What are your thoughts on occasional fasting? Some trainers do it weekly, others occasionally, other never. I've never tried it because I'm trying to gain weight at the moment. I might try it someday when I reach my current fitness goal. Thanks! (if you can link to some literature on the subject, I'd appreciate it)
I do it every Friday during Lent, no meat ^^. I don't know, I'd prefer eating things in moderation rather than cutting things out for a while. From experience, when I cut things out, when I finally can get my "cheat" I eat so much that I might as well have not cut it out in the first place because before I cut it out, I ate less of it. I admire those who can fast, it takes a lot of self control and perseverance.
i usually fast for spiritual purposes. i do it to curb my selfishness and to give me clarity to my "intention". my fasts are usually a deprivation of something. like before one retreat i gave up solid food. before another retreat, i consumed only bread and water. these fast would usually last one whole month. it gives me spiritual strength. nutritionally it is not good. it is a dumb thing to do from a fitness perspective.
This was on the BBC a while ago, quite interesting: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvdbtt_eat-fast-live-longer-hd_shortfilms Mostly about fasting and health. Here is a somewhat satirical synopsis: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2012/aug/06/eat-fast-and-live-longer
I fast quite regularly. Usually not a full 24 hours fast, more the 16-18 hour leangains type fast. I don't force it, if I don't feel hungry for breakfast (which generally happens if I eat pizza or something the night before) I won't eat til lunch at 2pm. People make too big a deal about missing a meal here and there.
I think the easiest version mentioned on the show is the 5:2 diet, a few people I work with do it, seems pretty easy to stick to. Not really sure how much benefit they get from it, but some have lost some weight on it. If you Google "5:2 diet", there is quite a bit more info online.
i come from a very religious greek orthodox family where we ate no meat during the entirety of lent; there are also several other fasting periods in this sect of christianity. i don't get it personally, but i'm atheist so i don't get a lot of things about why people do religious things. but barring religious reasons, i also don't get it from a health or fitness perspective. just eat the right amount to keep your body healthy, whatever caloric amount that may be. i've found that i need less than 2000 calories to get the energy i need and to maintain proper weight. but that's just me and my metabolism.
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19112549 In light of growing evidence for health benefits, the fact that fasting is common in many religions becomes very intriguing indeed, IMO.
cool. thanks for the article. quickly read it over and found this... so i'm just wondering if/when/what proper studies are going to show. addendum....take that back. there are actually some studies out there. i'll look into them when i have more time. do i think westerners specifically eat too much? hell yes! but i'll have to reserve judgment on fasting versus just eating right when i see some stats. cheers.
I fast for 12 hours at a time once a month and some times 24 hours maybe 2x a year. It seems to help me clear my system and i often pray and meditate during a fast. Not trying to sell religion but the motto has been starve the flesh feed the Spirit. Frankly most western diets are so high in calories that most people are way over fed. A fast once in a while can do people good. A fast can also be only fruit, or only fluids. It doesnt mean a total non eating affair. For instance, i sometimes simmer veggies(of which i hate...lol) for a few hours and drink only the broth for the day and eat at night. That is one way to fast an 8 hour day or 12.
yes, i agree, westerners eat too much. this is what i'm wondering. is it more efficacious for your health and/or longevity to occasionally fast? or, to just eat correctly over your lifetime? i just wonder if anyone has done a long-term study on this. for instance, we know that a mostly plant-based diet is better for you than a meat-based or highly-processed-food diet. is there a study about fasting done over time? and what do the current studies say?
I will occasionally do a fast, usually from dinner on Thursday to dinner on Friday. There is some decent evidence that it can have a number of health benefits, including on insulin response and weight loss (although much of the research is rat based). http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?hl=en&q=intermittent+fasting&btnG=&as_sdt=1,5&as_sdtp=
So how exactly do I do this when my day starts with an 8km run on 3 hill? yes, daily. it is my 'me' time and my meditation time and my prayer time rolled into roughly an hour or so.
I fast sometimes just because i dont want to eat. Why? No clue. Sometimes in warm weather i just am not hungry, so i simply dont eat.
This sounds similar to a diet that was in one particular tabloid I get at the weekend. Going by the name of the 8 hour diet. You pick an 8 hour window in the day and you can apparently eat what you like, as much as you like in that time. The rest of the 24 hour day you fast. Apparently it works.. I'm not sure if it's something I could get into, but it does sound quite interesting. The Mrs said she has come across a few people who swear by a similar model, and that it works for them. I just need to get back to any kind of sensible diet right now, my bum looks really big in this.
That sounds pretty reasonable. I think this sort of diet would work as it would maintain a higher metabolic rate during periods of eating, though not sure if it would have an effect on the IGF-1 protein, which I think is only affected by specific calorie restriction, or not, I don’t know. Personally, I can’t be bothered with any dieting at the moment, it’s not like its summer, no one is gonna be seeing my bum anytime soon
I'm led to believe that it's more to do with mental and psychological pursuits than anything physical or health related though. Then again, who was it that said "healthy mind, healthy body"... darnit, did I get that the wrong way round ?
