What do you think about Fasting?

05suu

Found this article followng up a recent BBC Doc about the newest craze, Fasting..
Has anyone tried it?


The 5:2 diet

One fasting regime has been particularly popular. It’s the 5:2 diet – two separate days of fasting a week. On those days, men can consume 600 calories and women just 500.

Dieters can choose to eat them all at once, or have several small meals throughout the day. It was made famous by the BBC’s Horizon programme Eat, Fast and Live Longer, in which the reporter tried a number of different fasting techniques.

He’s also written about his experience and the potential benefits.

We spoke to three people who’ve tried the 5:2 diet for themselves.

David, aged 32.

“I became interested in intermittent fasting because of suggestions that it helps you live longer and healthier. I’m not too fussed about losing weight as I wasn’t fat, although I’ve lost about 3kg in the four weeks I’ve been on the diet – my stomach is much leaner.

“Fast days are hard and I have to plan around them. I can’t go for a run or work out because I don’t always have the energy and I’m sometimes a bit short-tempered. I eat a small bowl of porridge for breakfast and then two small salads later in the day.

“But the payoff is good. I mean, I can eat pretty much what I want the rest of the week and potentially improve my long-term health.

“I certainly feel like this has been a lifestyle change rather than a fad diet, I think it’s something I’m going to commit to for a very long time.”


[Related article: Five foods all slimmers should have in the cupboard]



Victoria, aged 61

“I’m a retired GP and I’ve always been quite sceptical of any kind of extreme diet. But after seeing a documentary about the potential health benefits, I decided to give it a go.

“My main motivation was to lose weight but I was also attracted by suggestions that it helps ward off Alzheimer’s. My mother suffered with dementia and I want to do all I can to reduce my risks of developing it.

“I’ve been trying it for five weeks now and I’ve lost about a pound a week.

“It’s a weird diet because it’s both really easy and really hard. On my fast days, I eat two very small meals, and I find it very hard sometimes not to give up and snack. But then, the rest of the week I can eat what I like – so I don’t feel guilty if I treat myself to a cake or have a biscuit. I think I’ll probably do this for the rest of my life.”

Stephanie, aged 30

“I really wanted to try intermittent fasting because I hate having to always think about my diet. I’ve had quite a lot of success with Slimming World, but you’re always working out whether you’re allowed something or not. With intermittent fasting, I’d only have to worry about my diet two days a week.

“However, I’ve decided not to do it. There have been no widespread studies in humans yet, so I researched it by reading online forums and blogs. There are suggestions that intermittent fasting damages fertility in women, and I haven’t finished growing my family just yet.

“Maybe I’ll come back to it in the future when I am done having babies - especially if there’s been a bit more research into the effects on humans rather than rats!”


[Related: Why Lauren Goodger-style boot camps don't work]



Get your doctor on board

As one of our case studies pointed out, there have been no extensive trials into the potential benefit or harm of intermittent fasting for humans.

If you’re tempted to try it out, it’s sensible to talk to your doctor first to make sure doing so won’t put your health at risk.

But if the scientists are right and the benefits are so extreme, then your two fasts a week could become as important as your five a day.

Have you tried intermittent fasting? What do you eat on fast days? Is this just another fad diet or a new discovery? Share your experiences and thoughts with other readers in the comments below.

What are your thoughts?

HappyStack

IF is just another diet craze kicked up from the 60s.

You already intermittently fast -- you sleep. You break that fast when you resume eating upon waking (or whenever you get in your first meal of the day). Why anyone would want to extend that is beyond me. Living longer and healthier? we already have a ridiculously long lifespan, and the health benefits are unproven (to say the least).

I know of bodybuilders who use IF as a means of cutting very close to competition, but other than that -- for athletes, say -- it has no real usage aside from fast, unlasting, results.

sttrinians

I'm doing it, I have been since I saw the programme. Some days are harder than others, but the best thing is if you fail today you can change your fast day to tomorrow. I have lost weight, but no more than I would have on a normal diet.

However, I have found that on the days I eat the low calories and the following day my menopausal symptoms are almost non-existent. I no longer use my Hrt patches and feel 100% better.

georgie181

actually I hhave done some reading on this myself recently, I will have a look for the articles etc I ave read thus far and it is supposed to have many health benefits and actually help you to live longer. will have a little hunt and get back to you......

tmbolt

If you want to keep exercising then I say absolutely NO!

There are pros and cons to fasting I disagree with anything that says no food at all and just liquids.

If doing one then please do your research and find one that's right for you as if you have any sort of health issues then fasting could be a bad idea.

LupaNera

I can rely on what my doc said. And at least for me is to eat well and don'skip any meal and do it at the same time if possible. I have insulin resistance and he told me that is more or less the way to trigger my metabolism instead of making my body think that It is starving so needs to build reserves.

coconuthead8

I have done a juicing fast after watching "Fat, sick and nearly dead", while its a great documentary, after the 3rd day I almost fainted when I went outside. I do think I wasn't drinking them enough however which might have been the reason. I think if you do it with a doctors okay and know your body limitations it should be okay. I agree with what tmbolt said, if you are adding exercise with it, it's probably not a good idea, as you won't have very much energy. In fact when I juiced I mostly wanted to sleep and lay in bed all day.

AntWrig

IF is just another diet craze kicked up from the 60s.

You already intermittently fast -- you sleep. You break that fast when you resume eating upon waking (or whenever you get in your first meal of the day). Why anyone would want to extend that is beyond me. Living longer and healthier? we already have a ridiculously long lifespan, and the health benefits are unproven (to say the least).

I know of bodybuilders who use IF as a means of cutting very close to competition, but other than that -- for athletes, say -- it has no real usage aside from fast, unlasting, results.

Agree 100%.

Blunderguff

I fast every day. I fast 20 hours and eat 4 hours. My window of eating is from 3pm-7pm. Durnng that time I eat all my calories and drink only water maybe a black cup of coffee durning the 20hours.

I really like it and it works for me. Others won't like it and will tell you to eat other ways but you just need to find out what works for your body.

I exercise almost everyday and burn anywhere from 1000-2500 calories few hours before my fast ends. Your body is amazing and can workout on a fasted state.

Once again this works for me and not everyone's going to like fasting.

Edited to add there are days I eat 8 hours of the day and fast the other 16 hours. Like 11am-7pm

morbidbones

The only thing that would make me not want to try it is I would be concerned it might lower my metabolism

You_Can_Be

I have been fasting for quite a few weeks now 2 out of 7 days and I find that the longer I do it the easier t gets and the better I feel. I have been slightly overweight ever since my daughter was born 9 years ago only about 20lb's however this weight has bothered me not from an esthetic point of view but health wise. I have tried every which way to lose the weight including weight watchers. Nothing worked it just would not budge and I was beginning to think there may be something wrong with me hormonally. However since I have started fasting the weight has slowly started to drop, only by about 1/2 lb a week which is a good speed to lose weight anyway. It has been easy to achieve. I would recommend it whole heartedly. Pretty much anyone can calorie restrict 2 days a week. The problems come in when we try and stop ourselves from eating what we need all the times. From a psychological point of view it works brilliantly, because you know that the restriction is for one day not the forseable future.

Hendrix7

Like most things it's great for some people, not great for others.

Should be avoided by people who suffer from eating disorders or have a bad relationship with food.

fraser112

Like most things it's great for some people, not great for others.

Should be avoided by people who suffer from eating disorders or have a bad relationship with food.

That and diabetics, people who cant process fat.

but then again those people could be in danger if they cut cals to far so the normal rules apply.

Fasting has been built into almost every culture as far back as recorded history goes. budists, muslims ect. The studies look promising ive seen over the last few years.
Benefits in animal tests range from exstended life, less degrading in mental health, increases in insilin sensitivity, lower blood pressure ect.

In reality all the studies seem to show the same thing low cal diets show.

I think in the end its all pretty much the same thing,

Lower cals, keep it healthy

fasting is just an easier way to do it. As a numbers game 2 days of low food intake( still 500-600 cals is alot of veg) and 5 days of normal non restricted dieting seems more pleasing than 7 days of low cals.

Fasting might show some other plus sides like resting the guts, intestines a little more but its all relative.
But one thing for sure fasting should not be dismissed as it could be the key to weight loss and all the good stuff for the weaker minded person who cant endure non stop dieting ( who can:sad:

Poods71

I did this last year and lost 21lbs and felt really good. Even when I stopped I didn't fire all the weight back on like I would if I stopped a normal calorie controlled diet. I have been doing just a normal diet now and it has been ok but I am seriously thinking of going back to trying the IF again as I just don't feel I have the energy I had then and I felt I slept a lot better. Also found that you do have energy to exercise on a fast day too. I personally preferred to keep my calories for later in the day though as once I start eating that kick starts my appetite and I can't survive on 500 cals. Also, drink PLENTY of water.

05suu

Interesting replies and opinions..
Guess it wouldn't be for ANYONE with any extraordinary maladies but if just an ordinary bod trying to lose abit more it might be worth a go.....


Cheers Folks for the replies....

BikinimomE

“But the payoff is good. I mean, I can eat pretty much what I want the rest of the week and potentially improve my long-term health. "

^^^ I find this highly suspect. IMHO this is akin to "if I only (insert whatever unhealthy activity like smoking cigarettes) two days out of the week... I can potentially improve my long-term health"

Slow and steady wins the race. This type of dieting is hardly slow and steady. And where anyone got the notion that starving yourself two out of seven days will "potentially improve long-term health" is astounding to me. But then again, multi-billion dollar industry is fueled by insatiable desire to be skinny, not necessarily healthy because healthy requires effort. Skinny only requires starving.

Will a body DIE if they starve themselves (fasting = starving) two out of seven days? Not hardly. But to think that you can "eat whatever you want" for the other five days and actually be healthier is nothing short of ridiculous.

But more power to anyone who wants to live this way. :drinker: I can't imagine this type of behavior would improve bone density or joint health.

ilovedeadlifts

IF is just another diet craze kicked up from the 60s.

You already intermittently fast -- you sleep. You break that fast when you resume eating upon waking (or whenever you get in your first meal of the day). Why anyone would want to extend that is beyond me. Living longer and healthier? we already have a ridiculously long lifespan, and the health benefits are unproven (to say the least).

I know of bodybuilders who use IF as a means of cutting very close to competition, but other than that -- for athletes, say -- it has no real usage aside from fast, unlasting, results.

not really.
Some athletes still use it and it works well.
Another strategy that is similar to IF is carboyhydrate backloading. And you eat very little during the day to extend the fat burning you experience in the morning.

Your body is very sensitive to insulin in the morning. so if you're slamming carbs, yes it'll go to your muscles but it's also going to fat cells.


That being said. The "fasting" in the original post is retarded. don't do it.

Love_flowers

Intermittent Fasting: been there done that. If done properly then it works every single time

It is not for everybody though, but it does have a lot of added benefits besides weightloss

Scarlett_S

I did it in the initial part of my weight loss. It made sense to me as some days I would have a hard time with calories and other days I could breeze through and even forget to eat.

I didn't follow it by the letter. I did more of an intermittent thing - where I'd stop eating at 6 pm one day and go through til night time the following day for 24 hours plus without eating. Other times I'd shoot for 36 hours. On the days I was fasting I never felt like working out so I didn't. I probably could have gone walking or something like that, but I did workout on the non-fasting days so I didn't worry about it.

For me it was a great tool to get my weekly calories in line and put calories "in the bank" if I needed them.

I don't do it anymore as my focus now is weight training and building muscle.

fraser112

“But the payoff is good. I mean, I can eat pretty much what I want the rest of the week and potentially improve my long-term health. "

^^^ I find this highly suspect. IMHO this is akin to "if I only (insert whatever unhealthy activity like smoking cigarettes) two days out of the week... I can potentially improve my long-term health"

Slow and steady wins the race. This type of dieting is hardly slow and steady. And where anyone got the notion that starving yourself two out of seven days will "potentially improve long-term health" is astounding to me. But then again, multi-billion dollar industry is fueled by insatiable desire to be skinny, not necessarily healthy because healthy requires effort. Skinny only requires starving.

Will a body DIE if they starve themselves (fasting = starving) two out of seven days? Not hardly. But to think that you can "eat whatever you want" for the other five days and actually be healthier is nothing short of ridiculous.

But more power to anyone who wants to live this way. :drinker: I can't imagine this type of behavior would improve bone density or joint health.

Have a look at the horizon doc on it its pretty good and goes into great detail.
The 5:2 diet above showed great results in high fat and low fat groups.
i think it was around 20% cals for 2 days, then the subjects given free rain to eat as they pleased still lost weight.

Its not really a fad though as humans evolved over million of years to eat in a feast and famine style. we spent near 90000years living like this, Having food constantly up for grabs while doing almost no physical stuff is only been in that last few thousand years.

The main upside i see is the fact you only diet 2 days a week, even the weakest willed person should be able to stick to that haha.
Ive lost 4 kilos since i started the 5:2 and its honestly easy as hell. Enjoy food five days a week. i try to keep it semi healthy so lots of eggs salad fruit ect.

Then on a fast day i have an omlette or a blt, but if you had to have a full belly you could have a gallon of veg soup spread through out the day :laugh:

HappyStack

IF is just another diet craze kicked up from the 60s.

You already intermittently fast -- you sleep. You break that fast when you resume eating upon waking (or whenever you get in your first meal of the day). Why anyone would want to extend that is beyond me. Living longer and healthier? we already have a ridiculously long lifespan, and the health benefits are unproven (to say the least).

I know of bodybuilders who use IF as a means of cutting very close to competition, but other than that -- for athletes, say -- it has no real usage aside from fast, unlasting, results.

not really.
Some athletes still use it and it works well.
Another strategy that is similar to IF is carboyhydrate backloading. And you eat very little during the day to extend the fat burning you experience in the morning.

Your body is very sensitive to insulin in the morning. so if you're slamming carbs, yes it'll go to your muscles but it's also going to fat cells.


That being said. The "fasting" in the original post is retarded. don't do it.

I've never heard of an athlete using IF, so perhaps some examples are in order. Not trying to baulk at your assertion, I just watch a lot of sports and the eating habits of the athletes I enjoy watching don't involve any fasting; they all eat like horses. If you've ever watched a triathlon or the Tour de France, you'll have noticed the athletes feeding themselves during the competition so as to directly avoid falling into a fasting state (and thus experience the dreaded 'bonking' we all hear of). Fasting and performance don't go together, as far as I've ever read/heard/seen.

I know that IF is great for dropping bodyfat and showing muscle, which is why it's used by bodybuilders to cut for competition.

CBL is another method that is not only unproven but may also be detrimental to your goals, depending on how it's implemented and how the person implementing it responds to it mentally.

ilovedeadlifts

CBL is another method that is not only unproven but may also be detrimental to your goals, depending on how it's implemented and how the person implementing it responds to it mentally.

What methods do you require to "prove" a dietary strategy?
World record holding athletes are using it and reporting progress. With no monetary gain. They have no reason to lie to friends, followers, etc because they aren't the ones making money off of Keifer's book.

Everyone I've talked to that has followed the protocol has managed to make progress while maintaining strength. Most of them are strongmen, powerlifters, and crossfitters. So performance is paramount. They wouldn't do it if it affected their sport negatively.

I can understand skepticism, because it's a newer thing and not a lot of people have tried it and talked about it. But saying that it is "detrimental" is way off base. How do you get that?

fraser112

[/quote]

I've never heard of an athlete using IF, so perhaps some examples are in order. Not trying to baulk at your assertion, I just watch a lot of sports and the eating habits of the athletes I enjoy watching don't involve any fasting; they all eat like horses. If you've ever watched a triathlon or the Tour de France, you'll have noticed the athletes feeding themselves during the competition so as to directly avoid falling into a fasting state (and thus experience the dreaded 'bonking' we all hear of). Fasting and performance don't go together, as far as I've ever read/heard/seen.

I know that IF is great for dropping bodyfat and showing muscle, which is why it's used by bodybuilders to cut for competition.

CBL is another method that is not only unproven but may also be detrimental to your goals, depending on how it's implemented and how the person implementing it responds to it mentally.
[/quote]

oh yeah im just using it for fat loss then i hope to hit the gym heavy and bulk up at a small surplus, ill use the 16 - 8 style then i think so i can eat like a king for a few hours haha.

Exercising fasted is something ive never seen solid research either way,
ive seen a study say people lifts increased after a fast
but then again i wouldny go running a marathon on a 24 hour fast,
Im pretty sure than argument has been drilled out by the low card lot so it might be a good place to search fat as the main energy source and such.

The tiny people who live unhealthy life styles tones of sugar/ fatty food and heavy smoking and live without any trace of heart disease or cancer i found pretty amazing. just lacking one growth hormon reduced the risk massivly

ilovedeadlifts

^^ I can't train fasted. That doesn't work out well for me. Tried once when I lifted early in the a.m.


But w/ the backloading athletes basically keep carbs low during the day, then train, then consume massive quantities of carbs. So you aren't training on an empty stomach and you actually feel pretty decent.

If I go overboard with carbs I end up being bloated or sluggish feeling when I get under the bar. So I'm planning on starting the prep phase soon so I can get my weight where I need it.

fraser112

^^ I can't train fasted. That doesn't work out well for me. Tried once when I lifted early in the a.m.


But w/ the backloading athletes basically keep carbs low during the day, then train, then consume massive quantities of carbs. So you aren't training on an empty stomach and you actually feel pretty decent.

If I go overboard with carbs I end up being bloated or sluggish feeling when I get under the bar. So I'm planning on starting the prep phase soon so I can get my weight where I need it.

is that to increase the gycogen stores? sorta emptying the tank then filling it back up?

I would love someone to mention gomad on here haha someone eating 7000 cals a day would cause this place to melt down.

ilovedeadlifts

is that to increase the gycogen stores? sorta emptying the tank then filling it back up?

I would love someone to mention gomad on here haha someone eating 7000 cals a day would cause this place to melt down.

I actually did like 1/2 GOMAD for a long time and got great results from it. for skinny people I think it's great.


In a nut shell, yes. The basics are, in the morning your body is sensitive to insulin. So you limit carbs so you don't cause an insulin spike. You still get like 30 grams during the day so you aren't going to be dead when training rolls around.
You train and your muscles are basically hyper sensitive. Then you start pounding simple carbs, ripe bananas, white rice, cookies. whatever..
this replenishes glycogen. and you want the fast carbs so you get the initial spike and then they're gone. increased insulin levels can inhibit GH production at night, so you don't want a ton of slow digesting carbs in your system when you're off to bed.

It sounds like absurd broscience, but the studies are there to back it up. And elite level athletes are using it and recommending it.

fraser112

is that to increase the gycogen stores? sorta emptying the tank then filling it back up?

I would love someone to mention gomad on here haha someone eating 7000 cals a day would cause this place to melt down.

I actually did like 1/2 GOMAD for a long time and got great results from it. for skinny people I think it's great.


In a nut shell, yes. The basics are, in the morning your body is sensitive to insulin. So you limit carbs so you don't cause an insulin spike. You still get like 30 grams during the day so you aren't going to be dead when training rolls around.
You train and your muscles are basically hyper sensitive. Then you start pounding simple carbs, ripe bananas, white rice, cookies. whatever..
this replenishes glycogen. and you want the fast carbs so you get the initial spike and then they're gone. increased insulin levels can inhibit GH production at night, so you don't want a ton of slow digesting carbs in your system when you're off to bed.

It sounds like absurd broscience, but the studies are there to back it up. And elite level athletes are using it and recommending it.

makes alot of sense but i bet momscience really gets in the way of it haha.

BikinimomE

Quotes akin to this amuse me. "I've tried (insert latest whacky diet) several times and *it works* every single time."

Isn't that like "I've quit smoking a few times before..."

Ummmm if "it worked" then why would one have to keep going back to it? Doesn't this imply that the diet was not sustainable?

When I was competitive (back when people were riding around on dinosaurs LOL) we did do some pretty extreme dieting in order to manipulate our appearance for a few hours for that ONE DAY. We all knew it was temporary. Some of us rebounded and would gain 20+ pounds within one week after a show and some of us would just go back to what I like to call "eating sensibly and moving around." Some of us destroyed our thyroids in the process and some of us did not (pesky eating sensibly and moving around thing again).

Crazy fad that "eating sensibly and moving around" thing. With the exception of 8 months 2 years ago it has managed to keep me in the same clothing size (up or down 5 pounds maybe) for over 13 years... And I was a fat kid and struggled with weight my whole life until I found the aforementioned crazy fad.

Too bad it doesn't ever catch on with so many. Perhaps it would if so many weren't searching for the holy grail of "super-high-tech-easy-way-to-get-super-ripped or super-skinny-with-little-to-no-thinking-effort."

Sorry if my post seems to drip of sarcasm. I don't mean to come off in an abrasive fashion. But when you get to my age and have seen some of the stuff I've seen, you tend to get a bit peeved when there is yet another high-tech, new-fangled panacea that "really works."

ilovedeadlifts

^^I can agree with that.

And for the average joe who just wants to look better, you can have a pretty average diet. I got down to 10% bodyfat just from keeping up with my macros. I didn't cut carbs. Didn't fast. didn't eat super clean. You just monitor what you eat and make adjustments.


But when you're trying to do something beyond that, it takes more discipline and some manipulation.

BikinimomE

^^I can agree with that.

And for the average joe who just wants to look better, you can have a pretty average diet. I got down to 10% bodyfat just from keeping up with my macros. I didn't cut carbs. Didn't fast. didn't eat super clean. You just monitor what you eat and make adjustments.


But when you're trying to do something beyond that, it takes more discipline and some manipulation.

Yes, you are correct. But I don't see very many elite level athletes populating this site

In addition to a couple of local level bodybuilding competitions (where I got down to 8% bf) I also modeled fitness, swimwear and commercial (not fashion, too old and too short LOL). I never allowed my bf to go above 18% so I could get to 15/16% in a few days if needed. And how did we do that? You guessed it, low carbing which is a type of fasting. Is it possible to maintain 15/16% bf with relative ease once you get to know your body? Sure. But if we needed to manipulate our appearance in a jiffy, we low-carbed it and voila - great pics.

Yes, discipline is necessary. But it's so much easier to just not let yourself gain too much extra body fat. Maintenance is so much easier.

There is no "fad" that "works" which is sustainable OR healthy and I can see no realistic way that fasting - ie starving for extended periods offers any health benefit, for women in particular. But men also have bones and joints, right?

People need to get off of their duffs and LEARN how their body's work (metabolism - biology 101) and basic nutrition. The rest is personal preference (activity type and intensity/duration/frequency).

^^^Once people do this work they will spend less time distracted by "worthless shiny pretty hype".

HappyStack

What methods do you require to "prove" a dietary strategy?
World record holding athletes are using it and reporting progress. With no monetary gain. They have no reason to lie to friends, followers, etc because they aren't the ones making money off of Keifer's book.

Everyone I've talked to that has followed the protocol has managed to make progress while maintaining strength. Most of them are strongmen, powerlifters, and crossfitters. So performance is paramount. They wouldn't do it if it affected their sport negatively.

I can understand skepticism, because it's a newer thing and not a lot of people have tried it and talked about it. But saying that it is "detrimental" is way off base. How do you get that?

Long-term scientific study?

If I can find the article, I'll post it, but there was a long-term study done on the effects of constant IF and it resulted in an increased insulin resistance & elevated blood sugar levels. Two conditions commonly associated with type 2 diabetes and obesity.

As a quick-fix, like any dietary method with a calorie restriction, it's going to be fine and produce results. For a time. I'm sure the strongmen, powerlifters and crossfitters you've talked to have had a cyclical feeding habit, they may use IF for a few months, but rotate back to a more 'usual' feeding method in between these periods... which in turn results in an overall sustainable eating habit that isn't exactly IF, nor is it 'usual' feeding.

Correct me if I'm wrong. I'm still learning about nutrition, but IF/CBL flies in the face of almost everything I've read so far.