Fasting for Health and Weight Loss

[Richard8655]

I have links to the middle east, and I know people who add cardamom to their morning Arabic coffee (which, for context, is like a Turkish or Greek coffee).

It's made in one of these:

Dallah (coffee pot) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

How to Make Arabic Coffee, or Boiled Coffee with Cardamom

A simple step-by-step tutorial on making traditional Arabic cardamom coffee, boiled on the stove-top.

bintrhodaskitchen.blogspot.com

I've tried making it myself but it really needs a gas hob for heat control and to get the crema (as you need to bring the coffee almost to the boil, reduce, almost to the boil, reduce etc). I have a ceramic/electric hob, gave up, and went back to espresso 😁

The Turkish supermarket near me sells ground coffee (it's more like powder - think of the consistency of flour) mixed with cardamom, but apparently it's better just to crush a fresh one and add it to the dallah.

That Dallah Arabic coffee pot system sounds very interesting. Hadn't heard of it before. There are some valuable methods and interesting influences in making coffee from the Middle East and Turkey, where coffee is revered.

Turkish coffee is available here too and popular with the foreign community more than American. It is a very finely ground coffee with intense aromatic flavor.

 

[KaliYoni]

Hadn't heard of it before

Yemeni coffee has become popular in my area...perhaps in addition to "legacy" drinkers, hipsters have moved on from pour over and cold brew coffee as obsessions.

For anybody interested, this news story I found has a good overview of the trend:

This spiced coffee style is taking over the Bay Area

With late hours, lounge seating and flaky pastries, these new cafes are enticing local...

www.sfchronicle.com

 

[Richard8655]

Yemeni coffee has become popular in my area...perhaps in addition to "legacy" drinkers, hipsters have moved on from pour over and cold brew coffee as obsessions.

For anybody interested, this news story I found has a good overview of the trend:

This spiced coffee style is taking over the Bay Area

With late hours, lounge seating and flaky pastries, these new cafes are enticing local...

www.sfchronicle.com

Also sounds interesting! I see from the article Yemeni coffee often includes a variety of spices as well. I think I've also heard before that certain high-end Yemeni coffee can be quite expensive. The Bay Area is pretty hip and I'm sure they know their coffee!

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Alaskan wild blueberry infused coffee sounds geeat! I try to include blueberries in my diet whenever possible (especially in season), and that sounds like an excellent combination. Will look for it locally here (if I can find it).

I've heard about vanilla extract and cinnamon, as well as nutmeg, allspice, and cloves as interesting flavor enhancements for coffee. All have great health benefits as a plus.

For some reason I no longer like the taste of nutmeg in my foods, but do like the rest of the spices and flavors you have mentioned above. There is another clove that I have used in the past, "star clove." I find this type of clove a little milder or not as potent as some of the other cloves. Cloves in general have great and potent flavors. One can even drop a few in boiling water to make a cup of tea. The same for orange tree green leaves. In this case you can boil water and drop into the pot 3 orange leaves for a cup of tea. when I was a child, my mother would make teas from different green plants such as lemon trees, lemon grass, orange trees (leaves), and so on. All the plants and trees in or land was organic and free of pesticides, herbicides, and so on. Lemon grass has a very nice flavor that I enjoy, and so ginger

 

[rb2112]

Is anyone here on a fasting diet? I’ll like to hear about it.

Did 3 diets in the past 15 years, all at times when "whoops, I somehow weigh 15 lbs more". Each time about 8 weeks is enough to shed it. 1st:"the simple diet", 2nd:"fasting 2x per week", 3rd"minor calorie restriction". All worked equally well. If I had to do again (never plan to), I would consider the fasting again since it worked well as long as you can synchronize it with work, exercise, school etc. Reason to avoid would be the morning after, I do not feel I have enough energy to go hard on my normal daily tasks. Either way, if you are in a family it messes with the family meal schedule.

 

[Huntn]

Did 3 diets in the past 15 years, all at times when "whoops, I somehow weigh 15 lbs more". Each time about 8 weeks is enough to shed it. 1st:"the simple diet", 2nd:"fasting 2x per week", 3rd"minor calorie restriction". All worked equally well. If I had to do again (never plan to), I would consider the fasting again since it worked well as long as you can synchronize it with work, exercise, school etc. Reason to avoid would be the morning after, I do not feel I have enough energy to go hard on my normal daily tasks. Either way, if you are in a family it messes with the family meal schedule.

I’m retired, my wife is flexible, technically a 7 day Intermittant fast, but some of those are stop eating at 7pm, start eating at 1pm. I’m doing serious 24hr+ fasts, 2-3 days a week, sometimes 2 of those days in a row. I may try a 3 day fast sometime. I intend to be on this routine for the rest of my life. Now That I also made a commitment to put on some muscle, my weight has kind of leveled out at about 180 lb, but my fat % has continued to drop.

 

[rb2112]

Now That I also made a commitment to put on some muscle...

For OP, this is KEY. Maintaining muscle. So another drawback to the fasting diet, (by that you mean drop a bit of weight in a short time), is that your protein intake suffers, you really need to be on it to maintain your muscle mass. That is why of the 3 options I did, the last was best since the core of the meals was protein (goal 150g/day) and I lost no muscle mass along with fat.

 

[Huntn]

Eight months fasting (started March) I’ve more or less plateaued at about 180lb. Last week I fasted for 4 days, and for the week before and the coming week, 3 days. I am working on building muscle mass.

• 15Nov- Measurements Weight 179, Chest 42(-5”), Waist 36 (-8), Hips 38 (-6), Thigh 21 (-2”) Upper arm 13”(nc)

What this tells me is that at a stable weight my calorie requirement is approximately 40-60% of what I was eating at 228lb. And believe me what I consume on an eat day is not a great deal. For brunch, 2 strips of bacon, 2eggs, bowl of cereal (1 cup), sprinkled with nuts , sliced banana and 1% milk. This afternoon a protein drink, 1 cup of milk + protein powder. For dinner, a pork chop, vegetable, maybe a starch, and a desert of some kind avoiding one of those 500 calorie varieties.

This is not a lot. Yet if I ate this everyday, I’d likely gain weight. 🤔 And I guaruntee that if I was eating half of this everyday day, I’d be miserable. So the plus, is when I can eat, I can eat normally. And most importantly, when I fast there is no suffering, no craving, no hunger, so the system works. The first form of calorie restriction that has worked for me. ☺️

 

[rb2112]

Eight months fasting (started March) I’ve more or less plateaued at about 180lb. Last week I fasted for 4 days, and for the week before and the coming week, 3 days. I am working on building muscle mass.

• 15Nov- Measurements Weight 179, Chest 42(-5”), Waist 36 (-8), Hips 38 (-6), Thigh 21 (-2”) Upper arm 13”(nc)

What this tells me is that at a stable weight my calorie requirement is approximately 40-60% of what I was eating at 228lb. And believe me what I consume on an eat day is not a great deal. For brunch, 2 strips of bacon, 2eggs, bowl of cereal (1 cup), sprinkled with nuts , sliced banana and 1% milk. This afternoon a protein drink, 1 cup of milk + protein powder. For dinner, a pork chop, vegetable, maybe a starch, and a desert of some kind avoiding one of those 500 calorie varieties.

This is not a lot. Yet if I ate this everyday, I’d likely gain weight. 🤔 And I guaruntee that if I was eating half of this everyday day, I’d be miserable. So the plus, is when I can eat, I can eat normally. And most importantly, when I fast there is no suffering, no craving, no hunger, so the system works. The first form of calorie restriction that has worked for me. ☺️

It might help with the holidays coming up to have a plan before going to large family meals or similar. They can kill your gains. Best of luck!

 

[ipsedixit]

It might help with the holidays coming up to have a plan before going to large family meals or similar. They can kill your gains. Best of luck!

I think the "plan" for holidays should be "just enjoy yourself and take a diet break."

Life's too short, and we only have so many holidays in our lives to share and cherish with family and loved ones.

 

[adrianlondon]

I have a fit, sporty friend, early 30s, who regularly runs, does crossfit and goes to the gym. Too much every week imo, but as addictions go it's a healthy one.

What I like about his personality is that he can stop all of that for a few weeks when on holiday, without getting angsty, as he simply goes back to his routine after his break.

I'm also like this, albeit without doing as many workouts. In order to get into this state, one needs to make it a part of your life. If you do too much such that you often can't manage it each week, or you don't enjoy it, then you're likely to not get back into it after a break.

As an example: ... you typically work out x times a week for 45 weeks a year, meaning you're skipping it all for 7 weeks a year. As a percentage, your routine is "exercise" not "take a break". However, if you do so much that you hate it and only workout one week in two and then take a 7 week break, your not-exercising time is more than your exercising time and it'll be hard to get back into it.

The brain likes routine, and would ideally love to do today exactly the same as you did yesterday so it can skip all the calorie-burning hard thinking 😁. And before the counter argument comes, yes, you do burn off more calories going for a workout than sitting still and debating with yourself whether to go for that workout or not. Pity!

 

[Huntn]

I have a fit, sporty friend, early 30s, who regularly runs, does crossfit and goes to the gym. Too much every week imo, but as addictions go it's a healthy one.

What I like about his personality is that he can stop all of that for a few weeks when on holiday, without getting angsty, as he simply goes back to his routine after his break.

I'm also like this, albeit without doing as many workouts. In order to get into this state, one needs to make it a part of your life. If you do too much such that you often can't manage it each week, or you don't enjoy it, then you're likely to not get back into it after a break.

As an example: ... you typically work out x times a week for 45 weeks a year, meaning you're skipping it all for 7 weeks a year. As a percentage, your routine is "exercise" not "take a break". However, if you do so much that you hate it and only workout one week in two and then take a 7 week break, your not-exercising time is more than your exercising time and it'll be hard to get back into it.

The brain likes routine, and would ideally love to do today exactly the same as you did yesterday so it can skip all the calorie-burning hard thinking 😁. And before the counter argument comes, yes, you do burn off more calories going for a workout than sitting still and debating with yourself whether to go for that workout or not. Pity!

In comparison, fasting is a lifestyle change/routine, and you become acclimated quickly for 24 hour and + fasting periods. At least this is my experience. No hunger longing when fasting. My impression is your system gets used to easy switching into keto (consuming body fat) mode.

 

[Huntn]

Yemeni coffee has become popular in my area...perhaps in addition to "legacy" drinkers, hipsters have moved on from pour over and cold brew coffee as obsessions.

For anybody interested, this news story I found has a good overview of the trend:

This spiced coffee style is taking over the Bay Area

With late hours, lounge seating and flaky pastries, these new cafes are enticing local...

www.sfchronicle.com

I wonder if this type of coffee is fast worthy? In other words, what is added to it that might break a fast? There is an element of fasting, ketosis where the body burns its fat reserves. If you disrupt that, still by virtue of restricted calorie intake you will lose weight, but will miss out on a key element that makes fasting most effective, and if going to the effort, why not get full benefit? I can’t seem to get past the links’s paywall to investigate.

 

[Huntn]

I think the "plan" for holidays should be "just enjoy yourself and take a diet break."

Life's too short, and we only have so many holidays in our lives to share and cherish with family and loved ones.

Recently completed a TDay gathering and while I did not gorge (never gorge on an eat day) relatively speaking, stuffed my face with good stuff, including a couple of deserts. Note I did not eat the day before or the day after, and it allows me, when I eat, to eat normally. And when I fast, I have no hunger cravings as hard as that maybe to believe. For myself, this is superior to dieting and basically being hungery all the time.

I’ve settled on a schedule of 3 fast days a week to maintain a stable weight of 180lbs. These days are each approximately 32hrs each, starting after dinner, going through the next day, and picking up with breakfast on the third day.

 

[mollyc]

I wonder if this type of coffee is fast worthy? In other words, what is added to it that might break a fast? There is an element of fasting, ketosis where the body burns its fat reserves. If you disrupt that, still by virtue of restricted calorie intake you will lose weight, but will miss out on a key element that makes fasting most effective, and if going to the effort, why not get full benefit? I can’t seem to get past the links’s paywall to investigate.

I could access it in Reader Mode on desktop Safari.

Hamzah Ghalib, the owner of Mohka House, explained that coffee drinking is different all over Yemen, with regional preferences calling for different roast levels, spices and dairy. The Sana’ani — in the style of the capital city Sana’a — is black coffee simply enhanced with cardamom. In the ancient city of Juban, people opt for a lighter roast with cardamom, ginger and cinnamon, brewed along with the hulled and dried coffee cherry (the often discarded fruit that surrounds the bean) for a berry-like sweetness.

I'm guessing some might also add in some dairy, so you'd have to be careful as to which variety you choose. The article also goes on about chai with dairy, which isn't coffee obviously, but lots of coffees are designed with a milk product. Coffee + cardamom only would probably be okay for a fast though.

 

[adrianlondon]

Arabic (Turkish, Balkan, Greek) coffee isn't typically served with milk.

It often has a large amount of sugar, though! Optional, of course.

 

[Huntn]

I have a fit, sporty friend, early 30s, who regularly runs, does crossfit and goes to the gym. Too much every week imo, but as addictions go it's a healthy one.

What I like about his personality is that he can stop all of that for a few weeks when on holiday, without getting angsty, as he simply goes back to his routine after his break.

I'm also like this, albeit without doing as many workouts. In order to get into this state, one needs to make it a part of your life. If you do too much such that you often can't manage it each week, or you don't enjoy it, then you're likely to not get back into it after a break.

As an example: ... you typically work out x times a week for 45 weeks a year, meaning you're skipping it all for 7 weeks a year. As a percentage, your routine is "exercise" not "take a break". However, if you do so much that you hate it and only workout one week in two and then take a 7 week break, your not-exercising time is more than your exercising time and it'll be hard to get back into it.

The brain likes routine, and would ideally love to do today exactly the same as you did yesterday so it can skip all the calorie-burning hard thinking 😁. And before the counter argument comes, yes, you do burn off more calories going for a workout than sitting still and debating with yourself whether to go for that workout or not. Pity!

When I was in my youthful prime, running 5 miles, 3 times a week was all that was required to keep me fit and trim at 165-170b, and I could eat whatever I wanted . The effect started to dissipate in my late 30s and continued to worsen with age. It starts with gaining 1-2 lbs a year. A point is reached where calorie intake must be curbed or else. 🤔

 

[Huntn]

I could access it in Reader Mode on desktop Safari.



I'm guessing some might also add in some dairy, so you'd have to be careful as to which variety you choose. The article also goes on about chai with dairy, which isn't coffee obviously, but lots of coffees are designed with a milk product. Coffee + cardamom only would probably be okay for a fast though.

The link, says it’s ok. I’ll look for cardamon at the grocers. 🙂

Will Spices Break A Fast? (Intermittent Fasting) | Soothing Spices

Intermittent fasting has become a very popular term and refers to a broad concept of limiting or outright eliminating caloric intake for a period of…

soothingspices.com

 

[Huntn]

A Fasting-Style Diet Seems to Result in Dynamic Changes to Human Brains

Scientists looking to tackle our ongoing obesity crisis have made an important discovery: Intermittent calorie restriction leads to significant changes both in the gut and the brain, which may open up new options for maintaining a healthy weight.

www.sciencealert.com

Scientists looking to tackle our ongoing obesity crisis have made an important discovery: Intermittent calorie restriction leads to significant changes both in the gut and the brain, which may open up new options for maintaining a healthy weight.

Researchers from China studied 25 volunteers classed as obese over a period of 62 days, during which they took part in an intermittent energy restriction (IER) program – a regime that involves careful control of calorie intake and relative fasting on some days.

Not only did the participants in the study lose weight – 7.6 kilograms (16.8 pounds) or 7.8 percent of their body weight on average – there was also evidence of shifts in the activity of obesity-related regions of the brain, and in the makeup of gut bacteria.

 

[Merkava_4]

Gaining body fat is caused by a lack of vitamins in the diet; not calories.

 

[mollyc]

Gaining body fat is caused by a lack of vitamins in the diet; not calories.

ummm. you have a source for that??

fat is definitely caused by too many calories, whether from overeating or metabolic issues that cause disruptions.

 

[Merkava_4]

ummm. you have a source for that??

fat is definitely caused by too many calories, whether from overeating or metabolic issues that cause disruptions.

I am the source. I figured it out for myself. The food industry and the medical industry don't want you to know this.

The body thinks you're facing malnutrition and starvation when it senses you aren't getting enough vitamins and therefore starts storing fat.

 

[mollyc]

I am the source. I figured it out for myself. The food industry and the medical industry don't want you to know this.

The body thinks you're facing malnutrition and starvation when it senses you aren't getting enough vitamins and therefore starts storing fat.

well i'm happy that you've found something that works for you, but that's not how the human body works, so please don't spread disinformation.

 

[Huntn]

The link, says it’s ok. I’ll look for cardamon at the grocers. 🙂

Will Spices Break A Fast? (Intermittent Fasting) | Soothing Spices

Intermittent fasting has become a very popular term and refers to a broad concept of limiting or outright eliminating caloric intake for a period of…

soothingspices.com

I found some ground cardamon at the grocery store, but have since discovered just adding it to your coffee grounds is not enough to create a desirable drink. I taste the possibilities, but believe a recipe must be followed to fulfill its potential. And I read that seed pods are better than preground, due to oils that are released when the pods are crushed.

 

[Huntn]

Gaining body fat is caused by a lack of vitamins in the diet; not calories.

I am the source. I figured it out for myself. The food industry and the medical industry don't want you to know this.

The body thinks you're facing malnutrition and starvation when it senses you aren't getting enough vitamins and therefore starts storing fat.

Is this the solution to the obesity epidemic, avoiding a lack of vitamins? Not starting a fight. I understand vitamins help in some important manner. I’ve always said its calorie intake vs calorie burned, those calories not burned turn into something, muscle or fat. Metabolism is a distinct factor in the burning of calories.