The Fast Diet

[FitChick]

Also known as intermittent fasting, which has been mentioned on this forum before. I want to try this. Sounds easy. I respect Dr. Mosley because he experiments on himself and talks to researchers about fitness and exercise for his health related UK TV show. Loved the one on exercise.

[Silly_Girl]

I have got to lose a lot of weight fast (wedding dress) and I enjoy fasting - as opposed to any form of restriction or moderation on an everyday basis.

 

Currently I am fasting Monday and Wednesday. Considering adding in a third day for a few weeks.

 

The focus of not eating on a given day is so much easier for me than eating light and risking going too far. I'm a very on-the-wagon/off-the-wagon kind of person

[FitChick]

If you read the article, it tells you what to eat on the fast day -- morning and evening, no more than 500 calories on that day.

[Silly_Girl]

If you read the article, it tells you what to eat on the fast day -- morning and evening, no more than 500 calories on that day.

 

I read it. I tend to have no calories on a fasting day. If I feel unwell I have some fruit with a yoghurt poured over.

 

As soon as I eat something - anything - I struggle with hunger. If I don't eat I can get by not eating. I'm sure that's not good for me, but it's how it is. I can go 50+ hours without food without it really being a problem. Always stay well hydrated though.

[Star Gazer]

If you read the article, it tells you what to eat on the fast day -- morning and evening, no more than 500 calories on that day.

 

That's not intermittent fasting. That's three days of starvation. Of course you'll lose weight by starving yourself.

 

IF involves eating a normal amount of calories, only during a limited number of hours during the day.

[FitChick]

Sounds like variations on a theme. See which version works best for you.

 

When I do my jet lag program a few days before an overseas trip, it is very similar to Dr. Mosley's approach -- alternate feast and fast days. I can manage eating 800 calories for one day knowing I will be eating the following day. My sister, on the other hand, prefers to have nothing but water because eating a small amount makes her hungrier than nothing at all.

[crederer]

Seems kind of sketchy to me.....

 

How does that effect your metabolism? Once you get off of the routine, do you gain it right back?

[TaraMaiden]

Well, I'll try anything once - except incest and Morris dancing......

[Mr Scorpio]

That's not intermittent fasting. That's three days of starvation. Of course you'll lose weight by starving yourself. IF involves eating a normal amount of calories, only during a limited number of hours during the day.

 

That is my understanding. You choose an 8 hour window to eat two or three meals.

[Janesays]

I've done a number of water only fasts with my longest topping out at 21 days. For weight loss, they are honestly not that good. You loose a lot of water and retain it like crazy the week after you break the fast. But there are other benefits that make it worth trying once or twice.

[Silly_Girl]

I've done a number of water only fasts with my longest topping out at 21 days. For weight loss, they are honestly not that good. You loose a lot of water and retain it like crazy the week after you break the fast. But there are other benefits that make it worth trying once or twice.

 

You didn't eat for 21 days?! What sort of weight did you lose that left you feeling it was relatively ineffective?

[Janesays]

You didn't eat for 21 days?! What sort of weight did you lose that left you feeling it was relatively ineffective?

 

The majority of the weight you loose is water. About a week after breaking the fast, I was exactly the same weight as before I started since my metabolism was slowed down. There are reasons and theories behind doing long term water fasts, but if strictly weight loss is what you are looking for, this isn't a good way.

[TheFinalWord]

Some good research on metabolic adaptations of extreme dieting

 

This review covers metabolic adaptations that occur to maintain homeostasis:

 

Biology's response to dieting: the impetus for weight regain

 

Additional research if you want to learn more about this topic:

 

The defence of body weight: a physiological ... [Clin Sci (Lond). 2013] - PubMed - NCBI

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1413655/pdf/pnas-0510452103.pdf

 

Peripheral metabolic responses to prolonged weight reduction that promote rapid, efficient regain in obesity-prone rats

 

A distinct adipose tissue gene expression response to caloric restriction predicts 6-mo weight maintenance in obese subjects

[Darnell21]

Fasting is something which always worked for me i mean there is nothing bad about it but the thing is if we go over the top in it than it can be wrong because body needs a specific amount of substances on daily basis.But yeah doing it in moderation is cool.

[Enema]

Intermittent Fasting is very popular in the bodybuilding circles I move in.

 

Here's our bible: LeanGains.com

[Lani]

There are so many vairations of Intermittent Fasting, and it's more about working out how your body responds to different levels and timeframes of fasting.

I'm the same as Silly, and go full fast when I do it. I've been off the wagon lately, but for around 8 months I was fasting Monday and Thursday, and eating in an 8 hour window all other days (mostly... obviously falling out of that at times)

I lose weight, and gained a lot of clarity. Fasting days quickly became my favorites, because although I love food, it can tend to be a distraction for me. When you don't worry about your next meal it's really freeing. The amount of work I got done on those days was incredible!

 

I'd suggest trying the 500cal on fasting days, and seeing how it works.

[Darnell21]

Fasting is something which always worked for me i mean there is nothing bad about it but the thing is if we go over the top in it than it can be wrong because body needs a specific amount of substances on daily basis.But yeah doing it in moderation is cool.

 

 

Any comments?

[TaraMaiden]

Well, Fit Chick, I investigated this, and decided to give it a try. I've been keeping a "diet diary" and I have to say - it seems to be extremely effective. I've now decided to order the diet recipe book, just to give me a helping hand - but I have lost quite a few pounds, even taking into account the preliminary "oh that's just water" weight - !

 

Darnell21, a person can actually completely go without any solid food sustenance for at least 14 days, with no apparent ill-effects - providing that they are a healthy individual to begin with, and they also have a supply of fluids/water during that time.

 

We don't "need" food - at least, not in the way we view food, here in the West.

The amount of food we purchase - and subsequently waste - is nothing short of obscene. Tons and tons of perfectly good food is thrown away by restaurants, food chains and supermarkets, on a daily basis, (let alone the ordinary domestic public!!) simply because a magic 'sell by/Best before' date has been reached.

When was the last time anyone picked an apple or dug up a potato with a use by date on it? No. Exactly.

 

Common sense and a little bit of know-how will tell you when food's good, or otherwise. But far too many people of this generation, rely on printed dates on packaging. If this generation were to ask 'Mom or dad' about such dates on food packaging when THEY were young - they'd laugh.

Sure...an apple, one day past it's recommended date is almost 100% guaranteed to be absolutely fine. Raw prawns may be another matter. But it's common sense!

 

And this fast diet is also making me conscious about the quality of the food I eat, the amount I 'need' and the best way to prepare it. So my fridge is actually less packed with extraneous stuff than it has ever been.

 

It's good!

[pureinheart]

FC- I agree with this diet and used a similar variation of it and never felt better. Actually it was a three year "partial fast".

 

Our bodies don't need that much food. Our bodies need real food, not famine food.

 

Recently read an article that the less food a person intakes more enorphines are released.

 

I think what this diet does is it resets the metabolism.

Edited June 20, 2013 by pureinheart

[pureinheart]

Any comments?

 

Total fasts are excellent IMO, it resets the metabolism and cleanses the body. I've heard of fasts up to 40 days. 21 days is the usual number of days...

[pureinheart]

you've got to be nuts. i won't fast for more than 8 or 9 hours. 21 days or 40 days? what kook teaches that?

 

What is so nuts about it?

[FitChick]

Just don't try doing something like this unless you are Gandhi or St. Theresa. You have to be a self-realized master to live on air and light. This woman was too prideful to be self-realized. At least she lost her excess fat so not a total waste. She could have lost her life.

[TaraMaiden]

Just don't try doing something like this unless you are Gandhi or St. Theresa. You have to be a self-realized master to live on air and light. This woman was too prideful to be self-realized. At least she lost her excess fat so not a total waste. She could have lost her life.

 

Actually - as you (the OP) introduced the "Self-realised Master" element to your discussion, I would point out to those interested that Siddharta Gautama (later Enlightened and there-forth known as 'The Buddha') was in a position to try both extremes:

 

Firstly, he was born into an extremely elevated, high-caste position, and knew wealth, luxury, plenty and gluttony. he never wanted for anything and could have lived a life to excess.

 

However, during his "quest for Understanding" he attempted to live an extreme ascetic life, and reduced his diet - it is said - to one grain of rice per day.

 

However, he also came to the realisation that such an exercise was equally futile and pointless, in an attempt to come to the Understanding he sought.

 

he eventually learned to exist on one grain of rice a day which ended up reducing his body to a skeleton. His practice of self- mortification had brought him closer to the point of death instead of enlightenment. One day while swimming he almost drowned being so weak. He soon concluded, however, that asceticism did not lead to peace and self realization but merely weakened the mind and body.

 

Such deprivation does not lead to Understanding, enlightenment or self-realisation.

It has no point, which is why the Buddha taught "The Middle Way": Everything in Moderation - Including Moderation.

 

Such deprivation is self-harming, and goes completely against the very First Precept.

 

Thank you.

[FitChick]

Krishna was also rich. Meditation is the way to self-realization, not starvation. The British, during their occupation of India, documented many miracles by Indian holy men. I'm sure you've read Autobiography of a Yogi where Yogananda himself witnessed miracles of many kinds by many living saints all over the world and later produced miracles himself which some elderly people today can attest to have seen. It's science but much more advanced than anything in the West, so far.

 

Too many people take Metaphysics 101 and think they are gods and goddesses.

[Ripnet]

Water or dry fasting for long duration isn't advisable. Juice fasting is safe if you have enough fat to lose. It is recommended from what I read not to fast longer than 3 to 4 days unsupervised.

If you want to fast longer than 3 to 4 days there are fasting clinics where they monitor to you so you won't risk your life. Mind you when I was around 14 I fasted for two weeks because my father suggested it. It really didn't help me much health wise other than losing some fat.