3 ms·

another anecdotal story: I generally skip breakfast and lunch and do most of my eating after work. I find that the longer I fast the more I can focus, provided

another anecdotal story: I generally skip breakfast and lunch and do most of my eating after work. I find that the longer I fast the more I can focus, provided that I stay hydrated. I do use caffeine (almost exclusively black coffee) for alertness and appetite suppression.

notyourwork 8y ago
Although I don’t fast I do avoid sugars as much as possible and only drink black coffee or tea.
overcast 8y ago
I've been doing this since I was in college ~ 20 years, before the fasting craze became a thing. I just didn't really ever eat breakfast, and now I only eat between the hours of 2 - 8/10ish. I experience the same effects as you described. Increased focus / awareness. Consuming plenty of liquids is definitely required though while you do it.
julian37 8y ago
IANAD (not a doctor) but just as a note of caution, I remember reading that eating one large meal a day rather than several smaller ones can have adverse consequences due to stress on the oesophageal sphincter. This study appears to come to that conclusion: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4223119/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4223119/ (I'm not judging, I've been known to skip the odd meal here and there myself.)
- marpstar 8y ago
  Interesting study. I do suffer GERD symptoms, but fasting hasn't seemed to have an effect on the severity of symptoms, though I do notice particular things CAN give me GERD more often, particularly if I eat something high in sugar on an empty stomach, especially if I've had a lot of coffee that day. I need to have "real food" in my stomach before I can do candy, donuts, etc. This is the primary reason I started skipping breakfast. I know, I know...donuts aren't an ideal breakfast, but they're hard to resist when someone brings them in the office and you don't remind yourself that you're going to suffer from heartburn all morning if you indulge.

notyourwork 8y ago

Although I don’t fast I do avoid sugars as much as possible and only drink black coffee or tea.

overcast 8y ago

I've been doing this since I was in college ~ 20 years, before the fasting craze became a thing. I just didn't really ever eat breakfast, and now I only eat between the hours of 2 - 8/10ish. I experience the same effects as you described. Increased focus / awareness. Consuming plenty of liquids is definitely required though while you do it.

julian37 8y ago

IANAD (not a doctor) but just as a note of caution, I remember reading that eating one large meal a day rather than several smaller ones can have adverse consequences due to stress on the oesophageal sphincter. This study appears to come to that conclusion: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4223119/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4223119/ (I'm not judging, I've been known to skip the odd meal here and there myself.)

marpstar 8y ago
Interesting study. I do suffer GERD symptoms, but fasting hasn't seemed to have an effect on the severity of symptoms, though I do notice particular things CAN give me GERD more often, particularly if I eat something high in sugar on an empty stomach, especially if I've had a lot of coffee that day. I need to have "real food" in my stomach before I can do candy, donuts, etc. This is the primary reason I started skipping breakfast. I know, I know...donuts aren't an ideal breakfast, but they're hard to resist when someone brings them in the office and you don't remind yourself that you're going to suffer from heartburn all morning if you indulge.