Fasting for Health and Weight Loss

[KaliYoni]

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.

Yes, based on my experience at coffee shops and restaurants that offer cardamom coffee, crushed or whole seeds, not ground, is the way it is prepared. Plus spices in general suffer when ground far in advance of use.

 

[Richard8655]

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.

I understand your point of view and my thoughts are not criticism. But to me, the more external ingredients added to coffee, the further away it is from real coffee and begins to become something else. Perfect coffee can stand alone as the wonderful beverage that it is. (Though I do add a little non-dairy creamer.)

I sprinkle ground cardamom occasionally in my coffee grounds before drip brewing, but not all that frequently lately. Just once in a while for something a bit different.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

While I haven't added cardamon to my coffee, I have friends who add cinnamon, or ginger root, and a few other spices to their coffee. I sometimes boil tree or four cups of water, and let ginger root simmer in it for a few minutes, then add some of the still hot water to a hot cup of coffee. But I do it with moderation since ginger, or even garlic may have blood thinning properties. I find "cardamon" interesting, maybe I like some spices of most kinds (cloves of all kinds, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla extract, saffron, etc.)
Medical news about cardamon

 

[Huntn]

I understand your point of view and my thoughts are not criticism. But to me, the more external ingredients added to coffee, the further away it is from real coffee and begins to become something else. Perfect coffee can stand alone as the wonderful beverage that it is. (Though I do add a little non-dairy creamer.)

I sprinkle ground cardamom occasionally in my coffee grounds before drip brewing, but not all that frequently lately. Just once in a while for something a bit different.

This was just an experiment , that did not sway me from plain coffee at all. 🙂

 

[Huntn]

While I haven't added cardamon to my coffee, I have friends who add cinnamon, or ginger root, and a few other spices to their coffee. I sometimes boil tree or four cups of water, and let ginger root simmer in it for a few minutes, then add some of the still hot water to a hot cup of coffee. But I do it with moderation since ginger, or even garlic may have blood thinning properties. I find "cardamon" interesting, maybe I like some spices of most kinds (cloves of all kinds, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla extract, saffron, etc.)
Medical news about cardamon

Cardamon reminds me a little of Capt Picard’s drink “Earl Gray, hot” a tea, because of the bergamot in it.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Cardamon reminds me a little of Capt Picard’s drink “Earl Gray, hot” a tea, because of the bergamot in it.

My wife and I have watched all of the Star Trek series, although the Picard of past years was a lot more...robust I should say? 🙂

I like my coffee black, without any sweeteners, creamers, and so on. Nothing added but a little taste of cinnamon, or maybe ginger, or even cloves. For cinnamon I prefer to dip a stick or bark of it into the hot coffee, just to extract a hint of its flavor before I drink the coffee. Most often I boil water, then pour the water over the ground coffee in a colander. Once I have enough coffee to fill a large glass storage container, I drop 2-3 cinnamon sticks in the hot coffee, and finally store it in the refrigerator after it has cooled. A little taste of pure cinnamon extract I also welcome now and then, too.

 

[Merkava_4]

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.

Ask any obese person if they take organic vitamin supplements (which are made out of food) on a daily basis.

They must be organic, not laboratory made; big difference in absorption rate between the two.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Ask any obese person if they take organic vitamin supplements (which are made out of food) on a daily basis.

They must be organic, not laboratory made; big difference in absorption rate between the two.

Organic vitamins should be fine, specially the ones in the fresh foods one consumes. But lest say that one could bake a wonderful pie made with plenty of organic sugars and berries of all kinds (these contain numerous types of vitamins and minerals), organic milk and creamers, pure extra virgin olive oil, and so on. In this case the pie contains lots of vitamins and minerals, but I would think that would fatten me up the most would be the added sugars, oils and fats in the pie, and also other carbs in the flour.

An example of a product one can make at home is a chocolate muffin or pie, and so on. Chocolate by itself has vitamins and sugars, and so berries, fruits. But if I consume greats amounts of fruits, chocolate, and so on, I would think that while the vitamins would not make me fat, all the sugar will certainly will. In my individual case, what fattens me are carbs, specially the sweet chocolates that I have to resist eating each day. It is the same for most breads on the store shelves: these contains sugars of various kinds, fat and oils, nuts and grains that also contain fat, and so on. These are the carbs, specially the processed ones (regardless of being organic or not) that fatten me the most.

Vitamins in Chocolate - A Complete Guide

Chocolate is a cherished treat; it's a symbol of love, comfort, and luxury. But while many of us are well-acquainted with its velvety texture and decadent taste, not everyone is aware of the surprising nutritional depth this beloved treat hides within. Beyond the immediate pleasure it brings to...

www.whitakerschocolates.com

 

[Merkava_4]

Organic vitamins should be fine, specially the ones in the fresh foods one consumes. But lest say that one could bake a wonderful pie made with plenty of organic sugars and berries of all kinds (these contain numerous types of vitamins and minerals), organic milk and creamers, pure extra virgin olive oil, and so on. In this case the pie contains lots of vitamins and minerals, but I would think that would fatten me up the most would be the added sugars, oils and fats in the pie, and also other carbs in the flour.

An example of a product one can make at home is a chocolate muffin or pie, and so on. Chocolate by itself has vitamins and sugars, and so berries, fruits. But if I consume greats amounts of fruits, chocolate, and so on, I would think that while the vitamins would not make me fat, all the sugar will certainly will. In my individual case, what fattens me are carbs, specially the sweet chocolates that I have to resist eating each day. It is the same for most breads on the store shelves: these contains sugars of various kinds, fat and oils, nuts and grains that also contain fat, and so on. These are the carbs, specially the processed ones (regardless of being organic or not) that fatten me the most.

Vitamins in Chocolate - A Complete Guide

Chocolate is a cherished treat; it's a symbol of love, comfort, and luxury. But while many of us are well-acquainted with its velvety texture and decadent taste, not everyone is aware of the surprising nutritional depth this beloved treat hides within. Beyond the immediate pleasure it brings to...

www.whitakerschocolates.com

The main problem is, modern day foods including fruits and vegetables don't have the vitamin density of foods produced way back in the 1950s. You combine that with processed foods made out all kinds of laboratory ingredients and you have a recipe for obesity. You ever taste an orange or a tomato out of your neighbor's garden? Tastes completely different right? Usually quite delicious compared to its mass produced grocery store counterpart. That same fruit out of your neighbor's garden is loaded up with vitamins not found at your local grocery store. When these organic vitamin companies grow food solely for the purpose of making vitamins, the foods they use are not from the grocery store supply chain.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

The main problem is, modern day foods including fruits and vegetables don't have the vitamin density of foods produced way back in the 1950s. You combine that with processed foods made out all kinds of laboratory ingredients and you have a recipe for obesity. You ever taste an orange or a tomato out of your neighbor's garden? Tastes completely different right? Usually quite delicious compared to its mass produced grocery store counterpart. That same fruit out of your neighbor's garden is loaded up with vitamins not found at your local grocery store. When these organic vitamin companies grow food solely for the purpose of making vitamins, the foods they use are not from the grocery store supply chain.

That is true, but if you can afford it there are farmers who specialize in growing produce (veggies) that contain the right minerals and other nutrients. The same can be accomplished in your own or your neighbor's garden, again...if you can afford it. I also agree about processed and worst yet, ultra-processed foods such as frozen hamburger patties and ready-made dinners, hotdogs, sausages of various kinds, bacon, deli meats, ham, and so on.

There are a myriad of processed foods, including white rice and breads, too. Now, in order for the veggies in your neighbor's yard to be the most nutritious, the soil has to contain the right nutrients, regardless if these veggies are considered organically grown or not, since just because a product is considered organic it doesn't mean that it contains all the nutrients your body needs.

That said, while I am not an expert in the subject of nutrition and obesity, my own experiences lead me to believe that what makes me fat is not the lack of organic vitamins (thats the only kind of multivitamins I have been taking for several years), but the amount of caloric intake over what my body needs. In other words, eating too much of the wrong carbs, and not moving around enough to burn the excess of calories. Even if I were to live solely on organically made chocolate bars and Twinkies, coffee creamers, and so on, all which may contain all the vitamins I would ever need, I would still fatten myself with the great amount of fats, sugars and other carbs these foods contain.

 

[Merkava_4]

That is true, but if you can afford it there are farmers who specialize in growing produce (veggies) that contain the right minerals and other nutrients. The same can be accomplished in your own or your neighbor's garden, again...if you can afford it. I also agree about processed and worst yet, ultra-processed foods such as frozen hamburger patties and ready-made dinners, hotdogs, sausages of various kinds, bacon, deli meats, ham, and so on. There are a myriad of processed foods, including white rice and breads, too. Now, in order for the veggies in your neighbor's yard to be the most nutritious, the soil has to contain the right nutrients, regardless if these veggies are considered organically grown or not, since just because a product is considered organic, other than does not meant that it contains the right amounts and types of vitamins and minerals.

That said, while I am not an expert in the subject of nutrition and obesity, my own experiences lead me to believe that what makes me fat is not the lack of organic vitamins (thats the only kind of multivitamins I have been taking for several years), but the amount of caloric intake over caloric burning. In other words, eating too much of the wrong carbs, and not moving around enough to burn the excess of calories. Even if I were to live solely on organically made chocolate bars and Twinkies, coffee creamers, and so on... that contain all the vitamins I would ever need, I would still fatten myself with the great amount of sugars and other carbs these foods contain.

If your body was getting all the vitamins and minerals it needs, it would be way more difficult to gain body fat with those chocolate bars and Twinkies.

 

[mollyc]

If your body was getting all the vitamins and minerals it needs, it would be way more difficult to gain body fat with those chocolate bars and Twinkies.

Bro, this is not how nutrition and the human body works. Yes, everyone needs high quality vitamins and minerals.

But eating too many calories is what makes people fat. And some hormonal imbalances. Believe it or not, if you were a fastidious calorie counter, you could lose weight eating only chocolate bars and twinkies. You wouldn't have great overall health, but you would be thin.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Bro, this is not how nutrition and the human body works. Yes, everyone needs high quality vitamins and minerals.

But eating too many calories is what makes people fat. And some hormonal imbalances. Believe it or not, if you were a fastidious calorie counter, you could lose weight eating only chocolate bars and twinkies. You wouldn't have great overall health, but you would be thin.

Yes, you are correct.👌

I unsuccessfully tried to make it simple to understand for the poster above. All I can do is to raise my white flag on the issue of nutrition and obesity. Now, the problem with eating "organic milk chocolates and Twinkies", both loaded with organic multivitamins, is what the other poster didn't understand: all the vitamins needed for the day can be present in these two foods, but while the vitamins won't fatten me up, the starches, sugars, and fats, will make me fatter. The only way for me to offset the amount of fact is by burning calories (exercising), or simply by not overeating.

 

[splifingate]

bergamot

Tu dis Patate, et moi je dis Potato.

Black coffee, for me. I only drink black tea if it's flavoured with bergamot 😉

 

[splifingate]

In my six-ish decades, it has become first-nature to incorporate a daily, ad hoc fasting strategy; this "I am your body-vehicle, so trust me to know what's-what" awareness often leads me to not 'consume' for a day, and eat like there's no more tomorrow the next.

Usually, it's a 6 ~ 7 scenario 😉

Some days, I dine early, then no-more for the rest of the day; others I wait until the end.

Occasionally, I just have a salad mid-day.

One of the Latinos (who spent over a third of his daily time enjoying sustenance) with whom I worked years ago labeled me a "culebra" 🙂

Sticking to external, defined consumption metrics and timelines is antithetical--and truly not a good fit--for an individual's personal requirements.

 

[Merkava_4]

Bro, this is not how nutrition and the human body works. Yes, everyone needs high quality vitamins and minerals.

But eating too many calories is what makes people fat. And some hormonal imbalances. Believe it or not, if you were a fastidious calorie counter, you could lose weight eating only chocolate bars and twinkies. You wouldn't have great overall health, but you would be thin.

I don't agree with that. From a physiological perspective, that would make no sense. When the body goes into survival mode to store fat, it's because there's a vitamin deficiency. Not because there's a calorie deficiency. It would make no sense to store fat because of a calorie surplus. How is that going to increase the chances of survival? The body needs to store fat when there's nutritional deficiency and the body gauges that by the amount of vitamins available.

 

[bigglow]

I had a multi layered approach

I did 16/8 IF for 30 days

Graduated to lunch OMAD

Also changed

- the ingredients of my food to be macro/micro complete WFPB
- slept before 10pm and wake up after 6am
- weekly 14hrs pickleball, 1hr yoga & 8hrs crossfit
- liquids/beverage is only water
- the social circle to those who bring out the best version of me
- avoided non-productive screen time like tv, movies, gaming, streaming, social media, etc

Wanted outcome

- ideal blood chemistry
- ideal blood pressure
- RHR of 40bpm
- removal of of my hypertension, diuretic and cholesterol pills
- BMI 20.0 @ 10% BF & VF as a man

My progress makes me feel great physically, mentally and spiritually.

Per my personal cardio I'm 1 of 2 of his clients who had this reversal in his whole 4 decades of their medical practice. Other person was contractually obligated to keep to certain aesthetic for professional reasons. I did it because I felt my body failing.

I wish I started this in grade school with my loved ones. Life would've been kinder to me if I had these active calories

- 1983-2002: tennis + pre-crossfit weigts/strength
- 2002-2018: badminton + crossfit + yoga
- 2018-ongoing: pickleball + crossfit + yoga

I got suckered into the concept that what's inside is what counts & beauty is skin deep.

 

[MacPeasant123]

I've been doing intermittent fasting on and off for a few years, somewhat keeping to the 16/8 approach. Early on I was eating very healthy and I was also taking supplements to help the liver get rid of the fat it has: milk thistle, grape seed extract, choline, and a bit of tumeric (too much is bad for the liver apparently). Initially it worked great at reducing belly fat. I think I must have also entered ketosis at certain points without realizing it.

The last few months, I haven't been as stringent as I was before, and I've noticed that my belly fat stopped decreasing and instead got bigger. I eventually realized I needed to:

1) cut out sugar (Gatorade, which I didn't realize had lots of sugar and which I drank for electrolytes to keep the leg cramps away). I've since replaced my liquid electrolyte source with coconut water, and another supposedly sugar-less electrolyte drink

2) eat less per meal, as I was stuffing myself in the two meals I did eat, lunch and dinner

3) do some exercise, so I do a bit of that on the weekend (though I recently hurt my back doing kettlebell swings, got to give that a rest for a while and try other things). I haven't done much exercise though. Can still do squats and some basic Chinese-style exercises

4) I also recently started drinking a mix of 10% Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) + 20% Lemon Juice + 70% water, through a straw so it doesn't damage my teeth enamel.

My belly fat seems to have decreased a bit, and I mainly attribute it to the ACV + Lemon Juice + 70% water mix, and cutting out Gatorade. I could be wrong in that attribution though

 

[mollyc]

I don't agree with that. From a physiological perspective, that would make no sense. When the body goes into survival mode to store fat, it's because there's a vitamin deficiency. Not because there's a calorie deficiency. It would make no sense to store fat because of a calorie surplus. How is that going to increase the chances of survival? The body needs to store fat when there's nutritional deficiency and the body gauges that by the amount of vitamins available.

The body doesn't store fat only for survival mode. It stores fat because we eat too much.

"I don't agree with that" is not science. You even admitted that your whole premise is built on your feelings. You are not helping to facilitate a discussion here.

 

[splifingate]

The body doesn't store fat only for survival mode. It stores fat because we eat too much.

"I don't agree with that" is not science. You even admitted that your whole premise is built on your feelings. You are not helping to facilitate a discussion here.

While vitamins are the keys which unlock the body's potential, E-in > E-out is, ultimately, the storage 'gatekeeper'.

This is the often-misunderstood aspect of "weight loss" . . . there is little (or no) way for an organism to loose "weight" if they consume more than it expends. As a matter of fact, drastic 'under-consumption' can signal "well, cripes . . . tomorrow's levels of aggregate energy accumulation will mirror today's, so--in the interest of survivability--it makes sense to store, rather than expend."

Every, functional organism attuned to the long-term aspects of survival (basically "Everything") adheres to the maintenance of the balance between consumption, and expenditure.

"Three Squares" is a human construct, and antithetical to natural balance.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

While vitamins are the keys which unlock the body's potential, E-in > E-out is, ultimately, the storage 'gatekeeper'.

This is the often-misunderstood aspect of "weight loss" . . . there is little (or no) way for an organism to loose "weight" if they consume more than it expends. As a matter of fact, drastic 'under-consumption' can signal "well, cripes . . . tomorrow's levels of aggregate energy accumulation will mirror today's, so--in the interest of survivability--it makes sense to store, rather than expend."

Every, functional organism attuned to the long-term aspects of survival (basically "Everything") adheres to the maintenance of the balance between consumption, and expenditure.

"Three Squares" is a human construct, and antithetical to natural balance.

Yes, what you and Mollyc have written is simple to understand.

The body doesn't store fat only for survival mode. It stores fat because we eat too much.

"I don't agree with that" is not science. You even admitted that your whole premise is built on your feelings. You are not helping to facilitate a discussion here.

👍 You are right.
Maybe most of us humans don't need to get fat for survival like bears in the wild do before hibernation, eh?

 

[Huntn]

My wife and I have watched all of the Star Trek series, although the Picard of past years was a lot more...robust I should say? 🙂

I like my coffee black, without any sweeteners, creamers, and so on. Nothing added but a little taste of cinnamon, or maybe ginger, or even cloves. For cinnamon I prefer to dip a stick or bark of it into the hot coffee, just to extract a hint of its flavor before I drink the coffee. Most often I boil water, then pour the water over the ground coffee in a colander. Once I have enough coffee to fill a large glass storage container, I drop 2-3 cinnamon sticks in the hot coffee, and finally store it in the refrigerator after it has cooled. A little taste of pure cinnamon extract I also welcome now and then, too.

Yeah, seeing the old codger does not satisfy my nostalgic ST desires. 😔

Speaking of coffee,
I’m trying to make a batch of cold brew coffee. Just dump some grounds, quite a few grounds actually in a 64 Oz bottle, fill with water, let it sit in the fridge for 12-24 hrs and see what I get. The results must be strained to get the grounds out, I have a strainer.

 

[Huntn]

I don't agree with that. From a physiological perspective, that would make no sense. When the body goes into survival mode to store fat, it's because there's a vitamin deficiency. Not because there's a calorie deficiency. It would make no sense to store fat because of a calorie surplus. How is that going to increase the chances of survival? The body needs to store fat when there's nutritional deficiency and the body gauges that by the amount of vitamins available.

I’ve always looked at it as a simplistic basic, formula- calories in vs calories burned, if not used and there’s an excess, in they seem to turn into muscle or fat. People with fast metabolisms have it real easy in this department.

 

[splifingate]

The results must be strained

May I seek your Grace in converse-highlighting your assertion with a(n alternative) "may be"?

TBH, I (personally (and RIP Rob)) don't mind the bush/sludge...🤷‍♂️

 

[splifingate]

nostalgic ST desires

I owned an ST in the 80's . . . one (of the many) sentimental losses in my life.