Research into fasting - what do you think?

beattie1
beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've just read about a TV programme to be shown soon about fasting as a method of prolonging life span and losing weight.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19112549
The reporter tried Intermittent Fasting on a 5:2 ratio - eating normally on 5 days a week and (almost) fasting on 2 days (eating just 500 calories for a woman, or 600 for a man).

Has anyone here tried this? What do you think about it? I'm aware of the type of Intermittent Fasting where you only eat between, say 2pm & 6pm, or some other short window of time every day.

Replies

  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    I've just read about a TV programme to be shown soon about fasting as a method of prolonging life span and losing weight.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19112549
    The reporter tried Intermittent Fasting on a 5:2 ratio - eating normally on 5 days a week and (almost) fasting on 2 days (eating just 500 calories for a woman, or 600 for a man).

    Has anyone here tried this? What do you think about it? I'm aware of the type of Intermittent Fasting where you only eat between, say 2pm & 6pm, or some other short window of time every day.

    I'm not convinced that the health and/or weight loss benefits (strictly physiologically speaking) are conclusive yet, but I have the following opinions so far on it:

    1) I don't think it's dangerous if done intelligently.
    2) I think that it's a good fit for some people. For adherence reasons, if IF is a good fit for your lifestyle, it will make a difference long-term (again due to adherence reasons and macro-hitting).

    This isn't to say that I DONT think there are health benefits. I'm just skeptical at this point.

    I "almost" practice IF, in that I don't eat breakfast and I eat most of my calories at night, but not on a set schedule because I don't like to let the clock tell me when to eat. It's a great fit for me and that's enough reason to do it.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    Mark's Daily Apple has a nice series of articles on fasting with links to studies. For myself, I usually don't eat breakfast which means I fast for about 12 - 14 hours a day naturally without effort since lowering my carbs. I've also toyed around with the idea of picking a religion and observing their fasts purely for the health benefits -- without that sort of structure I doubt I could just wake up one day and decide not to eat.

    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting-weight-loss/#axzz22XVb6Q9V
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    I thought IF (Intermittent Fasting) was helpful for me, for a while.
    It helped with compliance, by making me stay within 11am-7pm hours for eating.
    Also, it gave my gut a nice little break....which was good for me, as my digestion was stressed.

    I may try it again in the fall when I get a personal trainer (to help me with weight training).
  • medoria
    medoria Posts: 673 Member
    There is a group here on MFP with FAQ, check it out. Do some research before you start out.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    There is a group here on MFP with FAQ, check it out. Do some research before you start out.
    Do you know the name of the group off the top of your head, medoria? Like I said, I was interested in fasting for the potential health benefits but it's not like I'm ever going to wake up one day and decide not to eat that day on my own. :laugh:

    It would be interesting to read about how other people approach fasting, not so much on a daily basis but occasionally for health.
  • medoria
    medoria Posts: 673 Member
    The name of the group is Intermittent fasting.
  • opuntia
    opuntia Posts: 860 Member
    I just wrote a blog post about this. I have sometimes done my own versions of 'intermittent fasting' (without knowing it was called that) over the years, and found it tremendously beneficial for health, energy, and mental clarity. Back when I did it, no one else did it, and it wasn't known about, and people thought I was crazy, so I'm quite fascinated now to read about all the research that is being done into it. I saw the documentary on the BBC a few years ago about possibilities that reducing calories can increase lifespan - the stuff on intermittent fasting seems to have stemmed from that.

    I don't think I would incorporate it into my lifestyle as a very specific and regimented type of thing - for me, it's more about listening to my body and being aware that there are times when my body just wants a break from eating, or to eat considerably less than usual, and to try to coordinate this with when I happen to have some time off work and I can rest.

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