Fasting to lose weight - From moderation to extremism

[packman]

Article - rather lengthy - about fasting as a means to lose weight.

"For his breakfast on July 11, 1966, 27-year-old Scotsman Angus Barbieri ate a boiled egg, a slice of bread with butter, and a cup of black coffee. It was the first food he’d eaten in 382 days"

And the benefits:

"If the antiaging researchers and dietary advocates are right, maybe we in some way need this, maybe fasting can help fight Alzheimer’s, cancer, and arthritis, all while helping our bodies regulate blood sugar properly for the first time in years."

Of course there is this:

"despite the long history of fasting, giving up food is not necessarily a good idea. While short fasts are generally considered safe, longer fasts could introduce dangerous health risks, especially for people without the body fat to support those efforts. As a means of restoring health, fasting is a luxury for those who can take supplemental nutrients and don’t struggle with hunger and malnutrition. It’s hard to separate “not eating” for health from potentially deadly eating disorders. Without medical supervision, a temporary fast for health could transition into a dangerous disorder.

But still, radical transformation is a powerful draw.

Entire article at:

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/fasting-mimicking-diet-cure-disease-aging-2016-9?r=US&IR=T

[tonyt53]

1. I'm almost 63. I weight the same as when I played football in college at 19. I was still growing.

I have lucky genes. BUT, I usually eat a larger meal around the middle of the day. The only time I fast, as compared to the four examples given, is if I'm busy or sick. I used to be very physically active, pretty much to about 50, but not so much anymore. I honestly feel that those lucky genes are making the biggest difference.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. I've lost 135lbs using a reduced calorie intake/increased calorie expenditure method. It's

a lifestyle change, but we'll worth it! Just wish I had done it in my 20s. So many years of good health and well-liked life I have missed out on!

My journey so far.

[snort]

3. Ketoacidosis

Vigorous aerobics and a low calorie diet will do the same thing and hurt less. 700 calories and 2 hours of aerobics 6 days a week was the magic.

[Ratty]

4. I've been doing intermittent fasting for a couple of months now

And I have to say it's working. For me it's been easy since for years I never ate breakfast and usually skipped lunch so my body is already kind of used to it. Of course back then I wasn't exercising either and just never got hungry until I got home from work. Now that I exercise in the morning it's not quite as easy.

Last year I lost 50 lbs mainly through exercise. This year has been much much slower - about 10 lbs since January I would guess and that's fine with me. I've been trying to lose those last few pounds of problem fat: love handles, a little belly pooch and I've seen zero progress until I started IF. Now I'm seeing results and my goal is to lose it by the end of the year.

So basically 4 days a week I only eat dinner. The first 3 days are pretty easy but by Thursday I'm really feeling it. Friday's my "refeed day" and I also eat quite a bit more on the weekends. I've never done fad diets before but I'm pretty impressed with IF. I notice a general improvement in my health as well.