Fasting versus starving (system, weight loss, calories, losing)
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There seems to be some lack of clarity between the ideas of fasting versus starving. This apparently is an important distinction with the IF folks and seems to be characterized in this way:
Quote:
Whenever fasting is mentioned, there is always the same eye-rolling response. Starvation? That’s the answer? No. Fasting is completely different beast. Starvation is the involuntary absence of food. It is neither deliberate, nor controlled. Starving people have no idea when and where their next meal will come from. Fasting, on the other hand is the voluntary withholding of food for spiritual, health, or other reasons. It is the difference between suicide and dying of old age. The two terms should never be confused with each other. Fasting may be done for any period of time, from a few hours to months on end. In a sense, fasting is part of everyday life. The term ‘break fast’ is the meal that breaks the fast – which is done daily.
So, if I understand this correctly, fasting is an ancient human tradition, practiced by all the major religions. By giving the digestive system a rest, it may improve cognition, extend the lifespan, help heal or prevent major illnesses, and facilitate healthy weight management.
Starvation is usually very extreme caloric restriction. In diet parlance a starvation diet would be one with a 50% caloric restriction. If you need 2,500 calories a day, 1,250 calories or less per day = starvation diet. Voluntary? Sure. This is a first world country. The overwhelming majority of people on starvation diets are doing so by choice, not because they don't have access to food. While there's no one definition that's mine. Want a different one, fine but "starvation" from a first-world context when talking about diets is absolutely voluntary.
It has nothing to do with IF. You can eat five times a day on a starvation diet or once a day on a starvation diet or every other day on a starvation diet. Abstaining from food for 16 hours and then eating 2,000 calories for a 500 calorie deficit is NOT a starvation diet. Alternate day fasting where you eat 2,000 calories a day on feeding days and nothing on fasted days IS a starvation diet. Starvation diets don't tend to be healthy. They're very effective for weight loss in the short-term but have consequences and are generally not fun. Unless you have a very specific purpose like a body builder cutting for a competition, I see no reason to do them.
Or it could be like today (the last day of work before the holiday shutdown) where it got totally insane.
It's a fasting day for me, but even if it wasn't it would've been because there was no time to eat.
So I guess you could call it involuntary intermittent fasting.
Afterwards, management was doing a bar tab. I didn't go because I would've gotten drunk on two beers.
Or it could be like today (the last day of work before the holiday shutdown) where it got totally insane.
It's a fasting day for me, but even if it wasn't it would've been because there was no time to eat.
So I guess you could call it involuntary intermittent fasting.
Afterwards, management was doing a bar tab. I didn't go because I would've gotten drunk on two beers.
Nonsense. You had time to make this post. And if you're like a normal American you drive by 23 fast food establishments on your way to work, and another 23 on the way back. Too busy to leave your desk for 10 minutes? No problem. DoorDash got you covered.
Not eating because you chose to sleep in in the morning and then chose not to stop at McDonald's and eat in the car, then chose not to get something from the office vending machine, take your lunch break, or order from the plethora of takeout options, and then chose not to get free drinks (and food, bars serve that), and then chose to drive home passing by all those McDonald's once again, and then once again chose not to eat any of the food you have sitting in your house is NOT involuntary. It's the opposite.
Nothing wrong with that. I slept in today and aside from a cup of warm frothy milk from Starbucks (pretty sure they forgot the espresso entirely), I'm just now sitting down for dinner. It's not like I didn't have a hundred opportunities to eat something sooner. I just chose to wait until I got home. Sans the milk it's been about 28 hours. Man am I going to big out as soon as dinner is ready.
Nonsense. You had time to make this post. And if you're like a normal American you drive by 23 fast food establishments on your way to work, and another 23 on the way back. Too busy to leave your desk for 10 minutes? No problem. DoorDash got you covered.
Not eating because you chose to sleep in in the morning and then chose not to stop at McDonald's and eat in the car, then chose not to get something from the office vending machine, take your lunch break, or order from the plethora of takeout options, and then chose not to get free drinks (and food, bars serve that), and then chose to drive home passing by all those McDonald's once again, and then once again chose not to eat any of the food you have sitting in your house is NOT involuntary. It's the opposite.
Not today!
The prototype had to be built and working to management's satisfaction today for a presentation to a major customer right after New Years.
If not, the Engineering and Experimental departments would be working over Christmas break.
Potentially tens of millions of dollars are at stake. All hands on deck!
At work at 4am. No lunch. No breaks. I think I went to the bathroom once. Maybe twice.
If I was at my desk, it was only to model parts and send them over to be made.
Then right back to building... the engineers were working right next to the Experimental fabricators and assemblers.
At 4pm... great success! It worked, with both the President and the CEO of the company present. Now we get 11 days off.
I posted after I got home. It had been 24 hrs since dinner on Thursday. Had two Michelob Ultras... they tasted pretty good.
Sounds like it was scheduled. Choice was made to not eat in the morning before work. Later choice was made to not eat after work. Makes sense. As you already said, it was your planned fasting day anyway so you weren't going to eat. Nothing wrong with choosing to not eat before work, on the way to work, or on the way home after work. It's also what I did today.
Starvation is also chronic. Eating 4,000 calories one day and not eating the next isn't starvation (unless very physically active). It's just intermittent fasting. Prolonged fasting, sure. If you're fasting for 7-10 days there's an element of starvation. Doesn't particularly matter if it's because you're stuck in a cabin with no food in it due to a blizzard or just because you choose not to eat. One is voluntary, the other is not. The body doesn't care.
There seems to be some lack of clarity between the ideas of fasting versus starving. This apparently is an important distinction with the IF folks and seems to be characterized in this way:
So, if I understand this correctly, fasting is an ancient human tradition, practiced by all the major religions. By giving the digestive system a rest, it may improve cognition, extend the lifespan, help heal or prevent major illnesses, and facilitate healthy weight management.
And as we know fasting is not starving as the body does not go into starvation mode (IMO).
Here is a good piece on fasting vs. low-calorie (and related to "starving"). Good data and told well, IMO.
Sounds like it was scheduled. Choice was made to not eat in the morning before work. Later choice was made to not eat after work. Makes sense. As you already said, it was your planned fasting day anyway so you weren't going to eat. Nothing wrong with choosing to not eat before work, on the way to work, or on the way home after work. It's also what I did today.
Starvation is also chronic. Eating 4,000 calories one day and not eating the next isn't starvation (unless very physically active). It's just intermittent fasting. Prolonged fasting, sure. If you're fasting for 7-10 days there's an element of starvation. Doesn't particularly matter if it's because you're stuck in a cabin with no food in it due to a blizzard or just because you choose not to eat. One is voluntary, the other is not. The body doesn't care.
I never eat before I go to work, even on my non-fasting day.
If it were a normal day, it would've been a fasting day, it was so crazy.
Lots of frustration and head scratching.
I am the lead designer on this project and we were looking at defeat and a major redesign.
We down to what what literally was our last idea and it worked. High fives!
I was like when Kirk and Spock pull a miracle out of their rears and avert disaster at the last moment on Star Trek.
Being the last day before shutdown, no one wanted to do any work so everyone was looking at it, including several executives.
The last thing you want is executives watching you're having design issues.
Of course when it worked, having executives there was a big positive for the staff, because it meant the drinks were on them!
I didn't partake... I went home, had two Mich Ultras and my chef salad. My wife made chocolate chip cookies and I ate the smallest one.
I'm now down 41 lbs from my peak and still losing steadily. Another win!
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