
The Silicon Valley execs who don't eat for days - elsewhen
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/04/silicon-valley-ceo-fasting-trend-diet-is-it-safe#img-3
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Powerofmene
I have done this for the past several years and it has helped tremendously
with weight control but has vastly improved energy. The onset of the headaches
is intense to say the least but stay the course as it is really worth it. And
don't shoot yourself in the foot by going crazy on the days you are eating.

Be prepared for two to three miserable days when you start. You will have
headaches and depending on your choice of drinks before fasting you may
experience severe sugar withdrawal. If you are/we're a major carbohydrate
consumer you will likely feel like you have the flu for hothouse two to three
days. Just know that you can get through it and you will come out on the other
side feeling so much better. Just do yourself a favor and clean out your
pantry ahead of time to eliminate those items that "call to you" so that you
don't feel tempted. You can't eat what is not there without making the
conscious choice to go to the store to buy something.

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pascalxus
That depends on what your normal diet is like. But, if you've been eating
healthy and occasionally doing some fasting, it'll be much less of a shock to
your system.

Personally, i've never got headaches from fasting. But, I do get extreme
appetite, just as I normally would when i'm not fasting. Also, occasionally, I
do get some sugar withdrawal systems as well, when i fast really aggressively
for several days at a time.

I find the most convenient form of fasting to be the 16 hour daily fasts,
which I do almost everyday. Those are very easy to execute and stick with.

~~~
Powerofmene
This is interesting. Overall I had a pretty healthy diet prior to my start in
fasting. I rarely ate things that contained sugar or no more than a very small
amount, I did not drink carbonated drinks (although I drank green tea), but I
LOVED CARBS. My go to snack was always Cheez It's or Chips. I did not eat more
than a handful but I did that probably 2x a day. I also loved fresh fruit
which is very high in carbs. To say that I felt Like I had been run over by a
truck from the carb detox was an understatement. But it only last 3 days give
or take but it was a miserable 3 days.

Now after years of regular fasting I have no troubles. If I overindulge during
a non fasting period I pay for it with mild headaches but nothing like at the
beginning. I think at the beginning i simply put my entire body a bit into
shock and I was not prepared for the intensity of the headache and achiness. I
stuck with it and am glad I did. Now it is very simple and works with my
lifestyle really well.

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inovica
Fasting has really worked for me. I've been doing it for nearly 2 years.
Better mental clarity, better weight and less sickness. I'm doing a version of
the 5:2 diet though

~~~
Lordarminius
I've read about this and recognize the potential benefits. I want to give it a
try.

1\. How does one get started ? Specifically, how do you combat the
irritability and headaches at the onset ? 2\. What are some good online
communities to join ? 3.What are the best practices and what should I know ?

~~~
beagle3
Headaches at onset have various causes, some unavoidable (coffee withdrawal
for many, carb withdrawal for most), some are (insufficient electrolytes or
other nutrients).

Make sure you don't start with a vitamin deficiency, and add a little bit of
salt to your drinking water.

~~~
trapperkeeper74
Sodium only is insufficient and bad advice because absorption and retention of
most alkali metals is competitive. A balance of potassium, sodium, calcium and
traces of magnesium are essential. Playing Russia roulette with a heart-attack
or an intestinal blockage is unnecessary.

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trapperkeeper74
Fasting done well could be beneficial, but done ad-hoc risks gallstones,
muscle damage and heart arrhythmias from insufficient alkali metals.

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Para2016
Ketones are a superfood? That doesn't make sense to me as superfood isn't a
real term.

Here's an article stating that improvement in BP, lipid decrease, and
increased insulin sensitivity occurs in fasting. Not so sure about the rest of
the vague claims made in the article.

[https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2...](https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-9-57)

~~~
grwthckrmstr
Instead of picking out one food or another, I'd just like to generally
highlight that the human body can use two sources of energy, carbs - glucose,
or fats - ketones.

For ketosis to occur, you need to be starved of carbs and loaded with good
fats. In effect, your body does turn into a fat burning machine since you
literally use fat to fuel your activities and life.

The article stating improvements in various aspects of health seem to align
with other studies of positive effects on our bodies upon adapting ketosis as
a primary source of energy.

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tim333
Libin looks much better. I've been doing a lightweight 16:8 with quite good
results.

(Libin before
[https://www.incimages.com/uploaded_files/image/970x450/14814...](https://www.incimages.com/uploaded_files/image/970x450/148143989_PhilLibin_credit-
BloombergviaGetty-pano_22909.jpg))

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djchung23
Has anyone combined fasting with intense physical activity/exercise? I enjoy
long runs and HIIT workouts, but when I've gone straight into a workout after
work before dinner, I always seem to lose energy and feel horrible. Would
working out during fasting make this worse?

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jason_slack
I have done multi-day backpacking trips while just consuming water, green tea
and some nuts/dried fruit once a day. I was fine. I had plenty of energy each
day.

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DKnoll
How many kilometres did you walk and how much of the trail mix did you consume
each day?

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jason_slack
I backpack about 10-12 miles (19.3 kilo). I ate about 17oz of fruit and dried
nuts each day. Now, I am adding 1/2 cup of oatmeal in the morning.

I know people that backpack the same distance and they are consuming 4000-5000
calories per day!

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DKnoll
This only really works if you sit in a chair all day. Why not just exercise
instead? You can still fast, but eat once a day in the evening if your heart
is set on it.

Nobody with a physical job could pull off days of fasting like this, it's
totally unsustainable.

This is basically just anorexia.

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chrisgd
How would you go about adding magnesium, potassium and sodium?

~~~
tristram_shandy
I can actually speak from expertise on this! I've done fasting for the last
five years (daily, eating once between 6-9PM), but this advice mostly comes
from endurance road biking.

You can find "Salt-Free Salt" products in most supermarkets, typically in the
spice section, it's a niche product for people on very low sodium diets. I
believe the biggest brand name is "No Salt" \-- these products typically
contain potassium chloride, calcium, and some magnesium salts. Because of
this, they're an excellent hack for athletes, anyone operating in extremely
hot weather, and anyone looking to start a fast.

To make a (more or less) isotonic solution for hydration, add one teaspoon of
the potassium salt and one teaspoon of normal salt per 1L of water -- this
will give you a solution with a balance of sodium, potassium, and small
amounts of magnesium and calcium that's around 0.9-1.0% salinity.

Personally, I adjust my diet to include slightly more of the potassium salt.

~~~
Powerofmene
Thanks for this info. I forgot about the No Salt and Salt trick in water from
my running days, but it really does work. Thanks for this reminder because
hydration is really the key to success in fasting.

