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OT Anyone doing intermittent fasting

vacock#

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Oct 26, 1998
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I’m old, overweight, and diabetic. Trying to do better. Fasting tricks your body to get rid of fat, etc. I’ve lost 5 lbs a week over 3 weeks of fasting. Dropped one of my diabetes medications with doctor’s approval. Blood sucrose levels not where I want them but I need to remove more fat from my liver so this will take time. Basically I skip breakfast and eat low carb high fat diet.

Anyone had experience with intermittent fasting?

yes, I’m hungry! But hunger pangs I’ve gotten used to. BTW people do respond differently, age and sex (old people don’t use gender!).

one video and there are many


 
Are you doing the 16/8 or 5/2 or something else? I started on the 16/8 but do have coffee in the morning along with creamer which might be an issue as I have not lost a pound. During my 8 hours I eat regular foods (e.g., not low carbing). I have been at it for about 3 weeks. I have tried other weight loss angles but I think the tried and true of getting exercise and watching calories is the answer.
 
Are you doing the 16/8 or 5/2 or something else? I started on the 16/8 but do have coffee in the morning along with creamer which might be an issue as I have not lost a pound. During my 8 hours I eat regular foods (e.g., not low carbing). I have been at it for about 3 weeks. I have tried other weight loss angles but I think the tried and true of getting exercise and watching calories is the answer.

I now drink coffee black, used to use cream. I have heard that if you eat or drink anything with calories, your body no longer thinks you are fasting and you lose the benefit. Could be pseudo science but that’s what I heard. Since I am monitoring my blood sugars, I don’t want carbs that raise it without using one of my medicines that I am trying to or did drop. I have not gone back to exercise yet. Used to lift weights.

Good luck!
 
Basically stop eating at night and eat lunch as late as I can. I guess 16/8. Also don’t eat snacks.
 
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Try a juice or soup detox. I know others who have done it successfully. It helps reset your body and create a new baseline. A coworker of mine did a 21 day juice and prayer fast. He was only 197 to start and lost 20 pounds. Since then, he doesn’t crave alcohol or sweets and has brought many more natural fruits and vegetables into his diet. He’s keeping the weight off because he reset to a new normal.
 
I’m old, overweight, and diabetic. Trying to do better. Fasting tricks your body to get rid of fat, etc. I’ve lost 5 lbs a week over 3 weeks of fasting. Dropped one of my diabetes medications with doctor’s approval. Blood sucrose levels not where I want them but I need to remove more fat from my liver so this will take time. Basically I skip breakfast and eat low carb high fat diet.

Anyone had experience with intermittent fasting?

yes, I’m hungry! But hunger pangs I’ve gotten used to. BTW people do respond differently, age and sex (old people don’t use gender!).

one video and there are many


Go to a whole foods, plant based diet and eliminate precessed food. Your body will fix itself and you'll be miserable, at least for a while, but in a few months your blood panels will be great.
 
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Yes, intermittent fasting has been great for me. Been going strong for 6-7 months with a small break around the holidays. Down 31 lbs with a low carb, high fat and protein diet. Not exactly Keto, but is close in the amount of food intake. I do a 16/8 fast Monday-Friday and break on the weekends. If I have the time and I'm able to eat dinner earlier, I'll stop eating at 8:30 or 9:00pm, and then break my fast the next day closer to 2:30pm. Anything past that 16th hour is gold as cellular autophagy really starts to kick in. I usually drink water through my fast since I don't care for coffee. And yes, black coffee only, along with green tea and water are the only things you can consume that won't create an insulin response and break your fast. Some people drink zero calorie soft drinks, but I think that's a little risky in addition to those drinks having some not so great ingredients to begin with. I also workout right before I break my fast. This is supposed to help burn additional fat
 
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Yes, intermittent fasting has been great for me. Been going strong for 6-7 months with a small break around the holidays. Down 31 lbs with a low carb, high fat and protein diet. Not exactly Keto, but is close in the amount of food intake. I do a 16/8 fast Monday-Friday and break on the weekends. If I have the time and I'm able to eat dinner earlier, I'll stop eating at 8:30 or 9:00pm, and then break my fast the next day closer to 2:30pm. Anything past that 16th hour is gold as cellular autophagy really starts to kick in. I usually drink water through my fast since I don't care for coffee. And yes, black coffee only, along with green tea and water are the only things you can consume that won't create an insulin response and break your fast. Some people drink zero calorie soft drinks, but I think that's a little risky in addition to those drinks having some not so great ingredients to begin with. I also workout right before I break my fast. This is supposed to help burn additional fat
Does it have to be green tea? or could it be regular iced tea (unsweet)?
 
I’m old, overweight, and diabetic. Trying to do better. Fasting tricks your body to get rid of fat, etc. I’ve lost 5 lbs a week over 3 weeks of fasting. Dropped one of my diabetes medications with doctor’s approval. Blood sucrose levels not where I want them but I need to remove more fat from my liver so this will take time. Basically I skip breakfast and eat low carb high fat diet.

Anyone had experience with intermittent fasting?

yes, I’m hungry! But hunger pangs I’ve gotten used to. BTW people do respond differently, age and sex (old people don’t use gender!).

one video and there are many











I'm about to cycle again after a guys golf trip to Pinehurst next week. This past year I lost 50+ pounds doing I.F.
I did 20/4 (Would have my first meal 5:30pm so I didn't go to bed hungry) I would drink black coffee or creamer no sugar. Cut out cokes (switched to Coke Zero) and would work out/ cardio a five days a week. Every two weeks or so I'd fast for 24 hours, then eat a meal. Fast 48 hours. do a meal. Then do a 72 hour fast a do a meal. Everyone is different, but I can assure you your body will adapt to eating less and can heal a lot of what you have done to it over the years if you fast.
 
I now drink coffee black, used to use cream. I have heard that if you eat or drink anything with calories, your body no longer thinks you are fasting and you lose the benefit. Could be pseudo science but that’s what I heard. Since I am monitoring my blood sugars, I don’t want carbs that raise it without using one of my medicines that I am trying to or did drop. I have not gone back to exercise yet. Used to lift weights.

Good luck!

I did it for a long time, lost about 50 pounds. Kind of fell off the wagon and been really unhealthy lately. I need to get back in the gym and get serious about my diet again..
 
It could be anything with no calories.

This is true, but I think there are a couple of exceptions you have to be be on the lookout for. I've seen a few references show where BCAAs will break a fast. I stopped drinking my Bang drinks pre-workout just to be sure. There's something else too, but it doesn't come to mind at the moment.
 
Yep. Use the 6 or 8 hour feeding window depending on the feeling that day. Very much improves metabolic flexibility and insulin resistance.

Our ancestors only ate when food was available (vs. 3+ meals and snacks in a day.) One of the keys is making sure you eat enough calories in your window or things eventually start splitting at the seams. (especially sleep)

Coffee can break fast in some. Personally don't do any myself - it's like paying with a credit card. Prefer supplementing NAD+ in morning for additional energy.
 
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Remember when eating small meals throughout the day was all the rage? Now it's fasting...

It really doesn't matter what you do for weight loss as long as you burn more calories than you take in. My thing is limiting added sugar as much as possible. Keeps my body happy.
 
One meal a day? I've thought about doing this.
Yes just one meal a day. I could pretty much eat non-stop from the moment I got home and still be ok.

Oh, and it helps to have something you can sip on through the day. In my case, a 64 oz. thermos of green tea.
 
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I did and lost 35 lbs in 2 months. I basically ate one large meal a day. I drunk at least a gallon of water and worked out right before I broke my fast. It was tough at first but became much easier. I was also able to get off my HBP medication.
 
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Try a juice or soup detox. I know others who have done it successfully. It helps reset your body and create a new baseline. A coworker of mine did a 21 day juice and prayer fast. He was only 197 to start and lost 20 pounds. Since then, he doesn’t crave alcohol or sweets and has brought many more natural fruits and vegetables into his diet. He’s keeping the weight off because he reset to a new normal.

I don't want a diet where I can't crave alcohol. :)
 
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One meal a day? I've thought about doing this.

I didn’t go this extreme but about 4 years ago I highly limited daily calories. I did lose 30 lb over a couple to three months but I’d find myself unable to think clearly. I’d be sitting at my desk trying to do mental math for some problem I was resolving and would just plug in the wrong numbers. I’m a mental math wizard. After I hit my goal I increased calories and I could think clearly again.
 
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I didn’t go this extreme but about 4 years ago I highly limited daily calories. I did lose 30 lb over a couple to three months but I’d find myself unable to think clearly. I’d be sitting at my desk trying to do mental math for some problem I was resolving and would just plug in the wrong numbers. I’m a mental math wizard. After I hit my goal I increased calories and I could think clearly again.
That is interesting. I experienced just the opposite. On a number of occasions I felt quite a bit mentally sharper while completing daily tasks. I can’t say for sure it was due to I.F. but I experienced no negative side effects.
 
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I’m old, overweight, and diabetic. Trying to do better. Fasting tricks your body to get rid of fat, etc. I’ve lost 5 lbs a week over 3 weeks of fasting. Dropped one of my diabetes medications with doctor’s approval. Blood sucrose levels not where I want them but I need to remove more fat from my liver so this will take time. Basically I skip breakfast and eat low carb high fat diet.

Anyone had experience with intermittent fasting?

yes, I’m hungry! But hunger pangs I’ve gotten used to. BTW people do respond differently, age and sex (old people don’t use gender!).

one video and there are many



you just need to change your eating habits.

I lost 50 pounds and went down from size 42 to 36 waist size for a year.

cut out sugar, ice cream and hard liquor. I can still drink beer.

I can eat anything, eat 10 minutes, take a break for 5 minutes and eat another 10 minutes. After that, I’m done and not hungry.

When my wife and I go out to eat, either eat half the meal and take the rest home for leftovers or split a meal with my wife.

The program is called Naturally Slim and if you have chance to have the insurance pay for it, do it.

I have been able to keep the weight off without any problems. And eat smaller portions.
 
Whole-foods, plant-based diet will solve your problem if you're willing to do it, but that's not what you asked about, so here is some info about fasting:

Good playlist looking into what the science says about fasting:
 
Whole-foods, plant-based diet will solve your problem if you're willing to do it, but that's not what you asked about, so here is some info about fasting:

Good playlist looking into what the science says about fasting:


o_Oo_Oo_O WTH kind of video was that? Starving yourself is not what intermittent fasting is. Good grief what a deceitful video. I want that 8 min of my life back.
 
o_Oo_Oo_O WTH kind of video was that? Starving yourself is not what intermittent fasting is. Good grief what a deceitful video. I want that 8 min of my life back.
Apologies, I didn’t actually listen to the first video in the playlist. That video clearly is about using long-term fasting for morbid obesity. That is actually a playlist of nine videos looking at fasting in general during which I know there are several videos on intermittent fasting. When I get home I will do a better job of picking the intermittent fasting videos instead. But if anyone’s interested in the topic of fasting in general these videos cover the science on many types of fasting.
 
Apologies, I didn’t actually listen to the first video in the playlist. That video clearly is about using long-term fasting for morbid obesity. That is actually a playlist of nine videos looking at fasting in general during which I know there are several videos on intermittent fasting. When I get home I will do a better job of picking the intermittent fasting videos instead. But if anyone’s interested in the topic of fasting in general these videos cover the science on many types of fasting.

No worries and no need to apologize. I went back and read where you said "playlist" and then thought maybe you didn't mean to include that first video.
 
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I couldn't handle the fasting diet but I am doing the Keto diet. I've lost about 13 lbs in the last 5 weeks. I have another 5 lbs to go for my goal. The only hard part is I love beer...so I switched to Liquor since they have zero carbs. I've now gone to cheating on the weekends since I'm close to my goal...but not drinking beer for a month was hard, especially since I'm a big IPA drinker.
 
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I started just before Halloween of 2017. I at first just low carb dieted but for the last year and a half I do some fasting. I work 12-14 hour days usually 3 days a week. On those days I have a light breakfast around 8 and a big lunch at 12. Most the time it's some kind of large portion of meat and a big salad. I don't eat again that day. I'm in bed by 8 because I have to get up at 0345.

I've lost 100 lbs.
 
No worries and no need to apologize. I went back and read where you said "playlist" and then thought maybe you didn't mean to include that first video.

Thanks. Here are the videos from that playlist that specifically mention intermittent fasting:





 
And for the OP, here's an 18 minute TED talk by Dr. Neal Barnard from 2012 worth listening to. Maybe it can help:



And a more recent interview with him from 2018:



And I guess, while I'm at it, a much shorter 4 minute video with Dr. Greger:

 
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I didn’t go this extreme but about 4 years ago I highly limited daily calories. I did lose 30 lb over a couple to three months but I’d find myself unable to think clearly. I’d be sitting at my desk trying to do mental math for some problem I was resolving and would just plug in the wrong numbers. I’m a mental math wizard. After I hit my goal I increased calories and I could think clearly again.

I liked Math, too. What are some of the fun things you do with Math?
 
Our ancestors only ate when food was available (vs. 3+ meals and snacks in a day.)
This seems logical to me. Also, speaking the evolutionary spectrum that formed the being we are today, it seems logical that we didn't eat much in the way of meat on a regular basis, particularly prior to the Stone Age, when we began to create crude weapons. Simple logic tells you it would be both time and calorie-consuming trying to catch/kill an animal who doesn't want to die. Had to be a sporadic part of the diet for the large majority of our evolution. Plants don't move. They are easy to catch. Plus, our body is clearly more herbivore, lacking sharp teeth, dramatic speed, or built in weapons claws. Plus, our digestive tract is much more like an herbivore than a carnivore. Seems logical to me that we evolved to primarily eat plants supplemented with occasional meat products, but not dependent upon them.

I couldn't handle the fasting diet but I am doing the Keto diet. I've lost about 13 lbs in the last 5 weeks. I have another 5 lbs to go for my goal. The only hard part is I love beer...so I switched to Liquor since they have zero carbs. I've now gone to cheating on the weekends since I'm close to my goal...but not drinking beer for a month was hard, especially since I'm a big IPA drinker.
Ketosis is an interesting evolutionary development, allowing your body to survive for a bit longer in the absence of our primary food options. The diet itself was actually developed in the 1920s to help those with severe seizures that couldn't be controlled with medicine. I personally don't believe it is a good long-term dietary choice, but it does seem to give good short-term weight-loss benefits for those like you with a specific goal in mind.
 
This seems logical to me. Also, speaking the evolutionary spectrum that formed the being we are today, it seems logical that we didn't eat much in the way of meat on a regular basis, particularly prior to the Stone Age, when we began to create crude weapons. Simple logic tells you it would be both time and calorie-consuming trying to catch/kill an animal who doesn't want to die. Had to be a sporadic part of the diet for the large majority of our evolution. Plants don't move. They are easy to catch. Plus, our body is clearly more herbivore, lacking sharp teeth, dramatic speed, or built in weapons claws. Plus, our digestive tract is much more like an herbivore than a carnivore. Seems logical to me that we evolved to primarily eat plants supplemented with occasional meat products, but not dependent upon them.


Ketosis is an interesting evolutionary development, allowing your body to survive for a bit longer in the absence of our primary food options. The diet itself was actually developed in the 1920s to help those with severe seizures that couldn't be controlled with medicine. I personally don't believe it is a good long-term dietary choice, but it does seem to give good short-term weight-loss benefits for those like you with a specific goal in mind.

I couldn't do it long term. I did it for 7 weeks and lost 13 lbs. I've now gone to just watching my calorie intake and laying off the beer during the week. The Keto diet was a good choice for me personally but like I said couldn't do it long term...
 
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