Why Fast? Part One – Weight Loss
“When a person has nothing to eat, fasting is the smartest thing he could do.” – Herman Hesse, Siddhartha.
I like that quote. It’s making (non-caloric) lemonade out of lemons, and for all the transcendental insights contained in Hesse’s book, this line strikes me as a really cool, no-nonsense way to make the best out of a bad situation. No doubt about that. But how useful is it, really, to today’s readers? Very few of us ever have “nothing to eat.” On the contrary, food is ever at our beck and call, with very little effort required to obtain it. Actually, that’s not completely true. Processed junk and fast food is readily available, while the good stuff – fresh meat and veggies, actual, you know, food - requires prep work, cooking, time, and the doing of dishes. But the main point stands: we rarely go without.
That doesn’t mean the quote is useless. In fact, with a few slight modifications, it becomes extremely effective weight loss advice. Check out my version:
“When a person has had too much to eat, fasting is the smartest thing he could do.” – Mark Sisson, Mark’s Daily Apple.
If that sounds harsh or even unrealistic, consider the story of the Scotsman. Back in 1965, an obese Scotsman of 27 years and 456 pounds came to the Department of Medicine in Dundee, Scotland, with a problem. He needed to lose weight. A (1/8 of a) ton of it. The doctors suggested maybe not eating for a few days could help. It was just an offhand recommendation, but our Scotsman (known only as “AB”) really took to it. He stayed at the hospital for several days, taking only water and vitamin pills while undergoing observation to ensure nothing went wrong. When his time was up, he continued the fast back at home, returning to the hospital only for regular monitoring. After a week, he was down five pounds and feeling good. His vitals checked out, blood pressure was normal, and though he had lower blood sugar than most men, he didn’t seem particularly impaired by it. The experiment continued… for 382 days.
Yes, AB fasted for 382 days, drinking only water and taking vitamin, potassium, and sodium supplements. All told, he lost 276 pounds, reaching his target weight of 180 pounds and maintaining the bulk of his weight loss. Over the five following years of observation, AB regained just sixteen pounds, putting him in excellent, but underpopulated territory (at least 80% of dieters eventually regain all the lost weight). Other doctors paid attention. Maybe it was the fact that it was the 60s, and all sorts of crazy stuff was going on – rebellion in the air, good music being made, a war in Vietnam, Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters blazing across the U.S. in a beat-up school bus, spreading the good weird word, Kevin Arnold and a young Marilyn Manson coming of age in Anytown, USA – but for whatever reason, placing obese patients on extended and short-term fasts became relatively common practice.
But could this work for the average person looking to lose weight without submitting to constant medical observation?
Absolutely. Study after study shows that whatever you want to call the protocol – intermittent fasting, fasting, alternate day fasting, or alternate day caloric restriction – it works very well for weight loss. A few recent ones:
- In non-obese patients, alternate day fasting increased fat oxidation and weight loss.
- In obese patients, alternate day fasting was an effective way to lose weight; dietary adherence remained high throughout.
- In young overweight women, alternate day fasting was just as effective as caloric restriction at causing weight loss, and adherence to the former was easier than to the latter.
So, yes: it works. But does fasting work solely through caloric restriction, or is it doing something special?
That’s the real question. There’s no question that fasting causes weight loss through caloric restriction. Obviously, when you don’t eat anything, your body turns to its own stored energy reserves, reserves that take up physical space and have mass. Depletion of those energy stores reduces mass and thus weight. Total and absolute caloric restriction. That’s elementary stuff and the studies from the 1960s show that.
To dig a bit deeper, let’s look at how weight loss occurs during a fast. I’ll stick to research involving humans only (sorry, rodent personal trainers).
Secretion of growth hormone, one of the premier fat burning hormones, increases during a fast. In a five-day fasting protocol, men experienced increased GH secretion on day one and day five (the only two days where GH was measured). A later study showed that during two-day fasting sessions, growth hormone secretions increased in both frequency and intensity in men. They experienced more frequent GH bursts and each burst secreted a higher mass of GH. A more recent study found that 24-hour fasts increased GH by 1300% in women and almost 2000% in men.
Fasting decreases fasting insulin levels. The presence of insulin inhibits lipolysis, the release of stored triglycerides (body fat). Without lipolysis actually releasing stored body fat, it’s rather difficult to, well, burn that body fat for energy. During a fast, fasting insulin decreases and lipolysis increases. This insulin-blunting aspect of fasting quite literally allows the fast to be successful, because without the ability to access stored body fat for energy, making it through a period of zero caloric intake will be nigh impossible.
Fasting improves insulin sensitivity. 20-hour fasts were enough to improve insulin sensitivity in men.
Fasting increases the catecholamines, both adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine). Both catecholamines increase resting energy expenditure during a fast, and guess where your fasting body finds the energy to expend? From body fat. Catecholamines activate hormone sensitive lipase present in adipose tissue, spurring the release of said fat. This makes intuitive sense, doesn’t it? If you’re hungry in the wild, you need to hunt (or gather, or fish, or somehow procure food) and you need energy to do it. The catecholamines help provide some of that energy while burning fat in the process.
Hmm, notice anything? All those mechanisms dealt with fat burning specifically. While there may be some weirdo out there who’s interested in reducing bone mineral density and muscle mass while maintaining fat tissue, I would wager that what most people mean by “weight loss” is “fat mass loss.” From the stuff I just linked, it looks like fasting burns fat, rather than just weight. But what about Conventional Wisdom which claims that fasting increases muscle wasting – maybe because your body will totally recognize the lethal nature of all that arterycloggingsaturated animal fat and choose to break down muscle instead? Is it true?
Let’s go to the research:
In one study, normal weight subjects ate just once a day without reducing overall caloric intake. Weight didn’t change, which isn’t really surprising, but body composition did change – and for the better. Body fat decreased and lean weight increased (in addition to a bunch of other beneficial changes) without an overall reduction in calories.
A recent review of the relevant literature found that while fasting and caloric restriction are “equally as effective in decreasing body weight and fat mass,” fasting is “more effective for the retention of lean mass.”
Conventional Wisdom strikes out again.
In closing…
It appears that fasting “works” in several different ways:
1. It decreases caloric intake. In order to lose weight, you need a caloric deficit. That really isn’t in contention here, folks.
2. It increases fat oxidation while sparing lean mass. Since what we’re trying to do is lose fat (rather than just “weight”), the fact that fasting increases hormones that preferentially burn fat and decreases hormones that inhibit fat burning is extremely desirable.
3. It improves adherence. In most of the studies surveyed, participants found fasting to be an extremely tolerable way to diet, especially when compared to outright caloric restriction. Even AB, the fasting Scotsman, reported very little difficulty throughout his 382 day fast. If fasting is easier for you than trying to laboriously count calories, fasting is going to be the more effective weight – er, fat – loss method.
All in all, fasting is an effective way to lose body fat. It’s not the only way, and it isn’t “required” for Primal weight loss, but many in the community have found it to be very helpful and the literature backs them up. If you’re looking to jumpstart your fat loss, fasting may be just the ticket. To get some ideas, be sure to check out my post on various fasting methods.
In subsequent installments, I’ll highlight some of the other benefits of fasting. There are a ton, and new research is being released all the time, so I expect I’ll have a lot to discuss. Until then, I’d like to hear about your experiences with fasting for fat loss. Has it worked? Has it failed you? Let us know in the comment section!
Thanks for reading, everyone!
Here’s the entire series for easy reference:
Why Fast? Part One – Weight Loss
Why Fast? Part Three – Longevity
Why Fast? Part Four – Brain Health
Why Fast? Part Five – Exercise
Why Fast? Part Six – Choosing a Method
Dear Mark: Women and Intermittent Fasting
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
For most of the past year I thrived on IF (intermittent fasting) and in the past month I have experimented with ADF(alternate day fasting.) For me, fasting is very calming. My gut is very quiet and the other bodily systems follow suit and yet I have high energy. I don’t suffer any weakness at all and the only “weird” comes in realizing just how much time I typically spend preparing, eating and cleaning up after meals.
I’ve been paleo for about a year now and have lost about 30 pounds… pretty typical story. But it seemed like I had stalled out, with some obvious fat yet to burn. I came across Richard Nikoley’s book “Free the Animal” and was reminded of intermittant fasting. I’ve been doing a 24 hour fast 1-2 times a week for the last month, and have found this very effective in burning fat that I have been having trouble getting rid of. I’m down about 5 pounds, but aside from that, I can see a big difference in how I look. My muscle tone in my arms and shoulders is much more defined, and my gut is slowly shrinking away, much faster than it had been for a while now.
Congrats on the action and results.
Not sure what you mean by “24 hour fast”, but if you don’t eat from, for example, Sun night to Tues morning, that’s actually more like a 36 hour fast. I would recommend one meal – either breakfast or dinner, NOT lunch – on fasting days, as it is after about 24 ours that you start losing muscle.
Yes…actually that is strangely similar to my experience. I’ve been primal for about a year, and lost about exactly 30 lbs. I have to give credit to the leangains program for outlining a sensible approach to IF. It’s easy, I just skip breakfast and make a big lunch. It drives me crazy when I hear that a paleo diet is hard to maintain. How hard is it to skip breakfast, and have bacon for lunch?
Fasting is absolutely helpful. I first got serious about fasting after I had an eating disorder and gained a bunch of weight (I got over the ED first, mind you, that’s the first step). I lost the excess fat effortlessly, and as I experimented more and more with fasting, I found that a fasted state made me feel better, more alert, and more productive. Nowadays I try to fast for at least 12 hours overnight, every day, with occasional 18-24 hour fasts thrown in on a really good day. I also do all exercise fasted, except for Kung Fu. I’m a major proponent of fasting for fat loss and general well-being.
I tried a 24 hour fast for the first time yesterday and my enegery was through the roof! As soon as I got home from work I began my workout and then waited an hour before eating my meal. I plan on doing this from now on every 3 days, which will also be my workout days. Every other day I fast 16 hours and eat 2 meals in a 8 hour window.
I’ve lost 40 pounds since late December following the Primal Blueprint and I love it!
OK, so I am not opposed to intermittent fasting, or any fasting, per se … but where do you draw the line between fasting and anorexia?
Anorexia is a psychological disorder. If you have or are prone to such a disorder, you may glom onto any information such as this to bolster your rationale for your disorder.
But this post isn’t about folks who are sick with anorexia.
Anorexia is continuing to lose weight through extreme dietary measures when one is at 85% or less of their ideal body weight. So, as long as you aren’t underweight, by this definition you can’t be anorexic.
TRUE
I’ve always felt the “three meals a day” mantra was a bogus modern construct not based on any science.
We are so over-fed and food-obsessed in Conventional Wisdom that we call any period of not eating a “fast” and not a normal behavior. But we really don’t know shit.
Those of you asking how to fast, when to fast, wanting a plan layed out for you – go experiment on yourselves. Do it your way, see what happens.
Here here!
We tend to fast on the weekends. We cook food in the morning and just let our kids graze as they wish. It amazes me at ages 2 & 5 how in tune they are with their bodies. Many nights they just don’t feel like eating dinner–so they don’t!
For me, fasting was more getting over the mind-set that I had to eat. Having been a diagnosed hypoglycemic since I was a kid, I had trained myself to eat every 2-3 hours to prevent low blood sugar. Was I ever a slave to the clock! My first time trying a fast (eating dinner and then not eating until noon the following day) , I had to get over watching the clock and to just listen to my body. Like many people have attested in this post, I felt energized and alive! What a great feeling.
I do find, as I still turn to sugar in times of emotional turmoil, that it takes me a few days after a binge before I can try fasting again. I can really feel it in my body that it is not ready for a fast.
I also switched over to the “Warrior Diet” of 1 meal per day several months ago and find it to be the most liberating choice I can remember. Depending on mood I might have 1 or 2 very small snacks, but almost all of my calories come in the form of one giant 4 hour feast at the end of the day. Took a little while to adjust to eating that much, but it was well worth the effort and it’s so nice not constantly worrying about my next meal during the day. A Primal based Warrior Diet is something everything should look into. That being said, I’ve been eating 20/30/50 C/P/F for some time now and CF’ing 5 days a week and can not get lower than 12% bodyfat. So while I love this style and convenience of eating, for some reason I don’t seem to reap the same benefits as others do with the easy fat loss. Ehh, just my input from a few months of experience with daily fasting.
Without a doubt, fasting is one of the things that really helped me drop about 40 pounds of fat last year. I first tried a full day fast in June (I think it was about 36 hours), and really took to it. I did feel hungry, but at the same time, felt better when doing it. I started skipping breakfast during the week and doing at least 1, sometimes 2, 24 hour fasts in a week. Not sure, but I think I may have been overdoing it a bit toward the end of last year, and I’ve been eating more frequently recently. I still have another 40 pounds of fat or so to get to where I want to be, and I think I’ll get back to more regular fasting again after this weekend.
But yes, I found it very effective, and quite enjoyable and empowering too. It was great to know that I could easily skip meals if need be. Basically, I used a 5-8 eating window during the week, threw in 1 24 hour fast, and ate a bit freer on the weekends (although I usually just ate breakfast and dinner).
Ok… Paul from the Wonder Years is not Marilyn Manson…
I water fast every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I eat a light lunch around 2pm on my eating days, and eat a substantial dinner around 8pm or so. I may have a few macadamia nuts or a bowl of kefir in between lunch and dinner. So essentially, my fasts are about +/-42 hours and my every other day eating window is about 6ish hours long. Sometimes the fasting period is a couple hours shorter, and I’ll eat lunch earlier (or eat a bigger lunch) depending how I feel.
I feel fantastic! I laugh when people say it “isn’t sustainable” or that I will “gain weight when I go back to eating normally”… I will ALWAYS maintain an IF schedule because I feel so good, it costs less at the market, and I am just NOT hungry outside of my eating days. The weight loss is good, and my energy is excellent.
Um, to everyone pointing out the Marilyn Manson wasn’t really on the Wonder Years, you do realize Mark was joking right? I also feel compelled to point out that Kevin Arnold didn’t REALLY live in the 60′s either, seeing as he’s a CHARACTER. How did you let THAT get past you?
I have one meal a day, most days. It’s making a huge difference in strength gains, fat loss and mood stability. I also love not having to pack anything for lunch.
I’ve always heard if you fast you put your body in starvation mode-so when you do eat it hoards those calories and converts them into fat (to store for the next potential fast). Is that true? What happens to the body after breaking the fast?
I’ve also head this as well. I think Mark has covered this before, but I can’t find the article. I’m also very interested in what happens to the calories you consume after a fast.
It works! been applying intermitent fasting (one two hour window) 5 or six days per week for the last year. I am down 110 lbs and have more muscle then ever! I’m hardly ever hungry too! Nice post mark can’t wait to read part 2!
People who want to lose weight commonly, and first of all, think about reducing the amount of food they eat. This may be quite a solution but not exactly the best there is. In fact, depending on the amount you reduce in your food intake, it may even be dangerous to one’s health. So how does one lose weight effectively and safely? Here are some points one should consider when trying to lose weight:
http://www.tutstuff.com/pointers-on-losing-weight-safely/
Anyone reading this post do bulletproof coffee? I’ve started drinking coffee with unsalted butter, coconut oil, and cinnamon in the mornings as Dave Asprey (bulletproof exec) claims it will not ‘break’ your fast. Seems some others on here who have posted would disagree?
I intend to try Bulletproof soon! It sounds great! I’ve already blended grass-fed butter into my coffee and it’s way thicker and richer than milk. Mmm!
Yes! That butter coffee thing is the BEST nutritional tip I’ve ever found. On two 16 ounce mugs of butter coffee per day I can eat every 2 or 3 days whether I need to or not. NO fatigue or cravings for food of any kind because butter IS food, just a pure, concentrated fat type of macro nutrient.
For each 16 ounce travel mug of coffee I add 2 tablespoon of unsalted butter at 100 calories per and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil at 110 calories per, so my total fat intake for 2 – 16 ounce travel mugs of coffee is around 620 calories, WAY below the 1800, 2200 or 2500 calorie intake that is taken for and preached as nutritional gospel by the FDA, mainstream medicine, carb addicted dieticians & nutritionists, etc.
On the butter coffee I’m learning how to eat to live rather than the other way around, and with my current (temporary) mostly sedentary lifestyle I just don’t need much food anyway. I do make sure to take a full set of chelated multi vitamins and chelated multi minerals and my 2.6 grams Omega-6 evening primrose or organic FLORA brand sunflower oil balanced with 1.3 grams of Omega-3 flax for cellular nutrition, but otherwise no other food.
What this type of butter fast amounts to is MACRO NUTRIENT restriction rather than calorie restriction, and that’s why I seem to be able to go long periods without any other foods. I’m still getting some calories but still FAR less than normal or average American intake levels.
Remember that fats at 9 calories per gram have twice the caloric density than carbs and proteins, but produce around 6 TIMES more ATP energy at the cell level. A 6 carbon glucose molecule (from carbs) produces around 36 or 38 molecules of ATP, but due to metabolic inefficiencies there’s a loss to around 30 ATP’s per, whereas an 18 carbon fatty acid produces 147 units of ATP. LOTS of energy in fats, and it’s one more reason and proof that at a certain point calories don’t matter.
I realized the best way to keep my body in fat burning mode is to never fall out of it by eating carbs that stop fat burning, Mark’s Carbohydrates Curve chart shows how many grams of carbs you can eat and still stay in a ketotic fat burning state. Just 4 or 5 ounces of carbs (100 grams) is all it takes to stop fat burning, so if you stay under that your body keeps burning fats, including the ones you eat, for energy.
As a side note went to Denver last week & for some reason was hungry despite the 2 butter coffees, don’t know if it was the altitude or just a different attitude from the change of routine, but I ate twice a day for that week, including more carbs than usual. Felt like I was blowing up but when I checked my weight after I got home I was still at 205 where I was before I went, so no harm no foul, amazing.
Your mileage may vary, but I HIGHLY recommend it, even if just to learn that your body can run on fats pretty much exclusively and it won’t kill you. Nice to know I can not only survive but flourish even in lean times with macro nutrient mastery.
Here’s a reference for that ATP info from UCLA:
http://goo.gl/sxH3d
That butter coffee sounds great! I have the grass fed butter already and will pick up some good coconut oil today.
It won’t break your fast depending on what you are fasting for. If you are fasting for the ketogenic affects of fasting then fats added to your morning coffee or tea supports, not detracts from this. I think MCT oil is a better choice for producing ketones than coconut oil. You will notice a big difference if you use MCT oil.
Please, please, please be careful before doing this. I generally wouldn’t recommend it if you’re young, especially young and active, easily stressed; and unless you’re overweight, I wouldn’t recommend it at all. I know this is the point of this post and that Mark has posted cautions about fasting before, but some people might just decide to recklessly jump into it ‘for the benefits’. The way I did.
I feel better when I eat regularly; have a look at this: http://www.cheeseslave.com/how-intermittent-fasting-caused-my-insomnia-and-belly-fat/. I personally didn’t gain fat, but IF caused a myriad of problems for me – it wrecked my appetite (I am 5’10, very active, and 20 years old, and should have a healthy appetite), I think it’s messed with my thyroid and definitely made me stressed.
WHat was your diet??? This is very important. Did your diet support fasting? Also, ketosis results in a lack of appettite because your body needs less food. I have been doing intermittent fasting for years and I have a healthy appetite. Not like the insane appetite I had 11 years ago but an appetitie that I can manage without overeating the wrong food. I also fasted many times naturally when I was in college and that scared me. I thought there was something wrong with me because I went 30 hours without eating…It is normal to go 20 hours without eating because our bodies are already built to go a long time wihtou food. We screw that up by eat 4-6 meals a day with snacks. THis not only contributes to obesity but also insulin/glucose instability.
What actually counts as “fasting”? Can I drink green/herbal tea? Take multivitamins? Black tea with a bit of milk? Clean my teeth with toothpaste!?
I’ve always though eating under, say, 50 calories in a day is as good as fasting (assuming those calories come from those similar to above, not food).
I think that your 50 calorie rule is pretty close. I drink coffee (no cream or milk), tea, and lemon water during fasts, and had great results. I’ve heard of people using a bit of milk or cream in their coffee and still seeing good results. I would take a magnesium malate supplement as well, but I take any other vitamins with meals. During Ramadan, Muslims fast during the day and don’t take in ANY liquids. If you’re mainly fasting for health, and not religous or other reasons, water and tiny caloric intake is fine.
This may be a silly question, but is it a sign that I should avoid fasting if my stomach is growling?
I’ve only been going Primal for just over a month now, so maybe my body hasn’t adjusted enough yet?
I also have experienced days where it was easy or unintentional to skip a meal, and felt fine if not great! But today is not one of those days.
Not silly at all. I’ve noticed hunger and some stomach growls during a fasting and continued to do it. It really is about intensity. If it’s just mild hunger, you can fast right through it. But if it’s GNAWING at you, you should break your fast. I think benefit of fasting is getting more in tune with your body. Break your fast early, but certainly try again if you want to. Also, you can start by skipping a meal, then two meals, then 12 hours, then 18 hours over a few weeks.
Another thing I and some friends have noticed… fasting is much harder after a “cheat” day. Try eating 100% primal for a day or two before starting a fast, and it may be a lot easier.
My great grandfather who I met as a child fasted one day a week for religious reasons. He did not like bread or sweets of any kind. He was a dairy farmer and ate mostly raw whole fat milk, animal fat, meat and very little vegetables because he didn’t like them either. He died at the age of 106 years. In addition his brother in law followed the same diet and fathered a child at the age of 80. these are true stories from my family history. Now the family lives in the big city. Lots of stress, carbs and plenty of food. His great grandchildren all suffers from degenerative diseases. His great great grandchildren all are on meds for hyper active behavior, depression and bad behavior. This makes me think of Dr. Pottenger’s experiment with cats. I am the only family member interested in nutrition and paleo nutrition. I am also the only family member without illness or medication and I am going toward 80. I fast 2 days a week from sundown to sundown. I also trade options and equities to support myself and have money to donate to charity.
This is outstanding and motivating!
Does anyone know if there are any repercussions with fasting during pregnancy?
Just from the common sense perspective, the fetus should be fine but your body tissues have a good chance to be used tor the needs of pregnancy. I wouldn’t do it.
I definately would recommend against it. Just think about Grockette. She probably nested, not hunting for long times with the guys (gathering fruits, probably). She probably get the better food too (at least I think Grock would save her the last porkchop, right? Or the fattier pieces).
Also, the natural way of the female body during pregnancy is to get fatter. There’s no way around it, you’ll need the calories for nursing. The anatomic changes forces you to remain less active too. Women tend to nest. Men tend to protect their pregnant wifes.
Ever seen pregnants lions in the discovery channel??
Also, the fetus is a wonder of life and all, but behave like a freaking parasite, doesn’t it? Eating all the calcium in your bones and teeth and all. So I agree with Galina, everything the fetus need will come out from your body. Fat, sure; but also protein, minerals, your sanity…
Pregnancy is NOT the time to lean out, period. Your biology makes you get fatter, because you need to get fatter. Like the analogy with polar bears hibernating that Taubes uses in his books.
Most recommend against it, and I tend to agree. If you miss a meal because you’re not hungry, I think that’s fine, but don’t try and fast through hunger during pregnancy.
The last few times I have tried to lose fat I have struggled, no matter how much exercise I got and how much I limited my carbs. I couldn’t understand why I had been so successful with low carb in the past (but fell off the wagon…never again!) and couldn’t have the same success this time around. What I realized, after finding this page and going 99% primal, is that I used to intermittently fast without thinking about it, and I had stopped doing that when my work hours became predictable and money wasn’t tight any more. I started IF about 2 weeks ago and the results have been nothing short of amazing! The best part is that everyone I talk to about it has been intrigued and supportive rather than conventionally wise…I guess I just run with a good crowd.
As if those ancestors of ours had a table full of food every day..man was lean and mighty because he DID NOT eat every meal, every day…and many times it was a longer period of time. many Animals who live through Winter climates are forced to fast or eat very little. THEY are tough. So be a GROK..Don’t eat all the time..ITS OK TO BE HUNGRY. Remember your stomach is only fist size. GO STARVE a bit..it wont hurt..it actually kicks some body fat consumption into gear…ITS COMMON SENSE>..GROK ON>>>
No, Grok definitely didn’t adhere to three-meals-a-day! It’s conventional brainwashing. Go Papa Grok!
Edward, I found your posting quite interesting. I, too, am near 80, have all my own teeth, have never had surgery, and have see a doctor once a year. I find old age quite enjoyable and hope you do, also. Best wishes, Anna
Really, there’s a lot to be said for proof reading. I think I meant to say “have seen a doctor once a year”. So all you young guys out there, cheer up, it’s all good.
Is it okay to practice IF while trying to conceive?
I’m not going to pretend to know any science about it, but that seems awful risky. You would certainly have to avoid the refined processed food (as you are probably already doing)and make sure you get enough direct sunlight (for proper D levels)so that you wouldn’t fall behind on the hormones that are so important for proper fetal development. If my wife wanted to IF during pregnancy, I would ask her to be satisfied with only eating proper food and let her body be what size it needs.
What are you trying to do with your baby? Avoiding gestational diabetes is important, but if you and the baby are exhibiting satisfactory health already, you should have a healthy baby ceteris peribus. IFing won’t make a healthy baby into a child prodigy, so avoid the risk and be satisfied.
Is it weird that reading this excellent post on the benefits of fasting has made me hungry??
I’m wondering about the impact of IF for those of us with compromised thyroids. I’ve read that calorie restriction can cause it to slow down even more. In my own experience, it does seem that my temp runs colder on days when I practice IF (purposefully or accidentally).
I go through phases where I still practice it…mostly because the mental clarity IF provides is astounding! And think of all the extra time you have in a day when you’re not prepping and eating so often.
As for the guy who lost all the weight — there’s gotta be some kind of “setpoint” where the body stops dropping, right? Back in my college days, I was anorexic (ate one meal per week). I never LOOKED it because my body just didn’t drop the weight. I imagine that if he’d kept starving himself, he would eventually stop losing weight.
I am the person with under-active thyroid who practices IF without any negative side-effects AT ALL. My guess is I avoided many problems associated with a weight-loss and fasting mainly because I don’t loose weight easy.
Here is an interesting post about the thyroid and a weight-loss http://itsthewooo.blogspot.com/2012/03/low-carb-and-thyroid-separating-truth.html
This made me laugh. At myself. After 17 hours of not eating I get very painful stomach cramps
I’m excited to be reading about fasting. I run a small bushcraft/survival school in Maine, and fasting is part of our wilderness survival curriculum. Some of the research I read years ago left me with the understanding that fasting will extend the life of a survivor over eating minimally (ie. not meeting replacement caloric requirements). It’s a common myth that food is a priority in a short-term situation. I’m excited to be reading about it here.
On a personal note, I fasted one day per week for a year, and have completed eight 7-day water fasts and one 11-day water fast. More intermittent these days.