How do you guys feel about fasting?

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  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
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    I fasted on the "liquid protein diet" back in the 70s. I lost weight very quickly and lost my 20 pounds in about a month. The very first time I ate a meal, the next day I gained exactly 10 pounds back. I was dehydrated. Over the next few days, I gained all but 5 pounds back. Not worth it in any way. I was devastated and, of course being in starvation mode just contributed to the yo-yo factor. Stupid idea unless there is a very good reason and you are closely supervised by a doctor or other health care professional.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    sorry buddy but you are wrong... if you eat 5 small meals during the day, spread it out every 3 hours, it regulates your sugar levels and speeds up your metabolism
    ust eat a lot of small well balanced meals every 3 hours and you will speed your metabolism

    Eating every 3 hours does not 'speed up' your metabolism...and it certainly won't die out if you don't feed yourself for 6 hours, or more.
    Case in point: Not sure about you, but I like my 8-9 hours sleep. I don't get up in the middle of the night to eat, and I'm fairly certain most sane people don't. Fasting isn't bad, if you do it properly.

    However I will agree; to the OP - 2 days fasting a week on only 1,200 calories? Definitely not a good idea.

    Yay Glen and his broscience has made an appearance

    And go ahead and tout your credentials, which ultimately are meaningless when you continually suggest bro tastic things even in the face of mult studies showing why your suggestions are bro tastic
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
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    I TOTALLY AGREE. FASTING ONLY PUTS YOU BODY INTO STARVATION MODE WICH THEN YOUR BODY WILL HOLD ON TO THE FAT CELLS INSTEAD OF EATING HELTHY CHOICES IN SMALL PORTIONS THROUGHOUT THE DAY TO SPEED UP YOUR METABOLISM.

    Your body holds onto fat cells. They just get bigger or smaller.
  • DDOCallaghan
    DDOCallaghan Posts: 5
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    My understanding about fasting is that it throws your brain into starvation mode which in turn causes fast weight gain when you start eating again. That is why most programs and doctors recommend slow, steady weight loss. There is a brain/body connection. Your brain has to readjust slowly along with the changes in weight.
  • SandyandJesus
    SandyandJesus Posts: 11
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    I feel that fasting is for cleansing your body, but not for weight loss. You can get really sick if you follow your plan. I just do 5 light meals a day and it doesn't matter what time you work out... Just do it... It burns the fat... Thanks for asking our input before you do something not good for you.:smile:
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
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    I have been on a Leangains-model IF since December. It has definitely boosted my energy levels recognizably throughout the day, and my strength gains and fat-reduction efforts have both spiked noticeable improvements.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    Glen, let's start with this meta analysis, your comments?

    Bellisle F et. al. Meal frequency and energy balance. Br J Nutr. (1997) 77 (Suppl 1):S57-70.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9155494
    Several epidemiological studies have observed an inverse relationship between people's habitual frequency of eating and body weight, leading to the suggestion that a 'nibbling' meal pattern may help in the avoidance of obesity. A review of all pertinent studies shows that, although many fail to find any significant relationship, the relationship is consistently inverse in those that do observe a relationship. However, this finding is highly vulnerable to the probable confounding effects of post hoc changes in dietary patterns as a consequence of weight gain and to dietary under-reporting which undoubtedly invalidates some of the studies. We conclude that the epidemiological evidence is at best very weak, and almost certainly represents an artefact. A detailed review of the possible mechanistic explanations for a metabolic advantage of nibbling meal patterns failed to reveal significant benefits in respect of energy expenditure. Although some short-term studies suggest that the thermic effect of feeding is higher when an isoenergetic test load is divided into multiple small meals, other studies refute this, and most are neutral. More importantly, studies using whole-body calorimetry and doubly-labelled water to assess total 24 h energy expenditure find no difference between nibbling and gorging. Finally, with the exception of a single study, there is no evidence that weight loss on hypoenergetic regimens is altered by meal frequency. We conclude that any effects of meal pattern on the regulation of body weight are likely to be mediated through effects on the food intake side of the energy balance equation.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
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    Thanks for all the input guys. I didn't think about the calories I'd need to make up for the days without food.
    I would still like to fast , I feel like it might break down my bad obsession with food, and make me appreciate the days with food (like some people were saying.) I know that in the beginning it will be hard, with nausea and headaches, but I will try to power through it. I plan on just drinking water the days that I'm fasting, maybe some vitamin supplements?

    I know it's not good to rush into weight loss, but I have a goal to meet.

    There's no need to go days without food. You can get excellent fasting benefits by simply fasting each day for an extended period. Leangains, for instance, is a very well-respected, heavily science-backed (and results-proven) method that recommends condensing all of your feeding each day into an 8 hour window. 12-16 hours of fasting begins to activate the hormonal response that can benefit your fitness efforts. I highly recommend checking out the leangains.com site for more information.

    NOT Broscience.
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
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    One other aspect to consider before fasting. Your heart needs certain nutrients to keep a steady rhythm; and to keep beating. You can't just stop and start eating without the potential to damage your body....permanently! Like I said in my earlier post, go see a professional and have a plan other than the one of drinking water one day and eating light the next.

    Also, this type of dieting often exposes health problems in people who were previously thought to be healthy.
  • capnwo85
    capnwo85 Posts: 1,103 Member
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    Where exactly is Lamar University again? anyone....anyone....anyone...:::crickets::
  • zafferFL
    zafferFL Posts: 402
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    Juice fast? That's not fasting, that's consuming a liquid diet.

    Insulin spike? You know what else causes a spike? Exercise. Quit that right away!

    Starvation mode? Google urban legends.

    And remember above all, your best bet for accurate nutrition advice is found hanging around the Smith machines.
  • Rachiepie6
    Rachiepie6 Posts: 423 Member
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    CRAZY. Definitely not a good idea.

    Agreed.
  • Jamie_82
    Jamie_82 Posts: 33
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    One idea if you don't want to do a complete fast is to fast from a particular thing, like sugar. Or try 100% raw for a few days. I myself cannot fast due to being borderline diabetic, so this could be very helpful. :) If I could fast, I only would for spiritual reasons and not as a weight-loss method. I believe in eating LOTS of different fresh/whole foods, drinking plenty of water, and being as active as possible; your body will adjust itself to it's proper weight if that is done.

    True starvation mode is when your body has no more stored fat to live on and starts consuming it's own organs, though many people have other definitions. Most Americans have enough fat to live on for awhile!

    Good luck with your goals!
  • zafferFL
    zafferFL Posts: 402
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    One other aspect to consider before fasting. Your heart needs certain nutrients to keep a steady rhythm; and to keep beating. You can't just stop and start eating without the potential to damage your body....permanently! Like I said in my earlier post, go see a professional and have a plan other than the one of drinking water one day and eating light the next.

    If only our ancestors (of millions of years) knew this. They might have reconsidered that whole hunter-gatherer thing.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
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    I was planning on doing my MFP 1200 calorie goal, 5 days a week, and fasting 2 days a week (Tuesday and Thursday.)
    Is this a bad idea?

    This part is a bad idea. If you were to try ESE-style fasting (going whole days without food interspersed throughout the week), then you would want to take your 8400 calories for the week and divide them evenly amongst the 5 or 6 days that you DO eat. You still need all the nutrition. Controlled fasting isn't a method to take in LESS calories. It's a way to get the most out of your body's endocrine and digestive systems to make your nutrition work for you.
  • tmoyer1209
    tmoyer1209 Posts: 215 Member
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    I fast one day a month, two meals during that day. I find that my stomach gets upset when I eat that evening. And I am not a very nice person in the afternoon. I wouldn't think that fasting two days a week would be good if you truly fast all 24 hours, but definitely not an expert. I am sure people do and are healthy, but it sounds really stressful on your body.

    PS my fast is religious reasons, so I do continue, even though it does cause discomfort.
  • mariobrochill
    mariobrochill Posts: 19
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    Although there's much information to be covered in regards to fasting, some recent research has shown it has benefits to improve insulin sensitivity and I believe some anecdotal evidence on AMPk skeletal muscle sensitivity as well. Again, nothing worth to "mentally *kitten*" over. Focus primarily on your caloric deficit as key and make adjustments as plateaus occur as inevitably they will come.

    Cheers!
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    definitely the worst idea ever..... when you fast your insulin levels spike, when you finally eat again everything you eat will get stored as fat... also in those fasting days how are you going to get protein for muscles? carbohydrates for energy? nutrients and vitamins for your immune system? and even 1200 calories is not enough to supply the body with the fuel it needs...... just eat a lot of small well balanced meals every 3 hours and you will speed your metabolism, starving yourself is not the answer

    Another question Glen,

    "when you fast your insulin levels spike, when you finally eat again everything you eat will get stored as fat"

    So insulin levels spiking is bad

    "also in those fasting days how are you going to get protein for muscles? carbohydrates for energy?"

    Protein and carbs are insulinogenic and when taken together they produce a larger spike in insulin then when taken separately, and if insulin spikes are bad and cause everything you eat to turn to fat, why worry about protein and carb intake, which would spike your insulin and make you fat, using your logic?

    "even 1200 calories is not enough to supply the body with the fuel it needs"

    How do PSMF and VLCDs work?
  • CaseRat
    CaseRat Posts: 377 Member
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    One other aspect to consider before fasting. Your heart needs certain nutrients to keep a steady rhythm; and to keep beating. You can't just stop and start eating without the potential to damage your body....permanently! Like I said in my earlier post, go see a professional and have a plan other than the one of drinking water one day and eating light the next.

    If only our ancestors (of millions of years) knew this. They might have reconsidered that whole hunter-gatherer thing.


    BUT HOW DID THEY SURVIVE EATING LOTS ONE DAY AND NOTHING THE NEXT??!

    ;)
  • snookumss
    snookumss Posts: 1,451 Member
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    One other aspect to consider before fasting. Your heart needs certain nutrients to keep a steady rhythm; and to keep beating. You can't just stop and start eating without the potential to damage your body....permanently! Like I said in my earlier post, go see a professional and have a plan other than the one of drinking water one day and eating light the next.

    If only our ancestors (of millions of years) knew this. They might have reconsidered that whole hunter-gatherer thing.

    Exactly. Just think about it. If you are out in the woods, surviving on your spear hunting alone, you are probably running around getting exercise (maybe you could POSSIBLY eat plants... but thats boring and not the smartest protein source), then killing one main animal and feasting. This animal would provide your calories for the entire day and some. Odds are, without refrigeratoin or salt there are no remains!

    Yes... you'll argue that we could be eating the plants which is why we are omnivores... but seriously? Main food intake would have been the animal you hunted. Me = Cavewoman = meat = GIGANTIC FEAST!

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