Fasting MMG

[OutOfTheBlue]

@OutOfTheBlue

Closing three days in an hour or so, one more to go!

No particularly strong hunger pangs. Like you say, they come in waves, which you just ride through…

Got back some sleep deficit that had built up lately, and with that some additional and welcome mental clarity.

Last time, the fourth day of fasting was noticeably harder. wondering if this will be the case this time around.

Regarding frequency of longer fasts, I think @theanimal mentioned doing quarterly fasts, which sounds like a good frequency. Since fasting is supposed to bring an immunity boost, it could be done to welcome the season changes and weather the upsets they bring.

Your efforts in the health/diet/nutrition/exercise department and your sharing of stuff your read have been inspiring. I like how systematic you are in this. For instance, that video summary above is gold!

Calorie-counting and restriction does seem harder. Although of course having a good idea of foods nutritional profile, calories, glycemic helps make better choices. The section "Why “Eat Less, Move More” Fails: How Our Bodies Really Use Calories" from Jason Fung's "The Complete Guide To Fasting" was enlightening in that regard.

Since you have already taken strides in your eating habits and combine this with physical activity, I'd wager IF/OMAD and once a week or periodic longer fasts should be enough to keep that weight under check, with no counting needed! I've found OMAD a bit challenging to implement and re-implement, but once in place, it becomes a natural new default. But IF may be more sustainable to follow, especially when eating is a moment shared with family.

[Humanofearth]

I have done a 5 day fast. I will not again as it will affect my workouts but I just did a 40ish hour fast. Was nice as a boost but it prevents strong lasting energy during intense workouts. While broth fasts are how I lost the majority of my weight, it does stop autophagy as broth is nearly pure protein. Pure gelatin also works well for the lazy (guilty) to make broth but good is broth is very nourishing and I’d prefer it highly.

I used a pressure cooker with chicken feet, 6L water, garlic, carrot, kale, and cooked for 4 hours till the feet were brittle. Be careful on opening so let the pressure rest :30 before opening. Filter the solids, refrigerate or even freeze. Is like jelly. Dark, strong, so rich and filling. Definitely not <10 calorie but quite low and works well to set a boundary on solids.

I actually rediscovered fasting because of Dr. Fung. It was an amazing step towards health that paired well with wim hof breathing.

Now I’m counting calories but it’s a lot of work and while it gives accuracy if done well, it doesn’t do the difficult task of discovering which foods work well for individuals As they change. The calorie composition should contain enough fat and protein as well depending on goals to offset the fasts so I tend to eat my carbs (cucumbers, carrots, berries, popcorn, little rice for now) around workouts and somewhat keto (eggs, chicken breast, gelatin) other times.

[Lemur]

I've had 100% compliance this month so far with the time-restricted feeding window of 8 hours (I eat between 12pm and 8pm). This time window naturally covers all of my social situations. Typically if I've breakfast with my Spouse, we typically both just drink coffee anyway but my Spouse might eat a bagel or something. Lunch is either together or separate depending on our schedules but its always after 12pm. Son gets home at 4:30pm and we always have dinner before 8pm. Weekends are no problem either - I just habitually skip the breakfast now and I'm finding it beneficial to not eat anything before bed.

Getting the 24 hour + fast is more interesting. For me, my go to the office and sit in a cubicle requirement one day a week is on Thursdays. So I'm up at 6am and not home until almost 7pm. Thursdays seem to be a good day for occasions when I wanna try to do a 24 hour + fast challenge (no eating Thursdays I suppose). Inevitably this would produce a 36 hour fast if the 8 hour window is kept the next day. I don't have to schedule doing a lunch prep which is nice.

[OutOfTheBlue]

@Lemur, great consistency there, and Thursdays sound like the perfect day for a weekly 24-36 h fast.

Have you seen a change in how you can handle hunger/non-eating periods? This may be linked to the diet content as well.

It seems to become quite easier to skip a meal if so desired or to resist/avoid snacking.

[Lemur]

@OutOfTheBlue

Ironically, I've actually put on weight since starting intermittent fasting as I'm still adjusting. Essentially my hunger builds up to a point by the time I get to my eating window, I end up overeating. But I also need to adjust my diet quality back to where it was (mostly WFPB). I seem to have some leftover sugar cravings from the holiday periods. I know from past experience, once I readjust and stay consistent from a diet quality perspective for a while, then it becomes easier to maintain going forward.

Example today was the first thing I ate was four potatoes...and by the time I got to lentils / rice for the protein, I was already full. So this volume eating should help with the caloric problem.

I take some solace in the fact that the more I'm reading, the more I'm finding that the time-restricted feeing window itself seems to be the main proponent of health benefits as opposed to diet quality itself though this is certainty no excuse to overeat junk which I've been doing lately.