
Fasting can improve overall health - LinuxBender
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190115111928.htm
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newnewpdro
If you've never explored fasting for a couple days as an adult, it's
definitely worth the experience.

Once the body gets into the fat-burning mode and all the pangs of hunger and
mild headaches vanish, everything changes and it's like you can go climb a
mountain with nothing but water.

Those familiar with atkins/ketogenic diets will have already learned this
stuff about themselves. But it's interesting to note that the same operating
mode is available without any food at all.

Even if you don't embrace fasting as some kind of healthy practice, being
aware that; no, you're not actually starving when you're hungry because you
haven't eaten carbs for a few hours, seems like a useful fact to internalize.
As long as there's fat on your person, you're not starving, just stop eating
long enough to give your body a chance to switch fuel sources.

It's actually a quite different experience to run off fat, the headspace is
changed, there's a mental clarity and physical lightness and agility (you're
empty). I find it quite pleasant, especially for physical activity.

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danielecook
I only have anecdotal evidence but occasional 24 hour fasts seem to reset my
appetite in a way that makes me less hungry throughout the day. The easiest
way to do it is to start after lunch - and have a late lunch the next day.

~~~
sg47
Did it affect your sleep? I find that being hungry at night affects my sleep
significantly.

~~~
nonbel
The thing with fasting/low-carb is that once you are adapted it takes quite a
bit more to "feel hungry". In fact the feeling is qualitatively different.

I eventually tried the low-carb (actual low-carb of <100g carbs/day, not the
fake one nutritionists study where "low" is like 40% carbs in your diet)
because I kept hearing about it and it was so easy to self-experiment, so why
not?

It was like the scales fell from my eyes when I realized that much of what I
thought was "hunger" my whole life was actually "addictive cravings" for
carbohydrates. And I was really not a fan of grains and sugary stuff to begin
with.

~~~
stantham
This is exactly my experience with the diet.

I've been doing intermittent fasting for about 3 months now. I fast for 16
hours, and have 2 meals a day (lunch at 12PM and dinner at 8PM), I eat 0 to
low carbs, since my diet is mostly animal based products (meat and eggs, and I
have protein powder from beef and egg which I occasionally take as well).

I really don't feel hungry at all, never. It's insane. I go to the gym at 7AM,
after 11 hours of fasting, and I can workout just fine. The difference has
been absolutely crazy.

~~~
ArrayList
Good job on the fasting, but:

> since my diet is mostly animal based products (meat and eggs

Bad news. I'd recommend a whole-food plant-based (WFPB) diet if you'd like to
improve your health.

~~~
nonbel
How are you going to do this without consuming a lot of carbs?

~~~
ArrayList
[https://nutritionstudies.org/recipes/](https://nutritionstudies.org/recipes/)

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BasicObject
I've been doing 23 hour (dinner-to-dinner) fasts twice a week (not back to
back days) for nearly 6 years. It's the easiest form of weight control I've
come across. It's nice to see it may extend my longevity as well. Anyone
wanting to try it just know the first 2-3 times are the most difficult. It
does get much easier after that. I've had blood levels checked and it stunned
my doctor. He said my LDL is at the level of child under 10 years old. If
anyone has questions about 23 hour fasts I'll gladly answer them.

~~~
senectus1
how are your energy levels on the fasting days?

I presume you load with water to help distract from the hunger?

~~~
steve_adams_86
This is anecdotal, but I've typically fasted in a similar way (eat between
4-8pm only) for around 5 years. A few years ago I was running 20-30km while
fasted without issues. I was running slow (5:30 per kilometer) but I felt
pretty good, with steady energy and no weakness or crashing. I took a while to
adapt to not eating first, but I'd say it was a matter of a month at most.

I personally did (and do) drink a lot of water if I feel hungry. I usually end
up hungry the next day if I allow myself to eat past 8 or so - it's always a
mistake for me to do that.

I allow myself to have tea and coffee, which some people say isn't true
fasting because you have to metabolize the things in the tea or coffee. I
don't mind. I'm doing this to maintain control over bad eating habits which
lead me to be very overweight. I have ADHD and I suppose it comes with poor
impulse control in my case - I tend to be very "all or nothing", so fasting
works very well for me. I have nothing until I can have it all :)

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stuzenz
This might interest some of you - it is a documentary on the same topic -
where a doctor goes ahead and explores intermittent fasting for longevity /
reducing aging issues. He ends up trying it and becoming a convert.

[https://vimeo.com/170735109](https://vimeo.com/170735109)

This doctor (Dr Berg) also has a channel on the same - and provides some
interesting easy to understand scientific explanations on different
intermittent fasting related items. I remember the explanations on the body
need for potassium was interesting.

[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3w193M5tYPJqF0Hi-7U-2g](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3w193M5tYPJqF0Hi-7U-2g)

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tdburn
A little more info on Dr Berg: he's a chiropractor doctor not a medically
trained doctor. He has a lot of good information, but it's also wise to verify
any of his info from other sources.

~~~
elyobo
Needs appropriate quotes

> he's a chiropractor "doctor"

~~~
dominotw
well..most doctors( without quotes) i've been to know nothing about diet and
nutrition.

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bashwizard
I've been doing intermittent fasting for about a year now in combination of
lifting weights, training mma and bjj and I'd say that it would be very hard
for me to go back to a "normal" eating pattern. I've always been in good shape
before starting intermittent fasting but the difference is huge. Not only have
I decreased my fat precentage but I've also gained muscle mass.

I don't feel hungry even when I'm fasting, I sleep better, and I don't crave
for fast food, snacks etc anymore what so ever. On top of that I also save a
lot of time that I used to spend eating 6-8 meals a day.

This is my new normal.

~~~
sAbakumoff
i don't believe you.

~~~
piva00
So as another anecdote to add to your data points: I've been doing
intermittent fasting more or less for 2 years, eating latest at 8pm and only
breaking the fast by lunch time (around noon - 1pm). That gives me, usually, a
7-8 hours feeding period while fasting for 16.

I don't feel hunger at all when I wake up, I drink a glass of water in the
morning and then a coffee in the office. Alas, I don't feel hunger as I used
to, it's not a craving, I don't feel like "I need to eat now", it's a much
more manageable feeling.

And I go to the gym in the morning fasted, it works really well for me. The
only times I feel it's harder to have energy is when I'm cutting down weight
(and eating with a 700 kcal deficit).

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paulcole
Before anyone breathlessly gushes about their life-changing fasting regime,
remember that this study was done on mice.

~~~
porpoisely
Not only that, more often than not, it turns out that the original claims turn
out to be false or negligible at best.

The latest weight fad was intermittent fasting. Turns out it isn't any better
than any other weight loss regime.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18537250](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18537250)

~~~
nonbel
I don't know about intermittent fasting, and don't feel like checking your
source at the moment. But I know in the case of "low-carb" diets the people
publishing research articles on it made up their own definition that has
nothing to do with what people actually call "low carb".[1]

So the track record of people who study diets is abysmal in my experience.

[1]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18453665#18457257](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18453665#18457257)

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TimSchumann
I just hit day 7 of my current fast. I’ve also completed a 60 day fast which
was quite strict, as I didn’t allow myself tea or coffee.

If anyone is interested in more details, let me know and I’ll do my best to
answer any questions.

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bakoo
Which supplements did you take, and what was the goal?

Have only done 72 hour fasts, but allow myself both black coffee and zero
calorie soft drinks.

~~~
TimSchumann
I did water/salt only for the first 30 days and added in more supplements for
the last 30 days. Super strict no coffee/tea/or flavored anything even if it
was calorie free.

If you shoot me an email, my username at gmail, I’d be happy to share my
spreadsheet and before/after photos. Goes for anyone coming across this in the
future.

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SpikeDad
It's interesting but without large, long term longitudinal studies making
health claims is shaky at best.

It might improve specific health parameters but whether those improvements
translate into a longer and/or healthier life can't be assumed.

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Markoff
i am usually doing 36 hours starting after dinner until next day after
breakfast and it's way too easy, even 48 hours would not be problem. the issue
for me it's i am cooking for family and children sometimes don't finish their
stuff so it's difficult to combine it with my fasting, if i would be single i
would be doing 48 hours regularly

little bit crisis it's around 24 hours, then even next day morning around 36
hours it's fine bit i guess around 45-48 hours would come another crisis

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spacedog11
>> "The research was conducted using mice, which were subjected to 24-hour
periods of fasting."

Nobody fasts for 24 hours. This study lacks to mention if say same affects
were observed based on shorter amount of fasting time.

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cuban-frisbee
When I tried fasting I did 36 hours every other day for two months.

~~~
spacedog11
Interesting... I take my initial comment back.I wasn't aware that people
actually abstain from eating for long periods of time (+24 hours).

