I'm Losing A Lot Of Weight On Intermittent Fasting

[Regina]

I listened to this a while ago, had to listen in double speed to meet my pace of cognition.

He says he wakes up really early on one meal a day only 'needs' 5 hours sleep and says when he eats like a 'normal' person that he sleeps 8 hours. Alarm bells of adrenaline ring.

He thinks increasing igf1 and growth hormone are positives for longevity. Hmm.

Yep. It's also so common in the zen/aikido community. Inappropriate stress testing.
Yesterday, I watched an older man long-distance swimming in the frigid lake. It was very rough waves, windy; the kind of day that calls for small-craft advisory.

 

[Atalanta]

and he is full of bull****

Why do you say that?

I don't know that he is telling the truth, but I have found that when I eat mostly dense foods similar to his diet, I feel satiated and energized with fewer calories and I am satisfied eating once or twice per day. When I eat watery foods (milk, fruit, low starch, juice, no legumes, no grains) I am always hungry even though I consume more calories. Maybe 1500 calories from legumes, grains, nuts and nutrient powders is equivalent to 3000 or more calories from fruit and watery foods.

 

[Atalanta]

I listened to this a while ago, had to listen in double speed to meet my pace of cognition.

He says he wakes up really early on one meal a day only 'needs' 5 hours sleep and says when he eats like a 'normal' person that he sleeps 8 hours. Alarm bells of adrenaline ring.

He thinks increasing igf1 and growth hormone are positives for longevity. Hmm.

Interesting because I have found that the only times I need 8 hours of sleep are when I am physically sick or depressed about something. Mentally and physically healthy adults should not need a lot of sleep. Most people in modern societies are not mentally and physically healthy.

I know healthy people in their 70s and 80s who do not eat or sleep much.

Ray Peat does not believe igf1 is harmful.

 

[Atalanta]

The healthiest way to lose fat and maintain/gain structural tissue is to eat foods that spontaneously make you do more activity. Eat more, move more.

Second best would be to do nothing (rest in a clean, stress free environment) and eat very little. Although this would compromise structural tissue more.

Most people combine more stress/activity with less food, which is the best way to ensure you will continue to get fatter with each stress cycle.

I think the most beneficial thing about IF is it usually makes people sit down to complete, satisfying, mixed meals. This is much better for digestion and nutrient assimilation than snacking. It's also good for hormone signaling and maintaining the hypothalamus against obesity. But IF should be effortless. If you are ignoring hunger, you are doing it wrong.

I agree. Although my diet is starch based, low fat.

 

[James IV]

I agree. Although my diet is starch based, low fat.

I used the term "mixed meal" to signify a meal that contains all 3 macros. The quantities are up to the individual. Low fat, high carb, low carb, low protein, high fat, whatever floats your boat.

 

[Jsaute21]

Have you done an insulin sensitivity test (aka glucose challenge)? Just because you are losing weight is not a guarantee for good health. Most people I know that lost weight through fasting were shocked to find out they were insulin resistant upon challenge. And you know what the doctor told them? "Well, it just shows you have to keep avoiding sugar for the rest of your life". If you also fail a a glucose challenge test, I would seriously reconsider fasting as a long term health plan. Fasting insulin is NOT a good biomarker of insulin sensitivity. How well you handle a glucose load is the real measure.
Just my 2c.

@haidut how long do you typically eat after waking? I personally usually need to eat within 2 hours of waking. Fasting is not a match made in heaven for me.

 

[haidut]

@haidut how long do you typically eat after waking? I personally usually need to eat within 2 hours of waking. Fasting is not a match made in heaven for me.

About the same with me. Usually sip on little Pepsi or other sugary drink upon waking up and then try to eat breakfast within an hour. But after breakfast, I could go on for the entire day without eating much. A few years ago such "intermittent" fasting would have made me a shaking and cold/nervous mess. I guess glycogen stores are much better now.

 

[Glassy]

This has been an interesting discussion and this is my first RPF post. It’s taken me quite a while to get a limited understanding of what Peat eating is and one thing that worried me was the thought of abandoning intermittent fasting because it supposedly elevated cortisol too much. I’ve lost a lot of fat in the last 2 years initially using low carb and then IF when the low carb magic wore off. Thankfully the low carb taught me to embrace saturated fat and I’ve been wary of seed oils for a long time which has inadvertently led me to eat in almost a peat friendly way anyway for the last 2 years. The only drastic changes I see that may be required are avoiding chips and fries as well as fatty chicken cuts. I don’t eat a lot of the PUFAs I used to eat prior to low carb as a result of avoiding carbohydrates.

I’ve been following Lean Gains for the last 12 months or so eating at a caloric deficit almost the entire time except for about 2 x 2 week diet breaks and an 8-10 week “bulk” eating at a surplus (while intermittent fasting). After my bulk I realised that my metabolism had taken a significant dive and what I thought was a slight calorie surplus saw me gaining almost 1lb per week of fat and lean mass (twice what I was aiming for). Towards the end of each dieting/cutting phase my appetite becomes insatiable (it’s scary how many chicken breasts and how much broccoli I was putting in my stomach in a sitting). Lean Gains involves calorie and macro cycling - high carb, lower fat with higher calorie on workout days and the opposite on rest days. Approximately 18hrs of not eating every day (which after doing for 12 or so months I find pretty normal).

Im currently bulking much slower now and I’m hoping that by being a bit more strict with the PUFA intake while incorporating more fruit, sugar and less starch I can raise my metabolism to something that’s more reasonable. I suspect that some of the troubles I’ve had in losing the last 20 or so lbs of fat is related at least in part to the fact that it has probably been on my body for 25+ years and is probably fairly highly concentrated in PUFA. The next time I go into a caloric deficit, I hope that the higher metabolism and support from Vitamins with a lack of PUFAs might yield a little more success in revealing a 6 pack I know I have hidden under there. FWIW I’m approaching 40 and not in any great rush to get anywhere in particular.

 

[kayumochi]

I keep an eye on IF discussions because it continues to serve me so well after several years with no negative impact on my health. While incorporating some of Peat's ideas into my diet have been beneficial I have found no reason to drop IF ... yet.

 

[Soren]

Read through every page of this thread. Interesting discussion all around. Has anyone here ever tried the 5:2 version of fasting. Two days a week you have a semi fast and the rest of the days you eat normally.

So on a "fast day" you wake up have a breakfast of about 300-400 calories then you don't eat again for 12 hours and have another small meal of 300-400 calories. I think this might be one of the safest ways to try IF. This serves to help to lower stress hormones at the times of the day when they would be at their highest, morning upon waking up and right before bed after the body has been fasting for 12 hours.

I've done IF in the past with 16/8 daily and that wrecked my body. Basically it caused a constant calorie deficiency which ruined my metabolism and thyroid. It was what originally drove me to peat. Taken me years to get to where I am now. However I think that this moderate approach to IF might be a good solution. It likely won't be as quick for fat loss as 16/8 but I think by fasting only 2 days a week one is a lot less likely to chronically elevate stress hormones and under-eat.

There is some good research on it as well:

Weekly 2-Day Fast (5:2 Diet) as Effective for Losing Weight and Waist as Continuous Dieting (-500kcal Every Day)

 

[cyclops]

Starting IF today, as I can't seem to lose as much bodyfat as I want on a VLF diet...

 

[lollipop]

Starting IF today, as I can't seem to lose as much bodyfat as I want on a VLF diet...

Maybe your body wants that body fat.

 

[cyclops]

Maybe your body wants that body fat.

Well my mind certainly doesn't, so my body better get with the program lol!

 

[milk]

For the record, I only did IF for like 10 days. I got cold hands, dandruff, couldn't sleep, lost hair from a part of my scalp where I normally don't shed. So: not good.

 

[raypeatclips]

For the record, I only did IF for like 10 days. I got cold hands, dandruff, couldn't sleep, lost hair from a part of my scalp where I normally don't shed. So: not good.

Were you eating enough food when it was time to eat, or were you eating normal meals, and end up being low on calories?

 

[milk]

Were you eating enough food when it was time to eat, or were you eating normal meals, and end up being low on calories?

I was doing the "one or two low calorie days a week" method. So yeah, there's that.

 

[cyclops]

Do you think it would be bad to take any supplements during the fasting phase of IF? If someone is taking thyroid, for example, should they only take it during there eating period, along with food? This is for a 16/8 or 18/6 style setup.

 

[Jsaute21]

Do you think it would be bad to take any supplements during the fasting phase of IF? If someone is taking thyroid, for example, should they only take it during there eating period, along with food? This is for a 16/8 or 18/6 style setup.

Yes, i do.

 

[Jsaute21]

Yes, i do.

Also - if somebody needs thyroid they probably shouldn't be fasting.

 

[cyclops]

Also - if somebody needs thyroid they probably shouldn't be fasting.

Yeh that makes sense, and it looks like I don't need it anymore, so I'll prob just drop it.