6 ms·

Good overview of the benefits of calorie restriction, but doesn't touch on two of the most important schools of thought of the past couple years. 1. Calorie re

Good overview of the benefits of calorie restriction, but doesn't touch on two of the most important schools of thought of the past couple years. 1. Calorie restriction is almost impossible for most humans to follow long term 2. Many of the same benefits of calorie restriction may be achievable through intermittent fasting, which is much easier for people to follow. I've been experimenting with a daily 16 hour fast (all calories consumed within an 8-hour window) and have seen small improvements in my energy and general well-being, although it's decades too early to say how this will impact my longevity. Relevant articles: https://www.nature.com/articles/srep33739 https://www.nature.com/articles/srep33739 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2622429/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2622429/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-hunger-gains-extreme-calorie-restriction-diet-shows-anti-aging-results/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-hunger-gains-...

microcolonel 9y ago
I'm settling into IF as well, seems to be working okay. It is surprisingly alright to not eat for a considerable number of hours, and extending that period seems to make me less hungry instead of more.
dpark 9y ago
> Many of the same benefits of calorie restriction may be achievable through intermittent fasting, which is much easier for people to follow. I've been experimenting with a daily 16 hour fast Citation? I can't get the NIH study to load, but the other two are wildly different from 16/8 IF. IF proponents like to look at alternate day fasting or periodic weekly fasting and claim evidence for the effectiveness of 16/8 fasting, but going without food for >24 hours is definitely not the same as skipping breakfast, which is all 16/8 really is. 16/8 probably helps with weight loss for many people, because it shortens the eating window, which will make it easier to reduce caloric intake. But I have never seen a study that indicated 16/8 had effects similar to 24/24 or the other IF patterns typically studied.
- Cyph0n 9y ago
  How about skipping breakfast and lunch, as done by Muslims during Ramadan? In general, Islam recommends voluntary fasting for 2 days every week (traditionally Monday and Thursday).
  - dpark 9y ago
    What about it?
    - jpatokal 9y ago
      Ramadan is popularly associated with gaining weight, because people tend to binge before dawn and after sunset and are more sedentary than usual. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/07/cairo-the-sun-slips-beyond-the-nile-and-the-fast-is-broken-as-they-have-done-for-centuries-during-the-holy-month-of-ramad.html http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/07/cairo-the-...
      - Cyph0n 9y ago
        Middle Eastern cuisine doesn't help either. Most of our food is high in carbs and fats, and we eat a ton of bread!
        WalterSear 9y ago
        But that's all the time, not just ramadan.
        Cyph0n 9y ago
        But during Ramadan, it's basically all at once. Am I wrong to conclude that more unhealthy food in a shorter time period = more weight problems?
        hvis 9y ago
listentojohan 9y ago
Have thought about the fasting as well, but isn't it basically the same as skipping breakfast?
- mcculley 9y ago
  There are many schemes people use. I find skipping both breakfast and lunch works well for me.
  - icantdrive55 9y ago
    I have found only eating when hungry works for me, at least so far. I look at the way I have lived my life, and honestly, only think I'm still around is due to not eating much. I hate breakfast, and usually skip lunch because it makes me tired. (I've only heard one doctor admit to bad eating habits like myself, and his name is Dr. Dean Edell. I used to listen to his show daily, and just figured he was a sensable eater. He then said, 'I basically eat at night when I get home. I do try to include some friuts/vegatables in my meals. I really miss his show.).
- dpark 9y ago
  Yes, most people "doing IF" are just skipping breakfast. There are other styles but of course adherence is lower because skipping breakfast is easy and actually fasting for extended periods of time is hard.
- hanoz 9y ago
  Fasting is by definition skipping break fast.
  - stefs 9y ago
    technically correct and also not very helpful :)
- Confusion 9y ago
  No, it usually isn't. See my upthread response to dpark.
Swizec 9y ago
> have seen small improvements in my energy and general well-being FWIW I have moved to eating small meals every 3 hours a few years ago and have seen huge improvements in my energy and general well-being. The most key of those meals is the midnight meal that ensures I wake up full of energy and ready to go. Nutrition is tricky.
- shady-lady 9y ago
  > small meals every 3 hours I can't imagine what food combinations would constitute a small meal that would be eaten 5/6 times a day. Sample menu for a full day?
  - Swizec 9y ago
    Here is a relatively typical day https://imgur.com/a/WQeAr https://imgur.com/a/WQeAr I tend to increase my intake right before and after gym sessions. That's why 2nd lunch and Dinner are bigger than the others. And on this particular day I felt like having candy after dinner because I was low on carbs, so midnight meal was slightly smaller than usual.
    - klipt 9y ago
      No green vegetables? Spinach, broccoli, peas...?
      - Swizec 9y ago
        Don't track em because they don't add much calories. But yes plenty of those
- WalterSear 9y ago
  This is the direct opposite of IF, fwiw. It may feel better than large meals, but there's no reason to expect similar long term effects.
  - Swizec 9y ago
dvcrn 9y ago
I am on time restricted feeding as well and set a 9h timer after the first thing I consume that's not water. I plan to reduce it to 8h as well but with my current routine this means I have to take my last meal before 5pm which is in the middle of my working schedule. I didn't notice anything different yet besides that I can more or less eat what I want and not gain any weight.

microcolonel 9y ago

I'm settling into IF as well, seems to be working okay. It is surprisingly alright to not eat for a considerable number of hours, and extending that period seems to make me less hungry instead of more.

dpark 9y ago

> Many of the same benefits of calorie restriction may be achievable through intermittent fasting, which is much easier for people to follow. I've been experimenting with a daily 16 hour fast Citation? I can't get the NIH study to load, but the other two are wildly different from 16/8 IF. IF proponents like to look at alternate day fasting or periodic weekly fasting and claim evidence for the effectiveness of 16/8 fasting, but going without food for >24 hours is definitely not the same as skipping breakfast, which is all 16/8 really is. 16/8 probably helps with weight loss for many people, because it shortens the eating window, which will make it easier to reduce caloric intake. But I have never seen a study that indicated 16/8 had effects similar to 24/24 or the other IF patterns typically studied.

Cyph0n 9y ago
How about skipping breakfast and lunch, as done by Muslims during Ramadan? In general, Islam recommends voluntary fasting for 2 days every week (traditionally Monday and Thursday).
- dpark 9y ago
  What about it?
  - jpatokal 9y ago
    Ramadan is popularly associated with gaining weight, because people tend to binge before dawn and after sunset and are more sedentary than usual. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/07/cairo-the-sun-slips-beyond-the-nile-and-the-fast-is-broken-as-they-have-done-for-centuries-during-the-holy-month-of-ramad.html http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/07/cairo-the-...
    - Cyph0n 9y ago
      Middle Eastern cuisine doesn't help either. Most of our food is high in carbs and fats, and we eat a ton of bread!
      - WalterSear 9y ago
        But that's all the time, not just ramadan.
        Cyph0n 9y ago
        But during Ramadan, it's basically all at once. Am I wrong to conclude that more unhealthy food in a shorter time period = more weight problems?
        hvis 9y ago

listentojohan 9y ago

Have thought about the fasting as well, but isn't it basically the same as skipping breakfast?

mcculley 9y ago
There are many schemes people use. I find skipping both breakfast and lunch works well for me.
- icantdrive55 9y ago
  I have found only eating when hungry works for me, at least so far. I look at the way I have lived my life, and honestly, only think I'm still around is due to not eating much. I hate breakfast, and usually skip lunch because it makes me tired. (I've only heard one doctor admit to bad eating habits like myself, and his name is Dr. Dean Edell. I used to listen to his show daily, and just figured he was a sensable eater. He then said, 'I basically eat at night when I get home. I do try to include some friuts/vegatables in my meals. I really miss his show.).
dpark 9y ago
Yes, most people "doing IF" are just skipping breakfast. There are other styles but of course adherence is lower because skipping breakfast is easy and actually fasting for extended periods of time is hard.
hanoz 9y ago
Fasting is by definition skipping break fast.
- stefs 9y ago
  technically correct and also not very helpful :)
Confusion 9y ago
No, it usually isn't. See my upthread response to dpark.

Swizec 9y ago

> have seen small improvements in my energy and general well-being FWIW I have moved to eating small meals every 3 hours a few years ago and have seen huge improvements in my energy and general well-being. The most key of those meals is the midnight meal that ensures I wake up full of energy and ready to go. Nutrition is tricky.

shady-lady 9y ago
> small meals every 3 hours I can't imagine what food combinations would constitute a small meal that would be eaten 5/6 times a day. Sample menu for a full day?
- Swizec 9y ago
  Here is a relatively typical day https://imgur.com/a/WQeAr https://imgur.com/a/WQeAr I tend to increase my intake right before and after gym sessions. That's why 2nd lunch and Dinner are bigger than the others. And on this particular day I felt like having candy after dinner because I was low on carbs, so midnight meal was slightly smaller than usual.
  - klipt 9y ago
    No green vegetables? Spinach, broccoli, peas...?
    - Swizec 9y ago
      Don't track em because they don't add much calories. But yes plenty of those
WalterSear 9y ago
This is the direct opposite of IF, fwiw. It may feel better than large meals, but there's no reason to expect similar long term effects.
- Swizec 9y ago

dvcrn 9y ago

I am on time restricted feeding as well and set a 9h timer after the first thing I consume that's not water. I plan to reduce it to 8h as well but with my current routine this means I have to take my last meal before 5pm which is in the middle of my working schedule. I didn't notice anything different yet besides that I can more or less eat what I want and not gain any weight.