fasting??
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What's the point of fasting?
Well, some would point out that humans evolved during a time when there wasn't always food available, and eating regular meals 7 days a week is a 21st century Western world luxury.
I've been following Dr Michael Mosley's 5:2 approach for the past couple of months. It was originally conceived as a way of improving health, possibly even living longer , and weight loss was just a side effect. The "science" behind it is that when you are constantly giving your body food, then it constantly makes new cells. Reduce its supply of food, and then your body has to REPAIR its existing cells. It is that repair mode that brings about the health benefits.
Research is ongoing, and some people are wary of it until there's more evidence. That's OK.
Some people develop their own variations as to how much they eat on fasting days, what they count as a "day", how many days a week they do it. That's OK too.
Other benefits I've found are that I've broken my snack habit, I really appreciate the taste of food after a fast, and I also find that there's a slight euphoria during a fast day, probably due to the blood sugar levels.
It isn't for everyone - diabetics and those with a tendency to eating disorders shouldn't try fasting. And it's also not recommended for children or pregnant women (anyone where growing new cells is important).
Excellent post!
I would also suggest controlled fasting is great for people with emotional over-eating disorders, it teaches you so much about being hungry and what that really means.
its certainly taught me a lot.0 -
You're going to have extremists on both sides of the argument. That being said, do whatever the **** you wanna do.
Actually there is some benefit to eating more than once a day and I don't mean 6,7,8.9.Just to be clear. I was speaking specifically to weight loss. My personal opinion is that fasting is on the same level as fad diets and pills. I have seen lots of anecdotal evidence presented but I don't buy it. I am sure there are studies that will laud the benefits of the various methods of fasting. There are studies that laud the benefits of green coffee beans and raspberry ketones too. I don't buy them either. With all that said, if that's what it takes to get someone to a deficit so they become less fat, then I am all for it. As far as other benefits of fasting, I'll leave that argument to others. Again, I am speaking strictly to weight loss.
Ok, weight loss only.
Calories in versus calories out right?
Who cares how they are split up? I split mine 3000 one day and 500 the next. You can split your's 1750/day if you want.
Moving along...
and, as we can see from the extensive research done into fasting, there is benefit to only eating once a day too, or only eating for 3 days a week.
I fasted during prep (when calories were low) and it worked quite well.0 -
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You're going to have extremists on both sides of the argument. That being said, do whatever the **** you wanna do.
^Making all kindz of sense.
All kindz.0 -
LOL! I always love your posts.[
You're going to have extremists on both sides of the argument. That being said, do whatever the **** you wanna do.
^Making all kindz of sense.
All kindz.0 -
Gotta ask, are folks who are doing IF doing it for weight loss or for the health benefits?
I've done IF before and although I lost 5lb over the course of a month, I found the mental benefits far outweighed the "weightloss" (still not overly convinced by) benefits. I felt much more alert, concentration increased, slept better, skin was better...
Can you or can someone explain how to do IF for weight loss and to be sure to maintain muscle mass. I feel soo amazing when I fast but I don't understand WHEN to do it. Isn't "when" the key?
No I can't explain it for weight loss I'm afraid hun as I didn't ever do IF with the intention of losing weight. Sorry.0 -
You're going to have extremists on both sides of the argument. That being said, do whatever the **** you wanna do.
Actually there is some benefit to eating more than once a day and I don't mean 6,7,8.9.Just to be clear. I was speaking specifically to weight loss. My personal opinion is that fasting is on the same level as fad diets and pills. I have seen lots of anecdotal evidence presented but I don't buy it. I am sure there are studies that will laud the benefits of the various methods of fasting. There are studies that laud the benefits of green coffee beans and raspberry ketones too. I don't buy them either. With all that said, if that's what it takes to get someone to a deficit so they become less fat, then I am all for it. As far as other benefits of fasting, I'll leave that argument to others. Again, I am speaking strictly to weight loss.
Ok, weight loss only.
Calories in versus calories out right?
Who cares how they are split up? I split mine 3000 one day and 500 the next. You can split your's 1750/day if you want.
Moving along...
and, as we can see from the extensive research done into fasting, there is benefit to only eating once a day too, or only eating for 3 days a week.
I fasted during prep (when calories were low) and it worked quite well.
Definitely, which is why its great there are a multitude of different ways of going about things in order to achieve the desiredm healthy result. Because all people are different.
If i eat 6 meals a day i would be constantly hungry and i would be constantly thinking about food, i would also have less and less time to spend with my little boys. Not something i want to do. I need to not be a slave to food, fasting is good for me, the difference is, you will not find fasters who 'tell' others that they MUST do this or that, not the same with the other extrmistes though who seem hell bent on telling those who do things differently that they are doing it 'wrong'
this thread is a shining example of that, I have not seen one pro-faster tell one other person that they have to fast to get their desired results, yet we have been called stupid and ill-educated and a variety of other things.
its mental, if you've found something that works for you, great, but dont expect it to work for everyone.0 -
i think fasting good thing have u tried 5.2 diet where u eat 500 cal for 2 days then eat normal for the rest of the week i b doing for 2wk and it great i lost weight from it, it does not make u tied or lack of energy xx0
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love this...lolFasting is stupid and you'll just ruin your metabolism. You will lose weight even faster if you have a healthy calorie goal and excercise a lot
Seriously? Good lord read up on it before you spout lies and misconceptions about fasting. First of all there is no way it ruins your metabolism and it's not about losing faster it's about losing fat. Good grief why say such silly things. At least KNOW what your talking about before posting it.
Read Eat Stop Eat if you want to know about fasting. At least learn something about it before you post such crap as above.0 -
Bumping because this interests me for if I ever need to lose weight again. Might suit me.0
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I agree with some of the above posters. The correct answer is really "it depends". Not all types of fasting are the same and the correct answer really depends on the individual situation and your specific goals.
I suggest you narrow your focus to a specific type of fasting you are most interested in and then research whether or not it might be beneficial in your situation.
I think that is a fantastic idea.
Fasting is such a broad term that it can mean a plethora of things.
I'd also like to add that it seems that everyone who has actually TRIED Intermittent Fasting (Warrior Diet, 5:2, Leangains) only has positive things to say about it. I may have missed some posts to the contrary, but I'm pretty sure I read them all. The only people who seem to have anything negative to say are those who haven't tried it. Perhaps the old addage "Don't knock it til you try it" is applicable here?
As I mentioned before, I used to think the idea of fasting was 'stupid', and I still think that those who go on extended (e.g. over 36-48 hours) doing water fasts/cleanses and the like in an attempt to drop pounds quickly might not be doing things the 'right' way, but again, I'm not going to tell someone their way is wrong and mine is right. Up until just now I was a 6-meals-a-day, don't-skip-post-workout-shake kind of girl, and after trying IF I'm glad that I was open-minded and gave it a whirl.0 -
Gotta ask, are folks who are doing IF doing it for weight loss or for the health benefits?
I've done IF before and although I lost 5lb over the course of a month, I found the mental benefits far outweighed the "weightloss" (still not overly convinced by) benefits. I felt much more alert, concentration increased, slept better, skin was better...
It's a lifestyle thing for me. I'm still eating the same amount of calories and same macronutrient ratio as I was before (if not more on some days) but eating 6x per day left me feeling unsatisfied and like a social hermit.0 -
[
You're going to have extremists on both sides of the argument. That being said, do whatever the **** you wanna do.
^Making all kindz of sense.
All kindz.
"Hey man, hey. You thinkin about that Intermittent Faaastin? Thats GOOD! That's REAL good!"
LOL0 -
I fail to understand the point of fasting when you can lose all the weight you want by eating properly at a caloric deficit and exercising frequently. Why starve yourself unnecessarily?
Would be cool if you read the thread you're replying on and the reasons that myself and others have already given which answer this question sufficiently.
I read the thread before I replied, thanks. My question remains. Fasting appears to be an unnecessary gimmick a few of you rely on. If it works for you for a bit, more power to you. If you love it, more power to you. But it is totally unnecessary, hence my questioning of it.0 -
Just to be clear. I was speaking specifically to weight loss. My personal opinion is that fasting is on the same level as fad diets and pills. I have seen lots of anecdotal evidence presented but I don't buy it. I am sure there are studies that will laud the benefits of the various methods of fasting. There are studies that laud the benefits of green coffee beans and raspberry ketones too. I don't buy them either. With all that said, if that's what it takes to get someone to a deficit so they become less fat, then I am all for it. As far as other benefits of fasting, I'll leave that argument to others. Again, I am speaking strictly to weight loss.
Amen0 -
once I start exercising I will make sure im not doing so on a fasting day. Any constructive feedback or guidance on this is welcomed.
Opinions seem to be mixed on the topic of fasted exercise too.
The only thing everyone seems to agree on is that if you are smelling ammonia - you should eat a few carbs before your exercise.
My normal schedule has me alternating weekly if I am lined up to lift or do cardio on fasting days.
So far:
I seem a bit weaker on the weights on fasting days - I can still move the weight, but my level of effort feels higher.
On fasting days, running actually seems easier - but I need to have a few carbs right before my run or I get the ammonia deal.0 -
I fail to understand the point of fasting when you can lose all the weight you want by eating properly at a caloric deficit and exercising frequently. Why starve yourself unnecessarily?
Would be cool if you read the thread you're replying on and the reasons that myself and others have already given which answer this question sufficiently.
I read the thread before I replied, thanks. My question remains. Fasting appears to be an unnecessary gimmick a few of you rely on. If it works for you for a bit, more power to you. If you love it, more power to you. But it is totally unnecessary, hence my questioning of it.
What do you mean by 'rely on'?
You aren't making any sense
Its quite possible to fast without having any calorie reduction, therefore it is not about weight loss, it can aid weight loss if you are careful with your diet the rest of the week but it is not about weight loss
If you look at my ticker, you'll notice I have lost a lot of weight in the last six months, most of that was through healthy eating and staying active, nobody is suggesting those things are not important, simply stating that there are health benefits and mental benefits to fasting which are attractive to us.
I just dont see how 'unnecessary' can be used in this context? Many things are unnecessary, people have been loosing weight for centuries without the use of MFP, that is also 'unnecessary' isn't it.
You are focused on weight loss rather than health, which I think is damaging, I am aiming to improve my overall health and my weight loss being as an aside to that. I believe that fasting a couple of times a week is a great thing to do, my body and my mind feel better for it. My feeling better may be 'unnecessary' to you, but its certainly not 'unnecessary' to me (am using these words in the loosest way possible hence the hyphens) and frankly, your inability to see my health as 'necessary' (?) is pretty 'unnecessary' to me (feel free to substitute last 'unnecessary' for irrelevant if you fancy using the English language correctly for a change)
Fact is, life is full of change and people are full of change. People will invariably do things differently to you, if you dont like it, thats absolutely fine but really unless your willing to do some research to find out just how great fasting can be for people, then pipe down because you make yourself look rather silly.0 -
^^ Just to piggy-back, a lot of people 'bulk' doing IF as well.0
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^^ Just to piggy-back, a lot of people 'bulk' doing IF as well.
Yep, I just did. Gained the most strength since my noobie weight lifting days, yet my waist never went past 34.5 inches.
But yeah, IF is "just a gimmick" I use.
...0 -
^^ Just to piggy-back, a lot of people 'bulk' doing IF as well.
That has been my experience, and frankly, the muscle gain has surprised me. As I mentioned, I've been weight training consistently for the past decade. I hit my ceiling on progressing my lifts some time ago and assumed I had hit my genetic limit in terms of muscle gains. At my age (59) my goals had shifted from gaining muscle to simply maintaining what I have, knowing that age is working against me. I started the Leangains protocol strictly as a way of breaking through a very persistent fat loss plateau I'd been on for several months. It has certainly accomplished that with my body fat falling from about 15% to about 11%. But in the process I have added over four pounds of muscle.
Of course, I realize and freely acknowledge that IF will eventually quit "working" in terms of both fat loss and muscle gains. But that is true of any and all protocols. No protocol will enable you, drug-free, to continue making gains the rest of your life. We all eventually hit our genetic ceiling, at which point the definition of "working" becomes maintaining and/or slowing the loss of muscle mass as the years pile up. And for me, right now, IF has actually helped me add a bit of muscle as I stand on the threshold of my sixth decade of life. For that, I'm most grateful. And I'm always on the lookout for the next "fad" that can do the same.0 -
fasting is bad or at least thats what most people say. I am kind of struggling with an eating disorder, and they are NOT a good thing. i tend to fast for at least 2 days or more and i restrict a lot. along with that i tend to bige. my defenition of binge is different than most peoples. The past 2-3 weeks, with fasting, dieting and exercise i have lost a good 20 pounds. don't say it isn't possible because it is. i am not in any way promoting fasting.. just try to keep a good healthy diet with lots of cardio exercise. also i like to use flax seed in my smoothies in the morning. it speeds up my metabolism and it has no taste (:0
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fasting is bad or at least thats what most people say. I am kind of struggling with an eating disorder, and they are NOT a good thing. i tend to fast for at least 2 days or more and i restrict a lot. along with that i tend to bige. my defenition of binge is different than most peoples. The past 2-3 weeks, with fasting, dieting and exercise i have lost a good 20 pounds. don't say it isn't possible because it is. i am not in any way promoting fasting.. just try to keep a good healthy diet with lots of cardio exercise. also i like to use flax seed in my smoothies in the morning. it speeds up my metabolism and it has no taste (:
You're not promoting fasting but you're telling us how to it in a very unhealthy manner? Uh, no.0 -
And this silliness did indeed follow.
To those of you that can't seem to comprehend IF...it isn't about 'starving' (in fact, most people that IF naturally consume higher calories than those that just calorie count), nor is it just about losing weight.
Many people feel ravenous all day when they eat a morning meal. I am one. This makes it difficult at best to stay within your daily calories.
Many people find that if they snack all day, they end up over calories rather often.
I've snipped this a little :-)
The above is so true for me. If I get up and eat anything, I am hungry all day. I gave up on breakfast a long time ago. I do have morning coffee with a very large scoop of pure virgin cold pressed organic coconut oil, but that's about it. By having the coconut oil I can skip lunch if I have too without eating crazy from dinner onwards. If I stick to a sensible eating window I lose weight (I have lost over 100 pounds so far) but still have oodles of energy. Maybe it's being a mad English woman that does it. :-)0 -
I read the thread before I replied, thanks. My question remains. Fasting appears to be an unnecessary gimmick a few of you rely on. If it works for you for a bit, more power to you. If you love it, more power to you. But it is totally unnecessary, hence my questioning of it.
Question: you've read the thread but have you actually gone and read the controlled scientific studies into fasting and its effect on humans and animals?
I ask because as someone who has done so, I'm more than a little incredulous that anyone who's read them could go on to dismiss fasting as an unnecessary gimmick.0 -
I read the thread before I replied, thanks. My question remains. Fasting appears to be an unnecessary gimmick a few of you rely on. If it works for you for a bit, more power to you. If you love it, more power to you. But it is totally unnecessary, hence my questioning of it.
Weight loss is about creating an energy deficit. If you want to do that with 3-6 evenly spaced meals then that is fine. If someone else would prefer to fast for a bit and have 2 much larger meals with the same total macronutrients then the difference in weight loss and LBM retention would be SFA.
So for people who are happy with small meals then IF is probably not a good idea. I however, can eat a $hitload of food so I prefer to fast and then have my large meals. If I didn't fast then it would be a LOT harder to hit macro goals.
Pretty simple right?
And as has been said, you can use IF for bulking also which I've done in the past.
I think the main issue is this BBC doco that people have seen and want to jump straight in with 2 24hr fasts a week. This is the same premises that ESE has had for years and IMO it is much better idea to gradually work up to that and assess your tolerances on the way.0 -
bump-- interested in the experiences of those of you who do leangains0
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Finding Intermittent Fasting was the best thing to happen to me. Hit help me hit my goals and feel more energised. I currently follow leangains style fasting and it helping me get my bodyfat down. I am almost in the 12 % area now (13.1 at last measurement).
I do 16x8 Mon to Fri and 19+ fast on weekend.
I am now just slowly building calories back up to start using the system to build some muscle while not gaining fat hopefully.
Not to mention all the health benefits that go with it.0 -
Question: you've read the thread but have you actually gone and read the controlled scientific studies into fasting and its effect on humans and animals?
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/daniel-bartlett/52-diet-intermittent-fasting-another-fad_b_2637955.html
You mean stuff like that? Yes I have. I have to agree with the author.
And if intermittent fasting works for you, like I said before, great. I think it gives a lot of people the wrong idea however.0 -
Gotta ask, are folks who are doing IF doing it for weight loss or for the health benefits?
I've done IF before and although I lost 5lb over the course of a month, I found the mental benefits far outweighed the "weightloss" (still not overly convinced by) benefits. I felt much more alert, concentration increased, slept better, skin was better...
It's a lifestyle thing for me. I'm still eating the same amount of calories and same macronutrient ratio as I was before (if not more on some days) but eating 6x per day left me feeling unsatisfied and like a social hermit.
Eating six times a day just doesn't make me happy. I like feeling full. Like really full. Like my pants are going to f'in explode full. If I eat 6 meals I never get that feeling and thus never feel satiated.
That all being said... I have the control to not eat anymore once I reach my caloric intake (around 2p). I never feel deprived when I eat this way. Like never. never ever.
I'm also eating the same calories and macros, I just go to bed with an empty tummy. It kinda makes more sense to consume all your calories during the times of day that you are more active and fast when you aren't.
I also work out around lunch time. If I was an evening worker-outer then I might switch it up...0 -
Question: you've read the thread but have you actually gone and read the controlled scientific studies into fasting and its effect on humans and animals?
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/daniel-bartlett/52-diet-intermittent-fasting-another-fad_b_2637955.html
You mean stuff like that? Yes I have. I have to agree with the author.
And if intermittent fasting works for you, like I said before, great. I think it gives a lot of people the wrong idea however.
the 5/2 diet isn't really in the spirit of IF. IF really looks at the whole picture: caloric intake overtime. Your body doesn't reset every morning. Your body reacts to the whole of your actions. So if you binge on the 5 days... it really doesn't matter if you fast for two days because overall you are still probably consuming more calories than you are burning across a period of time.0 -
I read the thread before I replied, thanks. My question remains. Fasting appears to be an unnecessary gimmick a few of you rely on. If it works for you for a bit, more power to you. If you love it, more power to you. But it is totally unnecessary, hence my questioning of it.
Question: you've read the thread but have you actually gone and read the controlled scientific studies into fasting and its effect on humans and animals?
I ask because as someone who has done so, I'm more than a little incredulous that anyone who's read them could go on to dismiss fasting as an unnecessary gimmick.
I like you. Will you be my friend :-)
Like she said the research is there. It's not a gimmick. Is it necessary for overall health... no. So if it doesn't serve your purpose then don't do it. But for others it is a great option to achieve the results desired.0
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