Has anyone ever tried fasting?

[sureshs]

In the old days, famines did the job. These days, so-called progress has eliminated them, and see where we landed up.

[chrischris]

Originally Posted by sureshs

In the old days, famines did the job. These days, so-called progress has eliminated them, and see where we landed up.

'Where' did 'we' land up?

[chrischris]

Originally Posted by Povl Carstensen

I've tried slowing.

What about the new trend slowfatsing?

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by chrischris

'Where' did 'we' land up?

Droughts also helped people fast. So-called improvements in irrigation and dam constructions have reduced them vastly.

[beernutz]

Originally Posted by hisrob777

Check out Brad Pilon online. He wrote a book called Eat Stop Eat. There is a guy who blogs about intermittent fasting on a site called leangains.com. I've tried both approaches. It works pretty well.

This. If you are good with google you could possibly find an early version of Pilon's ESE book online and if you like it be sure to pay for the latest version as it is really good and worth the money imo.

Martin Berkhan is the leangains guy fwiw and there's a lot of good info on IM there for free.

[Povl Carstensen]

Originally Posted by chrischris

What about the new trend slowfatsing?

I have to look out not to fall in that category.

[ollinger]

The funniest thing about these fasting-detox threads is that, as in the current one, there isn't a single mention of what "toxins" anyone is talking about, or how fasting would promote their elimination. Fasting tends to DECREASE g.i. tract motility, so anything there in the small or large intestine that you're concerned about would tend to stay there LONGER as a result of fasting. Fasting also means that because you're not taking in nitrogen-containing material, your renal-urinary tract will slow down and you'll eliminate LESS waste by that route. The whole thing is a bunch of snake oil hokum.

[beernutz]

Originally Posted by ollinger

The funniest thing about these fasting-detox threads is that, as in the current one, there isn't a single mention of what "toxins" anyone is talking about, or how fasting would promote their elimination. Fasting tends to DECREASE g.i. tract motility, so anything there in the small or large intestine that you're concerned about would tend to stay there LONGER as a result of fasting. Fasting also means that because you're not taking in nitrogen-containing material, your renal-urinary tract will slow down and you'll eliminate LESS waste by that route. The whole thing is a bunch of snake oil hokum.

Yeah, well when the snake oil salesmen look like this they tend to attract attention:


I don't believe 'everyone' is talking about toxins or detox wrt the benefits of fasting at least not Berkhan or Pilon whose opinions I respect the most on the subject.

[chrischris]

Originally Posted by sureshs

Droughts also helped people fast. So-called improvements in irrigation and dam constructions have reduced them vastly.

Are you suggesting we go back living in caves..?

[tricky]

Going along with vin's post, essentially the "detoxification" we see in fasting is related to autophagy and increased insulin sensitivity. Brad's book (especially his second book) has a lot of good research, but there isn't a lot of research yet about autophagy and human timetables

A good tell is changes in skin. Does your skin get softer? Do age spots and blemishes start to disappear? That's usually a sign of fasting promoting positive effects.

[Fearsome Forehand]

Originally Posted by r2473

I tried it once for almost 6 hours. I got really hungry. Ate a large pizza.

Overall a very good experience.

I bet it changed your life. You saw God after the fourth hour. Then you went back in time and ahead in time. Past, future and present all at once.

[Fearsome Forehand]

Detox from what? Won't you instantly re-tox once you go back to eating and drinking the normal filth we consume on a daily basis?

Does Slim-Fast count as fasting?

[Ronaldo]

Originally Posted by Fearsome Forehand

Detox from what? Won't you instantly re-tox once you go back to eating and drinking the normal filth we consume on a daily basis?

Does Slim-Fast count as fasting?

Slim-fast is sugar. Try pure protein's Soylent Green

[Fearsome Forehand]

I believe that is made from PEOPLE !!!

[akind]

I did fast (no drink nor food) about 30 days in a row every year, for about 10 years or so. I usually fast from around 4 am to 6 pm. Sometimes it can be very exhausting as I had to cycle to school in the heat of the day. I never really got very sick because of it.

As I got older my religious view changed gradually and I no longer fast anymore... but now I sometime feel my digestion organs need a break and sometime I deliberately skip a meal if I don't feel really hungry. I only eat when I'm hungry and never eat too much.

[r2473]

Originally Posted by akind

I did fast (no drink nor food) about 30 days in a row every year,

I did the "John the Baptist Diet". Wandered around in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights eating only locusts, wild honey, and protein shakes (careful to maintain my 2 grams per pound bodyweight protein intake).

After 40 days, I just lost my head.........

[Ronaldo]

Watched a guy try to play singles while fasting during Ramadan. Forgetaboutit

[Mikael]

I saw a great documentary this year about fasting and its benefits. Apparently scientists in the USSR discovered potential benefits for treating a number of diseases this way, and there still are a number of "fasting centers" spread throughout Russia. People there fast for 2 weeks, nothing but water... They interviewed some of the "inmates" and they were mostly feeling great. They could even perform physical activity, and some said they could have lasted longer than 2 weeks.

Western scientists are only starting to research this (limited scientific interest so far makes sense: no company would have an interest in financing research on the benefits of fasting!!) But it is promising. If I recall correctly they performed tests on cancer stricken rats. Half the rats underwent chemiotherapy in a well fed state. The other half, after fasting for 48 hours. Apparently the fasting rats not only managed chemiotherapy side effects better, they also fought off cancerous cells more efficiently.

We still need a lot more research on fasting, that's for sure. But in my opinion the benefits are only logical: from an evolutionary perspective, our bodies are a lot more used to dealing with food scarcity than with an abundance of food.

[vin]

Hi Mikail,

Would you mind sharing the name of the documentary? I'm interested in watching it.

Thanks

[Mikael]

Originally Posted by vin

Hi Mikail,

Would you mind sharing the name of the documentary? I'm interested in watching it.

Thanks

Hi vin,

unfortunately it's a German-French documentary so I think you can only find it in those two languages. The title in German is "Fasten und heilen" and in French "Le jeûne pour se soigner". If you can understand either language then a simple google search will give you a youtube link to the documentary...