Fasting - does it work?

i think the best way to fast is not to do 24 hour fasting. but rather to fast from sun up to sun down. Wake up before sun up and get something to eat.. could be a light meal , fruits water or a heavier meal.. then don' t eat again until after the sun goes down. Don't eat heavy greasy foods. Keep it light and simple. drink as much water as you can when you are not in state of fasting

Why do you think this? What are the proven benifits of your method of fasting?

The point of fasting is to empty your system completely of food. This triggers changes in the hormonal responses in your body, which are benificial (in the first 24hrs) in helping speed your metabolism, as well as spiking growth hormone when combined with heavy strength training. Growth hormone is known to help maintain lean mass, and promote the oxidation of fat.

Again, what benifit is there in a 12hr or so fast? Even the 16hr fast leangains recommends is a compromise. The true, scientifically proven benifits are just before, at, and just past the 24hr mark.

Can you link to the science? Because I practice IF, but I sure don't claim it does anything beyond making it easier to keep my calorie count down. Increased metabolism seems a stretch. Is there peer reviewed research in major journals backing this?

I have personally fasted for longer periods. 5-7 days. A few times. Not great for losing weight but really effective for health. Got rid of reactive hypoglycemic tendencies this way. Better to do it with juice so you don't shock your body. But I was young and impatient so a water fast worked. Most of us larger Americans can go without food for at least a month with no negative effect. Of course that's LARGER people not people under 200 lbs who just feel fat.

Fasting for health? This. Is. The. Most. Stupidest. Thing. Ive. EVER. Heard.

. I don't personally think 24 fasting its bad because it had been practiced for centuries in various religions.

those religions used to stone a women to death if she walked in front of her husband. fasting or not fasting should not be guided by religion.

^ This!

i think the best way to fast is not to do 24 hour fasting. but rather to fast from sun up to sun down. Wake up before sun up and get something to eat.. could be a light meal , fruits water or a heavier meal.. then don' t eat again until after the sun goes down. Don't eat heavy greasy foods. Keep it light and simple. drink as much water as you can when you are not in state of fasting

Why do you think this? What are the proven benifits of your method of fasting?

The point of fasting is to empty your system completely of food. This triggers changes in the hormonal responses in your body, which are benificial (in the first 24hrs) in helping speed your metabolism, as well as spiking growth hormone when combined with heavy strength training. Growth hormone is known to help maintain lean mass, and promote the oxidation of fat.

Again, what benifit is there in a 12hr or so fast? Even the 16hr fast leangains recommends is a compromise. The true, scientifically proven benifits are just before, at, and just past the 24hr mark.

Can you link to the science? Because I practice IF, but I sure don't claim it does anything beyond making it easier to keep my calorie count down. Increased metabolism seems a stretch. Is there peer reviewed research in major journals backing this?

Brad Pilon lists peer reviewed studies in the back of ESE, that are his basis for these claims. I don't have them saved, but if you're interested, that's a good place to look. I believe leangains.com also has a few linked, but that site is so disorganized it's tough to find anything twice.

I have personally fasted for longer periods. 5-7 days. A few times. Not great for losing weight but really effective for health. Got rid of reactive hypoglycemic tendencies this way. Better to do it with juice so you don't shock your body. But I was young and impatient so a water fast worked. Most of us larger Americans can go without food for at least a month with no negative effect. Of course that's LARGER people not people under 200 lbs who just feel fat.

Fasting for health? This. Is. The. Most. Stupidest. Thing. Ive. EVER. Heard.

I find it very hard to believe that it's the stupidest thing you've ever read. I mean, 'Most. Stupidest' is pretty stupid in and of itself. Fasting for LONG PERIODS for health is something that many people believe in. I don't...and agree with Fit's comment about being under a doctor's supervision if you intend to do it. I do believe that fasting short term has health benifits...my own experiences, and that of others (read some of the comments above) reinforce this. So in a way, unless you misspoke, you just told me that my belief 'Is. The. Most. Stupidest. Thing. You've. EVER. Heard.'

Kind of rude really.

All that being said, I enjoy IFing due to the behavioral aspects of it (ghrelin being adaptive to behavior, stuffing my face at night, etc). I'm just not convinced of the physiological benefits.

Same here. I've been doing IF for a while and I like it from a lifestyle perspective (and will continue to do it), but I'm not convinced it's a magic bullet for fat loss. Just my $0.02.

That's my position. I don't believe there's an added benefit other than it's been a lifestyle change that is helpful for me in keeping to my goals.

This is a very interesting topic, and I'm definitely going to read more about it and get more info.
I don't know if I could do it, since I get very sick to my stomach when I go for a long time without eating, but I think that's something that I can slowly accustom my body to, if I feel like IF is something I want to try.

Thanks for all the interesting info!

I've been experimenting with intermittent fasting for the past two months and I'm VERY happy with the current outcome. I do it like this: I follow an overfeeding day with a zero-calorie day. My diet is a slightly-modified Slow Carb Diet (from the 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferris). That means about 32 hours with no calories, if you count two 8-hour sleep periods.

I have followed the SCD since Christmas 2010 And dropped from 233 pounds to 197, most of it in the first six months. Intermittent fasting helped me conquer a very stubborn plateau, and I'm now less than ten pounds from my goal of 190 pounds and 8% body fat. VERY excited to be approaching the best body of my life at age 53!

i think the best way to fast is not to do 24 hour fasting. but rather to fast from sun up to sun down. Wake up before sun up and get something to eat.. could be a light meal , fruits water or a heavier meal.. then don' t eat again until after the sun goes down. Don't eat heavy greasy foods. Keep it light and simple. drink as much water as you can when you are not in state of fasting

Why do you think this? What are the proven benifits of your method of fasting?

The point of fasting is to empty your system completely of food. This triggers changes in the hormonal responses in your body, which are benificial (in the first 24hrs) in helping speed your metabolism, as well as spiking growth hormone when combined with heavy strength training. Growth hormone is known to help maintain lean mass, and promote the oxidation of fat.

Again, what benifit is there in a 12hr or so fast? Even the 16hr fast leangains recommends is a compromise. The true, scientifically proven benifits are just before, at, and just past the 24hr mark.

Can you link to the science? Because I practice IF, but I sure don't claim it does anything beyond making it easier to keep my calorie count down. Increased metabolism seems a stretch. Is there peer reviewed research in major journals backing this?

Brad Pilon lists peer reviewed studies in the back of ESE, that are his basis for these claims. I don't have them saved, but if you're interested, that's a good place to look. I believe leangains.com also has a few linked, but that site is so disorganized it's tough to find anything twice.

I have personally fasted for longer periods. 5-7 days. A few times. Not great for losing weight but really effective for health. Got rid of reactive hypoglycemic tendencies this way. Better to do it with juice so you don't shock your body. But I was young and impatient so a water fast worked. Most of us larger Americans can go without food for at least a month with no negative effect. Of course that's LARGER people not people under 200 lbs who just feel fat.

Fasting for health? This. Is. The. Most. Stupidest. Thing. Ive. EVER. Heard.

I find it very hard to believe that it's the stupidest thing you've ever read. I mean, 'Most. Stupidest' is pretty stupid in and of itself. Fasting for LONG PERIODS for health is something that many people believe in. I don't...and agree with Fit's comment about being under a doctor's supervision if you intend to do it. I do believe that fasting short term has health benifits...my own experiences, and that of others (read some of the comments above) reinforce this. So in a way, unless you misspoke, you just told me that my belief 'Is. The. Most. Stupidest. Thing. You've. EVER. Heard.'

Kind of rude really.

I didn't mean to be rude, and don't think I was. If you disagree, report my post, but I don't believe I said anything out of line at all. All I asked is if you can actually show me links to the science that backs up the claims you're making. It looks like you can't. I'm sorry that upset you, but it really doesn't warrant name calling.

The second part wasn't directed at you my friend. You were not rude AT ALL. It was directed at the young lady casting insults below you. I agreed with what you said about being under medical supervision if you're intending to fast for any reason beyond a day or so. I also replied to your post (in the first part of my response), and told you that in Brad Pilon's book Eat, Stop, Eat...he lists his sources and studies. If I recall correctly, they include references to metabolic acceleration within the first 24hrs, and hormonal response that promotes oxidation of fat (and maintaining existing lean mass) beyond a standard diet.

I fasted and starved, did the lot for about 2 years. I got down to about 7st 5... But then I gained 3 stone 5lbs as soon as I began eating properly and then formed a binge eating disorder!!! My experience. Big no no!