Fasting???
Linda474
Posts: 11
Hi, I am only new to all this on mfp, and I am seeing Lot people fasting, I'm just wondering why you do it, like what does it help with ect.?
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I'm no expert, so take this with a grain of salt..
There's a lot of controversy about fasting. Is it healthy, is it advisable, etc.
In my opinion, anything done in moderation is fine, and if it works for you, great.
Some people cite the "lean gains" book / method, which has you eat all your daily calories within a shorter window, going against the "Spread your meals out over a whole day" and saying "eat your meals all within a shorter window". This, essentially, would become brief bouts of intermittent fasting, as you would eat, then stop for the rest of the 24 hour period, then eat again the next day. Of course, by that logic, everyone fasts for 8-14 hours from supper to breakfast. Hence the term "break fast".
Some people like to take it further, and do one 24 hour fast every two weeks. This lets you eat a little more during the other 6 days of the week, because most people still try to make their weekly calories balance out to a 'normal' eating schedule.
There's also some indications that intermittent fasting would help to keep your body guessing, and keep it from being accustomed to a dietary routine. This means that you may keep your metabolic rate more active, though this stuff is always surrounded in woo and voodoo, so do your research and find real science before you decide to go hungry for weight managment.
Some people can go 24 hours without feeling terrible, as long as they know they'll be back to eating normal tomorrow. I have trouble not binging after a fast, so that's something to be mindful of.
I tried 1 day fasts every 14 days. It didn't do much for me except make me uncomfortable for that day, so I've gone back to old fashioned exercise and portion control, but your mileage may vary.0 -
fasting isn't for me I couldn't do it unless it's for medical reasons, neither can I understand anyone wanting to torture themselves this way, I would be too hungry and would soon give up. there has been many debates on this site about fasting but MFP encourages daily food logging and eating in a healthy way to help you get fit and lose weight, not once have I seen any tools etc encouraging fasting.0
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Mmmm....I really don't think I would be able to do it, thank you 2_murphy, I think I will just stick the old fashioned eating healthy and exercise also, I really just wanted to know why people do it and what the benefits of doing it are...0
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I originally did it to get over a plateau, which worked. After that, it's just nice to detox and get rip of all the rubbish. And helps with weight loss.0
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well i do it as a kick up the but dietary speaking,
My Dr got me to fast as a kick start, then do a fast every so often to shake things up, break a plateau and remind me its OK to be hungry sometimes as I wont die or starve,
its good for your Liver if you fast but drink lots of water and maybe put lemon in it , its a gr8 cleanser.
your stomach shrinks and you if you eat small when you break the fast you will find you easily get used to smaller portions0 -
There are so many different types of fasting that you should probably specify which one you are talking about
. As for me, I do EatStopEat occasionally for these reasons:
1) It's a practical way to create calorie deficit
2) easy for me to do
3) studies indicate that hormonal response to a 24h fast is facilitating fat burn while preserving muscles0 -
once in a while it's great0
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I fast once a week and I was one of those people who thought they would die if they did not eat every 3 hours. I actually get more hungry if I eat breakfast now and fasting helps stablise my blood sugars (I used to get the sugar shakes after having a carb heavy meal). I usually do dinner to dinner and love the freedom of not having to worry about breakfast and lunch when I have a busy day at work.0
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I don't know anything about any of the fasting and just wanted to try to understand why you do it and how but it's kinda starting to make sense now, thank you.0
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I would like to know as well. Thanks,0
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Intermittent fasting may be the best way to start.
For example:
You eat your last meal around 8p.m. then try NOT to have any calories (you can drink water or other none calorific drinks) until noon the next day then you eat. Your eating window is between noon and 8p.m then the cycle starts all over again. It's not difficult.
Or your last meal is at 9p.m, then you eat around 1p.m the next day etc etc
Find a window that suits you. Give it a trial
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I follow the 14-10 lean gains method for the following reasons:
I like to eat a decent sized meal and feel satiated.
I have more flexibility to change my plans or eat out without ruining my day
I am time poor and don't want to spend hours prepping many small meals in a day
I find it easier to go a longer period without food than to eat regular small portions
I am more likely to overeat eating regular small meals than a couple of bigger ones
Seeing a tiny little piece of steak on my plate makes me want to cry
the thing is that no one is saying that LG or other fasting methods are 'the only' way to eat. What it is saying is that there are other, perfectly healthy ways to time and structure your calorie consumption other than the conventional wisdom. Which means more options for people to find someting that suits them and therefore more chance of success....0 -
athletes dont fast...spec ops soldiers like myself would never fast, why do people even want to anyway theres nothing fun about starving yourself ive never written a meal plan that has nothing on it but hey if theres someone out there who fasts all the time and can out-perform me then damn I would like to meet that person0
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athletes dont fast...spec ops soldiers like myself would never fast, why do people even want to anyway theres nothing fun about starving yourself ive never written a meal plan that has nothing on it but hey if theres someone out there who fasts all the time and can out-perform me then damn I would like to meet that person
that is fantastic for you, really wonderful... however i and others gave many reason's why we would want to fast and do you honestly think someone is going to starve because they don't eat for a couple hours more than the next person? really?0 -
athletes dont fast...spec ops soldiers like myself would never fast, why do people even want to anyway theres nothing fun about starving yourself ive never written a meal plan that has nothing on it but hey if theres someone out there who fasts all the time and can out-perform me then damn I would like to meet that person
that is fantastic for you, really wonderful... however i and others gave many reason's why we would want to fast and do you honestly think someone is going to starve because they don't eat for a couple hours more than the next person? really?
oh and many many athletes fast for religious reasons without it affecting their performance...0 -
theres nothing fun about starving yourself
Absolutely but, point of correction, we are not starving ourselves 0 -
There's a big difference between fasting and starving. just saying lol. (but of course, someone who never tried to fast might have hard time understanding that.)0
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I only do it for religious purposes, any other fasting techniques cant be good for your metabolism....0
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The 16-24 hr fasting is great. I usually do the 16hr which just means having dinner the night before and not eating again until about mid-day the next day.0
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I've never heard of fasting being nutritional or safe. Though because my sister has stomach problems she will fast to get her tummy back in order. She also will do it for religious reasons. I myself have not found a good reason to fast. Do you drink water while fasting??0
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It is absolutely NOT necessary for weight loss or health. Lots of people do it (like in the primal/paleo community) to imitate the eating habits of ancient homo sapiens, and there's some merit to the idea that you don't *need* to eat every 4-5 hours. If you really want to try intermittent fasting, that's your choice, but know that it is completely unnecessary.0
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It is absolutely NOT necessary for weight loss or health. Lots of people do it (like in the primal/paleo community) to imitate the eating habits of ancient homo sapiens, and there's some merit to the idea that you don't *need* to eat every 4-5 hours. If you really want to try intermittent fasting, that's your choice, but know that it is completely unnecessary.
That is completely correct it is no more or less necessary than eating breakfast or having 6 small meals. It is another option for people to find a lifestyle that works for them and can therefore be maintained.0 -
athletes dont fast...spec ops soldiers like myself would never fast, why do people even want to anyway theres nothing fun about starving yourself ive never written a meal plan that has nothing on it but hey if theres someone out there who fasts all the time and can out-perform me then damn I would like to meet that person
that is fantastic for you, really wonderful... however i and others gave many reason's why we would want to fast and do you honestly think someone is going to starve because they don't eat for a couple hours more than the next person? really?
oh and many many athletes fast for religious reasons without it affecting their performance...
if by and large the worlds athletes dont do it, most people with the best body compositions dont do it then why do it if you can have the same results with a solid meal plan oppsed to being hungry all the time then why not. personally I eat 4000 cals a day and train twice a day and I have 7% body fat and can deadlift around 500 lbs bench 315 and still run a half marathon in less than 90 minutes, these results are true with almost every other spec ops soldier I work with. but hey if people wanna not eat just to keep calories low because they dont wanna train right then hey go for it, do what works for you0 -
athletes dont fast...spec ops soldiers like myself would never fast, why do people even want to anyway theres nothing fun about starving yourself ive never written a meal plan that has nothing on it but hey if theres someone out there who fasts all the time and can out-perform me then damn I would like to meet that person
that is fantastic for you, really wonderful... however i and others gave many reason's why we would want to fast and do you honestly think someone is going to starve because they don't eat for a couple hours more than the next person? really?
oh and many many athletes fast for religious reasons without it affecting their performance...
if by and large the worlds athletes dont do it, most people with the best body compositions dont do it then why do it if you can have the same results with a solid meal plan oppsed to being hungry all the time then why not. personally I eat 4000 cals a day and train twice a day and I have 7% body fat and can deadlift around 500 lbs bench 315 and still run a half marathon in less than 90 minutes, these results are true with almost every other spec ops soldier I work with. but hey if people wanna not eat just to keep calories low because they dont wanna train right then hey go for it, do what works for you
If I could eat 4000 cals a day I wouldn't IF either. Have your opinion, thats fine however don't presume to know anything about how I train or how much I eat. I do the same cals as I would normally eat in a slightly smaller window than you and if we really have to go throwing numbers about I deadlift 280 which is aight for a girl I think 0 -
athletes dont fast...spec ops soldiers like myself would never fast, why do people even want to anyway theres nothing fun about starving yourself ive never written a meal plan that has nothing on it but hey if theres someone out there who fasts all the time and can out-perform me then damn I would like to meet that person
that is fantastic for you, really wonderful... however i and others gave many reason's why we would want to fast and do you honestly think someone is going to starve because they don't eat for a couple hours more than the next person? really?
oh and many many athletes fast for religious reasons without it affecting their performance...
if by and large the worlds athletes dont do it, most people with the best body compositions dont do it then why do it if you can have the same results with a solid meal plan oppsed to being hungry all the time then why not. personally I eat 4000 cals a day and train twice a day and I have 7% body fat and can deadlift around 500 lbs bench 315 and still run a half marathon in less than 90 minutes, these results are true with almost every other spec ops soldier I work with. but hey if people wanna not eat just to keep calories low because they dont wanna train right then hey go for it, do what works for you
If I could eat 4000 cals a day I wouldn't IF either. Have your opinion, thats fine however don't presume to know anything about how I train or how much I eat. I do the same cals as I would normally eat in a slightly smaller window than you and if we really have to go throwing numbers about I deadlift 280 which is aight for a girl I think
I wasnt trying to compare men athletes to female Im just saying that I cant imagine fasting is exactly a fun thing to do, and by and large of all the people ive trained and trained with Ive always seen better numbers in the gym when they had fuel opposed to being in a fasted state, morning cardio being the exception. but I also openly acknowledged "do what works for you" my own view is that its overated and theres more pleasurable ways to achieve goals. but I can tell having someone oppose your own view is frustrating you so i wont respond again, best of luck with your fitness journey I honestly mean that0 -
I'm doing a vegetable Juice on fast right now, i'm on day 10 and i plan to continue to the end of the month at least.
It's not like a water fast because i'm getting all i need from the veg. I juice mainly green veg and drink about 6 glasses a day,
it was hard for the first 4 days then became very easy,
Iv'e not eaten anything at all and not a bit hungry.
It's a great detox and also a good boost for the weight loss as well.
no down side os far as i can see.0 -
Thanks good luck to you too.0
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you are assuming that smaller meals spread throughout a day is 'more fun' or 'more pleasant' for everyone than one or two large meals in a smaller eating window. This is completely opposite for me, I hate small meals and when I do that I'm always hungry. Going 16h without food and having large meals is however perfectly normal for me and I do it by accident all the time. I can even go for 20h without food before my body starts reminding me that I really should eat something.I wasnt trying to compare men athletes to female Im just saying that I cant imagine fasting is exactly a fun thing to do, and by and large of all the people ive trained and trained with Ive always seen better numbers in the gym when they had fuel opposed to being in a fasted state, morning cardio being the exception. but I also openly acknowledged "do what works for you" my own view is that its overated and theres more pleasurable ways to achieve goals. but I can tell having someone oppose your own view is frustrating you so i wont respond again, best of luck with your fitness journey I honestly mean that0
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