The Science of Fasting (1 Viewer)

[jayd265]

Well. finally jumping on this bandwagon. Went to my doctor today, he said hes really into fasting. says he eats from 2-6 daily. sometimes does 3 day fasts.

i need to read some of this thread for tips.

he gave me 2 book titles to download on audible. "the obesity code" by jason fung, and "life in the fasting lane".

plan to get these 2 books listened to and start this up shortly.

 

[Tapxe]

Well. finally jumping on this bandwagon. Went to my doctor today, he said hes really into fasting. says he eats from 2-6 daily. sometimes does 3 day fasts.

i need to read some of this thread for tips.

he gave me 2 book titles to download on audible. "the obesity code" by jason fung, and "life in the fasting lane".

plan to get these 2 books listened to and start this up shortly.

@Madmarsha (iirc) posted a video by Dr Prandip Jamanadas earlier in the thread. He's got a quite a few of his lectures on youtube and I recommend watching at least the one posted here because he explains the process of autophagy amoung other things in detail.

 

[jayd265]

Just got thru reading this entire thread. Watched most of the YouTube clips.

Lots of info.

One question I have for you guys that are experienced. It’ll be my first attempt at IF. Do I start with a 16/8? IMO I think I can probably handle a 18/6 out the gate. I’ve been eating somewhat healthy 5-5.5 days a week for the last 2 years

2021 I lost 38lbs strictly dieting from april to Dec. Calorie deficit. No exercise due to back issues and back surgeries.

2022 I gained about 20lbs back. Which thru this thread and the obesity code book I learned why.

2023, I’ve felt like sheet. Going thru personal family stuff and I’m just tired of going thru the motions of eating my meals at 7/11/3/6. So I wanna shake it up.

Another question for y’all. I don’t drink black coffee. Usually 1-2 gallons of water a day. No exercise but walking (1-3 miles a day) and DDPyoga 2-3 times a week. Only caffeine I get is crystal light energy. My doctor said 1 if those at wake-up (like I currently do) it will end my “fast”. Just curious what y’all have experienced and if you have tips of avoiding it and other ways to “get up”. Will green tea work? Or just suffer thru and drink a crystal light when I break my fast at 12:00pm. He said he does 20/4 and eats 2-6pm. I think I can manage 12-6 with 2 meals.

Any other tips everyone has learned to help a rookie? I have about 35-40lbs I’d like to lose, and I want to be headed in the right direction by my next checkup (october, every 6 months and just did it Wednesday)

 

[Tapxe]

Do I start with a 16/8? IMO I think I can probably handle a 18/6 out the gate. I’ve been eating somewhat healthy 5-5.5 days a week for the last 2 years

Only caffeine I get is crystal light energy. My doctor said 1 if those at wake-up (like I currently do) it will end my “fast”. Just curious what y’all have experienced and if you have tips of avoiding it and other ways to “get up”. Will green tea work? Or just suffer thru and drink a crystal light when I break my fast at 12:00pm. He said he does 20/4 and eats 2-6pm. I think I can manage 12-6 with 2 meals.

Any other tips everyone has learned to help a rookie? I have about 35-40lbs I’d like to lose, and I want to be headed in the right direction by my next checkup (october, every 6 months and just did it Wednesday)

IDK why a sugar free caffeine kicker would end the fast. Personally, the ingredient list on that is a no go so I drink water. Dr. Fung touched on it and you can still get some benefit from fasting even if you eat 500 or so calories a day. That will interrupt autophagy however so you'll want to work in some 18+ hour windows with no intake.

If you think you can go longer, then do so.

My advice...

It's a lifestyle change with permanent diet reconfiguration. You've got to figure out what works to keep you on the path. I prefer to allow myself to splurge at times and then pay the piper so to speak. Others want a more strict regimen.

Try a few things and see what gets results. Don't get too worked up into perfect diet. An imperfect but significantly better diet is way better than what you were taught and this isn't a temporary change so perfection for the rest of your life seems unrealistic. If I splurge, I account for that next fast cycle and extend accordingly. No muss no fuss.

The scale lies, but your clothes do not. Water weight can fluctuate wildly so I use the scale maybe once a week on the same day. I kept track of how my pants fit as a more reliable indicator. Now, I'm so attuned to my body I notice the physical signs like fit or acid reflux telling me it's time to take a break.

It takes time. Allow for mistakes, but understand that if you cheat, you cheat yourself.

We all know if you over feed a pet it makes them unhealthy or even kills some like goldfish. So gently remind yourself you're smarter than a goldfish an can handle skipping a few meals for your own benefit.

 

[Dago]

Just got thru reading this entire thread. Watched most of the YouTube clips.

Lots of info.

One question I have for you guys that are experienced. It’ll be my first attempt at IF. Do I start with a 16/8? IMO I think I can probably handle a 18/6 out the gate. I’ve been eating somewhat healthy 5-5.5 days a week for the last 2 years

2021 I lost 38lbs strictly dieting from april to Dec. Calorie deficit. No exercise due to back issues and back surgeries.

2022 I gained about 20lbs back. Which thru this thread and the obesity code book I learned why.

2023, I’ve felt like sheet. Going thru personal family stuff and I’m just tired of going thru the motions of eating my meals at 7/11/3/6. So I wanna shake it up.

Another question for y’all. I don’t drink black coffee. Usually 1-2 gallons of water a day. No exercise but walking (1-3 miles a day) and DDPyoga 2-3 times a week. Only caffeine I get is crystal light energy. My doctor said 1 if those at wake-up (like I currently do) it will end my “fast”. Just curious what y’all have experienced and if you have tips of avoiding it and other ways to “get up”. Will green tea work? Or just suffer thru and drink a crystal light when I break my fast at 12:00pm. He said he does 20/4 and eats 2-6pm. I think I can manage 12-6 with 2 meals.

Any other tips everyone has learned to help a rookie? I have about 35-40lbs I’d like to lose, and I want to be headed in the right direction by my next checkup (october, every 6 months and just did it Wednesday)

Green tea is fine.

Are you already doing low carb? I would get my gut bacteria and get adjusted to low carb before trying fasting. The latest research shows that gut bacteria has a lot to do with feelings of hunger and food cravings. You will find IF and fasting in general far easier if you do that

 

[jayd265]

Green tea is fine.

Are you already doing low carb? I would get my gut bacteria and get adjusted to low carb before trying fasting. The latest research shows that gut bacteria has a lot to do with feelings of hunger and food cravings. You will find IF and fasting in general far easier if you do that

Monday thru roughly Saturday at lunch. I was eating

7am
Triple zero yogurt
11am
165g groundturkey
100g zucchini/squash mix
100g avocado
3pm
165 ground tirkey
2 tbsp almond butter
6pm
165g ground turkey or chicken

But with that said. Sat/sun. That was shot. I’d eat per the weekend which would be burgers/beer/etc.

So I think that was a lot of my weight loss plateau.

 

[jayd265]

IDK why a sugar free caffeine kicker would end the fast. Personally, the ingredient list on that is a no go so I drink water. Dr. Fung touched on it and you can still get some benefit from fasting even if you eat 500 or so calories a day. That will interrupt autophagy however so you'll want to work in some 18+ hour windows with no intake.

If you think you can go longer, then do so.

My advice...

It's a lifestyle change with permanent diet reconfiguration. You've got to figure out what works to keep you on the path. I prefer to allow myself to splurge at times and then pay the piper so to speak. Others want a more strict regimen.

Try a few things and see what gets results. Don't get too worked up into perfect diet. An imperfect but significantly better diet is way better than what you were taught and this isn't a temporary change so perfection for the rest of your life seems unrealistic. If I splurge, I account for that next fast cycle and extend accordingly. No muss no fuss.

The scale lies, but your clothes do not. Water weight can fluctuate wildly so I use the scale maybe once a week on the same day. I kept track of how my pants fit as a more reliable indicator. Now, I'm so attuned to my body I notice the physical signs like fit or acid reflux telling me it's time to take a break.

It takes time. Allow for mistakes, but understand that if you cheat, you cheat yourself.

We all know if you over feed a pet it makes them unhealthy or even kills some like goldfish. So gently remind yourself you're smarter than a goldfish a can handle skipping a few meals for your own benefit.

I was curious about the drink.

I sorta wanna just get up and go for a 1 mile walk and stall the crystal light until 11/12 for the fast. But damn that’ll be a helluva habit breaker for me.

But whatever. I can try it. Did it years ago

 

[Tapxe]

I was curious about the drink.

I sorta wanna just get up and go for a 1 mile walk and stall the crystal light until 11/12 for the fast. But damn that’ll be a helluva habit breaker for me.

But whatever. I can try it. Did it years ago

You know best how to get yourself to do something. If you want to make it happen, you will. It's really that simple and I think you understand.

 

[SaintInBucLand]

I was curious about the drink.

I sorta wanna just get up and go for a 1 mile walk and stall the crystal light until 11/12 for the fast. But damn that’ll be a helluva habit breaker for me.

But whatever. I can try it. Did it years ago

Welcome to the world of fasting and lower food bills for yourself

I have been doing 16-8 for over a year now and routinely will add in some 24 and 36 hour fasts here and there. Some days I will randomly do a OMAD which is essentially a 24 hour fast, I guess you can call it a 23-1 as well.

I started off keto but ended up going mostly carnivore after experimenting with elimination. I went from 230 down to 177 in roughly 6 months. If you can get in a good groove be prepared to spend some of that money you have been saying on new clothes.

 

[jayd265]

So today couldn’t follow a “routine”.

So did what I could. I left the house at 7:00am and drove 9 hours for a work trip.

So for my first official fast, from yest at 7pm to today i fasted 21:40. Ate supper then walked 3 miles. Probably should’ve done that in reverse. But had food already. At home id be more consistent with cardio/food.

So tomorrow not eating at hotel. Going to a job site. So I’ll leave there and drive 8-9 hours Home. Might end up hitting a 24-27 hour fast depending if I stop for food.

They have green tea In the hotel. Plan to make one of those since I don’t do coffee and trying to not drink crystal light energy during the fast timeline.

 

[Dago]

I know we talk about Autophagy a lot, but here is a good article on it and gives tips on maximizing it for HGH. A little farther down from what I posted, it gives tips for using autophagy to increase HGH production by more than 500% in clinical studies

Autophagy - The Most Powerful Longevity Tool

Have you ever wondered why fasting is an institutionalised health strategy in several cultures? Think Ramadan for the Muslim culture, or Yom Kippur for the Jewish. As is almost always the case, there is traditional wisdom driving these rituals. The first, common sense thing to recognise is the...

blog.nutri-tech.com.au

In a well-fed state, your cells are in constant growth mode. This can actually have dire consequences, particularly relative to cancer. In the presence of abundant food, the insulin signalling and mTOR pathways that tell the cell to grow, divide and synthesise proteins, are constantly active. What is mTOR, I hear you thinking? It refers to “the mammalian target of rapamycin”, which sounds more like a rampaging flesh-eating reptile than an important bodily function. In fact, this cell-signalling system drives cell growth and protein formation. When it is constantly active in the presence of abundant carbohydrates and proteins, mTOR effectively shuts down an essential cell cleansing process, called autophagy.

There is a brake to the mTOR accelerator and it is called AMPK. When you fast or exercise, or both, you switch on the AMPK pathway, which puts the cell in protective mode and inhibits mTOR. AMPK also activates autophagy.

Understand that you are a community of ten trillion cells, and when autophagy activates, your body can identify, destroy and replace faulty mechanics within those cells. Without autophagy, you’re effectively running the amazing machine called the human body without any servicing. I’m sure you’re aware of what happens to farm machinery in that scenario. I wish I had thought a little more about that likely outcome before committing to $400,000 of neglected machinery that came with my latest farm purchase. I’m now constantly frowning at a flood of bills, but my mechanic is definitely smiling.

The decline linked to ageing can be strongly linked to the absence of autophagy, in an overfed world. We are talking about comprehensive research linking poor autophagy to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, fatty liver disease, stroke, CHD, cancer, obesity and polycystic kidney disease.

It is now understood that fasting can activate autophagy, while also increasing the release of Human Growth Hormone. This is the anti-aging hormone that impacts multiple bodily systems for the better. It is a wonderful win/win scenario. So, let’s look at the dynamics of fasting, relative to these two highly desirable, regenerative outcomes.


I'm 47 years old and was sedentary since 2015 due to spine and shoulder injuries. My doctor agreed that I could start exercising anything above my lower back provided I wore compression and a back brace (thinking about getting an EMS unit to start working the abs, legs, and lower back). I've been doing (moderately) healthy keto and intermittent fasting for quite awhile now....went from 300 pounds to 185. Been working out my upper back, arms, chest, and shoulders for about 6 weeks now after nothing for 8 years and I am already working out with 135 pounds on incline bench and can do about 20 dips (I can do a couple pullups now but my surgically repaired shoulder doesn't like it)

Just had my annual bloodwork done and everything is perfect. Even my cholesterol is good despite being told by doctors that keto would lead to elevated cholesterol (and it was high before I started all this). No more fatty liver, no more high blood pressure, no more high cholesterol, no more pre-diabetes.

I'm thinking about getting a DEXA scan now at Pennington. Currently I eat about 1100-1300 calories a day while getting about 120 grams of protein (relying on my remaining fat stores to give me the extra needed energy for muscle growth). Once I get my body fat under 20% I am going to have to increase my caloric intake and I have no idea how I am going to get that many (healthy) calories...I really don't feel like eating much anymore

 

[SaintInBucLand]

I know we talk about Autophagy a lot, but here is a good article on it and gives tips on maximizing it for HGH. A little farther down from what I posted, it gives tips for using autophagy to increase HGH production by more than 500% in clinical studies

Autophagy - The Most Powerful Longevity Tool

Have you ever wondered why fasting is an institutionalised health strategy in several cultures? Think Ramadan for the Muslim culture, or Yom Kippur for the Jewish. As is almost always the case, there is traditional wisdom driving these rituals. The first, common sense thing to recognise is the...

blog.nutri-tech.com.au

In a well-fed state, your cells are in constant growth mode. This can actually have dire consequences, particularly relative to cancer. In the presence of abundant food, the insulin signalling and mTOR pathways that tell the cell to grow, divide and synthesise proteins, are constantly active. What is mTOR, I hear you thinking? It refers to “the mammalian target of rapamycin”, which sounds more like a rampaging flesh-eating reptile than an important bodily function. In fact, this cell-signalling system drives cell growth and protein formation. When it is constantly active in the presence of abundant carbohydrates and proteins, mTOR effectively shuts down an essential cell cleansing process, called autophagy.

There is a brake to the mTOR accelerator and it is called AMPK. When you fast or exercise, or both, you switch on the AMPK pathway, which puts the cell in protective mode and inhibits mTOR. AMPK also activates autophagy.

Understand that you are a community of ten trillion cells, and when autophagy activates, your body can identify, destroy and replace faulty mechanics within those cells. Without autophagy, you’re effectively running the amazing machine called the human body without any servicing. I’m sure you’re aware of what happens to farm machinery in that scenario. I wish I had thought a little more about that likely outcome before committing to $400,000 of neglected machinery that came with my latest farm purchase. I’m now constantly frowning at a flood of bills, but my mechanic is definitely smiling.

The decline linked to ageing can be strongly linked to the absence of autophagy, in an overfed world. We are talking about comprehensive research linking poor autophagy to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, fatty liver disease, stroke, CHD, cancer, obesity and polycystic kidney disease.

It is now understood that fasting can activate autophagy, while also increasing the release of Human Growth Hormone. This is the anti-aging hormone that impacts multiple bodily systems for the better. It is a wonderful win/win scenario. So, let’s look at the dynamics of fasting, relative to these two highly desirable, regenerative outcomes.


I'm 47 years old and was sedentary since 2015 due to spine and shoulder injuries. My doctor agreed that I could start exercising anything above my lower back provided I wore compression and a back brace (thinking about getting an EMS unit to start working the abs, legs, and lower back). I've been doing (moderately) healthy keto and intermittent fasting for quite awhile now....went from 300 pounds to 185. Been working out my upper back, arms, chest, and shoulders for about 6 weeks now after nothing for 8 years and I am already working out with 135 pounds on incline bench and can do about 20 dips (I can do a couple pullups now but my surgically repaired shoulder doesn't like it)

Just had my annual bloodwork done and everything is perfect. Even my cholesterol is good despite being told by doctors that keto would lead to elevated cholesterol (and it was high before I started all this). No more fatty liver, no more high blood pressure, no more high cholesterol, no more pre-diabetes.

I'm thinking about getting a DEXA scan now at Pennington. Currently I eat about 1100-1300 calories a day while getting about 120 grams of protein (relying on my remaining fat stores to give me the extra needed energy for muscle growth). Once I get my body fat under 20% I am going to have to increase my caloric intake and I have no idea how I am going to get that many (healthy) calories...I really don't feel like eating much anymore

Your journey has been a lot like mine.

I hover between 175-180lbs and have never felt better. I am about 90% carnivore with the inclusion of broccoli, honey(on my ribeyes), and dark chocolate(which now gives me slight jitters anytime I eat it). It amazes me how so many people told me I would have issues when I started this nearly a year ago. The only downside was having to spend a lot of money on new clothing. My bloodwork is also damn near perfect, my LDL is lower than it was when I was eating a SAD(standard american diet) and I eat FAR more saturated fat now than I ever did.

Also I have been doing continuous 18-6 intermittent fasting with 2 meals per day.

 

[Dago]

Your journey has been a lot like mine.

I hover between 175-180lbs and have never felt better. I am about 90% carnivore with the inclusion of broccoli, honey(on my ribeyes), and dark chocolate(which now gives me slight jitters anytime I eat it). It amazes me how so many people told me I would have issues when I started this nearly a year ago. The only downside was having to spend a lot of money on new clothing. My bloodwork is also damn near perfect, my LDL is lower than it was when I was eating a SAD(standard american diet) and I eat FAR more saturated fat now than I ever did.

Also I have been doing continuous 18-6 intermittent fasting with 2 meals per day.

The gains in strength are pretty amazing. When I started I could barely do a pushup. Had to do them with my knees down. Problem is that I don't want to end up looking like one of those guys who has a massive upper body and no legs

 

[SaintInBucLand]

The gains in strength are pretty amazing. When I started I could barely do a pushup. Had to do them with my knees down. Problem is that I don't want to end up looking like one of those guys who has a massive upper body and no legs

I do kettlebell swings and squats every other day now, it really helps. Plus best way to deplete glycogen stores.

 

[Dago]

I do kettlebell swings and squats every other day now, it really helps. Plus best way to deplete glycogen stores.

Unfortunately I can't do those