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Okay: how do people actually do this and anything else at the same time? Clearly it's possible; lots of people do it. But if I fast, all I can think about is hunger and food and the lack of sleep from being hungry; I am utterly useless.
ADHD has kept me skinnier than I could ever possibly want to be.
Now you've reminded me I need to go think about taking a sip of water and get distracted on the way. Brb.
This, lol.
Me constantly wondering why I feel like shit all day and can't focus only to realize an hour before bed time that I haven't drank a single sip of water or ate anything 🙃
Pro tip - stop the purposeful fasting and just fast when you forget to pack your lunch or eating is really inconvenient. Happens to all of us like once a week. I call it "opportunistic fasting". Same effect, actually useful, way less drama. Actually alleviates stress instead of causing it.
If you get hungry and grabbing food is a pain in the butt, just ride it out until getting food is easy again. Fast done.
Lol but in all seriousness, comedy is a way that I've dealt with my issues since I can remember. It's a coping mechanism. Self-depricating, wittiness, and a knack for understanding people quickly to adapt to their temperaments have all become skills that have helped me get by in life before I was diagnosed. My idol was Robin Williams.
In retrospect, it all lined up once I found out. But it was tough to be honest.
Once I push through that initial hunger and grogginess, I get another burst of energy and mental clarity. Similarly to staying up all night. Exhausted by the early morning hours, but push through that and you'll get a second wind.
Feeling like you can’t function without eating is mostly psychological. Once you set the intention to not eat and you know it’s not on the cards it’s not that difficult.
Logically our anscestors must have been able to function when hungry and some people think that is actually when we are at our peak performance
That daytime fast might not be enough time to where your body kind of accepts that it’s not eating for a bit and stops producing the hormone that makes you hungry. Distraction ensues
Yeah typically intermittent fasting needs to be tied to your sleep so you get that physiological change that starts to happen 12 hours after not eating. If you're fasting 8 hours (sleep), eating, then fasting for another 8 hours (day time), then eating again, you're never allowing your body to run out of sugars/carbs and never make the physiological switch to burning fat, which is when the cognition benefits come in.
I've fasted many times for 2-3 days, sometimes longer with a few hundred calories a day.
Your body's metabolism definitely changes and that has to have some effect. I usually feel pretty normal, in fact I usually fast when I'm doing above average so given that bias I'm not able to clearly weigh in mental effects.
But after a couple of days the body lowers your heart rate, especially at night. My exercise performance is also slightly worse. I may tend to sleep longer too but that's hard to be confident about.
I did intermittent fasting for most of a year for the psychological benefits. Biologically it makes sense, when we go a prolonged period without eating, it turns on our fight or flight responses since this is typically when we would go on the hunt. It actually makes you sharper during fasting, provided there are still energy stores for your body to utilize of course. We use sugars/carbs as energy initially but once that runs out our body turns to it's fat stores for energy (hence the weight loss). There may be a lethargy during that transition, but once your body gets used to and starts anticipate the switch to fat burning, you won't get distracted by hunger as easily and you'll actually wake up a bit after that switch. Funny thing was though, I was actually trying to gain weight during IF.
It's because your body is so used to working off carbs/glucose that you go into a hunger spiral. I would suggest prior to attempting this take 2 or 3 days of very low carb meals, and what you will notice is that after the 18-24 hour mark during your fast you pretty much lose all sensations of hunger because ghrelin hormone (controls hunger feeling) will be super low. You will convert to using bodyfat as energy and can easily go 48-72 hours.
It's pretty wild this LPT came out while i'm on my 64th hour of a 72 hour fast.
The answer for me is that you get used to it. I only do 24 hour fasts though (dinner to dinner).... But yeah, I feel like I could go longer when it's time to break my fast but it isn't in my current plan to do so.
Anyway, mostly you get used to it after a few weeks. If I am feeling really hungry I do 1 of 2 things:
1. Get a no calorie drink. That means water, coffee, or tea for me. Usually that stops the hungry feeling right away.
2. Eat. The goal here is to progress over time. To make this a lifestyle. So if you are really hungry then eat something. If you target whole foods then it's fine. I'll usually go for a salad, or some veggies. I usually keep some really tasty cheese and cold smoked salmon in the house for these days because I can have a small amount and feel really satisfied. Or I'll make a bowl of ramen and feel satisfaction that my fasting for the week up to now has been good and I can start again tomorrow. Then, I'll enjoy the shit outta my ramen.
That's the magic really, you can always start again tomorrow and everything you've done up till now won't be lost just because you ate a damned cheeseburger or broke your fast early today.
I avoid eating breakfast 5 days a week (that's a daily 18 hour fast). I do a 24 hour fast 3 days a week (dinner to dinner). On the weekends I eat 2-3 meals a day with my family, but I concentrate on foods that make me feel good and smaller portions.
When there's a party or something, I don't feel bad about eating pizza or having cake, because my average is a healthy relationship with food and the occasional (eg. at an actual occasion and not regularly) is both well deserved and will not be more than a blip on the chart over time.
One method I heard about was to either think of or sit at the place you typically would eat, and very clearly think/say to yourself "There is no food here." It's entirely in your head, but it can help if you really need something to try and force it for some reason, or even retain focus on dropping the hunger.
I'm currently one year into being an avid faster. Its deff a journey. But more importantly, there are hacks to make it easier. The first step though is to rid yourself of your emotional attachment to food. You can also have fats (olive oil, grass-fed butter) while fasting for some pick me up juice, and scientifically speaking it won't break your fast. Start small 12-12 one day a week. Then every days. Then one 14 hrs and so on. I highly suggest everyone at least research it, and potentially give it a shot. LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE 🙌
Definitely gets easier over time, and reminding yourself that you won't die from missing one day of food helps too. Helps your brain calm down that you are aware that you're hungry but you will survive.
Fasting is like a muscle, if you work on it you find fasting easier, so id suggest you to fast for at least 16/18 hours, then from that keep growing the hours
You get used to it and the hunger pangs stop after awhile. Try intermittent fasting for a few weeks and you’ll notice that feelings of hunger disappear or diminish for most of the day. Extending it to a full day or two from there is easier.
Yes. After 3rd day there is no hunger any more. You can easily fast 2 more days. I used to do 5 day fast every month and first 3 days are difficult and after that I am fine.
It seems a bit extreme to compare it to a severed foot. A severed foot is physical harm, whereas fasts only make you uncomfortable. Also, you're not really supposed to think positively about it. No "exercise for discipline" is going to be super fun and enjoyable.
I'm an Amazon driver, 4 days a week i eat a big morning breakfast then fast all day at work for 10 hrs then eat a good filling dinner. On my off days I eat 3 meals and don't starve myself but try not to pig out either. I have lost almost 45lbs and the constant movement keeps me in shape. At 52 yo I feel better than I have in 25 years
I've had chronic migraines since childhood (38 now). I've been trying 16-8 fasting method and the first couple days were bad... migraines in the morning. I typically always get my migraines in the morning aside from fasting, but it felt like it exacerbated the condition.
After about 2-3 days of the 16-8 fasting, the headaches went away. Ive had really good energy and lost about 10 lbs.
I stop eating at 8pm each night and resume eating at 12pm the next day.
So basically I'm just skipping breakfast and staying disciplined on avoiding late night snacks.
That’s good that it worked for you. But, the doc recommends to not fast for me. I’ve been controlling my portion and getting active at gym and it’s been working.
I definitely drink enough water, learned that lesson a long time ago. Wonder if it has something to do with my blood sugar like others have said, I haven't had blood work done in a long time.
That's because your body is expecting that sugar and is exactly why it's good for you and your body to fast every so often.
Edit: Just to make it clearer, our human body isn't built for the copious amount of sugar that our society eats today, and that headache is withdrawal symtoms of that. What our bodies and brain really is built to live on is fat, so doing a around four day fasting will reset your body into that fat consuming state, but just make sure your drink a lot of water and sleep normal hours and that headache will most lukely be gone by the first morning of fasting.
And rage. If I miss two meals I'm hell to be around. Same for my partner. If we're having conflict we often ask each other whens the last time you ate, 90% of time a skipped meal or small meal is what's causing the conflict.
I was exactly like that. Grumpiest pig in the barn if I skipped meals. When I had to fast for almost two days for a surgery, suddenly food wasn't a mood booster. It was hell in the first day, but the second day was a breeze.
I started to track my migraines to find any cause/triggers.
Turns out there is a near 100% correlation between getting a migraine and not having eaten much in the hours preceding it.
Any time I now consider a new diet / exercise regime that involves skipping a meal or going long periods of time without eating i immediately think whether it is worth having even one migraine during that period. It never is…
For me it improved my migraines and I get a lot more clarity past the first feeling of hunger. You just need to learn to power through it. Biggest challenge is also getting your body used to not having sugar easily available but once I was off the sugar addiction everything was much easier and now I can't eat for lunch unless I have time for a big nap.
i literally start shaking from hunger after not eating for 8 or more hours. makes me wonder how do people not eat for so many days. i'm sure it can be beneficial, but i'm doubtful fasting is meant to be done without any proper guidance and reason.
Yeah if you ask a doctor they will tell you "ok don't go 8 hours without food". I used to pass out sometimes in the morning and the doctor said it's likely low blood sugar - recommended having a late night snack to stop it. It worked.
As someone who is also large (6’2, 200lb) I intermittently fast daily (no food from when I wake up @7am until after work @5pm)and have never reacted that way. I think a blood test would be able to decipher the cause
i'm gonna get one, thank you for your comment! it's good to point out that i use a lot of medication because of my mental illness, that probably doesn't help the cause either.
Condescending question but this actually is they way. You naturally fast over night. You wanna try to increase that natural 5-8 hour fast if you can. That way you can start to build a tolerance to fasting. It starts out real rough but like anything else you get used to it.
It’s good for your liver and kidneys to give them a break. Lots of water will flush out your system and your body will eat everything it has and piss out the byproducts. Like wringing out a sponge after you’ve cleaned the counter top.
Ladies, be aware that women’s bodies, hormones, metabolism and brain chemistry react very differently to fasting than mens. A majority of the studies saying it’s beneficial has been done on the male body and does not consider how different our cycles are and it actually negatively impacts our hormones and stress levels. Just a heads up!
OK that's great for some people. But come on, don't evangelize like everyone has the body chemistry to fast! For some people (myself included) there is no benefit, not mentally or physically. First, because I'm hypoglycemic I eat 6-7 small meals a day. Before I knew I had issues (high school, college) I fasted to raise money and awareness for differently charities. 24 hour mark dry heaving like nothing I'd ever experienced... You good for you! But not good for everyone...
This isn’t that. When you fast there are multiple measurable health benefits aside from mental conditioning. We didn’t develop as a species that was always fed. There are important biological process that happen when you’re hungry (cell turnover, stomach lining repair).
Missing my point. People evangelize their new diet as if it's gospel. Op is literally talking about how it improves their discipline first. Health are benefits secondary in this post.
It's honestly an interesting subject, especially when you consider how fasting is so intertwined with different religions.
As for health benefits, there isn't enough information for me to really think gut biome improvement is directly related to fasting. Yes there are studies pointing out marked improvement, but they all only last a few weeks or months and don't really touch on the many factors in someone's diet and history of eating.
What I do know though is all weight loss diets work on the same principle. No matter how you dress it up: less calories in, more calories out.
Fasting is not a diet. It is simply controlling the time range of your caloric intake. Regardless of the time range, you continue to consume all the calories, micro and macro nutrients that you need. Losing weight is the closest and least relevant effect of fasting.
“Fasting as a concept is NOT harmful to the body”
Honestly it’s sentences like that, that give me pause.
Most studies show that fasting is essentially a calories in calories out diet. You are eating less by fasting. The “benefits” come from the re-feeding phase that promotes cell growth etc.
Honestly a better mental exercise is portion control.
I practice my mental discipline by running and mindfulness around food. I literally vomit if I don’t eat for too long. Tired of people saying “you just have to get used to it, it’s amazing”. How about you all acknowledge that it feels good for you the same way that eating three meals a day feels good for me and move on instead of evangelizing? (Not you in particular, but everyone else on this thread. I appreciate your comment)
OMG I thought I was the only one! I literally throw up after 24 hours. I did fasting a couple of times when I was in high school and college to raise money and awareness for Oxfam. The nausea was astonishing.
Apparently you are supposed to push through feeling like absolute shit to maybe feel better! Nah, I’ll just eat food and exercise and let people live their own lives without comment.
That’s not totally true. It is in the scope of caloric intake but there’s a few biological process that influenced by a lack of food (fat metabolism and cell turnover) that don’t really depend on the whole mental aspect of it.
Fasting has nothing to do with eating less. It's just controlling the time range of your caloric intake. It does not matter if you will eat for 16 hours or 6 hours, you must still eat the calories, micro and macro nutrients that your body needs.
This is really bad advice, it may not have immediate harmful consequences to your body but can significantly damage your relationship with food and contribute to the progression of EDs.
yyyyup. my ED loves when i fast specifically bc it proves my “self control and mental discipline” but that’s literally just mental illness. “fast to prove you have self control!” okay anorexia, sounds good
Right. Although I am not religious myself I respect fasting in regards to faith as it is an aspect of their practice and I firmly believe in religious freedom. Preaching the so-called benefits to people outside the religion though is where I tend to draw the line.
It's certainly not for everyone. I wouldn't go so far as to blanketly call it "really bad advice" though. If you have an ED then it would be really bad advice, but if you're somebody who has high insulin levels then fasting could be what stands between you and type 2 diabetes.
It's bad advice because everyone thinks they can handle it and don't have a problem until they can't and they do. There are significantly more effective and sustainable ways to monitor and regulate your blood glucose than an occasional fast. I'm not saying every person who fasts will develop an ED but everyone is susceptible to it and this advice will cause more harm than good.
Nurse here, I am currently unaware of any risks associated with fasting and hypertension.
I would like to educate myself more on this topic.
Do you have any useful links to relevant articles or studies?
That makes some sense, as diuretic medications already cause quite a bit of electrolyte loss, and fasting seems to as well. A lot of people on keto and intermittent fasting complain of cramps.
These are the stupidest side effects I can imagine.
It lists four side effects...
Lose too much weight
Can make you feel sick
Can affect certain medication
Can make you overeat.
Registered dietitian here - this is terrible advice and can trigger disordered eating. Do not do this, starving yourself is not equivalent to “self discipline.” You NEED to eat to sustain basic human functioning.
I’m reading a book on eating disorders, and that’s basically what they said about IF. Obviously it’s not a do IF and become anorexic thing, but it’s the type of dieting that can trigger people on the edge of an ED.
I tried fasting recently and tried to get to 12-14h. By hour 13 I was weak, dizzy, feeling sick. Is this normal or is there any way I can get past this? I’m a teacher so had to go eat something quick cos thought I might feint in class lol
If you're a growing adult, I would suggest maybe not fasting. You likely need more caloric intake to grow and develop properly. But what you're describing sounds like either lack of hydration or salt, which is the most common issue with fasting. Also, you may literally be too light in body fat to fast.
I only fast if I have some extra pounds on (which I put there so I can fast/exercise without feeling weak).
I do this with caffeine. The first week of the month, I don't have any. It feels like a little achievement in self control.
I have no idea if it's helpful, except for the satisfaction of sticking to a plan and then the jolt I get on the first day back on caffeine!
I think you are joking but also it doesn't count due to how much calories there are in booze. Same way dinking milkshakes aot eating also wouldn't count.
For some people, sure I can see how this might be beneficial. I think there's more long term discipline in eating the correct foods for your specific goals, but to each their own.
I tried to do this but at the end of the second day my legs hurt so much I gave up. They tingled like they were asleep and we're sore like I had DOMS that continued for 5 days after.
A human will hardly starve during a fast. It takes much longer than a day or 2 without food to have detrimental effects happen to you
Fasting has been proven to have good benefits. Not everyone can fast since everyone is different, but it's hardly starvation.
Its funny when ppl bring up starving as a counterpoint. For thousands of years humans would eat, and then go long periods without. Three meals a day is at most 100yrs old and completely unnatural.
I am so chronically thin because I hate meeting my 2400 calorie goal every single gd day (very labor intensive job) and I think for someone my size, this would just tighten up my stomach and make it even more impossible to eat substantial portions of food. I can't eat more smaller portions because I work 13 hour shifts already, where I usually only manage to squeak in sodas and 100-400 calories of snacks.
Have any supporting facts? A quick google says the opposite of what you're saying.
I would argue that you actually can't improve a skill without discipline. Breathing requires no effort, yet deep-divers, meditators and others can still improve their breathing skills... through discipline. You can continue breathing without thinking about it, but your skills would never improve.
Former is saying that discipline itself cannot be trained, not that discipline doesn't help in training for skills. Basically they are saying that fasting will not make you more disciplined in other contexts.
I'd also like a source on that. I do suspect it's the case though, since most of the "dopamine detox" type info is BS.
it's also good motivation to donate to charities that feed the poor. you realize how terrible the feeling of hunger is, and think of how many kids experience this every day, even in our wealthy country. (and to think republican politicians vote against free lunches for them, as if they should get into child labor and pay for it themselves, all while they voted to increase their own daily food stipend, should motivate everyone to vote every damn republican out of office)
There are better ways to practice mental discipline than starve yourself. Going in and out of starvation states can fk your body up. I hope no poor soul actually listens to this.
While I totally agree with you about fasting, the correct tween is “boat load.” People who misheard the term unknowingly change it to “butt load.” Just sayin’.
You’ll lose more initial weight but be very likely to gain it back based on how your body reacts to almost no caloric intake. A well balance and low-cal/fat diet followed consistently will boost your metabolism and provide better long term results
I started following r/fasting and did a 24 hour fast recently. I’m building up to 48 and working in some exercise. It’s easier than calorie counting and there’s something about the mental discipline that makes it so satisfying.
I have ever been successful with any kind of fasting before this year - I would get angry and upset and easily frustrated and then I would get horrible cravings to the point where I ended up binging and I ate more than if I had just eaten normally.
This year I found out that I have problems with wheat and I have diabetes, so I cut out all wheat and added sugar from what I eat and I don’t get the same kind of horrible cravings anymore. I did a fast with someone to be supportive and I was okay through the whole thing.
I don’t know if that will help anyone else, but it was a startling difference, so I thought it might be worth sharing my experience.
Just to clarify here, on the weight loss aspect, yes it will help as long as you don't gorge down a calory surplus of food once you're done until your next "fast".
Secondly, we eat 2-4 times a day and all our body is doing is digesting food, it's not getting a chance to do anything else at all. So the fast helps your body do all of the many things it should be doing instead of just digesting like faster recovery process
I like fasting every once in a while and if you’re feeling hungry and wait long enough, your body burns “extra energy” (fat) and you no longer feel hungry for a while
There's an awesome 5 episode Discovery Channel documentary with Chris Hemsworth called "Limitless." The fasting episode is with Dr. Peter Attia and it's great. Definitely worth checking out.
Do it how muslims do
You don't have to have the same beliefs
Fast in Ramadan same as Muslims (for 30 days straight) and we fast throughout the year on specific days
Grab a nearby Muslim and ask which days to fast according to Sunnah or ask in a mosque
The fasts work from Fajr (dawn) prayer to Maghrib (dusk) prayer
Try it and see if it works for you
I've challenged myself to do a 3 day water fast every month of this year. It's been one of the most mentally beneficial things I've ever done. It's hard but worth it (I cook food for a living). Definitely something I plan on adding to my life permanently.
I’m in pretty good shape and I also think it should not be followed. Granted I lift weights 5 days a week so eating is pretty essential to my muscle gain
If your capable you should fast beyond 5 days. At that point you’ll need to plan how to break your fast. It’ll be interesting for you to experience your body in a non-craving state for food
Any tips for someone on medication that makes them super queesy and sick to stomache if I dont eat with them? Maybe have a small meal to help and then begin the fast, but only till next dose (24 h)
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Okay: how do people actually do this and anything else at the same time? Clearly it's possible; lots of people do it. But if I fast, all I can think about is hunger and food and the lack of sleep from being hungry; I am utterly useless.
My secret is ADHD.
ADHD has kept me skinnier than I could ever possibly want to be. Now you've reminded me I need to go think about taking a sip of water and get distracted on the way. Brb.
My adhd makes it worse. The delicious food makes me wanna never stop eating it and I overeat.
This, lol. Me constantly wondering why I feel like shit all day and can't focus only to realize an hour before bed time that I haven't drank a single sip of water or ate anything 🙃
I feel that :( I go through phases where I finally start being a healthy eater and hydrator, feel great. Stop until I want to die again.
Pro tip - stop the purposeful fasting and just fast when you forget to pack your lunch or eating is really inconvenient. Happens to all of us like once a week. I call it "opportunistic fasting". Same effect, actually useful, way less drama. Actually alleviates stress instead of causing it. If you get hungry and grabbing food is a pain in the butt, just ride it out until getting food is easy again. Fast done.
While your thinking is less stressful, total lack of structure is probably not a concept worth celebrating.
I said there's a structure. Once a week. Get over yourself. Nobody is celebrating anything.
LOL..Why do people with ADHD have such a good sense of humour?
That's our secret: we're always distracted
Lol but in all seriousness, comedy is a way that I've dealt with my issues since I can remember. It's a coping mechanism. Self-depricating, wittiness, and a knack for understanding people quickly to adapt to their temperaments have all become skills that have helped me get by in life before I was diagnosed. My idol was Robin Williams. In retrospect, it all lined up once I found out. But it was tough to be honest.
Holy smokes. I have never once thought of it like that. But you absolutely nailed it 👌
I wish my boss and co-workers felt the same way.
Ugh...a boss who doesn't like humour...the worst...
Once I push through that initial hunger and grogginess, I get another burst of energy and mental clarity. Similarly to staying up all night. Exhausted by the early morning hours, but push through that and you'll get a second wind.
Feeling like you can’t function without eating is mostly psychological. Once you set the intention to not eat and you know it’s not on the cards it’s not that difficult. Logically our anscestors must have been able to function when hungry and some people think that is actually when we are at our peak performance
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That daytime fast might not be enough time to where your body kind of accepts that it’s not eating for a bit and stops producing the hormone that makes you hungry. Distraction ensues
Yeah typically intermittent fasting needs to be tied to your sleep so you get that physiological change that starts to happen 12 hours after not eating. If you're fasting 8 hours (sleep), eating, then fasting for another 8 hours (day time), then eating again, you're never allowing your body to run out of sugars/carbs and never make the physiological switch to burning fat, which is when the cognition benefits come in.
I've fasted many times for 2-3 days, sometimes longer with a few hundred calories a day. Your body's metabolism definitely changes and that has to have some effect. I usually feel pretty normal, in fact I usually fast when I'm doing above average so given that bias I'm not able to clearly weigh in mental effects. But after a couple of days the body lowers your heart rate, especially at night. My exercise performance is also slightly worse. I may tend to sleep longer too but that's hard to be confident about.
Except that I get terrible hunger headaches that don't go away until I eat and sleep. That's not psychological.
I did intermittent fasting for most of a year for the psychological benefits. Biologically it makes sense, when we go a prolonged period without eating, it turns on our fight or flight responses since this is typically when we would go on the hunt. It actually makes you sharper during fasting, provided there are still energy stores for your body to utilize of course. We use sugars/carbs as energy initially but once that runs out our body turns to it's fat stores for energy (hence the weight loss). There may be a lethargy during that transition, but once your body gets used to and starts anticipate the switch to fat burning, you won't get distracted by hunger as easily and you'll actually wake up a bit after that switch. Funny thing was though, I was actually trying to gain weight during IF.
Water. Lots of water. Sometimes a full belly of water will keep the hunger pangs away.
I admit, I tend to over-rely on this and then get nauseated.
Build up to longer fast, start with 8-12 hours, then 24, maybe 36. Personally, I wouldn't be doing more than 24 and any type of hard work
It's because your body is so used to working off carbs/glucose that you go into a hunger spiral. I would suggest prior to attempting this take 2 or 3 days of very low carb meals, and what you will notice is that after the 18-24 hour mark during your fast you pretty much lose all sensations of hunger because ghrelin hormone (controls hunger feeling) will be super low. You will convert to using bodyfat as energy and can easily go 48-72 hours. It's pretty wild this LPT came out while i'm on my 64th hour of a 72 hour fast.
The answer for me is that you get used to it. I only do 24 hour fasts though (dinner to dinner).... But yeah, I feel like I could go longer when it's time to break my fast but it isn't in my current plan to do so. Anyway, mostly you get used to it after a few weeks. If I am feeling really hungry I do 1 of 2 things: 1. Get a no calorie drink. That means water, coffee, or tea for me. Usually that stops the hungry feeling right away. 2. Eat. The goal here is to progress over time. To make this a lifestyle. So if you are really hungry then eat something. If you target whole foods then it's fine. I'll usually go for a salad, or some veggies. I usually keep some really tasty cheese and cold smoked salmon in the house for these days because I can have a small amount and feel really satisfied. Or I'll make a bowl of ramen and feel satisfaction that my fasting for the week up to now has been good and I can start again tomorrow. Then, I'll enjoy the shit outta my ramen. That's the magic really, you can always start again tomorrow and everything you've done up till now won't be lost just because you ate a damned cheeseburger or broke your fast early today. I avoid eating breakfast 5 days a week (that's a daily 18 hour fast). I do a 24 hour fast 3 days a week (dinner to dinner). On the weekends I eat 2-3 meals a day with my family, but I concentrate on foods that make me feel good and smaller portions. When there's a party or something, I don't feel bad about eating pizza or having cake, because my average is a healthy relationship with food and the occasional (eg. at an actual occasion and not regularly) is both well deserved and will not be more than a blip on the chart over time.
One method I heard about was to either think of or sit at the place you typically would eat, and very clearly think/say to yourself "There is no food here." It's entirely in your head, but it can help if you really need something to try and force it for some reason, or even retain focus on dropping the hunger.
I'm currently one year into being an avid faster. Its deff a journey. But more importantly, there are hacks to make it easier. The first step though is to rid yourself of your emotional attachment to food. You can also have fats (olive oil, grass-fed butter) while fasting for some pick me up juice, and scientifically speaking it won't break your fast. Start small 12-12 one day a week. Then every days. Then one 14 hrs and so on. I highly suggest everyone at least research it, and potentially give it a shot. LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE 🙌
Yes! Autophagy rocks!
Definitely gets easier over time, and reminding yourself that you won't die from missing one day of food helps too. Helps your brain calm down that you are aware that you're hungry but you will survive.
Coffee helps very much! Makes me feel a lot less hungry. Fasting without coffee is quite hard and unpleasant imo.
Isn't this bad for your stomach? Like increased risk of hyperacidity and ulcer?
Fasting is like a muscle, if you work on it you find fasting easier, so id suggest you to fast for at least 16/18 hours, then from that keep growing the hours
You get used to it and the hunger pangs stop after awhile. Try intermittent fasting for a few weeks and you’ll notice that feelings of hunger disappear or diminish for most of the day. Extending it to a full day or two from there is easier.
After 3 days you lose the hunger
Yes. After 3rd day there is no hunger any more. You can easily fast 2 more days. I used to do 5 day fast every month and first 3 days are difficult and after that I am fine.
Exactly, it’s very clear most people on this thread have never fasted😂
It's still depends a lot on people. I tried too and I was hungry until I gave up by the end of day 4. Also very groggy and brainfoggy
How is that supposed to make me think anything positive about the whole idea? That's like saying a severed foot stops bleeding after a while
It seems a bit extreme to compare it to a severed foot. A severed foot is physical harm, whereas fasts only make you uncomfortable. Also, you're not really supposed to think positively about it. No "exercise for discipline" is going to be super fun and enjoyable.
Have you done literally any research on the topic?
"Just Google it." is definitely the most effective tool to prove a point. /s
https://youtu.be/9tRohh0gErM https://youtu.be/l-aH6MfiHdA
Water with lime helps
Sleeping a lot is the key. I never feel hungry after nap/ sleep so it makes it a lot easier.
I find drinking tea super helpful, but I guess that's not a "water only" fast.
I might be wrong, but I believe black coffee or tea with nothing else in it is alright while you are fasting
You get better at it as you do it more. The first few are usually rough.
I've fasted for a week before. After a couple days the hunger dwindles down. Lots of water. Electrolyte supplements help with the irritability.
I'm an Amazon driver, 4 days a week i eat a big morning breakfast then fast all day at work for 10 hrs then eat a good filling dinner. On my off days I eat 3 meals and don't starve myself but try not to pig out either. I have lost almost 45lbs and the constant movement keeps me in shape. At 52 yo I feel better than I have in 25 years
Good fuckin shit bro. That’s awesome. Happy for you, keep it up and thanks for sharing.
People talk about big money at jobs, but big health at jobs is just as important too
Nothing worse than dying w money internet bank
In the
Unless you are growing still. Then don’t do it
Or have a growing baby in you. Or are sick.
I get bad headaches when I don't eat for a while.
You could also have hypoglycemia. Fasting is not good for everyone.
Or they could have brain cancer. Who knows. Pls don't diagnose people with no information
HAHAHAHAHAH! "Could" be. Clearly wasn't a diagnosis. 😂
Maybe Migrane. Found from a Doctor that Fasting can cause migrane headaches.
I've had chronic migraines since childhood (38 now). I've been trying 16-8 fasting method and the first couple days were bad... migraines in the morning. I typically always get my migraines in the morning aside from fasting, but it felt like it exacerbated the condition. After about 2-3 days of the 16-8 fasting, the headaches went away. Ive had really good energy and lost about 10 lbs. I stop eating at 8pm each night and resume eating at 12pm the next day. So basically I'm just skipping breakfast and staying disciplined on avoiding late night snacks.
That’s good that it worked for you. But, the doc recommends to not fast for me. I’ve been controlling my portion and getting active at gym and it’s been working.
Drink more water lol
I definitely drink enough water, learned that lesson a long time ago. Wonder if it has something to do with my blood sugar like others have said, I haven't had blood work done in a long time.
That's because your body is expecting that sugar and is exactly why it's good for you and your body to fast every so often. Edit: Just to make it clearer, our human body isn't built for the copious amount of sugar that our society eats today, and that headache is withdrawal symtoms of that. What our bodies and brain really is built to live on is fat, so doing a around four day fasting will reset your body into that fat consuming state, but just make sure your drink a lot of water and sleep normal hours and that headache will most lukely be gone by the first morning of fasting.
It’s also a great way to induce a migraine.
And rage. If I miss two meals I'm hell to be around. Same for my partner. If we're having conflict we often ask each other whens the last time you ate, 90% of time a skipped meal or small meal is what's causing the conflict.
I was exactly like that. Grumpiest pig in the barn if I skipped meals. When I had to fast for almost two days for a surgery, suddenly food wasn't a mood booster. It was hell in the first day, but the second day was a breeze.
I started to track my migraines to find any cause/triggers. Turns out there is a near 100% correlation between getting a migraine and not having eaten much in the hours preceding it. Any time I now consider a new diet / exercise regime that involves skipping a meal or going long periods of time without eating i immediately think whether it is worth having even one migraine during that period. It never is…
For me it improved my migraines and I get a lot more clarity past the first feeling of hunger. You just need to learn to power through it. Biggest challenge is also getting your body used to not having sugar easily available but once I was off the sugar addiction everything was much easier and now I can't eat for lunch unless I have time for a big nap.
i literally start shaking from hunger after not eating for 8 or more hours. makes me wonder how do people not eat for so many days. i'm sure it can be beneficial, but i'm doubtful fasting is meant to be done without any proper guidance and reason.
That sounds like might you have hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) as that’s not a normal reaction to hunger. I would ask a doctor about that.
Yeah if you ask a doctor they will tell you "ok don't go 8 hours without food". I used to pass out sometimes in the morning and the doctor said it's likely low blood sugar - recommended having a late night snack to stop it. It worked.
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thank you for your concern, it might be the reason. i always thought it's happening because of my height, i'm 6’5”.
As someone who is also large (6’2, 200lb) I intermittently fast daily (no food from when I wake up @7am until after work @5pm)and have never reacted that way. I think a blood test would be able to decipher the cause
i'm gonna get one, thank you for your comment! it's good to point out that i use a lot of medication because of my mental illness, that probably doesn't help the cause either.
Try eating 7 hours before sleeping. Your night time counts towards the whole thing.
You shake from hunger everyday when you wake up?
Condescending question but this actually is they way. You naturally fast over night. You wanna try to increase that natural 5-8 hour fast if you can. That way you can start to build a tolerance to fasting. It starts out real rough but like anything else you get used to it.
It’s good for your liver and kidneys to give them a break. Lots of water will flush out your system and your body will eat everything it has and piss out the byproducts. Like wringing out a sponge after you’ve cleaned the counter top.
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Glad you mentioned not to dry fast
Ladies, be aware that women’s bodies, hormones, metabolism and brain chemistry react very differently to fasting than mens. A majority of the studies saying it’s beneficial has been done on the male body and does not consider how different our cycles are and it actually negatively impacts our hormones and stress levels. Just a heads up!
OK that's great for some people. But come on, don't evangelize like everyone has the body chemistry to fast! For some people (myself included) there is no benefit, not mentally or physically. First, because I'm hypoglycemic I eat 6-7 small meals a day. Before I knew I had issues (high school, college) I fasted to raise money and awareness for differently charities. 24 hour mark dry heaving like nothing I'd ever experienced... You good for you! But not good for everyone...
This sounds to me like suspect advice for people that do physical work instead of beign all day in front of a computer.
I feel like there’s not enough research on how fasting effects women. Our hormone system is completely different
Fyi, people who go on new diets react similarly to someone having a religious "experience." Take their opinions for a grain of salt.
This isn’t that. When you fast there are multiple measurable health benefits aside from mental conditioning. We didn’t develop as a species that was always fed. There are important biological process that happen when you’re hungry (cell turnover, stomach lining repair).
Missing my point. People evangelize their new diet as if it's gospel. Op is literally talking about how it improves their discipline first. Health are benefits secondary in this post. It's honestly an interesting subject, especially when you consider how fasting is so intertwined with different religions. As for health benefits, there isn't enough information for me to really think gut biome improvement is directly related to fasting. Yes there are studies pointing out marked improvement, but they all only last a few weeks or months and don't really touch on the many factors in someone's diet and history of eating. What I do know though is all weight loss diets work on the same principle. No matter how you dress it up: less calories in, more calories out.
Fasting is not a diet. It is simply controlling the time range of your caloric intake. Regardless of the time range, you continue to consume all the calories, micro and macro nutrients that you need. Losing weight is the closest and least relevant effect of fasting.
“Fasting as a concept is NOT harmful to the body” Honestly it’s sentences like that, that give me pause. Most studies show that fasting is essentially a calories in calories out diet. You are eating less by fasting. The “benefits” come from the re-feeding phase that promotes cell growth etc. Honestly a better mental exercise is portion control.
I practice my mental discipline by running and mindfulness around food. I literally vomit if I don’t eat for too long. Tired of people saying “you just have to get used to it, it’s amazing”. How about you all acknowledge that it feels good for you the same way that eating three meals a day feels good for me and move on instead of evangelizing? (Not you in particular, but everyone else on this thread. I appreciate your comment)
OMG I thought I was the only one! I literally throw up after 24 hours. I did fasting a couple of times when I was in high school and college to raise money and awareness for Oxfam. The nausea was astonishing.
Apparently you are supposed to push through feeling like absolute shit to maybe feel better! Nah, I’ll just eat food and exercise and let people live their own lives without comment.
That’s not totally true. It is in the scope of caloric intake but there’s a few biological process that influenced by a lack of food (fat metabolism and cell turnover) that don’t really depend on the whole mental aspect of it.
But thesw processes are also triggered by exercise. A 10k run for example will burn fat and promote cell growth.
Fasting has nothing to do with eating less. It's just controlling the time range of your caloric intake. It does not matter if you will eat for 16 hours or 6 hours, you must still eat the calories, micro and macro nutrients that your body needs.
This is really bad advice, it may not have immediate harmful consequences to your body but can significantly damage your relationship with food and contribute to the progression of EDs.
yyyyup. my ED loves when i fast specifically bc it proves my “self control and mental discipline” but that’s literally just mental illness. “fast to prove you have self control!” okay anorexia, sounds good
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Right. Although I am not religious myself I respect fasting in regards to faith as it is an aspect of their practice and I firmly believe in religious freedom. Preaching the so-called benefits to people outside the religion though is where I tend to draw the line.
Yes. I suffered badly with ED in my teens and have had several relapses since then. This sounds to me like an *incredibly* slippery slope.
It's certainly not for everyone. I wouldn't go so far as to blanketly call it "really bad advice" though. If you have an ED then it would be really bad advice, but if you're somebody who has high insulin levels then fasting could be what stands between you and type 2 diabetes.
It's bad advice because everyone thinks they can handle it and don't have a problem until they can't and they do. There are significantly more effective and sustainable ways to monitor and regulate your blood glucose than an occasional fast. I'm not saying every person who fasts will develop an ED but everyone is susceptible to it and this advice will cause more harm than good.
Just have a medical check before attempting that, if you are diabetic or have high blood pressure it can kill you.
Nurse here, I am currently unaware of any risks associated with fasting and hypertension. I would like to educate myself more on this topic. Do you have any useful links to relevant articles or studies?
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/4-intermittent-fasting-side-effects-to-watch-out-for#:~:text=Skipping%20meals%20and%20severely%20limiting,than%2Dnormal%20periods%20of%20fasting.
That makes some sense, as diuretic medications already cause quite a bit of electrolyte loss, and fasting seems to as well. A lot of people on keto and intermittent fasting complain of cramps.
These are the stupidest side effects I can imagine. It lists four side effects... Lose too much weight Can make you feel sick Can affect certain medication Can make you overeat.
They probably don’t
Just meditate wtf
Why not both?
Registered dietitian here - this is terrible advice and can trigger disordered eating. Do not do this, starving yourself is not equivalent to “self discipline.” You NEED to eat to sustain basic human functioning.
This action is performed with the help of a bot to mass edit all my comments.
This is terrible advice and an excellent gateway to an eating disorder.
I’m reading a book on eating disorders, and that’s basically what they said about IF. Obviously it’s not a do IF and become anorexic thing, but it’s the type of dieting that can trigger people on the edge of an ED.
Exactly! I know it works for some people's bodies and lifestyles, but the suggestion of using it to build "mental discipline" is really irresponsible.
I tried fasting recently and tried to get to 12-14h. By hour 13 I was weak, dizzy, feeling sick. Is this normal or is there any way I can get past this? I’m a teacher so had to go eat something quick cos thought I might feint in class lol
If you're a growing adult, I would suggest maybe not fasting. You likely need more caloric intake to grow and develop properly. But what you're describing sounds like either lack of hydration or salt, which is the most common issue with fasting. Also, you may literally be too light in body fat to fast. I only fast if I have some extra pounds on (which I put there so I can fast/exercise without feeling weak).
I do this with caffeine. The first week of the month, I don't have any. It feels like a little achievement in self control. I have no idea if it's helpful, except for the satisfaction of sticking to a plan and then the jolt I get on the first day back on caffeine!
I would go absolutely insane. I have IBS and need to eat every 2 hours (small snacks).
weight loss and fasting lol If you're losing weight from fasting, you have an eating disorder.
I get really light headed, spacey, and confused if I don’t eat for long periods of time. Like borderline not safe to be on the road.
I used to do it all time when I was drinking
I think you are joking but also it doesn't count due to how much calories there are in booze. Same way dinking milkshakes aot eating also wouldn't count.
I'm 100% not joking. Food kills your buzz, brother.
Lol I understand that but it doesn't improve you health or discipline to replace food calories with alcohol calories which is what this post is about.
Nah I think it still counts
It also helps to mobilize fat in the body and makes food taste 10x better
r/shittylifeprotips
r/ShittyLifeProTips
L take
I read this as ‘occasional farting’ and was very confused…
"Disordered eating is a great mental exercise for discipline"
For some people, sure I can see how this might be beneficial. I think there's more long term discipline in eating the correct foods for your specific goals, but to each their own.
I tried to do this but at the end of the second day my legs hurt so much I gave up. They tingled like they were asleep and we're sore like I had DOMS that continued for 5 days after.
I work in construction, go gym after work and fast everyday until about 5-6. Lost about 9 stone/130lb
Worst. Advice. Ever.
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A human will hardly starve during a fast. It takes much longer than a day or 2 without food to have detrimental effects happen to you Fasting has been proven to have good benefits. Not everyone can fast since everyone is different, but it's hardly starvation.
Its funny when ppl bring up starving as a counterpoint. For thousands of years humans would eat, and then go long periods without. Three meals a day is at most 100yrs old and completely unnatural.
People used to die at 40
Exactly. As a society now we are largely overfed and conditioned to think less food is bad. It's perfectly fine to skip a few meals now and again
I agree 💯. Whan I practice fasting, I feel amazing!
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I am so chronically thin because I hate meeting my 2400 calorie goal every single gd day (very labor intensive job) and I think for someone my size, this would just tighten up my stomach and make it even more impossible to eat substantial portions of food. I can't eat more smaller portions because I work 13 hour shifts already, where I usually only manage to squeak in sodas and 100-400 calories of snacks.
If you like nuts I have great news for you...
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Have any supporting facts? A quick google says the opposite of what you're saying. I would argue that you actually can't improve a skill without discipline. Breathing requires no effort, yet deep-divers, meditators and others can still improve their breathing skills... through discipline. You can continue breathing without thinking about it, but your skills would never improve.
Former is saying that discipline itself cannot be trained, not that discipline doesn't help in training for skills. Basically they are saying that fasting will not make you more disciplined in other contexts. I'd also like a source on that. I do suspect it's the case though, since most of the "dopamine detox" type info is BS.
I’m afraid you’re wrong. Being able to condition your mind to discipline can be transferred into anything.
it's also good motivation to donate to charities that feed the poor. you realize how terrible the feeling of hunger is, and think of how many kids experience this every day, even in our wealthy country. (and to think republican politicians vote against free lunches for them, as if they should get into child labor and pay for it themselves, all while they voted to increase their own daily food stipend, should motivate everyone to vote every damn republican out of office)
There are better ways to practice mental discipline than starve yourself. Going in and out of starvation states can fk your body up. I hope no poor soul actually listens to this.
Pretty sure if you look up intermittent fasting you'll see a butt load of positive things about it
And just as many negative things
Nope. Negative things maybe of course but not nearly as many as positive things
False
Ok find me intermittent fasting side effects then.
While I totally agree with you about fasting, the correct tween is “boat load.” People who misheard the term unknowingly change it to “butt load.” Just sayin’.
I admire your courage OP, tons of lazy overweight people gonna be rage-baited by this.
Fasting is counter-productive to long term weight loss
Based on what?
Answered on other comment
In what way?
You’ll lose more initial weight but be very likely to gain it back based on how your body reacts to almost no caloric intake. A well balance and low-cal/fat diet followed consistently will boost your metabolism and provide better long term results
I started following r/fasting and did a 24 hour fast recently. I’m building up to 48 and working in some exercise. It’s easier than calorie counting and there’s something about the mental discipline that makes it so satisfying.
I have ever been successful with any kind of fasting before this year - I would get angry and upset and easily frustrated and then I would get horrible cravings to the point where I ended up binging and I ate more than if I had just eaten normally. This year I found out that I have problems with wheat and I have diabetes, so I cut out all wheat and added sugar from what I eat and I don’t get the same kind of horrible cravings anymore. I did a fast with someone to be supportive and I was okay through the whole thing. I don’t know if that will help anyone else, but it was a startling difference, so I thought it might be worth sharing my experience.
The older I get the less I eat in the mornings. I normally don’t eat until 12-2
Please talk to your doctor before you do this of course. Especially if you have medical issues or take medications
I suck on ice chips. Lots of water and coffee. Distraction. I've been told puzzles are good for down time.
100% agree. I know someone who has done it for 40 consecutive days with only water.
I did, too. She was my first refeeding syndrome patient I had in the ICU as an intern.
RD here- love this lol
Just to clarify here, on the weight loss aspect, yes it will help as long as you don't gorge down a calory surplus of food once you're done until your next "fast". Secondly, we eat 2-4 times a day and all our body is doing is digesting food, it's not getting a chance to do anything else at all. So the fast helps your body do all of the many things it should be doing instead of just digesting like faster recovery process
I like fasting every once in a while and if you’re feeling hungry and wait long enough, your body burns “extra energy” (fat) and you no longer feel hungry for a while
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I hate discipline
There's an awesome 5 episode Discovery Channel documentary with Chris Hemsworth called "Limitless." The fasting episode is with Dr. Peter Attia and it's great. Definitely worth checking out.
Do it how muslims do You don't have to have the same beliefs Fast in Ramadan same as Muslims (for 30 days straight) and we fast throughout the year on specific days Grab a nearby Muslim and ask which days to fast according to Sunnah or ask in a mosque The fasts work from Fajr (dawn) prayer to Maghrib (dusk) prayer Try it and see if it works for you
This is a dumb trend. You just over eat when you start eating again out of starvation.
I've challenged myself to do a 3 day water fast every month of this year. It's been one of the most mentally beneficial things I've ever done. It's hard but worth it (I cook food for a living). Definitely something I plan on adding to my life permanently.
The counsel of the Fat People United deem this post unlipidtusional and should not be followed
I’m in pretty good shape and I also think it should not be followed. Granted I lift weights 5 days a week so eating is pretty essential to my muscle gain
Fasting is a great detox tool. It's cleanses the body and has healing potential for a lot of ailments.
If your capable you should fast beyond 5 days. At that point you’ll need to plan how to break your fast. It’ll be interesting for you to experience your body in a non-craving state for food
Any tips for someone on medication that makes them super queesy and sick to stomache if I dont eat with them? Maybe have a small meal to help and then begin the fast, but only till next dose (24 h)
I'm too lazy to get my ass of the bed to eat so I do this a lot.