritionist or a licensed dietician, and I’m not going to pretend to be one, but I am fairly familiar with anatomy and physiology and IF doesn’t “cleanse the body” (that’s what your liver and kidney do), rid a person of diabetes (see end statement), or reduce inflammation (which can have a multitude of explanations besides what a person eats) - eating the right foods, eating less, and exercising does. THIS is scientifically proven. I’m not bashing IF, I’m simply stating it helps restrict calorie intake.
And logic says, if I wasn’t eating for 16 hours straight, pretty sure it wasn’t the lemon in my water that made me insatiable. It was the NOT EATING.21 -
Since the feeling of being satisfied is triggered by a full stomach, I will about once every 6 months fast for a 36 hour period. I’ll have a light supper then fast the entire next day and on the third day have a light breakfast. I might have a small glass of juice on the fasting day but otherwise only water (and coffee lol)
It shrinks my stomach, and allows me to be satisfied on less food intake. The missing calories for one day don’t make much of a difference but the longer term reduction is what helps.
I have read a lot of different studies on fasting and think it all comes down to reduced calories overall. However since everyone’s metabolism is different some people may find reducing cravings from an IF regime and others may find that their cravings are reduced by a grazing type of eating plan. Some people may also find the time limits on when to eat also help on their cravings, they get used to not being able to eat at certain times and are not hungry at those times because their bodies are used to not eating then. It’s like only being hungry for breakfast foods at breakfast time, it is just what you are used to having then. If IF it works for you then do it.
Flushing toxins is just a lot of BS. Our bodies are already great at eliminating waste and all we need to keep that part functioning is eat sufficient insoluble fibre, what my parents called roughage, and drink lots of water to keep the process moving along so to speak.
9 -
-
erinpatsy - science evolves as it does in this way. Fasting allows you to regulate your fat storage and appetite control hormones, which do indeed help eliminate type 2 diabetes. I am not a doctor either but I have books just to the left of my hand that are written by doctors that cite those benefits.40
-
If I were going to fast (intermittent or otherwise) I would do it for reasons other than weight/hunger management though don't doubt its benefit for either.
Dr Valter Longo, PhD is a pretty interesting guy. His book The Longevity Diet is available as are several of his videos/interviews on youtube. He is a biogerentologist and Director of the USC Longevity Institute.6 -
I have trouble eating enough calories without being sickeningly full within that window.0
-
LeeshaSeal wrote: »IF helps with calorie restriction only. It has no specific health benefits. If you log your intake adequently and exercise, and you’re at or below your daily calories, IF isn’t needed. I tried IF (16:8 ratio) awhile back and I found I was eating MORE later because I felt famished. Eating 3 times a day has eliminated that.
That is a false statement. The benefits are numerous and there studies and research to prove it, which include weight loss, reducing inflammation, increasing muscle, reducing/eliminating type 2 diabetes, preventing cancer and alzheimers, to name a few. The 2016 Nobel Prize for Medicine went to a person that identified the process of Autophagy, which happens during a fasted-state. It's the process of your body cleaning out cellular junk and broken down proteins. Also, you were probably hungry because you were consuming something that released insulin and triggered digestion. It could have even been lemon in your water.
I actually think this is more of a false statement. you can't outrun thermodynamics. 2500 cals in your eating window is 2500 cals regardless. also autophogy and sparked more so by extended caloric restriction and deprivation, not fasting. if fasting helps you to create a deficit, then yes, its helping, but not causing. I would love to see those studies that prove it from credible legit sources. because I have credible proven meta analysis studies and articles on hand to negate a "10 person study" or a bodybuilding .com article.....
fasting does not promote weightless, caloric deficits do. I've been a test subject myself just to disprove people.19 -
-
LeeshaSeal wrote: »erinpatsy - science evolves as it does in this way. Fasting allows you to regulate your fat storage and appetite control hormones, which do indeed help eliminate type 2 diabetes. I am not a doctor either but I have books just to the left of my hand that are written by doctors that cite those benefits.
You cannot eliminate t2 diabetes. If a doctor in a book tells you that, he is doing that for one reason Only. To sell you that book.
I'm also pretty sure I know which doctor you're talking about. And Fung is what is commonly known as a quack.18 -
pinggolfer96 wrote: »LeeshaSeal wrote: »IF helps with calorie restriction only. It has no specific health benefits. If you log your intake adequently and exercise, and you’re at or below your daily calories, IF isn’t needed. I tried IF (16:8 ratio) awhile back and I found I was eating MORE later because I felt famished. Eating 3 times a day has eliminated that.
That is a false statement. The benefits are numerous and there studies and research to prove it, which include weight loss, reducing inflammation, increasing muscle, reducing/eliminating type 2 diabetes, preventing cancer and alzheimers, to name a few. The 2016 Nobel Prize for Medicine went to a person that identified the process of Autophagy, which happens during a fasted-state. It's the process of your body cleaning out cellular junk and broken down proteins. Also, you were probably hungry because you were consuming something that released insulin and triggered digestion. It could have even been lemon in your water.
I actually think this is more of a false statement. you can't outrun thermodynamics. 2500 cals in your eating window is 2500 cals regardless. also autophogy and sparked more so by extended caloric restriction and deprivation, not fasting. if fasting helps you to create a deficit, then yes, its helping, but not causing. I would love to see those studies that prove it from credible legit sources. because I have credible proven meta analysis studies and articles on hand to negate a "10 person study" or a bodybuilding .com article.....
fasting does not promote weightless, caloric deficits do. I've been a test subject myself just to disprove people.
The one time I looked for autophagy after people touted it as this amazing thing that's going to save your life thanks to fasting, I have not found any sources besides, I think, studies done in worms. That's also a problem.11 -
LeeshaSeal wrote: »I have read different articles and different ideas about fasting and intermittent fasting. I think within reason it can be a great way to cleanse the body and to "reset" your mechanisms. I also think it can be dangerous. What are your thoughts?
Do it because you enjoy doing that diet, not because of the so-called benefits. Every diet have their pro's and cons. Your goal is to be at a caloric deficit (if you want to lose weight), then you chose whatever diet helps you stick with that deficit. Simple as that. What's the point of doing a diet if you don't enjoy it, but do it based on the so-called benefits??? What usually ends up happening is that people end up binging again.
The IF community doesn't believe it to be diet but a lifestyle
Problem is people are cultish when it comes to diets, wheter it's the keto community, the IF community or any diet community for that matter, it's all the same, they behave the same way and spread bs the same way. Caloric deficit is all that matters in the end. Doing IF won't give you an advantage over any other diet for weight loss, no diet is the best diet to lose weight and as I stated previously, if you hate doing IF, there is no point in doing IF when there are other countless ways to lose ways to lose weight. At the end of the day, the one and only true constant is that you need to be at a caloric deficit.
By the way, I have been doing bulking and cutting for 5 years now, I have tried different diets (including IF) just for experiment and I can tell you that not one diet stood out for me, they all gave me the same results with the same weight loss rate at the same number of calories (I usually cut at 2400 calories).
9 -
If I were going to fast (intermittent or otherwise) I would do it for reasons other than weight/hunger management though don't doubt its benefit for either.
Dr Valter Longo, PhD is a pretty interesting guy. His book The Longevity Diet is available as are several of his videos/interviews on youtube. He is a biogerentologist and Director of the USC Longevity Institute.
Thank you for mentioning the book. I'm going to look that up.
Longevity does increase in animas who practice some calorie restriction. I've seen some work that shows that calorie restriction just at certain times (fasting) provides some benefits too.
7 -
stevencloser wrote: »LeeshaSeal wrote: »erinpatsy - science evolves as it does in this way. Fasting allows you to regulate your fat storage and appetite control hormones, which do indeed help eliminate type 2 diabetes. I am not a doctor either but I have books just to the left of my hand that are written by doctors that cite those benefits.
You cannot eliminate t2 diabetes. If a doctor in a book tells you that, he is doing that for one reason Only. To sell you that book.
I'm also pretty sure I know which doctor you're talking about. And Fung is what is commonly known as a quack.
It is possible to completely reverse T2D. If you go back to the lifestyle that caused it, it will return. In the meantime, it is quite doable for many to normalize insulin and blood glucose levels - to be absent of disease.10 -
LeeshaSeal wrote: »IF helps with calorie restriction only. It has no specific health benefits. If you log your intake adequently and exercise, and you’re at or below your daily calories, IF isn’t needed. I tried IF (16:8 ratio) awhile back and I found I was eating MORE later because I felt famished. Eating 3 times a day has eliminated that.
That is a false statement. The benefits are numerous and there studies and research to prove it, which include weight loss, reducing inflammation, increasing muscle, reducing/eliminating type 2 diabetes, preventing cancer and alzheimers, to name a few. The 2016 Nobel Prize for Medicine went to a person that identified the process of Autophagy, which happens during a fasted-state. It's the process of your body cleaning out cellular junk and broken down proteins. Also, you were probably hungry because you were consuming something that released insulin and triggered digestion. It could have even been lemon in your water.
People use IF to gain, lose or maintain weight. If IF causes weight loss on its own (irrespective of a calorie deficit) how do you explain those people??7
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 430 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions