fasting

Hey well said explaining your intentions. Very interesting, and thank you for sharing all of this. I'm sure you know what I mean exactly but it's hard to relate to anyone in daily life about any of this.

Trying to shut up entirely about doing it is most interesting.. because people will question you every chance they get. Not maliciously, just slightly put off when you have to explain why you never eat the meals at work, or don't order anything at a drive-through.. Usually people you're around regularly start to question you with "Why do you never eat any food when it's around?"

 

It's hard to explain to them that hey, you're just gonna chill out for 30 or 100 or whatever hours then feast like a wolf because.. it makes you feel pretty good I guess.

  On 2/23/2013 at 12:46 AM, fiznuthian said:

you're just gonna chill out for 30 or 100 or whatever hours then feast like a wolf because.. it makes you feel pretty good I guess.

this right here is a big factor for me. When I eat I eat big, like I'm talking baking an entire loaf of bread & making a whole bunch of pulled pork sandwiches fried in butter with cheese & a kong-sized salad & fries on the side, then I'm good to go for another day or two.

 

Never been much into the whole grazer diet thing

Edited February 23, 2013 by Cryptowen

  On 2/23/2013 at 12:51 AM, Cryptowen said:

 

  On 2/23/2013 at 12:46 AM, fiznuthian said:

you're just gonna chill out for 30 or 100 or whatever hours then feast like a wolf because.. it makes you feel pretty good I guess.

this right here is a big factor for me. When I eat I eat big, like I'm talking baking an entire loaf of bread & making a whole bunch of pulled pork sandwiches fried in butter with cheese & a kong-sized salad & fries on the side, then I'm good to go for another day or two.

 

Never been much into the whole grazer diet thing

 

lol, the funny thing is you can probably get away with that just fine.. That's a tremendous amount of energy and consumes regularly would probably turn you into a heart attack stat too, but you haven't eaten in a long time.. your body treats that shit like gold I presume because people in feeding trials somehow do okay on shit diets too. And not just weight loss either, their other measurements of health change too.

  On 2/23/2013 at 12:46 AM, fiznuthian said:

Hey well said explaining your intentions. Very interesting, and thank you for sharing all of this. I'm sure you know what I mean exactly but it's hard to relate to anyone in daily life about any of this.

Trying to shut up entirely about doing it is most interesting.. because people will question you every chance they get. Not maliciously, just slightly put off when you have to explain why you never eat the meals at work, or don't order anything at a drive-through.. Usually people you're around regularly start to question you with "Why do you never eat any food when it's around?"

 

It's hard to explain to them that hey, you're just gonna chill out for 30 or 100 or whatever hours then feast like a wolf because.. it makes you feel pretty good I guess.

I'm really glad you found some value in it. Except for "coming out" in this thread, I learnt very quickly not to talk about it to people for whom 3 meals a day is what being human is about. I had an awkward experience once in which I was offered a cupcake, and hesitated for a few seconds before I reluctantly accepted it. Other than that, I've managed to keep it on the down low and people seem to be way more prone to notice if you're not having beers at the party. The only person I couldn't hide the short fasts from was my ex girlfriend, who is the last person in the world to understand something like this. After I explained that I wasn't sick, she considered it something masochistic akin to self-cutting and demanded that I broke the fast, easing into it with something light - then, appropriate to the subject of wolfing out, which I'm not particularly proud of, having a big nice "cheat" meal, maybe at a restaurant... and subsequently have one hell of a bowel movement, get home and be in a coma. It's not the best thing to do of course but in the case of a shorter fast, i don't think it's that detrimental. Besides that, you tend to get full a lot quicker, and learn to eat slowly and with more appreciation, whether in relation to a fast or not.

 

As an aside, after the 30 day one, the first soda I had (just a small can) produced an effect that was virtually indistinguishable from amphetamine. It certainly influenced me to keep sugar and soda to a minimum.

That's the best way probably.. Maybe in Sweden it's a little easier to get away with than here.
Southern Americans often enjoy sharing food so much so that when people turn it down it's a noticeable thing.

 

At my job we have monthly meetings where people play some games and have a bunch of food. I wasn't fasting then, and took some prunes, cheese, and pickles to work to munch on. Without even saying anything people were pointing out what I was eating and having a laugh about it.. I don't think they were being mean though, it's just so bizarre to them that i'll either eat absolutely nothing or a small selection of simple metabolically appropriate food.

 

Speaking of your food coma you went into.. I know you play with diet too. After a long fast, do you find it easier (digestively and um physiologically, I guess) to eat healthy food instead of whatever?

 

Jesus man.. 30 days without food and a soda would be crazy. Even after 20-24 hour fasts if I load up on carbs I feel pretty wild. Thermogenesis kicks in hard, almost feverish sometimes. It's a pleasant feeling though. There must be some extremely sensitive receptors in the brain after a 20-30 day fast. Neural adaption FTW

  On 2/23/2013 at 3:33 AM, fiznuthian said:

At my job we have monthly meetings where people play some games and have a bunch of food. I wasn't fasting then, and took some prunes, cheese, and pickles to work to munch on. Without even saying anything people were pointing out what I was eating and having a laugh about it.. I don't think they were being mean though, it's just so bizarre to them that i'll either eat absolutely nothing or a small selection of simple metabolically appropriate food.

Hahaha, wicked. It amazes me how easy it is to startle people with things like that.

  Quote

Speaking of your food coma you went into.. I know you play with diet too. After a long fast, do you find it easier (digestively and um physiologically, I guess) to eat healthy food instead of whatever?

Yes, most definitely. Something happens to the sense of taste, smell. Strong tastes are too much, simple and lean is better. You develop a different kind of relationship to your body, you build up a sense of trust in it, so you want to treat it with the utmost respect. It becomes ritualistic almost, the food becomes a sacrament. What it means in real terms is not only choosing healthy food but that everything is done with a lot of care, all the way from preparing it right down to chewing every bite. At first it's not necessarily an obsession with healthy food, as something as simple as a small bowl of plain rice becomes a beautiful thing, but it kind of grows out of that.

  Quote

Jesus man.. 30 days without food and a soda would be crazy. Even after 20-24 hour fasts if I load up on carbs I feel pretty wild. Thermogenesis kicks in hard, almost feverish sometimes. It's a pleasant feeling though. There must be some extremely sensitive receptors in the brain after a 20-30 day fast. Neural adaption FTW

I can definitely relate to the heat production! With the sugar effect, I like to think it's part of the detox thing.

Wow your description of taste is spot on. That feeling of wanting to respect your body after a fast too.. I find myself eating carefully and enjoying everything so, so much. It could be unseasoned chicken or a plain potato with a little butter and it seemingly tastes like heaven.

Started 20-4 intermittent fasting yesterday. I feel like I have a bit more energy now. I really like how much better this fits my lifestyle.

I tried a 24 hour fast like a month back, but it wound up being more like 33 hours due to sleeping and whatnot.

 

It was horrible. I was weak and nauseous. I felt terrible for a day and a half afterward. I don't think I'll do that again.

  On 3/27/2013 at 4:15 AM, Root5 said:

I tried a 24 hour fast like a month back, but it wound up being more like 33 hours due to sleeping and whatnot.

 

It was horrible. I was weak and nauseous. I felt terrible for a day and a half afterward. I don't think I'll do that again.

 

Do you eat lots of carbohydrate regularly? How much fat?

I think for most people that either 1) don't go without food much or 2) have a terrible fatty acid metabolism (not low-carb or ketogenic) they will suffer the hardest during a fast. Eating low-fat is a popular thing still, and I feel low-fat diets do very little to condition cells for efficient fatty acid metabolism. When you go without food and glycogen runs out, the body has no choice but to metabolize body fat to ketones and utilize them for energy production.. it can be a really rough transition if this is not something you're used to. Endurance sports tend to increase fat oxidation and might help.

 

I suspect making the switch suddenly could also exacerbate nutrient deficiencies.. but for this I have no basis at all.

 

Fasting's not for everyone I guess. Personally I haven't fasted in a while. I have some stretches of days where I eat little to no carbohydrate, and never struggle. I suppose i'm still quite adapted to metabolizing fat regardless.

I started my 5:2 fast regime yesterday, but I'm allowing myself 500 calories on fast days, mainly complex carbs and protein. I had scrambled eggs in the morning, loads of water and redbush tea without milk in the day, then roasted veg and fish in the evening.

 

It was fine really, didn't really get properly hungry, more of a psychological urge to eat just out of habit. Had a few brief moments of dizziness but overall felt quite clear headed and alert. My nose/sense of smell felt clearer. I did feel quite cold later on in the afternoon, despite being sat in a toasty warm office. I also got the shits something awful before bedtime, not sure that's normal.

 

Back to eating normally today, don't really feel the need to gorge. I was 3lbs lighter on the scales, but that's probably lost water. Going to keep it up and post my progress in this thread - the aim is to lose 15lbs (I'm 13st 8lbs now).

  On 9/12/2011 at 6:09 AM, lumpenprol said:

 

  On 9/11/2011 at 9:59 PM, Rhombix said:

David Blaine almost died after his famous 44 day fast, not from starvation, but from the dangerous process of being re-introduced to nutrition.

lol, this sounds suspiciously like something that came from the David Blaine hype machine. No way he went 44 days without food, and whatever he did, there's no way he did it without the best possible medical advice.

he did it in London, people kept throwing food at him, made his life hell.

 

Duhh you're in the UK we love trolling people

  On 3/27/2013 at 10:29 AM, rixxx said:

 

  On 9/12/2011 at 6:09 AM, lumpenprol said:

 

  On 9/11/2011 at 9:59 PM, Rhombix said:

David Blaine almost died after his famous 44 day fast, not from starvation, but from the dangerous process of being re-introduced to nutrition.

lol, this sounds suspiciously like something that came from the David Blaine hype machine. No way he went 44 days without food, and whatever he did, there's no way he did it without the best possible medical advice.

he did it in London, people kept throwing food at him, made his life hell.

 

Duhh you're in the UK we love trolling people

 

Yeah, nobody likes a show off round these here parts! I thought it was quite funny when someone flew a remote controlled helicopter carrying burgers up to his glass box.

I'm going to start fasting for the rush, the adaptation, and the general backwardness of the act

  On 3/27/2013 at 10:43 AM, westhead said:

 

  On 3/27/2013 at 10:29 AM, rixxx said:

 

  On 9/12/2011 at 6:09 AM, lumpenprol said:

 

  On 9/11/2011 at 9:59 PM, Rhombix said:

David Blaine almost died after his famous 44 day fast, not from starvation, but from the dangerous process of being re-introduced to nutrition.

lol, this sounds suspiciously like something that came from the David Blaine hype machine. No way he went 44 days without food, and whatever he did, there's no way he did it without the best possible medical advice.

he did it in London, people kept throwing food at him, made his life hell.

 

Duhh you're in the UK we love trolling people

 

Yeah, nobody likes a show off round these here parts! I thought it was quite funny when someone flew a remote controlled helicopter carrying burgers up to his glass box.

 

haha yeah, I dont remember hearing about him after that? I wonder if we broke his spirit?

 

That remote control helicopter cracked me up, I think he was getting sugar water tbh- 44 days without food is fairly mental.

It seemed like such a pointless and vain thing to do, obviously there was some sort of deception going on there - and a lot of him acting pained and weak - while people whacked golf balls at him. Alan Partridge summed up magicians best when he talked about David Copperfield, "He claims to have made the Statue of Liberty disappear. But it’s still there. Talking out of his arse."

most of my wisdom comes from alan partridge

I don't know whether he was being deceptive or not. It's not at ALL unreasonable for a human to survive 44 days without food. Though honestly, it's a pretty fucking stupid thing to do and at that point (unless you're a large person with plenty of energy) he would have been self-digesting muscles and later even organs if not already.

 

Who knows.. Starvation is a fascinating subject. One thing's for certain, you won't keel over and die going without food for a day.