A dedicated ‘Fasting’ thread.
I pulled this from the Health and Exercise thread, because I wanted a seperate thread dedicated to this topic.
Is anyone here on a fasting diet? I’ll like to hear about it.
Links
In my prime, 1980 after I had discovered running as my weight salvation, I went from a pudgy high schooler, started playing high school football, and ended up dropping down to a low of 165-160 pounds. Boy were those the days! I could eat whatever I wanted without a second thought. But then as my metabolism started to slow with age. I experienced a very gradual weight gain and then my back started bothering me. Running as an effective weight control mechanism faded to nothing.
In the mid to late1990s, I dropped 20 lb on the Atkins diet, which relies on ketosis to burn your body’s fat as you deprive yourself of carbohydrates. It worked but it was a horrible diet, from a health standpoint, to be on full-time. So the idea was you use the diet to drop your weight and then figure out a way to introduce carbs into your diet without gaining it all back. That’s the hard part.
After that, I’ve slowly started gaining weight despite multiple attempts at dieting which always end up in failure, and I thought I’d reached a point where I might as well just accept I’m gonna be fat and make the best of it.
Then in March, I was at USAToday and this ad popped up about losing weight by fasting (Easy Fast), it asked a whole bunch of question then ordered a discounted plan associated with their app, and it gave me 8min to make up my mind. I have never reacted well to high pressure sales, so instead of signing up, I started researching:
An aspect of intermittent fasting, is that by virtue of cutting cat calories you will lose weight, but it’s promoted as more benefits than just weight loss.
www.medicalnewstoday.com
June 2025: Dropped 30 pounds and I currently weigh 198 pound.
Not to make this a larger post than it already is I’ll just say that fasting works as my weight loss method, I’ve dropped 30 pounds, My goal is 175 to 180 pounds. I can fast and not be racked with hunger pains. The key to that is drinking a lot of water always, including electrolyte powder in your water periodically and including coffee and green tea as an appetite suppressant. Believe it or not I literally have no hunger pains while fasting. And my understand this is the primary reason why fasting fails for some people, hunger pains/craving. I’ll talk about this more in a follow up post.
Of possible interest:
Note: Spoilers added to lessen wall of text.
perfectketo.com
The health benefits extend far beyond simple weight loss. Fasting promotes mental clarity and mood[*], improves immune function[*], increases muscle growth[*], and more.
However, not all fasts provide the same benefits. There are multiple stages of fasting, and the benefits you get from fasting depend on the length of your fast.
Here’s a look at the five main stages of fasting, the specific benefits that come with each one, and a brief look at how to incorporate fasting into your life.
This stage of fasting has a few benefits:
Paradoxically, fasting begins to get easier as you fast for a longer time. After the first stage of fasting, appetite generally declines.
In addition, this stage of fasting decreases ghrelin, the hormone that makes you want to eat a lot of food, and also stabilizes your insulin levels, which prevents food cravings[*].
These factors work together to prevent overeating. If you can do intermittent fasting for 16-18 hours a day, you’ll burn through body fat and fill up quickly when you break your fast, which makes it easy to stay in a calorie deficit and lose weight.
BDNF is a protein that your brain makes to protect existing brain cells. BDNF also encourages the growth of new brain pathways. It also enhances learning[*] and boosts mood[*].
Fasting[*][*] and ketosis[*] both increase BDNF in animal studies, and researchers theorize that they do the same in humans[*] (although there haven’t been reliable human studies yet).
As you undertake multiple days of fasting, your growth hormone levels begin to shift, which provides you with a new set of benefits.
Before you read about the benefits, note that a 72-hour fast is a serious undertaking. If you’re going to try it, make sure you drink plenty of water, get plenty of electrolyteslike sodium, magnesium, and potassium, and stop fasting if you feel lightheaded or otherwise unwell.
I pulled this from the Health and Exercise thread, because I wanted a seperate thread dedicated to this topic.
Is anyone here on a fasting diet? I’ll like to hear about it.
Links
- If Your Thinking About Fasting (post in this thread)
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/migrating-motor-complex
- https://perfectketo.com/the-5-stages-of-fasting/
- https://perfectketo.com/how-to-get-fiber-on******
- https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/g19900206/what-to-do-after-you-reach-your-goal-weight/
- https://www.healthyfoodforliving.com/food-nutrition/is-oatmeal-high-in-fiber/
- https://intermittentdieter.com/what-will-and-will-not-break-a-fast-a-complete-guide/
- https://liquidinsider.com/does-rooibos-tea-break-a-fast/
- https://myteavault.com/worrying-about-the-teas-that-will-break-your-fast-dont/
- https://kitchensurfers.com/does-chicory-coffee-break-a-fast/
- https://shop.perfectketo.com/products/electrolytes-A precise, doctor-formulated 4:2:1:1 ratio of sodium to potassium to calcium and magnesium that replenish and recover your electrolytes on the keto diet.
In my prime, 1980 after I had discovered running as my weight salvation, I went from a pudgy high schooler, started playing high school football, and ended up dropping down to a low of 165-160 pounds. Boy were those the days! I could eat whatever I wanted without a second thought. But then as my metabolism started to slow with age. I experienced a very gradual weight gain and then my back started bothering me. Running as an effective weight control mechanism faded to nothing.
In the mid to late1990s, I dropped 20 lb on the Atkins diet, which relies on ketosis to burn your body’s fat as you deprive yourself of carbohydrates. It worked but it was a horrible diet, from a health standpoint, to be on full-time. So the idea was you use the diet to drop your weight and then figure out a way to introduce carbs into your diet without gaining it all back. That’s the hard part.
After that, I’ve slowly started gaining weight despite multiple attempts at dieting which always end up in failure, and I thought I’d reached a point where I might as well just accept I’m gonna be fat and make the best of it.
Then in March, I was at USAToday and this ad popped up about losing weight by fasting (Easy Fast), it asked a whole bunch of question then ordered a discounted plan associated with their app, and it gave me 8min to make up my mind. I have never reacted well to high pressure sales, so instead of signing up, I started researching:
6 ways to do intermittent fasting: The best methods
Intermittent fasting is an increasingly popular diet option for weight loss. There are several programs, but this guide can help you find which one is right for you.An aspect of intermittent fasting, is that by virtue of cutting cat calories you will lose weight, but it’s promoted as more benefits than just weight loss.
6 ways to do intermittent fasting: The best methods
Intermittent fasting is an increasingly popular diet option for weight loss. There are several programs, but this guide can help you find which one is right for you.
www.medicalnewstoday.com
- Fasting for 12 hours.
- Fasting for 16 hours.
- Fasting for two days a week.
- Alternate day fasting.
- A weekly 24 hour fast.
- The warrior diet
June 2025: Dropped 30 pounds and I currently weigh 198 pound.
Not to make this a larger post than it already is I’ll just say that fasting works as my weight loss method, I’ve dropped 30 pounds, My goal is 175 to 180 pounds. I can fast and not be racked with hunger pains. The key to that is drinking a lot of water always, including electrolyte powder in your water periodically and including coffee and green tea as an appetite suppressant. Believe it or not I literally have no hunger pains while fasting. And my understand this is the primary reason why fasting fails for some people, hunger pains/craving. I’ll talk about this more in a follow up post.
Of possible interest:
Note: Spoilers added to lessen wall of text.
The 5 Stages of Fasting (And The Benefits of Each One)
Fasting sounds simple… You simply don’t eat and after a while, you begin to experience all the benefits. Not so fast... Fasting actually comes in 5 different stages, ranging from a 12-hour fast to 72 hours or more. Each stage of fasting comes with unique benefits, including fat loss...perfectketo.com
The 5 Stages of Fasting (And The Benefits of Each One)
Intermittent fasting is more than just a weight-loss strategy.The health benefits extend far beyond simple weight loss. Fasting promotes mental clarity and mood[*], improves immune function[*], increases muscle growth[*], and more.
However, not all fasts provide the same benefits. There are multiple stages of fasting, and the benefits you get from fasting depend on the length of your fast.
Here’s a look at the five main stages of fasting, the specific benefits that come with each one, and a brief look at how to incorporate fasting into your life.
Stage 1 Fasting (8-12 Hours): Stable Blood Sugar
Fasting begins about eight hours after your last meal. This stage is characterized by changes in your blood sugar levels.Stable Blood Sugar
After about eight hours without food, your blood glucose begins to dip. You may experience hunger, fatigue, food cravings, and trouble concentrating.
However, if you can make it over this initial hurdle, these symptoms pass pretty quickly. By 12 hours, your body will begin to tap into your glycogen stores (sugar stores), and your blood glucose levels will stabilize[*].
At 12 hours, you’ll also start switching into the early stages of ketosis — your body stops relying on carbohydrates for fuel and begins burning your body fat stores instead[*].
Short-term fasting may also lower blood pressure and increase insulin sensitivity, making this type of fasting useful for people with type 2 diabetes or other blood sugar control issues[*].
However, if you can make it over this initial hurdle, these symptoms pass pretty quickly. By 12 hours, your body will begin to tap into your glycogen stores (sugar stores), and your blood glucose levels will stabilize[*].
At 12 hours, you’ll also start switching into the early stages of ketosis — your body stops relying on carbohydrates for fuel and begins burning your body fat stores instead[*].
Short-term fasting may also lower blood pressure and increase insulin sensitivity, making this type of fasting useful for people with type 2 diabetes or other blood sugar control issues[*].
Stage 2 Fasting (12-18 Hours): Ketosis, Fat Burning, and Mental Clarity
After 16 to 18 hours of fasting, you should be in full ketosis[*]. Your liver begins converting your fat stores into ketone bodies — bundles of fuel that power your muscles, heart, and brain.This stage of fasting has a few benefits:
Appetite suppression
Fat Loss
Mental clarity
Appetite Suppression
Ketones suppress appetite, which means your hunger should actually start to subside during this fasting stage[*].Paradoxically, fasting begins to get easier as you fast for a longer time. After the first stage of fasting, appetite generally declines.
Fat Loss
Stage 2 fasting is ideal if you want to lose weight. Your body switches fully into fat-burning mode, and because you don’t have any food in your system, you begin to burn through body fat quickly.In addition, this stage of fasting decreases ghrelin, the hormone that makes you want to eat a lot of food, and also stabilizes your insulin levels, which prevents food cravings[*].
These factors work together to prevent overeating. If you can do intermittent fasting for 16-18 hours a day, you’ll burn through body fat and fill up quickly when you break your fast, which makes it easy to stay in a calorie deficit and lose weight.
Mental Clarity
At this stage of fasting, you may also enjoy a boost in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).BDNF is a protein that your brain makes to protect existing brain cells. BDNF also encourages the growth of new brain pathways. It also enhances learning[*] and boosts mood[*].
Fasting[*][*] and ketosis[*] both increase BDNF in animal studies, and researchers theorize that they do the same in humans[*] (although there haven’t been reliable human studies yet).
Stage 3 Fasting (24 hours): Autophagy and Anti-Aging
After a full-day fast, your body goes into repair mode. It begins recycling old or damaged cells and reducing inflammation. If you’re looking for anti-aging or anti-inflammatory benefits, a 24-hour fast may help.Autophagy
When your body is under mild stress (such as exercise or an extended fast), your cells respond by becoming more efficient.
One thing they do is turn on autophagy. The term is Greek for “self-eating,” and that’s exactly what happens. During autophagy, your cells check all their internal parts, find anything that’s old, damaged, or functioning poorly, and replace them with shiny new versions. The old parts are either recycled into new materials or destroyed.
Studies show that fasting-induced autophagy comes with a variety of benefits.
One thing they do is turn on autophagy. The term is Greek for “self-eating,” and that’s exactly what happens. During autophagy, your cells check all their internal parts, find anything that’s old, damaged, or functioning poorly, and replace them with shiny new versions. The old parts are either recycled into new materials or destroyed.
Studies show that fasting-induced autophagy comes with a variety of benefits.
- Fasting triggered autophagy in the brain, clearing out misfolded proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease[*].
- Autophagy declines naturally as you age, which is connected to a variety of diseases. Fasting may be able to combat the age-related decline, keeping you biologically younger and protecting your cells from oxidative stress[*].
- Early research suggests that fasting-related autophagy may help kill cancer cells[*].
- Fasting reduces bodywide inflammation via autophagy[*].
Stage 4 Fasting (36-48 hours): Growth Hormone and Recovery
At stage 4, you’re leaving intermittent fasting territory and entering a longer fast.As you undertake multiple days of fasting, your growth hormone levels begin to shift, which provides you with a new set of benefits.
Muscle Growth and Repair
A study of healthy adults found that 48-hour fasting increased human growth hormone (HGH) secretion by up to 400%. It also increased the frequency of growth hormone bursts throughout the day[*].
HGH increases muscle mass[*] and stimulates faster muscle repair[*]. It may also speed up the healing process for wounds and more serious injuries[*]. HGH is so effective that taking it externally is banned in professional sports and is considered doping.
It seems counterintuitive, but occasionally going without food for two days may actually help you build muscle, not lose it .
HGH increases muscle mass[*] and stimulates faster muscle repair[*]. It may also speed up the healing process for wounds and more serious injuries[*]. HGH is so effective that taking it externally is banned in professional sports and is considered doping.
It seems counterintuitive, but occasionally going without food for two days may actually help you build muscle, not lose it .
Stage 5 Fasting (72+ hours): Stem Cells and Immune Function
The final stage of fasting begins after a full three days without food.Before you read about the benefits, note that a 72-hour fast is a serious undertaking. If you’re going to try it, make sure you drink plenty of water, get plenty of electrolyteslike sodium, magnesium, and potassium, and stop fasting if you feel lightheaded or otherwise unwell.
Immune System Regeneration
A 2014 study found that 72-hour fasting led to a near-complete rejuvenation of the immune system. Fasting triggered stem cell production, creating brand new immune cells to replace old ones[*].
The same study also had cancer patients fast throughout chemotherapy treatment. Normally, chemotherapy devastates the immune system, increasing the risk of infection and illness for cancer patients.
But when patients fasted during chemo, their immune system stayed strong throughout the process.
The same study also had cancer patients fast throughout chemotherapy treatment. Normally, chemotherapy devastates the immune system, increasing the risk of infection and illness for cancer patients.
But when patients fasted during chemo, their immune system stayed strong throughout the process.
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