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Up until the 60s and early 70s, most people generally went four to six hours without taking calories between meals. These days, people seldom go 90 minutes between calories of some kind, snacks, sugary coffees, et cetera. Eating so frequently keeps insulin level continuously high, and the body meets constant high levels of anything with accommodation--insulin resistance in this case. That's how people become diabetic. It's as much how frequently people eat as it is what they eat and how much.
I'm in my 60s. I started intermittent fasting back in mid-August, and I've lost 40 solid pounds since then while continuing to maintain my exercise regimen. I fast 20 hours daily. I eat a hearty meal at 5 pm and a snack at 8 or 9 pm. At least a 12-hour continuous fast is recommended, but eight of those can be during sleep. My wife stops eating at 9 pm as I do, skips breakfast, and eats at noon.
I have removed certain foods from my diet: Wheat products, corn, and most other grains (except oats), sugar, simple starches like potatoes. Highly processed, industrialized foods are out of our diet and we eat almost completely organic.
I've dabbled with intermittent fasting, but not daily. I could see myself doing it Monday through Friday and taking the weekend off. I may try that. There's more and more evidence that suggests its a healthy thing to do.
I've dabbled with intermittent fasting, but not daily. I could see myself doing it Monday through Friday and taking the weekend off. I may try that. There's more and more evidence that suggests its a healthy thing to do.
People can think clearly and perform at work while their stomach is clinching together, asking for food?
How about working out, can you work out if you haven't eaten for 15+ hours? Can you even build muscle if there is no protein intake?
I haven't looked it up but it just sounds very unhealthy for an up and going person who isn't just sitting on the couch all day.
People can think clearly and perform at work while their stomach is clinching together, asking for food?
How about working out, can you work out if you haven't eaten for 15+ hours? Can you even build muscle if there is no protein intake?
I haven't looked it up but it just sounds very unhealthy for an up and going person who isn't just sitting on the couch all day.
Thats my issue, the working out part. I lift weights, so I definitely can't do it without eating something, unless its first thing in the morning. But then, I have to eat.
Thats my issue, the working out part. I lift weights, so I definitely can't do it without eating something, unless its first thing in the morning. But then, I have to eat.
I am not a runner but just imagining someone who is a runner, doing their 5mls on the treadmill without having eaten in many hours. They are usually already thin and have no extra fat to burn - don't they fall off the treadmill after a mile or so?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oh-eve
I am eating all day, 90 minutes without eating would be making my stomach growl. I am nowhere near diabetes or overweight. I snack all day long, probably a bite here and there every 30-60min. More like 30. I try not to eat too much at once. It works. Every health guru will tell you that eating little portions throughout the day is ideal, not 1-2 heavy meals.
Skipping breakfast is apparently not healthy, the stomach needs something to work with.
I eat lots of wheat, fruits, and veggies, nuts, no sugary products. Milk in coffee but no starbucks sweet stuff.
People I know make fun of me because I eat all the time. But what they don't notice is that I eat all the time but very little and healthy. I find that more healthy than fasten and deprive the body of nutrition for a long time. 20 hours without food sounds very unhealthy for an active person. You need fuel to burn. It may make sense temporarily to lose weight fast but not as a general lifestyle.
Like everything health-wise, the news is always changing.
What I'm reading lately is you shouldn't be eating all day. You should be eating fewer, larger meals.
People can think clearly and perform at work while their stomach is clinching together, asking for food?
The body signals hunger according to custom. It takes a week or two to accommodate, but your body will send hunger signals according to the schedule that has been set. A person who eats at only twelve and six, will get hungry at eleven and five.
A person who eats every hour will get hungry every hour.
Quote:
How about working out, can you work out if you haven't eaten for 15+ hours?
I work out first thing in the morning. By then, I've fasted about ten or eleven hours, having had a solid protein snack that has been fully digested by then.
At first I felt sluggish because I wasn't used to exercising with low blood sugar, but it didn't take more than a few days for my system to become accustomed to immediately burning fat...which is exactly what I wanted it to do.
Quote:
Can you even build muscle if there is no protein intake?
I eat quite a bit of protein. Close to half my calories are protein. Ideally, it would be better for me to exercise just before breaking my fast (the body does utilize recently ingested protein more directly for muscle-building), but afternoon workouts don't work out well with my schedule.
Quote:
I haven't looked it up but it just sounds very unhealthy for an up and going person who isn't just sitting on the couch all day.
Intermittent fasting is much easier for the person who is actually on the go most of the day. The hardest part is breaking the habit of always snacking, and that is worse for a sedentary person.
A lot of people (mostly women it seems) are terrified of letting their "blood sugar" fall low. But the human body is designed to operate most efficiently with low blood sugar levels. Whether it's how we evolved or how God created us, a low blood sugar level is the normal functional human state. The mind is much clearer when the body is not on a "sugar high."
People who eat constantly to avoid low blood sugar are like an alcoholic who stays drunk to avoid a hangover.
I am eating all day, 90 minutes without eating would be making my stomach growl. ....
Skipping breakfast is apparently not healthy, the stomach needs something to work with.
I eat lots of wheat, fruits, and veggies, nuts, no sugary products. Milk in coffee but no starbucks sweet stuff.
...20 hours without food sounds very unhealthy for an active person. You need fuel to burn. It may make sense temporarily to lose weight fast but not as a general lifestyle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oh-eve
People can think clearly and perform at work while their stomach is clinching together, asking for food?
How about working out, can you work out if you haven't eaten for 15+ hours? Can you even build muscle if there is no protein intake?
I haven't looked it up but it just sounds very unhealthy for an up and going person who isn't just sitting on the couch all day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oh-eve
I am not a runner but just imagining someone who is a runner, doing their 5mls on the treadmill without having eaten in many hours. They are usually already thin and have no extra fat to burn - don't they fall off the treadmill after a mile or so?
I eat one meal a day, dinner, which consists of a protein, sometimes cheese, and sometimes a bit of broccoli, zucchini, or cauliflower if I still have room after eating the meat/eggs. I have never been a breakfast eater - eating first thing in the morning makes me nauseous - always has, even as a kid. I have followed a ketogenic lifestyle for 4 years so far, with no plans to ever stop. I wake up, drink some black coffee, drink salted water throughout the day, go to work, and then walk between 8 to 10 miles a day for my exercise (at a 4 mph pace) before I eat. I have no problems focusing on work (I'm a teacher), no problems with energy for exercise, and no problems with my stomach growling.
I'm a healthy 135 pounds at 55 years old, so this clearly works well for me!
The body signals hunger according to custom. It takes a week or two to accommodate, but your body will send hunger signals according to the schedule that has been set. A person who eats at only twelve and six, will get hungry at eleven and five.
A person who eats every hour will get hungry every hour.
I work out first thing in the morning. By then, I've fasted about ten or eleven hours, having had a solid protein snack that has been fully digested by then.
At first I felt sluggish because I wasn't used to exercising with low blood sugar, but it didn't take more than a few days for my system to become accustomed to immediately burning fat...which is exactly what I wanted it to do.
I eat quite a bit of protein. Close to half my calories are protein. Ideally, it would be better for me to exercise just before breaking my fast (the body does utilize recently ingested protein more directly for muscle-building), but afternoon workouts don't work out well with my schedule.
Intermittent fasting is much easier for the person who is actually on the go most of the day. The hardest part is breaking the habit of always snacking, and that is worse for a sedentary person.
A lot of people (mostly women it seems) are terrified of letting their "blood sugar" fall low. But the human body is designed to operate most efficiently with low blood sugar levels. Whether it's how we evolved or how God created us, a low blood sugar level is the normal functional human state. The mind is much clearer when the body is not on a "sugar high."
People who eat constantly to avoid low blood sugar are like an alcoholic who stays drunk to avoid a hangover.
interesting, thanks for the break down. I am hungry all day, I am internally a fat person. I could eat all day.
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