Fasting is fantastic.

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    yes, AB is a really interesting case. It puts all the "you have to eat your BMR", "if you don't eat 1200 calories your body will hang on to all its fat", "you will lose on a VLCD but it will all be muscle and water", "you will put it all back on again" and similar BS soundbite merchants firmly in their place.

    What happened ?

    "During the 382 days of the fast, the patient's
    weight decreased from 456 to 180 lb. Five years after
    undertaking the fast, Mr A.B.'s weight remains
    around 196 lb."
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2495396/pdf/postmedj00315-0056.pdf

    Oh, how I laughed. The word "exercise" does not appear in the paper once.
  • steamlita
    steamlita Posts: 39 Member
    I fasted for only a week back in September and haven't put on any of that weight again. Absolutely none of it.
  • sweetchildomine
    sweetchildomine Posts: 872 Member
    Yea, but how realistic is that? Who the heck whats to just drink water and take vitamins?? lol I love food and if I have to work out everyday to have the body I want, so be it. Being skinny isn't worth being unhappy lol.

    Ps. I can't wait until everyone on here reads this and goes coo coo bananas debating over it. Hmm...bananas sound good. I'm gonna eat one because I EAT FOOD.
  • CeeRawr89
    CeeRawr89 Posts: 328 Member
    Yea, but how realistic is that? Who the heck whats to just drink water and take vitamins?? lol I love food and if I have to work out everyday to have the body I want, so be it. Being skinny isn't worth being unhappy lol.

    Ps. I can't wait until everyone on here reads this and goes coo coo bananas debating over it. Hmm...bananas sound good. I'm gonna eat one because I EAT FOOD.
    this
  • steamlita
    steamlita Posts: 39 Member
    Yea, but how realistic is that? Who the heck whats to just drink water and take vitamins?? lol I love food and if I have to work out everyday to have the body I want, so be it. Being skinny isn't worth being unhappy lol.

    Ps. I can't wait until everyone on here reads this and goes coo coo bananas debating over it. Hmm...bananas sound good. I'm gonna eat one because I EAT FOOD.

    Did you even read that article? They used that man as an extreme example. Then he talks about alternate day fasting and other ways to do it and be healthy, and other benefits besides weight loss. It's a good read, I promise.
    But hey, if you're hungry and want that banana then by all means! (:
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
    I'm totally for fasting if you're up for it.

    Do you really think that people have always had access to three meals a day? No. Did humans survive? Yes, and they were probably healthier than we are now.
  • gastankerdriver
    gastankerdriver Posts: 162
    I have fasted on three occasions over the last month because of a medical condition. I have lost maybe a couple pounds, but for the first time in my life I can see the beginning of an outline on the V part of my abs. My muscles have lost a little bit, but I definitely look much more defined. Personally, I think it is good to eliminate all the garbage out of your system for a day. It gives your body a chance to rest and recover. I think we eat WAY too much and plan on incorporating occasional fasting into my life.
  • roodledoodle
    roodledoodle Posts: 183
    Seriously, if I had no food for a day I wouldn't be able to function properly, wouldn't do very well at work and would probably pass out! Why do that to yourself?!
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Yea, but how realistic is that?
    Intermittent fasting is very realistic, which is what the OP was linking to. Even not eating until 2pm after last eating at 6pm the evening before is held by some to be beneficial (to them).

    The extreme case of the massively obese Scotsman provides a useful "extension to extreme" of the concepts of dieting - he ate under his BMR and under 1200 calories and all the other totems, yet still lost weight and kept it off. His daily calorie deficit was over 1,000 calories which is more exercise than >90% of the population would be interested in.
  • nainaa22
    nainaa22 Posts: 33
    During my exams, I didn't have much time, and ended up doing alternate day fasting. I had enough energy and I did lose weight. But I think fasting is more of a long term goal if you want to see drastic results
  • redfroggie
    redfroggie Posts: 591 Member
    I'm totally for fasting if you're up for it.

    Do you really think that people have always had access to three meals a day? No. Did humans survive? Yes, and they were probably healthier than we are now.

    Please. My mother grew up in WWII Germany. She knew what it meant to have no food. No one saw it as a way to stay slim. Were they healthier because of it, no they weren't. Scurvy was prevelant, anemia and a host of other illnesses. Her mother died at a fairly young age from the flu because she didn't have the strength to fight it. People back then didn't have the life span we have today either. I remember there always being food in the house as a kid and the freezer always full, she became a bit of a food hoarder. So comparing fasting to people who didn't have access to food is just insane. I hate that arguement. :noway:
  • steamlita
    steamlita Posts: 39 Member
    ^What about fasting on vitamins, minerals, supplements and lots and lots of water? There wouldn't be those illnesses.
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
    I'm totally for fasting if you're up for it.

    Do you really think that people have always had access to three meals a day? No. Did humans survive? Yes, and they were probably healthier than we are now.

    Please. My mother grew up in WWII Germany. She knew what it meant to have no food. No one saw it as a way to stay slim. Were they healthier because of it, no they weren't. Scurvy was prevelant, anemia and a host of other illnesses. Her mother died at a fairly young age from the flu because she didn't have the strength to fight it. People back then didn't have the life span we have today either. I remember there always being food in the house as a kid and the freezer always full, she became a bit of a food hoarder. So comparing fasting to people who didn't have access to food is just insane. I hate that arguement. :noway:

    If you're taking vitamins and supplements you probably wont have those problems. But thanks for that lovely ad hominem
  • Erika1962
    Erika1962 Posts: 187 Member
    Great article! I grew up in Germany and fasting is a big thing over there. Many people I knew were doing "heal fasting" in the spring, and not just for weight loss but for overall health!
  • sandrajune72
    sandrajune72 Posts: 492 Member
    Seriously, if I had no food for a day I wouldn't be able to function properly, wouldn't do very well at work and would probably pass out! Why do that to yourself?!

    ^this^ We are supposed to fuel our bodies!
  • sweetchildomine
    sweetchildomine Posts: 872 Member
    Well, everyone is different and while it may be realistic for your lifestyle, there is NO WAY it would work for me. Perhaps if I was going for the "skinny" look and didn't work out as much as I do. Before anyone jumps on me, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with people that want to be skinny!! I'm just saying that's not a part of MY goals. I want to be fit and muscular and there's absolutely no way I could work out while fasting. I'd just be a grumpy, weak mess. I wasn't trying to say YOU shouldn't do it because frankly, if it works for you, go for it. I'm just saying that's not even an option for me PERSONALLY. I actually don't think many people could pull it off because if most people can't even stick to a normal, healthy diet, I highly doubt that they could stick to fasting, even if it was every other day. However, if you can do it and it works for you...GO FOR IT.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    We are supposed to fuel our bodies!
    Which can be done from our fat reserves for a length of time measured in weeks. That's why they are there.
  • Erika1962
    Erika1962 Posts: 187 Member
    We are supposed to fuel our bodies!
    Which can be done from our fat reserves for a length of time measured in weeks. That's why they are there.

    Exactly!
  • TurnLeftNow
    TurnLeftNow Posts: 171
    The thing I find kind of funny about this... is you're like FASTING IS TOTALLY FANTASTIC AND HEALTHY. But.......
    you have to take all these vitamins to make up for the nutrients you are losing from fasting! Yeah but, fasting is safe and fantastic, mmmhmm! and like your body uses up it fat storage (oh and muscle btw) to burn off the reserves when you don't eat. But yeah, as long as you are taking your vitamins!

    Now, I totally agree with the intermediate fasting thing or whatever cycling patterns people want to do. As long as it adds up in the end of the week. But fasting for many days in a row? not safe. And a lot of people do it and get dangerously thin and unhealthy and sick.

    There's no real point in debating about this or posting links about it. There is evidence and opinions for both sides everywhere. Not one is the ultimate truth. Everyone is different, every body is different.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    ^What about fasting on vitamins, minerals, supplements and lots and lots of water? There wouldn't be those illnesses.

    Or what about cutting out all crap foods, eating stuff that contains those vits and mins and cutting out the supplements. There wouldn't be those illnesses then either.
  • Guisma
    Guisma Posts: 215
    yes , fantastic way to become diabetic, and to lower ur body defenses
    In this case, the guy probably had doctors making sure that wouldnt happend , otherwise....
    Fasting on ur own is just crazy
  • Umeboshi
    Umeboshi Posts: 1,637 Member
    I...I don't even. I guess the dude saved a lot on his grocery bill that year...?
  • redfroggie
    redfroggie Posts: 591 Member
    I'm totally for fasting if you're up for it.

    Do you really think that people have always had access to three meals a day? No. Did humans survive? Yes, and they were probably healthier than we are now.

    Please. My mother grew up in WWII Germany. She knew what it meant to have no food. No one saw it as a way to stay slim. Were they healthier because of it, no they weren't. Scurvy was prevelant, anemia and a host of other illnesses. Her mother died at a fairly young age from the flu because she didn't have the strength to fight it. People back then didn't have the life span we have today either. I remember there always being food in the house as a kid and the freezer always full, she became a bit of a food hoarder. So comparing fasting to people who didn't have access to food is just insane. I hate that arguement. :noway:

    If you're taking vitamins and supplements you probably wont have those problems. But thanks for that lovely ad hominem

    Your arguement was that people didn't have access to food, they didn't have access to vitamins and supplements either. While it may be an acceptable means of weight loss now it wasn't when you didn't have access to food. So which part of what I said was a fallacy? That they were not eating for appearance sake or from lack of food?
  • enyo123
    enyo123 Posts: 172 Member
    I'm totally for fasting if you're up for it.

    Do you really think that people have always had access to three meals a day? No. Did humans survive? Yes, and they were probably healthier than we are now.

    Please. My mother grew up in WWII Germany. She knew what it meant to have no food. No one saw it as a way to stay slim. Were they healthier because of it, no they weren't. Scurvy was prevelant, anemia and a host of other illnesses. Her mother died at a fairly young age from the flu because she didn't have the strength to fight it. People back then didn't have the life span we have today either. I remember there always being food in the house as a kid and the freezer always full, she became a bit of a food hoarder. So comparing fasting to people who didn't have access to food is just insane. I hate that arguement. :noway:

    If you're taking vitamins and supplements you probably wont have those problems. But thanks for that lovely ad hominem

    Er, ad hominem literally translates to "to the person." You were not personally attacked, as you were not called insane. Your IDEA was attacked.

    As for me, I'll stick with food and decided yesterday that the way I was going to lose weight was through cleaner, lower carb eating. (PCOS holds on to weight with a carb rich diet.)
  • DeanneLea
    DeanneLea Posts: 261
    Thanks for posting!

    I'm doing 16/8 which fits perfect right now for me. I love food and love bigger meals.

    *Also want to add that if you research Intermittent Fasting and those that do it, you'll find very few people that dislike it. . I saw ONE person out of all my research that disliked it...and she admitted that she was doing it wrong and now that she is doing correctly, she loves it.

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