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[AceQHounddog]

After finding this site a few weeks ago, reading everything, and ordering the PB today, I am going primal starting in the morning.


I have lifted weights for years, I've done crossfit, rosstraining, MMA: I'm very active, and yet I've always been heavier. I muscular, but at 240 I carry way more bodyfat than I should. I'd like to get to around 215 without losing muscle.


Most of the time I have a good diet, but I always seem to derail and take a few days undoing what it took me weeks to accomplish. This past week I have been sick with a throat infection and my nutrition has been ice cream (it soothes the pain), sugary drinks, crap food, etc. Before this week I had been eating mostly paleo for around a month and was getting really good results. I was also using IF, which I intend to continue with (Eat Stop Eat- style).


Since I've gone so far overboard, I'm going to try and do a 36-hour water fast from now, midnight, to 8:00 AM Sunday morning. This always helps me "reset" after straying and makes me crave good healthy food.


I look forward to reading the PB when it gets hear, and I will do my best up until that point. Sorry for the long intro post, but wish me luck!

[eyeshield9]

Uh, personally I found the "I have to suffer because..." approach ineffective. Not only is it unlikely given carb cravings, but I feel bed if I slip up (very likely).


What I did on my last reset was eat as much as I liked but at 100% paleo.


Still on it since July 6, 2009.


All the best!

[OnTheBayou]

Went 90-95% PB about June 4th. Weight loss regimen: 60-65% fat, 25% protein, the rest carbs tagging along. Pounds falling off like lead bricks from an airplane and I haven't felt better in 20 years.


Don't do anything radical, don't exercise too much as that will reset your "I'm starving, save fat!" gene.

[AceQHounddog]

I know that making your self suffer for slipping up doesn't promote a healthy relationship with food, which can make problems worse. I don't believe I'm doing that, though. I usually incorporate a few fasts into my week, I'm just starting with a longer one.


I'm almost 11 hours in and feel fine. Of course, 8 or 9 of those hours were sleeping hours, which makes it pretty easy. The hardest part of fasting is when I'm home with nothing to do, like today. It's triple digits outside, and I have a throat infection, so I end up just sitting around. It's hard not to snack. Not because I'm hungry, just bored. I shall prevail, however, and then tomorrow will be all primal.


On a side note, I don't go crazy if I slip up for a meal, I whole-heartedly believe in the 80/20 rule. But this last week has been more like 20/80 and actually probably closer to 10/90, so a nice reset is in order.

[hannahc]

I know how you feel with the being home nothing to do eating...It's only been 5 weeks for me so far, so I still feel like I'd like to eat something just to eat even if I'm not hungry. Not so much boredom eating either, just that it's nice to eat something. All the fat and protein keeps me so full I don't need snacks!


Two weeks ago a lot of us did a "survival week," which incorporated one IF meal every day. It really helped tame my appetite I think, and I think we're doing another one this coming week.

[AceQHounddog]

Yeah, hanna, that's kinda how IF works for me too. I used to IF every day with a 6-8 hour eating window. But I kinda like the Eat Stop Eat way, that way I can get pre and post workout nutrition on my weight lifting days, and fast on my rest days. It really works well for me. I am sort of interested in trying some fasted workouts with weights, though. Some people are having good experiences with it.

[hannahc]

I haven't lifted in a while (didn't renew my gym membership for the summer, just to get out of the chronic cardio mode), but I did sprint/bodyweight workouts fasted during that week, which I'd never done before. Interestingly, I wasn't hungry before or after, and felt that I did just as well those days as my normal 3 meal days. I've also seen a lot of guys post about doing heavy lifting fasted as well though, with the added benefit that the HGH release is stronger in a fasted state??? I think that was it. Mark did a post recently about it...can't remember the title though, sorry.

[AceQHounddog]

Yeah, I believe we're talking about the same post, or at least the same research.


I'm almost 20 hours in to my fast and not hungry at all. We'll see how things go when my wife starts dinner for the kids in a little bit, though. Even if I get hungry then, I know it isn't true hunger, though. It will just be my mind telling me that everyone else is eating, and I should be too. I think I remember it being called limbic hunger or something. I will hold strong.


In the interest of full disclosure, I should advise that I have consumed two Chloraseptic lozenges during this fast so far. While there are no calories listed on the box, I'm sure they're not calorie free. But they're the only thing that gives my staph-infected, swollen throat some temporary relief of stabbing pain.

[AceQHounddog]

Well I woke up this morning 33 hours into my water-only fast. I feel pretty good,actually no more hungry than a normal morning. When I'm on a fast I find that working out and sleeping are two things that get me over my hunger. My goal was to make it to 36 hours, which should be easy at this point, and then as close to 100% primal as possible. The exceptions to primal that I won't consider cheats for now are the types of meat I get. I'll try to get organic, grass-fed, when I can but availability and price are limiting factors for me.

[AceQHounddog]

Well, due to having to go to the ER, and knowing that can sometimes be a half-day event just waiting, I decided to break my fast at 34 hours.


I broke the fast with 6 pieces of bacon, 4 eggs scrambled in the bacon grease, with some mushrooms and sweet grape tomatoes. I'm very full now. I also had some fish oil.


Later I'm going to have some chicken cooked in bacon grease, with some raw broccoli and cauliflower. And then maybe some fish and a big spinach salad for dinner.