Alternate Day Fasting... Have you done it?

buglesalmoncatgirl wrote: »

Oh interesting side note! For people worried about lean muscle, please read this excerpt from The Every Other Day Diet by Dr. Krista Varady and Bill Gottlieb:

Dieters lost fat, not muscle. Our EOD dieters also lost most of their weight as fat—11.9 pounds, on average, meaning that they shed only a few ounces of muscle. Losing fat rather than muscle is crucial in successful weight loss, because muscle burns calories. A typical dieter on other plans sheds 75% of her weight as fat and 25% as muscle; the typical EOD dieter sheds nearly all of her weight as fat. That’s probably one reason why my subsequent studies have shown that EOD dieters, unlike most other dieters, don’t regain the weight they lose.

Maybe........

How was this measured? How many people in this study? Did they have good genetics, or personal trainers (who knows). There are a number of factors for helping to keep more lean muscle mass: moderate deficit, adequate protein, and progressive strength training.

I am kinda doing that "The Every Other Day Diet" but my diet days are grouped together, Monday to first half of Thursday and they happen to be noneventful time. I didn't start out like this but kept adjusting over months and now it becomes exactly 50/50 between fasting/eating light and eating freely as you put.

I don't follow a low day high day. However I do intermittent fasting about 3 times a week. Example: I ate last night by 6pm and then didn't eat breakfast until about 9:30am; fasting for about 15 hours. I broke through my plateau since starting this.

What are you guys eating for the fasting days?

I will make Sunday my fast days, and figured I might make it into a complete 'cleanse' (no meat, alcohol, processed etc.).

HM2206 wrote: »

What are you guys eating for the fasting days?

I will make Sunday my fast days, and figured I might make it into a complete 'cleanse' (no meat, alcohol, processed etc.).

I eat basic meals that are low in fat (because fat is the worst thing for my personal hunger). My typical meal contains some kind of starch, some kind of lean protein and lots and lots of vegetables. Many days I have predominantly starchy meals like bean or lentil meals because starch is the most filling to me. Vegetables give the meal volume so that's a staple too. I use low calorie broth based soups (about 40-50 calories per cup) to bump the volume even more. My meals are typically 1 calorie per gram or under.

A meal may look like this:
This chicken for 200 calories: http://www.skinnytaste.com/chicken-with-roasted-tomato-and-red/
200 grams of broccoli with lemon juice and garlic for 70 calories
180 grams of roasted potatoes for 160 calories

That's a little under 1.5 pounds of food for 450 calories. This leaves me with 350 calories for a second meal (I do 800 calorie fast days).

My second meal may be this: http://food52.com/recipes/20441-aloo-gobi-a-dry-indian-curry-of-cauliflower-potato-peas
Has about 350 calories per pound of food.

ETA: I understand that most people don't do 800 calorie fast days so here are some other ideas with low approximate calories per gram to pair with your favorite dishes:

http://www.skinnytaste.com/mexican-cauliflower-rice/ - 0.35 calories per gram

http://thymeandtoast.com/eggplant-chickpea-tomato-casserole/ - 0.6 calories per gram
http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a45366/buffalo-roasted-cauliflower-recipe/ - 0.4 calories per gram

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/soups/lemony-lentil-soup-with-greens/ - 0.5 calories per gram

http://ahealthylifeforme.com/eggplant-meatballs-in-marinara/ - 0.3 calories per gram

http://precisionnutrition.com/encyclopedia/food/anchovies/ - 0.55 calories per gram if you reduce the oil

How do you guys do this? I would have to hibernate completely on low cal days if I tried this - like stay in bed the whole day. I would turn into a hangry beast and murder everyone in sight! If I go too long without food, first I get really cranky, then I get foggy-brained and confused, then I get low blood sugar and feel nauseous, anxious and sweaty. If I don't eat soon after that, I faint. Been like that since I was a little kid in school. I'm not diabetic or insulin resistant, either. Just always have had lower than normal blood sugar on screenings - fasted or not. I guess fasting isn't for everyone. IF does sound kinda cool if you can hack it, though.

ETA: It just occurred to me that I would be the first one to die in a famine. I'm already skinny, and I can't handle fasting. That's a crappy adaptation. I guess I'm an evolutionary failure.

buglesalmoncatgirl wrote: »

I got through a successful fast day yesterday.
It was not nearly as hard for me as the previous attempt. I think what helped was meal planning and, for my unique preferences, getting in some fats! Clearly it's different for different folks. My fast day consisted of water, coffee (black or sweetened with Splenda and a little small measured amount of milk or almond breeze), tea (same as coffee), sugar free jello, rice cakes, peanut butter, and low calorie tortilla.

All added up to 590.

I'm aiming for 500-600 on fast days and, since I'm only doing two per week, the remaining days are not to go above my TDEE. I'm actually aiming for 1400-1500 on the remaining days.

You can do it!
Ultimately what the consensus seems to be amidst professionals is to find something that works for you, be it daily traditional reduced calorie diets or intermittent fasting, etc.

Once you find your sweet spot, your golden!

I ended up at 800 calories total yesterday - not quite what I hoped for, but still a low calorie day.

The sugar free jello is a great idea, it's not common here but I'll try to make it.

Are you going to keep your fasting days to the weekend or do weekdays too? I think it'll be harder when you spend the day at work.

Is anyone still doing this? How are the results?