Fasting

Options
12357

Replies

  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    Options
    I actually have tried Fasting. I only drank liquid for 6 days and I already lost atleast 5 lbs. But when I stopped fasting, I started eating more and I easily gained back the weight I lost. It was a really hard challenge cause everywhere I look, there would be food. I wouldn't say it's bad but don't try it cause it seems like you'd only get hungrier after. :)

    That is not Intermittent Fasting. Anyone going on a multi-day liquid diet needs to get one created by professionals and be monitored, including how to eat after ending the fast.

    The OP was talking about going on a fast for ONE day to refocus herself. How did we get to fasting nonstop for six days?
  • 906090
    906090 Posts: 3
    Options
    Hi. I was involved with a Biggest Loser contest this winter and the whole weigh- in accountability factor motivated me to do a fruit and bare- vegetable fast the day prior to the weigh in. At first I thought it was fake dieting, but after 3 months of doing this, the weigh- in weight would eventually become 'true weight'. If you believe in calories in/ calories out, 1 day of barely eating reduces overall calories in a week. If you fast and pig out the next day because you feel cheated, it's not going to work.

    Occasional fasting is considered healthy by most. You'll feel better afterwards. I wish I had a weigh- in to motivate me now! :)
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    Options
    This IF thing has got me really interested now..

    BUT

    .. I have a history of eating disorders, and find that as soon as I say "I'm on a diet", my body freaks out, I binge, eat things in quantities I never would have on any other day, and I think it's because my body is stocking up because it doesn't know when it's next going to get any food! (sounds ridiculous i know but it's the only way i can explain). This time round I'm doing okay as I'm making lifestyle choices - going to the gym alot, eating well but not denying myself anything.
    I fear that if I fast, even just for 24 hrs, it's going to trigger a response in me and cause me to binge! and whenever I binge, the first thing I go to do is purge (generally spend 20 mins arguing with myself about it, then when i decide to go to do it, i know all the cals have been absorbed anyway so i don't do it, i just go in a bad mood all day.)

    I guess I would have to look at it differently. Sometimes this happens anyway without me even realising it, if i have got a busy day in university for example, I won't eat until 4 - 5 o clock which is about a 22hr fast.

    Pointless post, just wondering whether anyone has any views on what i should do, or a way to do it without triggering that instinct?
    I don't see IF as a "diet." It's just how I eat. Personally I use the "Eat Stop Eat" method of IF, which incorporates one or two 20-24 hour fasts per week. I fast on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Basically, I eat dinner Monday night, then I eat nothing until dinner on Tuesday. I eat a normal sized dinner on Tuesday, and resume regular eating on Wednesday. So, I eat nothing, just drink water from Monday night until Tuesday night, and again from Wednesday night until Thursday night. What I like about it, is the other 5 days of the week I eat at maintenance. Overall, it works out to about a 3500 calorie defect each week. Plus it's very flexible, as I can change my fasting days around from week to week, based on my specific life schedule.

    I agree Tiger...that's one of the things I loved about ESE initially...the flexibility.

    I still love working out fasted...though I'm reading I might not be helping myself out as much as I'd like to, as far as what Martin says.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Options
    I can't handle fasting workouts, other than cardio. For me, fasting, or low carb, kills my workout. So I usually arrange my fasting days to match my rest days.
  • mkbledsoe
    mkbledsoe Posts: 132
    Options
    There is no way I could do a fast. I need to eat. Trying to fast would probably cause me to binge. I actually eat about every 2 hours.
  • dolldreams
    dolldreams Posts: 245 Member
    Options
    Fasting has worked in the past for me and is a tool that I have used to ease myself back into healthy eating. I find that it is easier to not have to make any food choices at all for a day than it is to make healthy food choices all day long sometimes. Sometimes I become so fixated on healthy eating that it is a neccessity for me to just let it go. I find it more helpful if I put the healthy eating on the back burner by fasting rather than having a junk food binge.

    It also makes me feel clean enough to put healthy foods in my body again if I have had a total junk food junkie day. I guess it's like my reset button when I've really fallen off the wagon.

    I am also a believer in religious fasting so that definitely affects my opinion of it. I think it can be done but only if you truly have the ability to do it safely and to start eating healthy again when you should.
  • Aineko
    Aineko Posts: 163
    Options
    Fasting helps get rid of wastes, and toxins in your body you don't need.
    which toxins and how does your body get rid of them?
    None, and it doesn't.
    well, I didn't ask you :wink:
    this "getting rid of toxins" is right next to "kickstarting your metabolism (by eating breakfast)" - so many people throw these phrases around while I keep asking for a physiological explanation and nobody seems willing to offer one. (there must be some kind of allergy to critical thinking)
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Options
    Fasting helps get rid of wastes, and toxins in your body you don't need.
    which toxins and how does your body get rid of them?
    None, and it doesn't.
    well, I didn't ask you :wink:
    this "getting rid of toxins" is right next to "kickstarting your metabolism (by eating breakfast)" - so many people throw these phrases around while I keep asking for a physiological explanation and nobody seems willing to offer one. (there must be some kind of allergy to critical thinking)

    That's because the whole "getting rid of toxins" stuff is pseudo science. There is no physiological explanation for it other than the functioning of your liver. It's not cleansing teas or fasting or whatever. You are right it's just one of those dopey phrases like the others you mentioned. :flowerforyou:
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    Options
    Fasting helps get rid of wastes, and toxins in your body you don't need.
    which toxins and how does your body get rid of them?
    None, and it doesn't.
    well, I didn't ask you :wink:
    this "getting rid of toxins" is right next to "kickstarting your metabolism (by eating breakfast)" - so many people throw these phrases around while I keep asking for a physiological explanation and nobody seems willing to offer one. (there must be some kind of allergy to critical thinking)

    And this is just part of why we're friends lol.

    getting rid of toxins
    kickstarting your metabolism
    starvation mode
    3lbs of weight gain after your first day/week/month of exercising is just replacing fat with muscle

    The list goes on.../sigh!
  • beckywilkeherbst
    beckywilkeherbst Posts: 140 Member
    Options
    I thought I would let everyone know that I indeed fasted. I stopped eating at 9pm on Saturday night and did not eat anythng again until 5:30 a.m. this morning (Monday). A 32.5 hour fast. Yesterday I had coffee and water all day long. Amazingly I was hungry at times but never really felt famished. I drank 22 (8) oz glasses of water throughout the day. This morning I woke up and had a banana to ease myself into the day and then breakfast as usual. It is now 7:30 p.m. and I have 36 or so calories left out of my 1200. I did well today, I didnt feel like i had to eat the whole house because I was deprived. I even stayed away from my normal snacky foods that i wasn't logging. (peanut butter, chocolate, etc). I also resisted snacking off the kids plates (chips, crackers, etc). FINALLY, best of all, the scale reflected a 5.5 pound loss this morning.
  • jazalla25
    jazalla25 Posts: 11
    Options
    I try to fast normally every monday and thrusday for voluntary religious purposes and it really helps with the cleaning out, if you know what i mean,

    but the way I do it, is I eat a pretty good breakfast, about 400-600 calories before sunset and a meal for dinner, I try to do less than dinner but you can overeat on accident, during these times you drink lots and lots of water because you will be without water and food between those two times.

    unless you have diabetes, pregnant, nursing, this is completely healthy. In july I will be doing it for a whole month, but it dosent help with weight loss unless you eat enough, not too little and not too much! :)

    I hope that helps :)
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    Options
    Good for you....Make sure to let us know next Monday if the 5.5lbs stayed off.....
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    Options
    I thought I would let everyone know that I indeed fasted. I stopped eating at 9pm on Saturday night and did not eat anythng again until 5:30 a.m. this morning (Monday). A 32.5 hour fast. Yesterday I had coffee and water all day long. Amazingly I was hungry at times but never really felt famished. I drank 22 (8) oz glasses of water throughout the day. This morning I woke up and had a banana to ease myself into the day and then breakfast as usual. It is now 7:30 p.m. and I have 36 or so calories left out of my 1200. I did well today, I didnt feel like i had to eat the whole house because I was deprived. I even stayed away from my normal snacky foods that i wasn't logging. (peanut butter, chocolate, etc). I also resisted snacking off the kids plates (chips, crackers, etc). FINALLY, best of all, the scale reflected a 5.5 pound loss this morning.

    Good girl! (about the way you resumed eating!)

    Now...try not to do this more than 2x a week if you continue....particularly if you're going over 24hrs.

    Remember also, if 1200 is your calorie limit on a deficit, you're going to want to increase them on your non fast days to your TDEE (your BMR+activity level). If you create too much deficit, IF can hurt you...just as it would if you had too much deficit with a more normal intake schedule.
  • amy12321
    amy12321 Posts: 57 Member
    Options
    bingeing and fasting will not help you lose weight. I used to do it. It just messes up your metabolism and when you fast, it will just make you binge.
    after a binge, just exercise more and eat healthy and reach your net calories. Just try to do that every day.
  • dolldreams
    dolldreams Posts: 245 Member
    Options
    Fasting helps get rid of wastes, and toxins in your body you don't need.
    which toxins and how does your body get rid of them?

    The poopie toxins are in my intestine which is a part of my body and well, you know the rest... :laugh: :tongue:

    Just Kidding.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    Options
    I thought I would let everyone know that I indeed fasted. I stopped eating at 9pm on Saturday night and did not eat anythng again until 5:30 a.m. this morning (Monday). A 32.5 hour fast. Yesterday I had coffee and water all day long. Amazingly I was hungry at times but never really felt famished. I drank 22 (8) oz glasses of water throughout the day. This morning I woke up and had a banana to ease myself into the day and then breakfast as usual. It is now 7:30 p.m. and I have 36 or so calories left out of my 1200. I did well today, I didnt feel like i had to eat the whole house because I was deprived. I even stayed away from my normal snacky foods that i wasn't logging. (peanut butter, chocolate, etc). I also resisted snacking off the kids plates (chips, crackers, etc). FINALLY, best of all, the scale reflected a 5.5 pound loss this morning.

    Good for you. Now I'm sure you realize that a good part of that 5.5 is probably water weight, but I assume the fast served your purpose. You wanted to take a break from food and see some movement on the scale. I imagine it also was helpful to see that although you were hungry at times it wasn't the end of the world. It helps me.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    Options

    And this is just part of why we're friends lol.

    getting rid of toxins
    kickstarting your metabolism
    starvation mode
    3lbs of weight gain after your first day/week/month of exercising is just replacing fat with muscle

    The list goes on.../sigh!

    :laugh:
  • jcr85
    jcr85 Posts: 229
    Options
    I just started an IF diet this week it hasn't been so bad. I am following Brad Pilon, Eat Stop Eat. The Ebook seemed like a lot of bro science but I was bored with my old program and felt like giving this a shot for a month...
  • marbly
    marbly Posts: 103
    Options
    FAST FORWARD to yesterday, I starated the day with the mindset that today was going to be different and I was going to do better...just like every day for the last month....i did great until about 6, at which point I just started shoveling it in. Ice crea, chocolate, two or three 90 calorie bars, spoonfuls of peanut butter, the list goes on.


    You mentioned that you don't have an eating disorder. Uncontrolled eating sounds like what you did. In other words, binging and in many people, it's an eating disorder. I'm not suggesting that you have it, only that lack of control followed by consuming a huge amount of food within the space of one or two hours may be a symptom of an eating disorder.

    I would advise you to tread cautiously with intermittent fasting if you do have that tendency to binge. IF may exacerbate this tendency. On the other hand, it may diminish it, you never know.

    ED also occurs when you enter a cycle of overfeeding and starving yourself.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    Options
    bingeing and fasting will not help you lose weight. I used to do it. It just messes up your metabolism and when you fast, it will just make you binge.
    after a binge, just exercise more and eat healthy and reach your net calories. Just try to do that every day.

    /sigh.

    This isn't what we're talking about. This isn't even close as a matter of fact.

    First of all, if you binge after a 24hr fast, you have self control issues, it's not the fault of the fast. Second, fasting actually speeds up your metabolism in the first 24hrs.

    There is nothing unhealthy about it.

    SERIOUSLY people...read the freaking thread before popping off and posting? All of the things this young lady posted have been refuted scientifically!

Categories