Starvation mode?
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Kumbaya. Different strokes for different folks. I'm a child of the 60s, and it makes sense.
I'm happier and able to maintain on 2 meals a day. Sooooooome people, like the OP, chooses 1 "Big Meal" a day. Coach "chooses" 5-6 a day.
I say, as long as you be eating enough food, not too much, mostly plants - Call It Good.0 -
On the topic of IF, I thought the doco by Michael Mosley was interesting: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-191125490
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Kumbaya. Different strokes for different folks. I'm a child of the 60s, and it makes sense.
I'm happier and able to maintain on 2 meals a day. Sooooooome people, like the OP, chooses 1 "Big Meal" a day. Coach "chooses" 5-6 a day.
I say, as long as you be eating enough food, not too much, mostly plants - Call It Good.
word.
and @firstsip thanks for all that. lots of really good points and interesting info. I'm definitely going to look over it.0 -
I have a friend, 50 yo male, who has coffee for breakfast, a piece of fruit at lunch, then goes home to a large dinner his wife has made for the family. He has eaten this way for years. It keeps his weight under control and saves money on lunches while at work. It is not a diet for him, but simply a lifestyle.
I have also known some muslims that only eat one meal a day. Not sure if that is a common practice due to their religion, but it was definitely a lifestyle for them.0 -
Candylips70, Thanks for your post. The first thought I want to pass on is that it is a proven fact that people who lose weight consistently eat breakfast. As an affirmation say to yourself things like... healthy people or thin people or fit people or people that lose weight eat breakfast everyday (because it's true, they do) They also drink several glasses of water everyday... do that too! Find something you like, something healthy for breakfast... and just make it a habit to consistently, everyday ... eat it. even if it's on the run... Just do it... More of my self-talk is saying "How Bad Do You Want It?" If you want it bad enough you will start new habits... and do things differently than you've been doing in the past... The desire to change, must be greater than the desire to remain the same... This is a great time of year to set goals and follow though... Believe me... my eating habits were similar to yours for years... but by dividing my meals up... and doing the food/exercise journal along with my fitness activities... I've become accountable to self to make this work and see results.. I wish you success in whatever goal you set for yourself ...
Finally, I found a cute saying I'll share... "If you don't take care of your body, where are you going to live?"
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Candylips70, Thanks for your post. The first thought I want to pass on is that it is a proven fact that people who lose weight consistently eat breakfast. As an affirmation say to yourself things like... healthy people or thin people or fit people or people that lose weight eat breakfast everyday (because it's true, they do) They also drink several glasses of water everyday... do that too! Find something you like, something healthy for breakfast... and just make it a habit to consistently, everyday ... eat it. even if it's on the run... Just do it...
Dammit. All that hard work for, what, 8 pages? We finally get to Kumbaya, and - it's back to square one.
The whole "You must eat breakfast" myth has been thouroughly debunked, years ago
If you like breakfast, eat it.
It is not "a proven fact that people who lose weight consistently eat breakfast." ..oh, why do I bother?
Carry on.
I just love it that everyone else seems to be rational and reasonable.0 -
the argument isn't simply about losing weight. you'll lose weight whether you eat breakfast or not if you eat healthy foods. the argument - at least from my perspective - is health vs weight loss. the two are not synonymous.0
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Candylips70, Thanks for your post. The first thought I want to pass on is that it is a proven fact that people who lose weight consistently eat breakfast. As an affirmation say to yourself things like... healthy people or thin people or fit people or people that lose weight eat breakfast everyday (because it's true, they do) They also drink several glasses of water everyday... do that too! Find something you like, something healthy for breakfast... and just make it a habit to consistently, everyday ... eat it. even if it's on the run... Just do it...
Dammit. All that hard work for, what, 8 pages? We finally get to Kumbaya, and - it's back to square one.
The whole "You must eat breakfast" myth has been thouroughly debunked, years ago
If you like breakfast, eat it.
It is not "a proven fact that people who lose weight consistently eat breakfast." ..oh, why do I bother?
Carry on.
I just love it that everyone else seems to be rational and reasonable.
Haha, I had the same thoughts. "Finally, we're all respectful and trying to broaden information!" and WHAM, "Breakfast or bust."0 -
the argument isn't simply about losing weight. you'll lose weight whether you eat breakfast or not if you eat healthy foods. the argument - at least from my perspective - is health vs weight loss. the two are not synonymous.
Hey, Coach - That's a really good point. And I think it is an approach that would be fun to explore in depth. Why don't you start a new topic about it?
I don't think that the timing of meals or number of meals is relevant to health.....but obviously you do. It's going to get buried in this thread, though. :yawn:
I'm really really healthy, I've gone through just about every permutation possible when it comes to macros and meal timing, and I finally settled on what is best for me to maintain my caloric intake/weight, and balance my nutrition without supplements. I have zero health problems, and I'm older (in my 50s). So how do you measure this "health" thing you talk about? We (and by "we" - I mean you...) should start a new topic. I'm not going to be swayed, but I would love to see the consensus from the smart people of MFP.0 -
the argument isn't simply about losing weight. you'll lose weight whether you eat breakfast or not if you eat healthy foods. the argument - at least from my perspective - is health vs weight loss. the two are not synonymous.
There are so many sides to this, I don't think one can make that huge generalization. First, I think it depends on how over weight the person is. Then, you have to see if they have existing health conditions or have it in their genes for certain types of conditions. Then, you have to figure out if the conditions are based on their weight or if they'd have them if they were a fit, healthy weight. And so on...
I believe that the single biggest factor in most obese people is their weight. I bet a lot of people could have normal tests if they just got down to a normal weight. No matter what they ate to do it.
Is a diet of 2 big macs a day healthy, satiating, or macro friendly? No. If that's all you ate and you lost 75 pounds, and got off all your medications and your blood work came back normal, is that what you mean by healthy? Or is it who can run 5 miles without getting winded, is that what is healthy? Is a person who has diabetes but controls it with medication, diet and exercise unhealthy even though they are at a normal weight?
Who is healthier? The person at a normal weight with diabetes who eats right or the person who ate 2 big macs a day, lost 75 pounds and has all normal blood work?
*I understand this is an extreme example, but I just want to point out all the variables that come into play. The biggest question would be "What equals healthy?"0 -
ruh roh. riverside i'm with you, but this thread is dangerously close to being derailed... i SO want to answer Rachel's post!
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OP hasn't been back. No one will care if it's further derailed...she's gotten plenty of answers.ruh roh. riverside i'm with you, but this thread is dangerously close to being derailed... i SO want to answer Rachel's post!0 -
ruh roh. riverside i'm with you, but this thread is dangerously close to being derailed... i SO want to answer Rachel's post!
This might be the first time anyone has asked to derail a thread! lol0 -
ruh roh. riverside i'm with you, but this thread is dangerously close to being derailed... i SO want to answer Rachel's post!
This might be the first time anyone has asked to derail a thread! lol
True dat.0 -
This might be the first time anyone has asked to derail a thread! lol
hey i'm not ALL bad.
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There are so many sides to this, I don't think one can make that huge generalization. First, I think it depends on how over weight the person is. Then, you have to see if they have existing health conditions or have it in their genes for certain types of conditions. Then, you have to figure out if the conditions are based on their weight or if they'd have them if they were a fit, healthy weight. And so on...
I believe that the single biggest factor in most obese people is their weight. I bet a lot of people could have normal tests if they just got down to a normal weight. No matter what they ate to do it.
Is a diet of 2 big macs a day healthy, satiating, or macro friendly? No. If that's all you ate and you lost 75 pounds, and got off all your medications and your blood work came back normal, is that what you mean by healthy? Or is it who can run 5 miles without getting winded, is that what is healthy? Is a person who has diabetes but controls it with medication, diet and exercise unhealthy even though they are at a normal weight?
Who is healthier? The person at a normal weight with diabetes who eats right or the person who ate 2 big macs a day, lost 75 pounds and has all normal blood work?
*I understand this is an extreme example, but I just want to point out all the variables that come into play. The biggest question would be "What equals healthy?"
I appreciate the example, but someone eating two big macs a day won't GET clean blood work. Their cholesterol levels will be high even if they're skinny. Heart attacks can happen in thin people too. And as for the diabetic, there are some incredibly healthy diabetics, and regardless of their condition yes I'd consider a diabetic athlete healthy
I do think there is a big difference between the typical person reaching a point where they're happy (maintenance) and just coasting from there - and a person who isn't looking to ever maintain, but constantly improve. There's nothing wrong with either, but personally I think the more elite you're looking to go, the more meticulous you have to be about your food.
If you're just looking to lose weight, get off some meds, etc, then things like IF can absolutely do that for you.
MY question is whether IF can ever get you to a higher level of health/fitness. To be brutally honest, I've never seen someone on here or elsewhere who does IF and is ripped/chiseled/an athlete (this is the part where someone enlightens me!)0 -
There are so many sides to this, I don't think one can make that huge generalization. First, I think it depends on how over weight the person is. Then, you have to see if they have existing health conditions or have it in their genes for certain types of conditions. Then, you have to figure out if the conditions are based on their weight or if they'd have them if they were a fit, healthy weight. And so on...
I believe that the single biggest factor in most obese people is their weight. I bet a lot of people could have normal tests if they just got down to a normal weight. No matter what they ate to do it.
Is a diet of 2 big macs a day healthy, satiating, or macro friendly? No. If that's all you ate and you lost 75 pounds, and got off all your medications and your blood work came back normal, is that what you mean by healthy? Or is it who can run 5 miles without getting winded, is that what is healthy? Is a person who has diabetes but controls it with medication, diet and exercise unhealthy even though they are at a normal weight?
Who is healthier? The person at a normal weight with diabetes who eats right or the person who ate 2 big macs a day, lost 75 pounds and has all normal blood work?
*I understand this is an extreme example, but I just want to point out all the variables that come into play. The biggest question would be "What equals healthy?"
I appreciate the example, but someone eating two big macs a day won't GET clean blood work. Their cholesterol levels will be high even if they're skinny. Heart attacks can happen in thin people too. And as for the diabetic, there are some incredibly healthy diabetics, and regardless of their condition yes I'd consider a diabetic athlete healthy
I do think there is a big difference between the typical person reaching a point where they're happy (maintenance) and just coasting from there - and a person who isn't looking to ever maintain, but constantly improve. There's nothing wrong with either, but personally I think the more elite you're looking to go, the more meticulous you have to be about your food.
If you're just looking to lose weight, get off some meds, etc, then things like IF can absolutely do that for you.
MY question is whether IF can ever get you to a higher level of health/fitness. To be brutally honest, I've never seen someone on here or elsewhere who does IF and is ripped/chiseled/an athlete (this is the part where someone enlightens me!)
I didn't mean to infer that being diabetic automatically equals unhealthy, I hope you (or anyone else) realizes I was just trying to make a point.
There are plenty of people who practice IF as a lifestyle. There are different forms of IF. I think the most common is 16-8, where you have an 8 hour feeding window and part of the other 16 is sleeping. There's also a 20-4 version with only a 4 hour feeding window. More intense and a higher level of dedication is needed.
Some of the guys here are into fasted training. I personally don't know all the science there, but you can get some good information from them (Joe?)
I know it's sad I'm even bringing it up, but the Twinkie Diet guy is the square root example of blood markers improving in correlation to dropping weight. You mention cholesterol levels and even with that you have to take into consideration genes and exercise levels. My lineage doesn't have a predisposition to high cholesterol and I'm very lucky that I haven't developed serious health issues being as over weight as I was, but other people who weighed the exact same (even less, or more to the point, skinny fit people) can have high cholesterol, high BP, and diabetes.
ETA: Does the fact that I'm "genetically lucky" make me more healthy then someone of lower weight with these problems?0 -
ETA: Does the fact that I'm "genetically lucky" make me more healthy then someone of lower weight with these problems?
absolutely! i mean, it's unfortunate, but some people are more genetically per-disposed to being healthy than others - but then again, everyone has something.
i'm incredibly "healthy" but I have LPR (laryngopharyngeal reflux) which is basically a form of acid reflux that isn't treatable by any drugs that have been invented as of yet. It's pretty awful being on the cutting edge of medical science!
So yes, everybody's got their issues, but that just means we all have to do things a little differently to get the results we want. Some have to work harder than others, and that's a bummer, but it's life.
i guess what it comes down to for me is this: I want to physically perform at the highest level i possibly can, and thus i need a lot of food, so i need to space it out a lot over the day. IF would not work at ALL for me, and I feel like for others with my goals it wouldn't work either.
If the goal is purely weight loss, I'll agree with y'all.0 -
I'm no expert on anything, I was just curious about your request for evidence of people doing IF and attaining more elite/super fit/athletic levels, rather than just weight loss. So I did a 1 minute Google search and found this guy:
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/john_berardis_great_fasting_experiment
It's not any peer-reviewed, published scientific study, just some dude who did it, along with some of his clients.ETA: Does the fact that I'm "genetically lucky" make me more healthy then someone of lower weight with these problems?
absolutely! i mean, it's unfortunate, but some people are more genetically per-disposed to being healthy than others - but then again, everyone has something.
i'm incredibly "healthy" but I have LPR (laryngopharyngeal reflux) which is basically a form of acid reflux that isn't treatable by any drugs that have been invented as of yet. It's pretty awful being on the cutting edge of medical science!
So yes, everybody's got their issues, but that just means we all have to do things a little differently to get the results we want. Some have to work harder than others, and that's a bummer, but it's life.
i guess what it comes down to for me is this: I want to physically perform at the highest level i possibly can, and thus i need a lot of food, so i need to space it out a lot over the day. IF would not work at ALL for me, and I feel like for others with my goals it wouldn't work either.
If the goal is purely weight loss, I'll agree with y'all.0 -
http://anthonymychal.com/2012/05/intermittent-fasting-for-athletes/
Bunch of studies linked at the bottom of the page about athletic performance during Ramadan. I didn't read any of them yet, just posting for those who might be interested.0
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