fasting, yes or no?

Some people intermittent fast 5:2, where they fast for 2 separate 24 hours (could do 8 am one morning then eat at 8 pm the next night) or they eat 500-600 calories for two separate days and a higher amount (like a good 2000) the other 5 days.

No, like I said, 2 separate days.

My Husband is convinced he wants to fast for one or two days a week to lose weight and I have to say i strongly disagree with not eating food for an entire day.

what are the arguments here?

It would work but totally unnecessary, especially if you're uncomfortable while doing it.

i do a form of intermittent fasting
i stop eating around 11pm-midnight, and dont eat until 3 or 4 pm the next day. so its like a 17:7... fast 17 hours, eat 7 hours.
i do it so im not hungry though, i like eating food back to back (big amounts) and i find im not hungry in the hours between when i stop eating until i eat again.

Fasting can be great for cleansing. I fast on some days from sunrise to sunset. I wake up and have a small meal before the sun rises, and then break my fast at sunset with a nutritious meal. I find the longer you go, the easier it gets and you also cannot fit as much food, so you eat less.

Fasting for a day won't do a single thing wrong to him unless he has health issues of some sort that would be directly effected such as diabetes by it. 24hrs without food is nothing on a body that is healthy.

I wouldn't really suggest fasting as a method of weightloss, but the occasional day without food won't harm him. People safely fast for longer and sometimes much longer than that for other reasons.

I fast on the rare occasion for reasons other than weightloss for more than a couple days. Never lost a pound, had the same energy as always, never had any ill effects. Our bodies are made to be able to cope with such things while working to survive... going without food for a day of regular life?

But yeah, the occasional one day without eating... his body isn't even gonna blink.

Our bodies were actually designed to function without food for regular periods every day (and no...not just while we're sleeping), not just 'cope'. How many years have humans existed? How many years has food been a readily available commodity for pretty much everyone? If we weren't made the way we are in regards to how we fuel ourselves...we'd have died out as a species looooong ago. As a matter of fact I find it very ironic that food being so very available nowadays is slowly killing us off anyhow lol. Obesity and obesity related diseases are a real issue, and are directly related to the abundance of food in our first world society.

As for fasting in an effort to assist weight loss...why not? If it helps you maintain a healthy deficit (around 500cal/day for most people...averaged out of course), what exactly would be wrong with it? Some people (like me) prefer eating large meals once or twice a day (some of my meals are 2500cal or more), rather than smaller meals throughout the day. I feel much more satisfied and 'full' when I do so. If I eat smaller meals, I feel hungry all day. I'd rather skip a few...and eat something really good...than skimp all day in order to meet my calorie target.

Anyhow...those are my personal reasons for preferring 'fasting' as stated. There are other reported benefits to health and longevity, but those are still up for debate. For weight loss, a deficit is a deficit, and so whether you fast or not in order to achieve it is a matter of preference (as I stated).

You are absolutely right that it won't harm him though.

whether you do 17:7 or 5:2 or what not how many cals do you do when you can eat? if you are only say 1500 a day do you eat all 1500 in your eating window or less? then go back to 1500 the next day?

You eat your total daily allowance in that given period. Leangains.com (most popular method) will lay this out in a 16 hour fast/8 hour feed window. For example, on most days my calories are consumed between Noon and 8:00 PM.

My calorie goals are specific to me but my calories for workout days are: 2,696 calories (256 protein, 283 carbs, 61 fat) and non workout days: 2,381 calories (256 protein, 179 carbs, 71 fats). He would need to figure out his TDEE, which can be done if you simply google a calculator for it and plug in the variables.

whether you do 17:7 or 5:2 or what not how many cals do you do when you can eat? if you are only say 1500 a day do you eat all 1500 in your eating window or less? then go back to 1500 the next day?

ok, if you eat 16/8 - which is a daily fast, you would just eat your 1500 calories in that 8 hour period.

if you are on 5:2 5 feed days, 2 fast days - on your fast days you would eat 500 cals a day (well I would personally) and on your feed days you eat 1500 + 400 to make up for the fast days.

NOTE: I could be wrong about the 5:2 - someone else may know better.


so, if hes trying to loose weight and hasn't calculated his numbers already, go here http://physiquelore.com/harris-benedict/

Yes, calories during the period of 12:00 Noon to 8:00 PM unfer the 16/8 fast.

5:2 would have 5 normal calorie days and 2 low calorie days so it averages out being less calories over the period of a week. (I would add in some extra calories on days that you are more physically active)