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If people are interested in learning more about fasting, I put together a few visual guides on it here - http://impossiblehq.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting

If people are interested in learning more about fasting, I put together a few visual guides on it here - http://impossiblehq.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting http://impossiblehq.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting I also highly recommend the zero fasting app for tracking. Super simple and really clean app that makes tracking fasts simple. Start small and see how it goes. I find the 16/8 routine tends to work best for me personally with 36 hour fasts sprinkled in every couple weeks.

toomuchtodo 7y ago
How do you maintain energy levels through a 36 hour fast? Edit: Thanks all! This’ll help me progress from 16/8 to consistent longer fasts.
- i_am_proteus 7y ago
  Build up to it from shorter fasts. Pay close attention to caloric intake, it's easy to undereat when fasting. Eventually you will be unable to not maintain energy levels though the fast.
- joelrunyon 7y ago
  I am relatively adapted to it at this point, so it doesn't bother me as much. I time it so I start the fast towards the evening and then it ends mid-morning - so you're only really pushing through one full day without food. I'll have coffee/tea for caffeine and electrolytes seem to help depending on your situation. Start with several smaller fasts before going full 36 and if you need to eat before the full 36 hours are up, don't kill yourself. The biggest realization is just coming to terms with how much what a lot of people think of as "hunger" is often just boredom or cravings and not actual hunger. That was eye-opening.
  - sapanakothari 7y ago
    Do you break fast eating specific things or just go about eating your usual meal?
    - joelrunyon 7y ago
      I typically don't eat breakfast. I eat a relatively low-carb diet throughout the day w/ more carbohydrates around my workout (in the evening)
- chiefalchemist 7y ago
  While I haven't done 36, 24 is relatively easy. The idea that your body needs constant food intake is a modern myth. It's mostly your mind that's been programmed to want to eat that often. Also, once you eat the insulin spike triggers the next wave of craving, and so on. Fasting is not the same because you're well, um, fasting.
  - mark_l_watson 7y ago
    Also, if you avoid sugar for a week before fasting that helps a lot, or rather, I should say that it helps me. Eating sugar messes up my ability to know if I am really hungry or if it is just too many Candida bacteria in my system messing with my brain chemistry. Anyway, if you like, try avoiding sugar leading up to avoiding fasting.
    - chiefalchemist 7y ago
      I would say that avoiding sugar as much as possible in general is a positive. Avoiding unnecessary insulin spikes is a positive.
  - antisocial 7y ago
    I have been on IF for almost three years and started recently on 36 hours once every three weeks. If you can do 24, 36 is not too much of a problem. My last 12 hours of the 36 hours is sleeping, so I don't think about food or feel hungry when I am sleeping. Also, I ended up doing it for 38-40 even though my intention was to do it for 36 hours because of my sleep.
  - lloeki 7y ago
    > The idea that your body needs constant food intake is a modern myth. Modern food intake also trains the digestive tract (most notably stomach) to never be empty, and we end up confusing signals of hunger with an empty stomach. I heard that Japanese (or was it China? Korea?) people have this rule of thumb of eating only up to ~80% of stomach volume; no idea if it’s factually true but having this rule of thumb of not filling myself to the brim as we seem to culturally do currently seems to be extremely positive I’m my experience. Letting go the social baggage of “bon vivant” and “oh my god I’m so full this was soooo good” seems to be just as hard as not smoking when many around are smoking. “one should eat to live, and not live to eat” says Molière, but even being acutely aware of that, I struggle to fight the deeply ingrained social pressure, as even most foodies/fasters I know seem to subscribe to this “all you can eat” way of life (although with healthy food) Goddamit when I was feeling great, all sporty and fit (athletic even, dare I say) everyone was saying I was too thin, and now that I feel like shit having some 10+kg excessive weight to shed, everyone around says there’s no need to, and worry a lot when I don’t take a second or third serving.
- hhjinks 7y ago
  I have done a couple 36 hour fasts. What broke me was hunger, not low energy. Didn't feel any less energized than usual, really. But resisting the urge to eat after you've been hungry all day and someone puts a meal in front of you is hard.
  - beagle3 7y ago
    in many people’s experience (mine included) there’s phase change sometime in the 48-72 hour mark in which hunger/appetite essentially disappears (some describe it is gone, some as easily ignored background noise) Personally, I’ve gone more than 14 days several times, I usually start when not feeling very well (and lacking appetite) which makes even the first couple of days trivial. If you do want to go farther than 36 (at your own risk of course - I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice) make sure you are well vitamined, well hydrated, and well electrolyted (e.g. with snake juice) - very often, need for some essential vitamin/mineral masquerades as hunger or appetite.
    - CuriousSkeptic 7y ago
      To underline this. People have died starting eating after a long fast. While the risks are probably manageable, and other people have successfully been fasting a full year, do educate yourself on Refeeding syndrome before doing any extended fasts. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refeeding_syndrome https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refeeding_syndrome
    - commandlinefan 7y ago
      > more than 14 days several times Isn't that how anorexics end up unable to eat at all, though? They go so long without eating that the "good" bacteria that permits digestion disappear so they're no longer able to process food.
      - beagle3 7y ago
        I am not familiar with the process anorexics go through, but it is likely very different - thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, do fasting of 2-7 days on a regular basis with no ill effect (on the contrary - often with good effect). Good bacteria can likely be reinstated by the body itself (the appendix is a cache for them), from food, or if all else fails - by FMT. I’m not an expert on this, and may be wrong, but from a lot of reading - any anorexia symptoms and processes seem to be entirely absent from mindful fasting.
everdev 7y ago
Do you find that you're able to do cognitively demanding tasks while fasting? Even small fasts seem to sap my concentration and critical thinking. Once I eat again I feel like I think better.
- smilliken 7y ago
  You could switch your metabolism to ketosis, then your energy level won't depend on blood sugar and will be more consistent through the day. I do my most cognitively demanding work without food.
- losteric 7y ago
  Mental clarity is a challenge when fasting on an otherwise stereotypical American diet... those blood glucose swings are no joke. However I have no problems on keto, or even just a consistently low-GI low-carb diet. If anything, fasting seems to improve my discipline and "depth-first" thinking.
  - VeninVidiaVicii 7y ago
    Interesting. I did an "animal-product only" diet for about six months, and I began to feel sorry for everyone else and their inability to think deeply. I was in an almost constant state of enlightenment. Then my buds convinced me to go on a 2000 mile road trip, and after the first stop at Wendy's I lost it, and haven't had the will to go back. It's been like 4 years now.
    - shrimpx 7y ago
      Can you elaborate on what you ate? Curious.
    - ChrisCinelli 7y ago
      animal-product only ? No veggies?
      - coldtea 7y ago
notadoc 7y ago
> I find the 16/8 routine tends to work best for me personally That timeline as "fasting" is funny to me up because that is basically how people used to eat in 20th century USA, pre-obesity. You'd eat three meals a day, all reasonably sized (or even small by todays standards), and at specific times. No you can't have a snack, that would ruin your appetite! But now people are addicted to food and abuse it rampantly as is evidenced by the majorities waistlines and health care expenditure, it's terrible for us all but it's not only the most culturally acceptable form of substance abuse, it's widely encouraged and even celebrated. Strange times.
collyw 7y ago
I want to know the relative benefits of the different protocols (I asked on the fasting subreddit, but didn't get much response). I am not overweight, but I see that IF can increase growth hormone and testosterone, and increase insulin sensitivity, which are of interest to me. I would like to know if I am better doing a couple of longer fasts peer week, or if skipping breakfast would be enough. (Longer fasts feel like they have more benefit, but are more effort, especially when I am trying NOT to loose weight). Does anyone know of anywhere good to compare the benefits of different IF protocols?

toomuchtodo 7y ago

How do you maintain energy levels through a 36 hour fast? Edit: Thanks all! This’ll help me progress from 16/8 to consistent longer fasts.

i_am_proteus 7y ago
Build up to it from shorter fasts. Pay close attention to caloric intake, it's easy to undereat when fasting. Eventually you will be unable to not maintain energy levels though the fast.
joelrunyon 7y ago
I am relatively adapted to it at this point, so it doesn't bother me as much. I time it so I start the fast towards the evening and then it ends mid-morning - so you're only really pushing through one full day without food. I'll have coffee/tea for caffeine and electrolytes seem to help depending on your situation. Start with several smaller fasts before going full 36 and if you need to eat before the full 36 hours are up, don't kill yourself. The biggest realization is just coming to terms with how much what a lot of people think of as "hunger" is often just boredom or cravings and not actual hunger. That was eye-opening.
- sapanakothari 7y ago
  Do you break fast eating specific things or just go about eating your usual meal?
  - joelrunyon 7y ago
    I typically don't eat breakfast. I eat a relatively low-carb diet throughout the day w/ more carbohydrates around my workout (in the evening)
chiefalchemist 7y ago
While I haven't done 36, 24 is relatively easy. The idea that your body needs constant food intake is a modern myth. It's mostly your mind that's been programmed to want to eat that often. Also, once you eat the insulin spike triggers the next wave of craving, and so on. Fasting is not the same because you're well, um, fasting.
- mark_l_watson 7y ago
  Also, if you avoid sugar for a week before fasting that helps a lot, or rather, I should say that it helps me. Eating sugar messes up my ability to know if I am really hungry or if it is just too many Candida bacteria in my system messing with my brain chemistry. Anyway, if you like, try avoiding sugar leading up to avoiding fasting.
  - chiefalchemist 7y ago
    I would say that avoiding sugar as much as possible in general is a positive. Avoiding unnecessary insulin spikes is a positive.
- antisocial 7y ago
  I have been on IF for almost three years and started recently on 36 hours once every three weeks. If you can do 24, 36 is not too much of a problem. My last 12 hours of the 36 hours is sleeping, so I don't think about food or feel hungry when I am sleeping. Also, I ended up doing it for 38-40 even though my intention was to do it for 36 hours because of my sleep.
- lloeki 7y ago
  > The idea that your body needs constant food intake is a modern myth. Modern food intake also trains the digestive tract (most notably stomach) to never be empty, and we end up confusing signals of hunger with an empty stomach. I heard that Japanese (or was it China? Korea?) people have this rule of thumb of eating only up to ~80% of stomach volume; no idea if it’s factually true but having this rule of thumb of not filling myself to the brim as we seem to culturally do currently seems to be extremely positive I’m my experience. Letting go the social baggage of “bon vivant” and “oh my god I’m so full this was soooo good” seems to be just as hard as not smoking when many around are smoking. “one should eat to live, and not live to eat” says Molière, but even being acutely aware of that, I struggle to fight the deeply ingrained social pressure, as even most foodies/fasters I know seem to subscribe to this “all you can eat” way of life (although with healthy food) Goddamit when I was feeling great, all sporty and fit (athletic even, dare I say) everyone was saying I was too thin, and now that I feel like shit having some 10+kg excessive weight to shed, everyone around says there’s no need to, and worry a lot when I don’t take a second or third serving.
hhjinks 7y ago
I have done a couple 36 hour fasts. What broke me was hunger, not low energy. Didn't feel any less energized than usual, really. But resisting the urge to eat after you've been hungry all day and someone puts a meal in front of you is hard.
- beagle3 7y ago
  in many people’s experience (mine included) there’s phase change sometime in the 48-72 hour mark in which hunger/appetite essentially disappears (some describe it is gone, some as easily ignored background noise) Personally, I’ve gone more than 14 days several times, I usually start when not feeling very well (and lacking appetite) which makes even the first couple of days trivial. If you do want to go farther than 36 (at your own risk of course - I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice) make sure you are well vitamined, well hydrated, and well electrolyted (e.g. with snake juice) - very often, need for some essential vitamin/mineral masquerades as hunger or appetite.
  - CuriousSkeptic 7y ago
    To underline this. People have died starting eating after a long fast. While the risks are probably manageable, and other people have successfully been fasting a full year, do educate yourself on Refeeding syndrome before doing any extended fasts. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refeeding_syndrome https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refeeding_syndrome
  - commandlinefan 7y ago
    > more than 14 days several times Isn't that how anorexics end up unable to eat at all, though? They go so long without eating that the "good" bacteria that permits digestion disappear so they're no longer able to process food.
    - beagle3 7y ago
      I am not familiar with the process anorexics go through, but it is likely very different - thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, do fasting of 2-7 days on a regular basis with no ill effect (on the contrary - often with good effect). Good bacteria can likely be reinstated by the body itself (the appendix is a cache for them), from food, or if all else fails - by FMT. I’m not an expert on this, and may be wrong, but from a lot of reading - any anorexia symptoms and processes seem to be entirely absent from mindful fasting.

everdev 7y ago

Do you find that you're able to do cognitively demanding tasks while fasting? Even small fasts seem to sap my concentration and critical thinking. Once I eat again I feel like I think better.

smilliken 7y ago
You could switch your metabolism to ketosis, then your energy level won't depend on blood sugar and will be more consistent through the day. I do my most cognitively demanding work without food.
losteric 7y ago
Mental clarity is a challenge when fasting on an otherwise stereotypical American diet... those blood glucose swings are no joke. However I have no problems on keto, or even just a consistently low-GI low-carb diet. If anything, fasting seems to improve my discipline and "depth-first" thinking.
- VeninVidiaVicii 7y ago
  Interesting. I did an "animal-product only" diet for about six months, and I began to feel sorry for everyone else and their inability to think deeply. I was in an almost constant state of enlightenment. Then my buds convinced me to go on a 2000 mile road trip, and after the first stop at Wendy's I lost it, and haven't had the will to go back. It's been like 4 years now.
  - shrimpx 7y ago
    Can you elaborate on what you ate? Curious.
  - ChrisCinelli 7y ago
    animal-product only ? No veggies?
    - coldtea 7y ago

notadoc 7y ago

> I find the 16/8 routine tends to work best for me personally That timeline as "fasting" is funny to me up because that is basically how people used to eat in 20th century USA, pre-obesity. You'd eat three meals a day, all reasonably sized (or even small by todays standards), and at specific times. No you can't have a snack, that would ruin your appetite! But now people are addicted to food and abuse it rampantly as is evidenced by the majorities waistlines and health care expenditure, it's terrible for us all but it's not only the most culturally acceptable form of substance abuse, it's widely encouraged and even celebrated. Strange times.

collyw 7y ago

I want to know the relative benefits of the different protocols (I asked on the fasting subreddit, but didn't get much response). I am not overweight, but I see that IF can increase growth hormone and testosterone, and increase insulin sensitivity, which are of interest to me. I would like to know if I am better doing a couple of longer fasts peer week, or if skipping breakfast would be enough. (Longer fasts feel like they have more benefit, but are more effort, especially when I am trying NOT to loose weight). Does anyone know of anywhere good to compare the benefits of different IF protocols?