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A total fast is very difficult - intermittent fasting (two fasting days a week, < 700 calories on a fasting day) works well and is easier. Read these articles

A total fast is very difficult - intermittent fasting (two fasting days a week, < 700 calories on a fasting day) works well and is easier. Read these articles by Dr. Mirkin, a sports physiologist and cyclist who uses intermittent fasting: http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/weight-loss-with-intermittent-fasting.html http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/weight-loss-with-intermitt... http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/why-we-use-intermittent-fasting.html http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/why-we-use-intermittent-fa... There's a book about it (but read the review below before buying): The FastDiet - Revised & Updated: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Live Longer with the Simple Secret of Intermittent Fasting by Michael Mosley https://www.amazon.com/FastDiet-Revised-Updated-Healthy-Intermittent/dp/150110201X/ref=la_B00LQSMOHC_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487607799&sr=1-1 https://www.amazon.com/FastDiet-Revised-Updated-Healthy-Inte... Before buying the book, read this review, which gives tips and suggests that the book is unnecessary: https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R30YI8D3RGZOFK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewpnt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=150110201X#R30YI8D3RGZOFK https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R30YI8D3RGZOFK/re...

buserror 10y ago
I rather disagree with that short fasting time. The only real hard day is the first one; so just doing two days is a 'bad deal' I find, you get most of the inconvenient (the first day), and very little in terms of benefits. By the second day you are no longer hungry anyway, so why stop? Perhaps there's lots of research telling you otherwise, but in my case, if I switch my body and mindset into 'fast' mode, I do it fully. The reason I prefer fasting vs any other calories reducing diets is that it's /binary/ and I don't have to count silly calories. I think a good 'short' fast is 3 days, and up to 5 in my case, simply because I can fit it into a working week and have a fantastic meal on the friday evening. The other thing to note is that the 3 and 4th days (might just be me!) I get a 'mental high' that is quite interesting. Everything seems sharper for a while. Of course this is just my opinion, trust the doctors, they've been telling us lies for 40 years about diet and nutrition -- I'm sure /this/ time around they know what they are doing ;-) [sorry for the sarcasm guys]
- criddell 10y ago
  You only eat on the weekend? Seriously? Socially, how does that work for you? I get a lot of enjoyment cooking and eating with my family every night. Do you do any strenuous exercise during the week?
  - buserror 10y ago
    Well I also enjoy cooking (a lot!), thus the need to 'reset' sometime. What I hate is counting calories, with the fasting I can pretty much eat as much as I like without having to worry, and when I feel I've done a bit too much of that, I fast and 'reset'. With the years, I actually don't need it that much/that hard because it seems to have helped quite a bit with the amount of food I eat /anyway/ but I can still eat my way into a 32 ounce steak and not feel bad about it :-) As far as family goes, when I fast, I go to my mancave during meals and do some tinkering so 1) they don't feel bad and 2) I don't smell anything! Seriously, with just a little bit of preparation, it's surprisingly easy...
    - curiousDog 10y ago
      How do you work? Are you able to write good quality code while fasting?
      - buserror 10y ago
        Yes, most definitely -- as mentioned you stop being hungry anyway, and you get a bit of a 'high' as well, perhaps due to the typical drowsiness of digestion not being there... My pet theory is that we evolved it, as hunter gatherers we probably had to develop a way to sharpen the senses in case the family/group was running out of food. Ie the Next Hunt can't fail. I think it's a cute idea. Very likely completely baseless :-)
        josh64 10y ago
        I love that idea too! I'm going to believe that's the case
andai 10y ago
Have you tried total fasting and/or intermittent fasting? I did a 3 day total fast a few months ago and it was a bit uncomfortable, but it was more psychological than physical. I'd never gone for more than a few hours without eating before, and that was very unsettling. After a day and a half I sort of "settled into it".
henryaj 10y ago
Thanks for the links to Dr. Mirkin - I've always been interested in IF; nice to read about some of the evidence that it works!
Florin_Andrei 10y ago
> A total fast is very difficult The first three days are difficult. After that, something changes (no idea what) and the sense of hunger disappears. This is reported by almost everyone who attempts it. I did it for seven days, and after the initial 3 day speed bump it's very easy. I would say you actually experience a strange kind of well-being - you feel more relaxed, more calm, more able to focus. A few things to keep in mind: Don't forget to drink water. Caloric restriction is easily tolerated, but water restriction is not. Restart eating very slowly. If you go on a binge on day #1 after fasting, there might be trouble. Eat a very light meal for breakfast, such as rice with a bit of butter in it, and make it a small portion. Follow up with simple meals for lunch and dinner, mostly soft, well cooked meals. DO NOT BINGE, not even on days 2 or 3. The longer you fast, the more difficult is the "restart", and the trickier the whole process. Most people should probably not go on for more than 7 days, and even then make sure you're in relatively good condition. I still do 1-day fasts (only water is allowed) once in a rare while. The biggest immediate benefit I see is it reduces food cravings. It's like the sense of hunger is reset to a more realistic level. YMMV, maybe that's just my experience.
fpoling 10y ago
For me any insignificant amount of food on fasting days causes strong desire to eat. I also discovered that a dry fast without any water or food for 48 hours is completely unproblematic but if I do drink during the fast, I tend to drink a lot.

buserror 10y ago

I rather disagree with that short fasting time. The only real hard day is the first one; so just doing two days is a 'bad deal' I find, you get most of the inconvenient (the first day), and very little in terms of benefits. By the second day you are no longer hungry anyway, so why stop? Perhaps there's lots of research telling you otherwise, but in my case, if I switch my body and mindset into 'fast' mode, I do it fully. The reason I prefer fasting vs any other calories reducing diets is that it's /binary/ and I don't have to count silly calories. I think a good 'short' fast is 3 days, and up to 5 in my case, simply because I can fit it into a working week and have a fantastic meal on the friday evening. The other thing to note is that the 3 and 4th days (might just be me!) I get a 'mental high' that is quite interesting. Everything seems sharper for a while. Of course this is just my opinion, trust the doctors, they've been telling us lies for 40 years about diet and nutrition -- I'm sure /this/ time around they know what they are doing ;-) [sorry for the sarcasm guys]

criddell 10y ago
You only eat on the weekend? Seriously? Socially, how does that work for you? I get a lot of enjoyment cooking and eating with my family every night. Do you do any strenuous exercise during the week?
- buserror 10y ago
  Well I also enjoy cooking (a lot!), thus the need to 'reset' sometime. What I hate is counting calories, with the fasting I can pretty much eat as much as I like without having to worry, and when I feel I've done a bit too much of that, I fast and 'reset'. With the years, I actually don't need it that much/that hard because it seems to have helped quite a bit with the amount of food I eat /anyway/ but I can still eat my way into a 32 ounce steak and not feel bad about it :-) As far as family goes, when I fast, I go to my mancave during meals and do some tinkering so 1) they don't feel bad and 2) I don't smell anything! Seriously, with just a little bit of preparation, it's surprisingly easy...
  - curiousDog 10y ago
    How do you work? Are you able to write good quality code while fasting?
    - buserror 10y ago
      Yes, most definitely -- as mentioned you stop being hungry anyway, and you get a bit of a 'high' as well, perhaps due to the typical drowsiness of digestion not being there... My pet theory is that we evolved it, as hunter gatherers we probably had to develop a way to sharpen the senses in case the family/group was running out of food. Ie the Next Hunt can't fail. I think it's a cute idea. Very likely completely baseless :-)
      - josh64 10y ago
        I love that idea too! I'm going to believe that's the case

andai 10y ago

Have you tried total fasting and/or intermittent fasting? I did a 3 day total fast a few months ago and it was a bit uncomfortable, but it was more psychological than physical. I'd never gone for more than a few hours without eating before, and that was very unsettling. After a day and a half I sort of "settled into it".

henryaj 10y ago

Thanks for the links to Dr. Mirkin - I've always been interested in IF; nice to read about some of the evidence that it works!

Florin_Andrei 10y ago

> A total fast is very difficult The first three days are difficult. After that, something changes (no idea what) and the sense of hunger disappears. This is reported by almost everyone who attempts it. I did it for seven days, and after the initial 3 day speed bump it's very easy. I would say you actually experience a strange kind of well-being - you feel more relaxed, more calm, more able to focus. A few things to keep in mind: Don't forget to drink water. Caloric restriction is easily tolerated, but water restriction is not. Restart eating very slowly. If you go on a binge on day #1 after fasting, there might be trouble. Eat a very light meal for breakfast, such as rice with a bit of butter in it, and make it a small portion. Follow up with simple meals for lunch and dinner, mostly soft, well cooked meals. DO NOT BINGE, not even on days 2 or 3. The longer you fast, the more difficult is the "restart", and the trickier the whole process. Most people should probably not go on for more than 7 days, and even then make sure you're in relatively good condition. I still do 1-day fasts (only water is allowed) once in a rare while. The biggest immediate benefit I see is it reduces food cravings. It's like the sense of hunger is reset to a more realistic level. YMMV, maybe that's just my experience.

fpoling 10y ago

For me any insignificant amount of food on fasting days causes strong desire to eat. I also discovered that a dry fast without any water or food for 48 hours is completely unproblematic but if I do drink during the fast, I tend to drink a lot.