Intermittent Fasting

[Neb]

I hear you Morgan. One of my favorite all time snacks is string cheese. Just love it.....and of coarse, it is considered a healthy snack by the 'experts'. It's really not healthy b/c it spurs on cravings and pushes me to snack in the evenings. String cheese was one of those things that I always had several packages of in the frig. It's time to back off of my old favorite standby. I've elimated most dairy from my diet, but cheese is my nemesis! I never say never. I don't want to completely eliminate anything from my diet b/c then I'll want it even more. Yeah, I'm stubborn that way. So......I tell myself I can have anything I want......just not ALL the time. If losing weight and being completely healthy means that I could no longer have pizza and beer.....then I will opt for a fatter, shorter, yet happier life. Finding that balance is the trick, but I think I can still have pizza and beer AND still maintain an overall healthy lifestyle. Moderation.....

I have found that weighing myself once per week helps to keep things in check, although not completely. I watched the numbers creep up the past few months and did little to stop it. Then, the scale flashed that dreaded number that I just couldn't accept. I could see it in my face and other areas, but I was still in denial. The scale doesn't lie. The jeans don't lie. I have to ramp up my standards and lower that number on the scale that I feel is just unacceptable. I did that this time, so if I close in on that lower number, then it will be time for another 2-3 day fast and another re-set. I just need to stay committed! The turtle wins the race.


Yes, it is very satsifying for sure. The feeling after the fact is awesome too. I fasted another 17 hours today without even trying b/c I just wasn't hungry, mostly b/c I was busy. It's way easier to make healthy food choices when you're not hungry or fighting cravings.

I didn't really get light headed but my workout yesterday and today were tough to get through. They were tough workouts anyways and I should have picked out an easier one for today but I know I'm still in ketosis and wanted to take advantage of the fat buring mode. I don't workout on weekends typically, so at least now I have a couple of days to recover. I noticed some calf cramping too, so I mixed up an electrolyte drink to combat that. Otherwise, I had no other negative side effects.

I am convinced our stomachs produce digestive juices based on when was fed yesterday. Going 3 days your stomach didn't feel hungry.

Ben

 

[angie_nrs]

Without insulin spikes, there are no cravings. That's not to say that there aren't hunger pangs every now and again. But a bit of will power can overcome that.

If I eat a carb heavy meal before bed, I wake up hungry. If I eat a carb heavy snack or early day meal, I will be hungry again in an hour or so. But during a fast, even if I don't physically have those cravings, it's still a hurdle to get out of my head about not eating for days. It's an automatic switch in my head that I have to concentrate on shutting off. By the third day, I am concentrating on that end goal and making my plan to get there. 7pm was my goal and I was focused on that hour for sure. The next time I do this, I just need to remeber the euphoric feeling after the fact and also remember how much stuff I got done!

 

[bamadeb48]

I have type 2 diabetes, I really need to fast. I used to work nights, and when I came home eat, now I am retired and still want to eat at night, as soon as it gets dark, I am craving something, I crave sweets way too much, I don't buy any, so I cannot eat them,, Doc said I could not do the Keto diet.. but I need to get over this craving stuff at night... I can go all day and eat in the afternoon, I am on Trulicity so that curbs my appetite some, lost 13 lbs, I am on one insulante shot per night and 1 500 mil. metforum in the morning and one at bedtime.. need to get my AIC down to 7 and below, it was 8.9, but down to 7-4, working on getting it down so I want have to take metforum any more.

 

[Cnsper]

I have type 2 diabetes, I really need to fast. I used to work nights, and when I came home eat, now I am retired and still want to eat at night, as soon as it gets dark, I am craving something, I crave sweets way too much, I don't buy any, so I cannot eat them,, Doc said I could not do the Keto diet.. but I need to get over this craving stuff at night... I can go all day and eat in the afternoon, I am on Trulicity so that curbs my appetite some, lost 13 lbs, I am on one insulante shot per night and 1 500 mil. metforum in the morning and one at bedtime.. need to get my AIC down to 7 and below, it was 8.9, but down to 7-4, working on getting it down so I want have to take metforum any more.

There is a pastor in Texas that has a YouTube channel called beat diabetes. You have probably already heard the names Fung and berry

 

[Spikedriver]

@bamadeb48 I'm a type 1 diabetic since age 15. I'm 48 now. So I know what you're talking about. Since you're on insulin, you do need some carbs to help regulate that. But you could probably do a modified Keto or "Keto lite" type of diet. Cutting out potatoes is a good start. I rarely eat them or rice any more, although I do eat whole grain bread.

I don't know what your activity level is, but if you're not exercising, do it more. If you are exercising, keep it up and increase if possible. My A1C runs between 6.3 and 7.2 in the last few years. Exercise helps open up your cells to the glucose in your system and helps keep them open in the hours immediately afterward. Plus it's good for heart and lungs and helps weight loss. I HIGHLY recommend weightlifting if you're able to do it. Adding some muscle will raise your metabolism and help lower your glucose.

 

[angie_nrs]

If I had any type of chronic condition requiring any meds, I'd check with my doctor first before trying a fasting regime. Then, I'd start slowly and gradually increase from there. That's what I did. If I felt weird or just didn't have the fortitude to fast that day, it was simple to break the fast. No fuss....no muss. I found out that it was more of a game with myself to increase fasting times and frequency.

In my research, the Mediterranean Diet seems to be in heavy favor right now due to the focus on Omega 3's. Even if you can't fast due to a health condidition, I think leaning towards that type of diet would be beneficial.

 

[angie_nrs]

I just saw this video and thought of this thread. I still do some fasting during the week, but I've not done a longer fast in quite a while. I need to plan another 2-3 day fast soon.

 

[Magus]

I do a weekly cleanse using baking soda and lemon juice in distilled water from Friday morning until midnight Saturday or Sunday morning. after two days my stomach stops growling anyway.

 

[joel]

Longest I have went is 15 hours, with lemon water, no salt or sugar.

 

[Wingnut]

Juice fasts work best for me... good fresh juice chock full of enzymes, lol. An excellent way to cleanse your body of toxins without stressing your system too hard.

For those who REALLY need to cleanse their system, there's the E&I program (Enema & Implant), using fresh green vegetable juice or powerful wheatgrass juice for the implant part.

Might sound weird to some repressed fools, but once ya spray the bowl with the implant, energy crackles from your fingertips, lol. Hardcore program, not for the faint of heart or stomach, that's for sure...

But I'd sooner embrace that regimen than take any Big Pharma cr@p... as a hardcore small craft sailor & technical rock climber back in the day, I regularly pulled the E&I regimen, and never had more ENERGY in my life, lol.

Any morons who made negative comments upon the whole E&I program, I told 'em they could come drink the implant once I sprayed the bowl with it, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! That usually shut 'em up pronto...

 

[joel]

I was taught no fruit juice in a fast, because of the sugar.

 

[SheepDog]

I've done fasts. The hardest is 1 day. Once you get past 3 or 4 it's easy. You're not hungry at all.
You want to get past the glucose stored in your liver and use the ketone your body makes. At that point your insulin output is near zero. It is easier to think clearly and you can build muscle.
It is possible to keep fasting as long as your body fat is 10%. If it gets below 10% your body will start to make energy from muscle.

 

[PopPopT]

I was taught no fruit juice in a fast, because of the sugar.

Most people don't realize how much sugar is in many fruit juices, or even fruit for that matter. Some things are loaded with sugar.

I've done multi-day fasts but when I fast, it's pretty much just water only.

If one is thinking of autophagy, I am not certain it happens on something like a "juice fast". Autophagy can be a really good thing. Your body "takes out the trash" and does a lot of recycling of old and damaged cells.

When I went keto about 4 years ago, I went through numerous times when fasting was really easy to do. 3 or 4 or 5 days really wasn't a problem. Since I've lost most of the excess weight, I haven't done much of the fasting but I do occasionally skip a meal or two and hardly notice it. Or, there are mornings, especially if I've eaten a big meal late the evening before, when I'll just have coffee and not bother with anything else. Mostly, it'll be the habit of sitting down to the table and eating something that will call to me more than anything. I might sit down and just sip my coffee, then get up and I've "had breafast". Once past that, and my mind is moved on to other things, I likely won't even think about being hungry until meal time rolls around again. Old habits die hard.

 

[Wingnut]

I'm talking about juice straight from the tree, not that commercial cr@p loaded with sugar... never had any problems juice fasting with the Valencia Orange juice or lemon juice straight off the trees in Coronado.

 

[Spikedriver]

I'm talking about juice straight from the tree, not that commercial cr@p loaded with sugar... never had any problems juice fasting with the Valencia Orange juice or lemon juice straight off the trees in Coronado.

Still a lot of carbohydrates in it. Take Minute Maid 100% OJ, for example. No sugar added. A 12 oz serving is 40 carbs, 36 of which are sugars. The other 4 are still carbs, which the body will turn into glucose.

All fruit juice is sweet - that's why it tastes good. Some are sweeter than others. That's why real fruit juice is a go-to treatment for hypoglycemia in Type 1 diabetics like me.

As a Type 1, I don't fast. It's possible for me to do so, but it's complicated and somewhat risky. I don't have the patience to fine tune my insulin basal rate and boluses to a fasting level. Even though a person takes in no food to break down into glucose during a fast, the body requires glucose to function and it is getting it from somewhere - be it accumulated fat stores, glucose stored in the liver, or by breaking down muscle tissue. Without any insulin blood glucose levels will rise quickly, ketone levels will rise and the body will become acidic as it goes into diabetic ketoacidosis. At that point you've got just hours to live and you will welcome death when it comes.

I wish I could fast. I'd like to give it a try. It just isn't in the cards for me, I guess...

 

[Wingnut]

I get the part about being diabetic, that's certainly a factor... but fresh lemon water (no sugar added) is one of the best things you can drink during a fast. Lemon juice is one of nature's most powerful cleansers, right up there with fresh-pressed carrot juice and wheatgrass juice. The Valencias had some natural sugar (fructose), but nowhere NEAR what ya see in ANY kind of juice off the supermarket shelf.

 

[PopPopT]

As a Type 1, I don't fast.

Aah, I understand. T1D is not something I'd wish on anyone. Sounds like you have a good handle on how to make life work, though, which is good.

If that's you in your avatar pic, you appear to be doing well.

Blessings to you!

 

[PopPopT]

fresh lemon water (no sugar added) is one of the best things you can drink during a fast.

Lemons are quite low carb / low sugar. I do like them and use them pretty much all the time in my everyday drinking water. I really do not like the taste of plain water but just a little sliver of lemon in there makes all the difference in the world to me. Don't need it to be sweet. Actually, don't want it to be sweet. I tried Meyer lemons once and went back to the regular lemons immediately. To each their own.

Not sure if Spikedriver uses lemons or not or whether they make much of a difference.

 

[Spikedriver]

Lemons are quite low carb / low sugar. I do like them and use them pretty much all the time in my everyday drinking water. I really do not like the taste of plain water but just a little sliver of lemon in there makes all the difference in the world to me. Don't need it to be sweet. Actually, don't want it to be sweet. I tried Meyer lemons once and went back to the regular lemons immediately. To each their own.

Not sure if Spikedriver uses lemons or not or whether they make much of a difference.

I don't use citrus. I have enough trouble with acid reflux the way it is.

Actually that's not 100% true, I do have a lime slice on rare occasions. It's usually accompanied by a dash of salt and an ounce and a half of Patron Reposado!

 

[Wingnut]

In all my tales of outdoor adventure (some actually published for real money, lol), I push the concept of adding fresh-squeezed lemon juice to one's canteens: it eliminates the taste of plastic, and the water is more refreshing. I use those Nalgene bottles in the field, they seem safe enough... but you're right, lemon water (as I call it) is great for killing thirst!

 

[joel]

I'm talking about juice straight from the tree, not that commercial cr@p loaded with sugar... never had any problems juice fasting with the Valencia Orange juice or lemon juice straight off the trees in Coronado.

Where does fructose come from?​

In all my tales of outdoor adventure (some actually published for real money, lol), I push the concept of adding fresh-squeezed lemon juice to one's canteens: it eliminates the taste of plastic, and the water is more refreshing. I use those Nalgene bottles in the field, they seem safe enough... but you're right, lemon water (as I call it) is great for killing thirst!

Sometimes called “fruit sugar,” fructose is a naturally occurring sugar found primarily in fruits (such as apples, dates, figs, pears and prunes), but also in vegetables (such as artichokes, asparagus, mushrooms, onions and red peppers), honey, sugar beets and sugar cane. Pure fructose is produced commercially from corn or sucrose into a crystalline form for use as an ingredient in packaged foods and beverages. Although fructose is in high fructose corn syrup (a 55:45 mixture of the monosaccharides fructose and glucose), crystalline fructose should not be confused with high fructose corn syrup.
I was taught not to use fruit of any kind on a fast. They, the people of the Great net, say you can drink Black coffee, but water is what I use, to be sure.
However, I have never fasted 48 hours, as of yet, so I maybe missing something. The Data has conflicting results, every study seems to have a conflicting study results from another study & so on.

 

[Wingnut]

SparkyD reminded me in another thread, tart cherry juice is chockablock with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties... the antioxidants come in handy for fasting & internal cleansing. Runners and other athletes use tart cherry juice for aching muscles & whatnot... powerful stuff, that tart cherry juice. Again, not the knockoff cr@p loaded with sugar, lol.

Meh, I'm off to mentally fast from the Internet... flush all the toxins out of my brain, lol.

 

[txcatlady]

I have been fasting somewhat since August. I drink an Herbalife tea as substitute for breakfast / lunch. When gone I fill up with water. Eat a light supper. I reached my goal weight a month ago and have started eating light lunch and maybe more for supper and still drinking the tea. It has nutrients in it and is 60 calories. If I could afford it I would drink twice a day. Substitute cranapple juice late in afternoon to avoid dehydration. I feel good and am down another pound. Have had NO chocolate candy since August. 27 Pounds so getting in clothes I haven’t worn in 4 years. Will be 69 this year and if I don’t get it off now, never will. Goal now, maybe 5 more

 

[PopPopT]

27 Pounds so getting in clothes I haven’t worn in 4 years.

Congratulations! Feels good to get rid of extra weight! I dropped a little less than 100 pounds and it made a huge difference.

I don't think I kept it, but the suit jacket that I wore to our son's wedding (before I lost the weight), when tried on after I lost the weight, was like putting on a pup tent. It was huge. Wrapped nearly half way around me the second time where at the time I could barely close it. Also, walking became a lot easier, especially on hills.

 

[Spikedriver]

@PopPopT 100 pounds is a real accomplishment. I'm not surprised you can move much beeter. I lost 30, and I notice a real difference in my ability to move and bend...

 

[TeeJ]

What a great thread - I hadn't realized it was here. Love hearing other peoples experiences with the variations they have tried! With IF and keto, I was down 65 lbs over the last 9 months and recently had gotten lazy and let 15 slide back on. A three day fast got me headed back in the right direction pretty quickly.

I'm also noticing a big improvement in getting around and my overall comfort - every time I pick up a 50 lb bag of feed I can't believe I was carrying that much extra on me every day - no wonder I was tired all the time!

I'm at a weight I haven't been since HS, so none of that size clothes is still around (and if I was I wouldn't want to be wearing 90% of it now - although I'd love to have some old concert t-shirts back!)

 

[PopPopT]

100 pounds is a real accomplishment. I'm not surprised you can move much beeter. I lost 30, and I notice a real difference in my ability to move and bend...

Thanks!

One of my goals initially was to be able to breathe and tie my shoes at the same time. LOL!!

I was raised in a religion where they preached vegetarianism being good and veganism being the ideal. And I bought into it. Can't tell you how many hours of lectures I attended by the likes of McDougall and those like him trying to learn to do it "right". I just never got to good health there. Seemed like I was just going downhill, including the weight gains and the increasing insulin resistance. I wasn't going in a good direction at all.

In 2015, I broke a leg very badly (still have plates and screws) and ended up in the hospital for 2 days. I noticed the blood sugar numbers and I was not happy with them, seemed they were always elevated. And over the next 4 months while I had to keep completely off of that leg, I had several doctor visits and they kept noting that it wasn't healing like it should, and the surgeon even asked numerous times if I was diabetic, but never went beyond just asking. It kinda shook me up.

About that time, I was learning about the keto diet and was feeling like if I didn't do something different than what I was already doing, I wouldn't be long for this world. Already did vegetarian, even doubled down on vegan when I wasn't doing so well with vegetarian, and still ended up in poor health. Figured, what did I have to lose? A few people insisted I was killing myself with eating keto. Rather insulting, actually. They even continued to do so as I was losing the weight and getting a lot more active with the leg healing better.

Left that religion shortly thereafter and am better than ever spiritually as well as physically. Left behind a lot of nonsense.

Funny thing is, some of those people preaching vegan look like death warmed over while some of the keto and even carnivore types are buff, even into their 70s and 80s. Pretty remarkable, and not the way they used to preach to me.

I will add, I don't wanna just beat up on the vegans and vegetarians out there that might be reading. I've met maybe a handful of them in my lifetime that truly do seem to be able to eat that way long term and not fall apart. I've also met an awful lot of them who are like walking skeletons, weaklings, ravaged with all kinds of physical ailments, and similar. I wanted to be one of those vegans that could "do it right" and be healthy eating that way. I just couldn't do it. I'm not made that way. And I'm glad now that I finally came to the point where I opened my eyes and came to my senses.

I'm not as strict as I once was with the keto. I don't tend to shy away from my own home grown peas, beans, and sweet potatoes when we have them. But I do try hard to maintain good levels of protein and quality fat and go easy on the starches and sugars. I don't find that eating a high-carb meal is an issue at this point but I don't wanna just keep doing that. I still enjoy some things on the "naughty list" from time to time, usually in small quantities and on occasion, not daily. I do kinda notice if I start slipping back into old habits as I don't feel quite as good and the scale starts moving upward. It's a bit of a reality check for me and I do pay attention.

Anyway, that was probably more than you wanted to know. LOL!!

 

[PopPopT]

I'm at a weight I haven't been since HS

I was at a "normal" weight in HS. Funny thing is, I wasn't that healthy then.

I'm just under 6' and a lot of the "charts" tell me that "normal" for me is 160ish. Not a good place for me. I've been down in that area and feel awful. A little over 200 feels good to me, even though most would consider that "overweight".

I don't tend to fast much anymore but occasionally go really light with the eating. That seems to make a difference for me. But something else I've noticed is that if I work hard physically, something like mowing with the push mower (we have 3.5 acres and it's hilly), and then not over-eating the next day, it seems to push my body weight setpoint downward a bit. If I can keep it down for a couple of days, it's as though my body figures out it's not starving to death there and it's OK to be there.

Funny how we're made.

 

[TeeJ]

I was at a "normal" weight in HS. Funny thing is, I wasn't that healthy then.

I'm just under 6' and a lot of the "charts" tell me that "normal" for me is 160ish. Not a good place for me. I've been down in that area and feel awful. A little over 200 feels good to me, even though most would consider that "overweight".

I don't tend to fast much anymore but occasionally go really light with the eating. That seems to make a difference for me. But something else I've noticed is that if I work hard physically, something like mowing with the push mower (we have 3.5 acres and it's hilly), and then not over-eating the next day, it seems to push my body weight setpoint downward a bit. If I can keep it down for a couple of days, it's as though my body figures out it's not starving to death there and it's OK to be there.

Funny how we're made.

I agree with the setpoint, I've got a friend at work that we talk dieting quite a bit and we agree that your body does seem to want to stay where you've trained it to be if you're not way overdoing the caloric intake. I'm interested to try your adjusting method, I usually use hard work as an excuse for taking in a little more.

It is funny how we're made, and I'm always amazed how so few people are willing to experiment to see how they can make a difference with what they were given...

 

[Wingnut]

Being a vegan can be a challenge... food combination becomes important, and if ya don't do it right, ya start looking anemic and wasted (NOT drunk or stoned, lol). I tried the vegan lifestyle, and I respect vegans for their commitment, but it wasn't for me... I gotta have a broad spectrum in my diet, I feel better that way. As long as certain foods are eaten in moderation, I'm good. The way I see it, our health is determined by 90% of what we consume... the other 10% covers bad choices, junk food, pizza, etc.

Those proportional charts regarding height & weight, they're not exactly on the money... some folks are born with slight builds, while others are thicker, more muscular, whatever. I'm roughly 6' tall and usually tip the scales around 195-200 lbs., which is fine by me... I still have plenty of energy and I'm not much slower than I was in my youth, though with age there is definitely a noticeable slowdown. Metabolism is lower too, but that's normally offset by older folks not eating as much, since they're not quite as active.

One thing I'll readily do if I'm not hungry, I'll skip a meal or even two and just let my body do its own thing. Eating when you're NOT hungry isn't a very good idea, better to let your body burn off whatever is currently in your system... just my $.02 on this topic, as I start to feel "bogged down" if I eat too much over time. I'm not talking about holiday dinners, I'll skip breakfast and just drink juice or a smoothie before I mack Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner... kinda offsets the pig-out session, lol. Nothing wrong with feasting if you're hungry...

Again, these are just my views on these topics, and they probably won't work for everyone... but they work for me, that's why I follow this regimen. Having said that, there are times when I drink too much, lol, but I also have days when I don't touch a drop of alcohol, so that helps to balance things. I'm not about to stop drinking though, I enjoy it too much... I'm an unrepentant sinner in that regard, but I'm not driving and I'm not making a fool of myself in public, so it's all good. I believe the benefits of stress relief outweigh the disadvantages of alcohol consumption.

I think a man has to have at least one vice, otherwise he gets too weird, lol. And I'm no criminal, wife-beater, pedo, or anything of that sort, so alcohol it is! The key is to not break the law while you consume alcohol... no driving, in particular, and no stupid public behavior. It's different in the field when you're camping & dirt biking or rock climbing, then its okay to drink a few beers and ride, as long as you're in an uncrowded area... but I digress. Back on topic, I rarely fast in the field, as I'm doing enough physical work to require more calories. CHEERS!!!