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> I'll pass on this intermittent fasting "fad" for now! It's amazing how people are prone to experiment with this type of things. They're willing to undergo a

> I'll pass on this intermittent fasting "fad" for now! It's amazing how people are prone to experiment with this type of things. They're willing to undergo a very unpleasant experience because it might (unlikely) give them a (slight) health improvement.

forgetsusername 10y ago
>It's amazing how people are prone to experiment with this type of things. As opposed to over-eating resulting in a global epidemic of obesity? Which eating habits do you think are the biggest "experiment"?
- yodsanklai 10y ago
  There's a middle line between over-eating junk food and fasting!
  - forgetsusername 10y ago
    I agree. And I think the vast majority of people overeat and don't realize it. I think the obesity rates reflect that. Observe the conversations around these articles every time they pop up: people think it's unhealthy to go without calories for any amount of time. Where does that come from?
    - gtirloni 10y ago
      It's one's wishful thinking against other's wishful thinking. Luckily science has produced good evidence in favor of fasting / calorie restriction that this is slowly changing.
tbihl 10y ago
Going most of the day without eating is hardly "very unpleasant", and a lot of people are happy to play with moderate subtractive means to possibly improve their health or sense or well being. It's a lot more appealing than pharmaceuticals, even if those are provided free. If nothing else, the dread of doing a short fast is a pretty decent indicator that you should try it. Being tied to a strict eating schedule is awful.
Jugurtha 10y ago
I think when someone has cancer, a slight health improvement is big enough. Furthermore, people experiment with all kinds of things for slight health improvements to stay healthy. Working out is not the most pleasant experience when you think about it, but it becomes pleasant because you mentally associate it with something positive and there are traces of euphoria kicking in when it's a pretty intense workout. Most people work out to lose weight when it's been years I've told anyone who asked me that for weight loss, working out is more tiring and less effective "calorifically" than simply not eating that extra piece of pie. I've seen people want to lose weight, go for a 20 minute run, then come back and down all kinds of food and still hoping/believing/thinking they're going in the right direction for weight loss and they're eating to recover from the effort. An Olympic swimmer might need 4,000 calories daily. Most of us don't.
a_thro_away 10y ago
"experiment". Do you really think our evolving ancestors ate every single day, regularly, on schedule? The only experiment here is a modern world that eats every day, regularly.
merpnderp 10y ago
Not everyone believes the point of life is to maximize pleasant experiences. Or even that the best way to maximize pleasant experiences is to only experience pleasant things. Fasting can make food taste much better, can focus the mind, might remind people that time if fleeting, or that some people never have enough to eat. People fast for a myriad of complementary reasons.
acchow 10y ago
I generally eat within only a 7-8 hour window everyday, so I fast for 16-17 hours. I find it quite enjoyable. The feeling of hunger before lunch and then having it satiated is great!
EGreg 10y ago
Well, read this: https://gravityandlevity.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/your-body-wasnt-built-to-last-a-lesson-from-human-mortality-rates/ https://gravityandlevity.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/your-body-... and then consider that a slight change in one of the exponents could have a significant effect on a person's quality of life.
fpoling 10y ago
I do fasting for 36 hours, night-day-night, 3-4 times per month. I have found it is a liberating experience. I never realized before that just how much time it takes to prepare and consume food. As for side effects the only noticeable thing is that on the second night of fast I may sleep much less, but that does not make me sleepy during the day when I break the fast.
znpy 10y ago
Imho the biggest "but why?" for me come when such people "experiment" but gather no data whatsoever other than "I feel okay/good/bad/<else>". And this can easily get wishful-thinking directed.

forgetsusername 10y ago

>It's amazing how people are prone to experiment with this type of things. As opposed to over-eating resulting in a global epidemic of obesity? Which eating habits do you think are the biggest "experiment"?

yodsanklai 10y ago
There's a middle line between over-eating junk food and fasting!
- forgetsusername 10y ago
  I agree. And I think the vast majority of people overeat and don't realize it. I think the obesity rates reflect that. Observe the conversations around these articles every time they pop up: people think it's unhealthy to go without calories for any amount of time. Where does that come from?
  - gtirloni 10y ago
    It's one's wishful thinking against other's wishful thinking. Luckily science has produced good evidence in favor of fasting / calorie restriction that this is slowly changing.

tbihl 10y ago

Going most of the day without eating is hardly "very unpleasant", and a lot of people are happy to play with moderate subtractive means to possibly improve their health or sense or well being. It's a lot more appealing than pharmaceuticals, even if those are provided free. If nothing else, the dread of doing a short fast is a pretty decent indicator that you should try it. Being tied to a strict eating schedule is awful.

Jugurtha 10y ago

I think when someone has cancer, a slight health improvement is big enough. Furthermore, people experiment with all kinds of things for slight health improvements to stay healthy. Working out is not the most pleasant experience when you think about it, but it becomes pleasant because you mentally associate it with something positive and there are traces of euphoria kicking in when it's a pretty intense workout. Most people work out to lose weight when it's been years I've told anyone who asked me that for weight loss, working out is more tiring and less effective "calorifically" than simply not eating that extra piece of pie. I've seen people want to lose weight, go for a 20 minute run, then come back and down all kinds of food and still hoping/believing/thinking they're going in the right direction for weight loss and they're eating to recover from the effort. An Olympic swimmer might need 4,000 calories daily. Most of us don't.

a_thro_away 10y ago

"experiment". Do you really think our evolving ancestors ate every single day, regularly, on schedule? The only experiment here is a modern world that eats every day, regularly.

merpnderp 10y ago

Not everyone believes the point of life is to maximize pleasant experiences. Or even that the best way to maximize pleasant experiences is to only experience pleasant things. Fasting can make food taste much better, can focus the mind, might remind people that time if fleeting, or that some people never have enough to eat. People fast for a myriad of complementary reasons.

acchow 10y ago

I generally eat within only a 7-8 hour window everyday, so I fast for 16-17 hours. I find it quite enjoyable. The feeling of hunger before lunch and then having it satiated is great!

EGreg 10y ago

Well, read this: https://gravityandlevity.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/your-body-wasnt-built-to-last-a-lesson-from-human-mortality-rates/ https://gravityandlevity.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/your-body-... and then consider that a slight change in one of the exponents could have a significant effect on a person's quality of life.

fpoling 10y ago

I do fasting for 36 hours, night-day-night, 3-4 times per month. I have found it is a liberating experience. I never realized before that just how much time it takes to prepare and consume food. As for side effects the only noticeable thing is that on the second night of fast I may sleep much less, but that does not make me sleepy during the day when I break the fast.

znpy 10y ago

Imho the biggest "but why?" for me come when such people "experiment" but gather no data whatsoever other than "I feel okay/good/bad/<else>". And this can easily get wishful-thinking directed.