Great, now my friends think I have anorexia... page 7

[PrimalMama]

A lot of people fast for reasons that have nothing to do with weight loss...So don't freak out about that thread.
...Yes, such things do exist and yes, they are seriously scary. My sister almost died of anorexia/bulimia in her 20s, so I understand how awful it can be and I share PrimalMama's concern over such things but I really don't think that the Primal fasting threads are "going there".

Oh *HUGS* PaleoBird - I hope your sister's doing well in her recovery (not sure how long ago that was, but these things tend to be a lifelong struggle once they start)

Yes, there are definitely sites out there that encourage all kinds of dangerous behavior (I am SO resisting the urge to link to the FDA site right now.... *self control*), including tips and tricks for furthering your eating disorder, hiding it from family/doctors, "success" stories, etc. - you can look them up fairly easily if you'd like.

I don't think I'm freaking out about that thread, just... I stopped reading it... I really don't think it was "going there" either, but I've worked with enough eating disordered teenage girls that it felt uncomfortable for me - MY hangup, I think.

Like PaleoBird said, lots of non weight-loss reasons to fast.
The reasons I fast include weight loss at the moment, but I'm sure I'll continue to fast when I find my body composition more ideal - I find several aspects beneficial for more than just weight loss.

I used to do 1-3 24-hour fasts during the work week (dinner, then fast until I could do my half mile all-out swim the next day at 7pmish, eat afterwards), and it was probably the healthiest I've felt as an adult. That healthy feeling alone is reason to keep doing it!

Right now, for me, it's all about feeding myself when I'm hungry and not feeding myself when I'm not - going solely by my hunger, I'm delaying or skipping lunch (and breakfast too, if I'm not hungry), and I throw in the occasional fast that's not dictated by lack of hunger, just to change things up a little.

[sbhikes]

I skipped this thread until today because I expected it to be some anorexic girl eating a primal diet of chicken breast, salad, Greek yogurt and handful of nuts all in homeopathic doses.

Yesterday I was hiking with an overweight nurse struggling in the heat on a level trail. She dispensed weight loss and health advice to everyone. Expressed concern when this Egyptian guy told us at about 4pm he had been fasting all day and was really looking forward to cooking up some gizzards and liver.

I just listened. Didn't say a word about anything. Just observed. Observed the older guy on beta blockers and hypertension meds. He hiked well but had that worn out dried up look of old guys who use modern meds to control markers of poor health instead of eating well. Observed that the two who looked 10 years younger than we really are eat offal, fat and fast. Observed that those who know the most CW wisdom struggle the most, can't think straight, struggle to find words, complain of pain and dismiss it all as just what comes with age. Maybe when I look older people will want to know why I am so vital but now they just think I'm young.

[jojohaligo]

sbhikes, did the Egyptian guy respond to any questions that they asked? If they asked....

I haven't done it yet, but thinking of the CW people, I think if I was pushed into a corner I might also ask, "How's what you're doing working for you?"

[sbhikes]

The Egyptian guy wasn't paleo or anything. He was just being himself. He didn't argue or appear like he was going to do anything different just because somebody had another idea. He was funny talking about his recipes. For gizzards, first boil them then sauté in olive oil and garlic like scampi. Get them so they are crispy on the outside. These are so good, he said, and no fat! He always added no fat! Even though everything he described had plenty of it. He was so hungry and dreaming of all his food fantasies. I ended up buying eggplant so I can make baba ganoush (sp?) after hearing about it.

[jojohaligo]

ha, that's kind of cute (and I don't use the word lightly). Baba Ghanoush is good. I had to check the spelling too...and found the wikipedia article on it - quite interesting! 'course this is off topic now...

[jammies]

Anybody ever has the nerve to call me anorexic, I'm just going to tear my shirt off, throw the person across my shoulders and squat them. Each rep, I'll ask, "Does this look like anorexia to you? 2! How about now? 3! And now? 4! Do all anorexics squat twice their body weight, or just the really sick ones? 5!"

And then I'll hobble away and drink a tsp of baking soda to quell the imminent cramps...

This is totally OT - but do I remember you saying that you have also had kidney stones? Makes me wonder if you have ever had your Parathyroid hormone levels checked?

[magicmerl]

I haven't done it yet, but thinking of the CW people, I think if I was pushed into a corner I might also ask, "How's what you're doing working for you?"

That's what I was thinking too....

[Knifegill]

No, never had kidney stones. Maybe a similar username? I seem to recall somebody registering under knifekill or something like that a few months ago.

With all the green tea I've had lately, I won't be at all surprised if I ever do get a kidney stone. It just hasn't happened to me yet. I'm 30, so a lot of my comeuppance is due soon.

[statikcat]

If you explain to someone about fasting be sure they realize you are still eating a normal total caloric intake daily you just eat more of your calories at once.

[justyouraveragecavemen]

I don't like to go to my grandmother's at lunch on Saturday anymore because she seems personally offended that I don't eat most anything that she makes. In her defense, she is 84 years old and recently went to the Dr. where they told her she had double pneumonia. That's the first time she's been sick in years and years. No meds either.
Anyways, and my uncle and cousin always act all uppity about my eating choices, both have innertube bellies. Not too overweight, just belly fat.

Haters gonna hate.