3 ms·

Okay, I have to agree - the fact that I can manipulate my weight at will and either stay at the target weight or adjust it if I want to does give me some feelin

by Evgeny 16y ago

Okay, I have to agree - the fact that I can manipulate my weight at will and either stay at the target weight or adjust it if I want to does give me some feeling of superiority in this particular aspect. And I have learnt a few things on the way - for example, that slight hunger is not a sign that you should rush to the fridge. That a 24 or 36 hours fast will not kill you, but is rather good for you. That if I want to lower my weight, eliminating all refined carbs and added sugars is simple and effective. Yes, if you want to lose weight you may need to put in some effort. There is little way around it, short of liposuction may be. You may have learn to control the "drive to eat" just like you control many other drives. Ideally, of course, one should make proper eating his way of life. Talking about breath, by the way - yes, if I concentrate on my breath, I can consciously make it more deep and breathe less often. It is somewhat similar to what I would do to my meals - eat a bit more, but less often, with no snacks in between 3 meals per day, with suprisingly positive results.

mtviewdave 16y ago
Keep in mind that you've learned some important lessons only for yourself. Extrapolations you make to other people--the minutia of how their bodies work, what sort of impulses and urges they have, how easy or difficult those urges are to control--are basically speculative. And judgments based just on speculation aren't really worth very much.
- Evgeny 16y ago
  Well I hope I understand that. However, widespread obesity is a relatively recent problem. I'm not convinced that human bodies somehow started to work in a very different way over the span of just a few decades. The amount and compisition of what we place inside those bodies did change though. Overcoming the urges and impulses would require a certain amount of effort and self-control, but don't other positive changes in life do? To become stronger would involve regular and fairly intensive exercise. To get that better job may require extra studying and less going out. To save for that vacation may require restricting your spending. My approach would be the same in general: set a reasonable goal, formulate the plan, follow the plan. If something is not working, try to find the reason and adjust your goals or plans.
  - randallsquared 16y ago
    I'm not convinced that human bodies somehow started to work in a very different way over the span of just a few decades. The amount and composition of what we place inside those bodies did change though. Just like in times past, people tend to eat as much as they can, and do as little physical work as they can, in the extreme. It's just that we're all so incredibly wealthy now compared to our ancestors that this is no longer a reasonable strategy for maintaining a healthy weight.
    - Evgeny 16y ago
      It is probably a big part of the story, but maybe not the whole story. There are examples when abundance of food does not lead to widespread obesity, so the particular types of food being eaten must be of importance. Kitavans are not particularly active. They have an activity level comparable to a moderately active Swede, the population to which Dr. Lindeberg draws frequent comparisons. They have abundant food, and shortage is practically unknown. Their good health is probably not related to genetics, since genetically similar groups in the same region are exquisitely sensitive to the ravages of industrial food. Furthermore, the only Kitavan who moved away from the island to live a modern life is also the only fat Kitavan. http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/08/kitavans-wisdom-from-pacific-islands.html http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/08/kitavans-wisdo...
pbhjpbhj 16y ago
>That a 24 or 36 hours fast will not kill you, but is rather good for you. I did a fast of 40hours once, I thought I was going to pass out. I grew weak, struggled to stay upright through dizziness and seriously felt very ill. I've often gone a day without food (not always by choice) but I'm not planning on fasting any longer than that again.
- Evgeny 16y ago
  Maybe you should start with shorter ones and increase the duration gradually (assuming you're interested in the benefits of intermittent fasting, of course). The human body is quite well adopted to the prolonged periods of fasting and has resources to support itself for literally weeks without food (it is not an advice to starve oneself for weeks, just a note to show that 40 hours is quite a short period). The longest I ever did was 72 hours, and I only did this once, but without any noticeable negative effects. I noticed also that the most discomfort was psychological - when the time to eat comes and goes, and I did not have anything, I felt more of a psychological need to eat, rather than physical. Also, the 2nd and 3rd day were way easier once I got a bit used to the fact that I'm not eating when I'm supposed to.

by Evgeny 16y ago

mtviewdave 16y ago

Keep in mind that you've learned some important lessons only for yourself. Extrapolations you make to other people--the minutia of how their bodies work, what sort of impulses and urges they have, how easy or difficult those urges are to control--are basically speculative. And judgments based just on speculation aren't really worth very much.

Evgeny 16y ago
Well I hope I understand that. However, widespread obesity is a relatively recent problem. I'm not convinced that human bodies somehow started to work in a very different way over the span of just a few decades. The amount and compisition of what we place inside those bodies did change though. Overcoming the urges and impulses would require a certain amount of effort and self-control, but don't other positive changes in life do? To become stronger would involve regular and fairly intensive exercise. To get that better job may require extra studying and less going out. To save for that vacation may require restricting your spending. My approach would be the same in general: set a reasonable goal, formulate the plan, follow the plan. If something is not working, try to find the reason and adjust your goals or plans.
- randallsquared 16y ago
  I'm not convinced that human bodies somehow started to work in a very different way over the span of just a few decades. The amount and composition of what we place inside those bodies did change though. Just like in times past, people tend to eat as much as they can, and do as little physical work as they can, in the extreme. It's just that we're all so incredibly wealthy now compared to our ancestors that this is no longer a reasonable strategy for maintaining a healthy weight.
  - Evgeny 16y ago
    It is probably a big part of the story, but maybe not the whole story. There are examples when abundance of food does not lead to widespread obesity, so the particular types of food being eaten must be of importance. Kitavans are not particularly active. They have an activity level comparable to a moderately active Swede, the population to which Dr. Lindeberg draws frequent comparisons. They have abundant food, and shortage is practically unknown. Their good health is probably not related to genetics, since genetically similar groups in the same region are exquisitely sensitive to the ravages of industrial food. Furthermore, the only Kitavan who moved away from the island to live a modern life is also the only fat Kitavan. http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/08/kitavans-wisdom-from-pacific-islands.html http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/08/kitavans-wisdo...

pbhjpbhj 16y ago

>That a 24 or 36 hours fast will not kill you, but is rather good for you. I did a fast of 40hours once, I thought I was going to pass out. I grew weak, struggled to stay upright through dizziness and seriously felt very ill. I've often gone a day without food (not always by choice) but I'm not planning on fasting any longer than that again.

Evgeny 16y ago
Maybe you should start with shorter ones and increase the duration gradually (assuming you're interested in the benefits of intermittent fasting, of course). The human body is quite well adopted to the prolonged periods of fasting and has resources to support itself for literally weeks without food (it is not an advice to starve oneself for weeks, just a note to show that 40 hours is quite a short period). The longest I ever did was 72 hours, and I only did this once, but without any noticeable negative effects. I noticed also that the most discomfort was psychological - when the time to eat comes and goes, and I did not have anything, I felt more of a psychological need to eat, rather than physical. Also, the 2nd and 3rd day were way easier once I got a bit used to the fact that I'm not eating when I'm supposed to.