The Intermittent Fasting Dilemma 9/14/2012 by Ori Hofmekler Part 1 page 2

[Lawyerchick12]

This was a great read Betorq. I know that according to the article, some permitted foods to eat during the "fast" include whey, berries and green veggies....I will be interested in seeing whether one can also consume a pat of butter with coffee for instance instead of the whey...for u know those of us following or at least trying to follow a ketogenic primal diet. What are your thoughts?

[homunculus]

Intersting! i've found that it's best if I don't eat in the morning too, otherwise I find it hard to concentrate in class/get sleepy.
I've been having breakfast all summer though, so I'm going to have a hard time trying to get back into it.
Thanks for posting this!

[Nady]

Your Biological Feeding Time is at Night

So when is your right feeding time?
Your body is programmed for nocturnal feeding. All your activities, including your feeding, are controlled by your autonomic nervous system which operates around the circadian clock. During the day, your sympathetic nervous system (SNS) puts your body in an energy spending active mode, whereas during the night your parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) puts your body in an energy replenishing relaxed and sleepy mode.
These two parts of your autonomic nervous system complement each other like yin and yang. Your SNS, which is stimulated by fasting and exercise, keeps you alert and active with an increased capacity to resist stress and hunger throughout the day. And your PSNS, which is stimulated by your nightly feeding, makes you relaxed and sleepy, with a better capacity to digest and replenish nutrients throughout the night. This is how your autonomic nervous system operates under normal conditions.
But that system is highly vulnerable to disruption.
If you eat at the wrong time such as when having a large meal during the day, you will mess with your autonomic nervous system; you'll inhibit your SNS and instead turn on the PSNS which will make you sleepy and fatigued rather than alert and active during the working hours of the day. And instead of spending energy and burning fat, you'll store energy and gain fat. This is indeed a lose-lose situation. Unfortunately, most IF programs fail to recognize this.

Finally! Thank you for posting this! I am one of those who absolutely must not eat if I want to do anything besides take a nap afterwards. There is no 'feed the metabolism' all day for me. I eat at night, when I'd be slowing down anyway.

I tried~ really, twenty extra pounds of trying~ breakfast, lunch, dinner. My energy was in the toilet all day (that's not how 'they' said it would work) and my whole life was a mess. Kept thinking there was something wrong, after all, they did 'studies', right? Well, I stopped listening to 'experts' and went back to listening to my own body. I don't even think of it as IFing~ it's *gotta go catch the beast, drag it back to the cave, make a fire, cook it and then eat.* and that takes all day!

[solstice]

thanks...great read and timely for me!

[gmatt]

I like the one meal a day protocol. It is used by both Dr. Mattson and Dr. Valter Longo - two leading scientists from the BBC Horizon documentary on fasting.

I strongly disagree with the 'allowable' foods idea outside the feeding window. This recommendation seems more based on the desire to sell 'approved' foods from the Warrior diet website.

edit: I do believe that a little fat outside the window is not a big hinderence.

[solstice]

yes I , too, do not buy into the whey protein shakes, etc...

[FlyingPig]

It's an interesting article with useful information, but wasn't the Warrior diet a bit discredited after a few years? I may be wrong, but I thought the undereating part during the day proved too hard for most people (sometimes it's easier to eat nothing than to eat a little bit) and the massive feast in the evening caused all kinds of digestive issues (though I guess this is all about your stomach getting used to it).
I started reading his book a while ago but got a bit fed up with all the mystical "be a warrior" references so I never finished it. A 16/8 or 18/6 fast seems more practical for most people.

[Sabine]

The thing I liked best from his book was the 'eat like a predator, not prey' concept. But too much of it was stated as fact, without evidence presented, which turned me off. I do find the circadian rhythm concept interesting. Worth experimenting with.

[Nady]

The thing I liked best from his book was the 'eat like a predator, not prey' concept. But too much of it was stated as fact, without evidence presented, which turned me off. I do find the circadian rhythm concept interesting. Worth experimenting with.

Curious about what you would consider evidence?

[Sabre]

I have a question. If anyone could direct me to an answer or discussion of this I'd be in their debt:

I've heard that having about 600 calories a day twice a week confers brain/neurological benefits, which are lost if you go above those calories.

Does anyone know what the best way to IM is if one is trying to improve brain health specifically? I'm not interested in weight loss.

As written in my signature, I'm trying to heal my brain after a pretty nasty viral illness wreaked havoc on part of it.