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Do we really have to call a 16 hour period of no eating "fasting"? Can't we just call it skipping breakfast?
If you skip breaking the fast, you're fasting! FOREVER.
Then you die. Woops!
If your first meal is at 5pm, it's still breakfast.
All I'm saying is that there are plenty of people who don't eat a morning meal, and they don't feel the need to label themselves as fasters. The notion that this is healthier to maintain on a regular basis is a new one to me.
Do we really have to call a 16 hour period of no eating "fasting"? Can't we just call it skipping breakfast?
No, because I don't skip breakfast and never would. Never. I skip dinner, eat something very small for dinner or eat dinner early.
and it's funny because I'm the first person to be annoyed by labels and gimmicks to everything like having to call not using chemicals on your skin 'caveman' and eating real food 'paleo', but the term intermittent fasting doesn't bother me one bit.
All I'm saying is that there are plenty of people who don't eat a morning meal, and they don't feel the need to label themselves as fasters. The notion that this is healthier to maintain on a regular basis is a new one to me.
It isn't necessarily healthier to skip breakfast. It is healthy to go hungry once in a while and one method to do that deliberately that has been studied and shown to be effective is to only eat within an 8-hour period leaving an 16 hour fast.
MDA blog post on various methods.
I haven't followed the link and read up on it yet, but apparently the man behind the Leangainers method with the 16 hour fast thinks that a 14 hour fast is better for women. Woo hoo! Because that's what i do more often.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-fast-part-six-choosing-a-method/#more-28762
All I'm saying is that there are plenty of people who don't eat a morning meal, and they don't feel the need to label themselves as fasters. The notion that this is healthier to maintain on a regular basis is a new one to me.
It's the only form of fasting that has been extensively studied and had the effects documented.
So it was tedious, but I scoured the Leangain guy's blog for the details about women and why the fasting period would be different. It's from an interview apparently done a few years ago. For anymore info, you have to buy the book.
Leigh Peele: Have you found a difference between men and women using this program?
Martin Berkhan: Due to differences in body weight, body composition and calorie needs, very few women, especially those already within a normal weight range, get away with an unstructured approach to dieting. That goes for all diet approaches, not just IF. Sure, a lifestyle approach to IF will likely get a few pounds of you, but it wont work all the way down to getting really lean for most women. The female body is very adept in protecting against fat loss below a certain body fat percentage and spontaneous eating without logging calories will often set people up for failure, unless they have a very solid track record of dieting in the past (i.e very attuned to their bodies caloric needs).
As were on the subject, Ill also mention that Ive revamped the diet guidelines I use for my female clients. For example, the fasted phase is now 14 hours by default, not 16 hours which is the case for men. This has brought about much greater diet compliance and less negative symptoms among women. The rationale for changing the guidlines makes a lot of sense based on the amount of feedback Ive been getting, as well as my research on the topic. It turns out that women has lower plasma glucose concentrations than men after the same time spent fasting. In practical terms, this means that women in general are more likely to get moody and hungry if they go too long without feeding, while men can go longer without experiencing any negative effects, and this is exactly what Ive been seeing. Men can do 16 hours quite easily, not so with women; for them, 14 hours is the sweet spot.
Ive also made some other dietary alterations that increased has diet compliance for women, but I think Ill save that part for the book. For now, Ill just say that moving towards an isocaloric approach, with a healthy dose of carbs from fruit, has worked very well. Thus, I believe the optimal diet on this regime will depend on gender, which makes logical sense if you look at the differences in substrate metabolism between the sexes.
Here's a study on the effects of a meal on circulating progesterone levels: http://www.ncbi.nlm..../pubmed/2778041
They started with women with fasting women with a steady amount of circulating Progesterone due to supplementation by infusion. Then found their P levels dropped while cortisol rose after a meal. They don't discuss what happens with the progesterone so I'm not sure if this is a positive or negative thing for those of us with a deficiency. (such as does the meal trigger the use of the progesterone, get it into cells, etc )
And this article on causes of estrogen dominance mentions the 'metabolic clearing of progesterone' after a large meal. So I'm thinking this is undesirable. So Is this perhaps an example of the benefits of Intermittent fasting?
On the other hand, a large/carb meal can boost thyroid production so...
And on the other hand, Cortisol boosted by the large meal is inflammatory. And it's the stress hormone and stress lowers progesterone.
Another Mercola article on Intermittent Fasting citing MDA blog posts, Leangains, warrior diet and the Eat, Stop, Eat programs. And intermittent fasting for athletes. http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/05/04/fasting-effects-on-human-growth-hormone.aspx?e_cid=20120504_FNL_art_1
Fasting is historically common-place as it has been a part of spiritual practice for millennia. But modern science has confirmed there are many good reasons for fasting, including:
- Normalizing your insulin sensitivity, which is key for optimal health as insulin resistance (which is what you get when your insulin sensitivity plummets) is a primary contributing factor to nearly all chronic disease, from diabetes to heart disease and even cancer
- Normalizing ghrelin levels, also known as "the hunger hormone"
- Promoting human growth hormone (HGH) production, which plays an important part in health, fitness and slowing the aging process
- Lowering triglyceride levels
- Reducing inflammation and lessening free radical damage
There's also plenty of research showing that fasting has a beneficial impact on longevity in animals. There are a number of mechanisms contributing to this effect. Normalizing insulin sensitivity is a major one, but fasting also inhibits the mTOR pathway, which plays an important part in driving the aging process. The fact that it improves a number of potent disease markers also contributes to fasting's overall beneficial effects on general health.
Interestingly, one recent study that included more than 200 individuals, found that fasting increased the participants' low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL or "bad" cholesterol) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL, the "good" cholesterol) by 14 percent and 6 percent, respectively
vi.
I actually tried this before, but I never could. I ENJOY eating. I also am a tall, lanky guy. I eat 7-8 times a day. Generally 4-5 small meals, and 3 small snacks. I always have a piece of fruit for breakfast. My first meal is generally lunch and then I eat a few small meals "intermently". I really kind of want to try this whole "Eat for 8 hours, fast for 16" thing, but I'm not sure how to make the transition. I get hungry a lot 
!
It's about self discipline and focus.
I've done this everyday for years and it hasn't helped my acne one bit. I'm completely unconvinced that intermittent fasting can benefit those with highly persistent forms of chronic acne.
Overall however, reducing the calorie intake (by skipping a meal for instance) can only benefit you in the long run and has been shown to increase lifespan in lab rats. Evaluating my own habits, I employ intermittent fasting, moderate exercise, and a mostly paleo diet which has probably allowed me to enjoy such overall health, despite having to take accutane for an extended period, and being a moderate social drinker.
^Intermittent fasting is not necessarily about consuming fewer calories. The same calories can be consumed with these methods.
In the past, there'd been quite a few discussions with people, usually warrior dieters, saying that it helped a great deal and allowed those following it to eat a lot bigger variety of foods/higher GI/GL meals, etc.
And in addition to benefiting many of the factors that affect hormones and chronic inflammation such as insulin sensitivity, there's been a study that found it improved hyperproliferation of cells.
^Intermittent fasting is not necessarily about consuming fewer calories. The same calories can be consumed with these methods.
In the past, there'd been quite a few discussions with people, usually warrior dieters, saying that it helped a great deal and allowed those following it to eat a lot bigger variety of foods/higher GI/GL meals, etc.
Makes sense. Giving the body a chance to "recover" will make it better equipped to handle the next big food challenge.
I guess the reduction of caloric intake was just a side note, because in order to attain this interval of eating, I found it's simpler just to skip out on a meal. We honestly need far fewer calories than the FDA says we do. Three American-sized meals a day is overkill. (literally)
Intermittent fasting + Ketogenic diet = The holy grail for skin, for me anyway. I have to thank the Inuits for the inspiration. Cutting out all carbs (bar fibrous and trace amounts from cheese) was probably the best decision I ever made in regards to skin and bodily functions. Combined with intermittent fasting, I only eat when my body tells me I'm hungry. Does anyone have any experiences with Ketogenic lifestyles? I've found that this is the closest my diet has ever been to the "Naturally intended path".
Hey so basically you eat and drink a full day's worth of food in 8 hours, but in the 16 hours that you fast can you drink water? I feel like I would get really thirsty in those 16 hours. Also I'm pretty skinny and I don't want to lose weight, will this make me lose weight? I care more about getting rid of acne though lol.
For it just isn't any different to eating little and often.
If one is eating the same calories, the same high nutrient foods then when these foods are consumed is largely irrelevant.
IF is a way of eating just like little and often. If it suits your life style then go for it. But don't be fooled into it is something new and magical.
A calorie is a calorie. Okay yes, full calories and empty calories blah blah. But if one eats the same out amount regardless good or bad, time of day the results are the same.
Eating nutrient dense food will make one healthier and give longevity but i when i eat them is of little relevance.
For it just isn't any different to eating little and often.
If one is eating the same calories, the same high nutrient foods then when these foods are consumed is largely irrelevant.
IF is a way of eating just like little and often. If it suits your life style then go for it. But don't be fooled into it is something new and magical.
A calorie is a calorie. Okay yes, full calories and empty calories blah blah. But if one eats the same out amount regardless good or bad, time of day the results are the same.
Eating nutrient dense food will make one healthier and give longevity but i when i eat them is of little relevance.
Untrue.
For it just isn't any different to eating little and often.
If one is eating the same calories, the same high nutrient foods then when these foods are consumed is largely irrelevant.
IF is a way of eating just like little and often. If it suits your life style then go for it. But don't be fooled into it is something new and magical.
A calorie is a calorie. Okay yes, full calories and empty calories blah blah. But if one eats the same out amount regardless good or bad, time of day the results are the same.
Eating nutrient dense food will make one healthier and give longevity but i when i eat them is of little relevance.
Untrue.
How so?
If the goal is to lose weight or hormonal stabilization then when we eat way down on the list of priorities.
There's an underlying hierarchy of importance. At the top of the hierarchy is total amount of the macronutrients by the end of the day and the quality of the said macros. Distantly below that is the precise timing of those nutrients.
My point is, quality over timing. Yes there are arguments to be made for hormonal responses but if one is eating real nutrient dense foods then surely this is the most important thing?
What would the hormonal response with IF if someone was to eat a load of crap within that 8 hour window? Surely it's less than optimal.
For it just isn't any different to eating little and often.
If one is eating the same calories, the same high nutrient foods then when these foods are consumed is largely irrelevant.
IF is a way of eating just like little and often. If it suits your life style then go for it. But don't be fooled into it is something new and magical.
A calorie is a calorie. Okay yes, full calories and empty calories blah blah. But if one eats the same out amount regardless good or bad, time of day the results are the same.
Eating nutrient dense food will make one healthier and give longevity but i when i eat them is of little relevance.
fasting also has other benefits that may not be directly linked to acne but will improve your overall health and then go on to improve your skin such as:
1.reduce blood pressure
2.reduce fat and cholesterol
3. reduce the strain on your liver and kidneys
4. improve health of the respiratory system by removing toxins from the lungs more efficiently
i know you could say you can achieve these things in other ways but fasting seems to be a much easier way of improving a large number of health problems
For it just isn't any different to eating little and often.
If one is eating the same calories, the same high nutrient foods then when these foods are consumed is largely irrelevant.
IF is a way of eating just like little and often. If it suits your life style then go for it. But don't be fooled into it is something new and magical.
A calorie is a calorie. Okay yes, full calories and empty calories blah blah. But if one eats the same out amount regardless good or bad, time of day the results are the same.
Eating nutrient dense food will make one healthier and give longevity but i when i eat them is of little relevance.
fasting also has other benefits that may not be directly linked to acne but will improve your overall health and then go on to improve your skin such as:
1.reduce blood pressure
2.reduce fat and cholesterol
3. reduce the strain on your liver and kidneys
4. improve health of the respiratory system by removing toxins from the lungs more efficiently
i know you could say you can achieve these things in other ways but fasting seems to be a much easier way of improving a large number of health problems
Good post.
As i've said all the way through it's producing a lot of interesting data, however i am just not sold on that it is any better than eating little and often.
I will always maintain. it's what works for you and eating an entire days worth food in a small time window does sound appealing (i do like to eat lol)
In any case. Come Christmas week. Diet, IF, little and often goes out there window. The gloves are off and it's munch time lol
For it just isn't any different to eating little and often.
If one is eating the same calories, the same high nutrient foods then when these foods are consumed is largely irrelevant.
IF is a way of eating just like little and often. If it suits your life style then go for it. But don't be fooled into it is something new and magical.
A calorie is a calorie. Okay yes, full calories and empty calories blah blah. But if one eats the same out amount regardless good or bad, time of day the results are the same.
Eating nutrient dense food will make one healthier and give longevity but i when i eat them is of little relevance.
fasting also has other benefits that may not be directly linked to acne but will improve your overall health and then go on to improve your skin such as:
1.reduce blood pressure
2.reduce fat and cholesterol
3. reduce the strain on your liver and kidneys
4. improve health of the respiratory system by removing toxins from the lungs more efficiently
i know you could say you can achieve these things in other ways but fasting seems to be a much easier way of improving a large number of health problems
Good post.
As i've said all the way through it's producing a lot of interesting data, however i am just not sold on that it is any better than eating little and often.
I will always maintain. it's what works for you and eating an entire days worth food in a small time window does sound appealing (i do like to eat lol)
In any case. Come Christmas week. Diet, IF, little and often goes out there window. The gloves are off and it's munch time lol
cant believe your talking about Christmas, its bad enough the supermarkets are already full of advent calendars, mince pies and Christmas crackers lol