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.
I had been doing the same, but letting the ground coffee filter though sort of felt filter. This filter was at the bottom of a plastic container that sat on a glass carafe. But about a month ago I dropped the glass carafe on the ceramic tiles in the kitchen. I would pour-in about three cups of water into the plastic jar, followed by about 1/4 of ground coffee, then more water on top, followed by more ground coffee, and so forth until the jar was filled. Let it sit overnight, and in the morning all the cold and filtered brew would be in the glass carafe. The problem was having to wash the filter and plastic jar with warm water; it is messy, specially the felt filter. The one I had was similar to the Toddy Cold Brew System ($44.95 at Amazon). But break the jar like I did, and it takes quite a while to find a substitute
There are numerous carafes you can use for cold brew coffees. I will take my time looking at all the options shown at the following Amazon web page, but it seems that all use mesh filters instead of the one I referred to above. Carafes at Amazon
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I had been doing the same, but letting the ground coffee filter though sort of felt filter. This filter was at the bottom of a plastic container that sat on a glass carafe. But about a month ago I dropped the glass carafe on the ceramic tiles in the kitchen. I would pour-in about three cups of water into the plastic jar, followed by about 1/4 of ground coffee, then more water on top, followed by more ground coffee, and so forth until the jar was filled. Let it sit overnight, and in the morning all the cold and filtered brew would be in the glass carafe. The problem was having to wash the filter and plastic jar with warm water; it is messy, specially the felt filter. The one I had was similar to the Toddy Cold Brew System ($44.95 at Amazon). But break the jar like I did, and it takes quite a while to find a substitute
There are numerous carafes you can use for cold brew coffees. I will take my time looking at all the options shown at the following Amazon web page, but it seems that all use mesh filters instead of the one I referred to above. Carafes at Amazon
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.
March 2025- I weighed 228. i’m 5’10”.
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:
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.
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
I ended up using an app called BodyFast. I liked it because it has a free non-subscription model that you could use to try it out. This works for me and I liked it so much that I ended up subscribing to it for three months because I wanted to see what ‘The Coach’ was about, and actually felt like I owed them some money.
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.
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[*].
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.
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 .
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.
I used to do 9-day fasts, back when I was in my 30’s.
Drank a Fullers Earth preparation mid fast, and had enemas every 3 days.
I used to get 3 days in, then smoking was unbearable, so a good way to quit - no craving at all.
After 10 days, the taste of a mug of Heinz Tomato soup, and a slice of lightly-buttered toast, is amazing.
The only problem is having to rinse the ground and oil from the filter and container (carafe and so on) after brewing the coffee, regardless if it is a hot of cold brew. I prefer to use paper filters, because once the coffee is brewed, I can toss the filter and ground in the trash.
But if you are willing to put up with the time and effort it takes to use a reusable filter that removes most residues from the ground coffee, a natural or organic cotton filter can be used. I have seen some of these filters at Amazon and other online stores, but again one would have to wash the filter after use by turning it inside out, drop the ground into the trashcan, wash the filter in warm water, and then hang it to dry somewhere. My mother used one of such filters for both hot or cold brews.
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 only problem is having to rinse the ground and oil from the filter and container (carafe and so on) after brewing the coffee, regardless if it is a hot of cold brew. I prefer to use paper filters, because once the coffee is brewed, I can toss the filter and ground in the trash.
But if you are willing to put up with the time and effort it takes to use a reusable filter that removes most residues from the ground coffee, a natural or organic cotton filter can be used. I have seen some of these filters at Amazon and other online stores, but again one would have to wash the filter after use by turning it inside out, drop the ground into the trashcan, wash the filter in warm water, and then hang it to dry somewhere. My mother used one of such filters for both hot or cold brews.
They sell a metal (aluminum?) mesh filter that fits into the mouth of a 64oz mason jar. So I poured the coffee mixture from one jar to the other and surprisingly most of the grounds stayed in the original jar, but the ones that came out the filter caught. I assume I can periodically wash this filter in the dishwasher as I have 2 of them. The only thing I don’t like, it seems to take twice as many grounds to produce the same amount of coffee with cold brew as with hot.
They sell a metal (aluminum?) mesh filter that fits into the mouth of a 64oz mason jar. So I poured the coffee mixture from one jar to the other and surprisingly most of the grounds stayed in the original jar, but the ones that came out the filter caught. I assume I can periodically wash this filter in the dishwasher as I have 2 of them. The only thing I don’t like, it seems to take twice as many grounds to produce the same amount of coffee with cold brew as with hot.
I would prefer a stainless steel mesh filter to aluminum, since the latter is prone to oxidize when in contact with water and the acidity of the coffee. I was at one of the local Fred Mayer stores yesterday and looked at several of the cold brew glass-made coffee makers. The most expensive one ($49.99 USD) included a stainless steel mesh filter, and noticed that two of the four were missing the filter. I notified one of the employees who was nearby about the missing filters, and did not buy any.
What I have been doing for a couple of months already is as follows: I use two stainless steel "pour over coffee dripper filters" that I purchased form Amazon, put a conical-shaped 2-cup paper filter in each of the stainless filters, put 2 ground coffee scoops in each of the filters, then pour boiling water over each set of filters. The coffee is collected in the two glass jars under the filters. To boil the water I use a 1.8L glass/stainless steel electric boiler. It boils the water within 2-3 minutes. No need to spend time cleaning the mess after; just toss the paper filters and ground coffee in the trash can, and rinse the stainless filters with hot water. The filters I referred to are about one-half down the page (just the filters without a pitcher). Stainless steel pour over coffee drippers
I collect enough coffee to drink for a couple of days and keep it in a glass pitcher, refrigerated. Also, I drop 2 cinnamon sticks in the pitcher, and/or in about 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract as a flavor enhancer. For some reason the coffee becomes darker a day or so later, so I often have to thinned it out with hot water before I drink it.
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I would prefer a stainless steel mesh filter to aluminum, since the latter is prone to oxidize when in contact with water and the acidity of the coffee. I was at one of the local Fred Mayer stores yesterday and looked at several of the cold brew glass-made coffee makers. The most expensive one ($49.99 USD) included a stainless steel mesh filter, and noticed that two of the four were missing the filter. I notified one of the employees who was nearby about the missing filters, and did not buy any.
What I have been doing for a couple of months already is as follows: I use two stainless steel pour over coffee dripper filters that I purchased form Amazon, put a conical-shaped 2-cup paper filter in each of the stainless filters, put 2 ground coffee scoops in each of the filters, then pour boiling water over each set of filters. The coffee is collected in the two glass jars under the filters. To boil the water I use a 1.8L glass/stainless steel electric boiler. It boils the water waiting 2-3 minutes. No need to spend time cleaning the mess after; just toss the paper filters and ground coffee in the trash can, and rinse the stainless filters with hot water. The filters I a referring to are about one-half down the page (just the filters without a pitcher). Stainless steel pour over coffee drippers
I collect enough coffee to drink for a couple of days and keep it in a glass pitcher, refrigerated. Also, I drop 2 cinnamon sticks in the pitcher, and/or in about 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract as a flavor enhancer. for some reason the coffee becomes darker a day or so later, so I often have to think it out with hot water before I drink it.
Hmm.maybe it is stainless? I didn’t really focus on what it was made out of this new was metal. I’ll have to check the packaging 🤔 Despite requiring twice as many coffee grounds, what I’m getting taste better than what I brew. Sometimes I drink it cold, but sometimes I heat it up in the microwave.
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Hmm.maybe it is stainless? I didn’t really focus on what it was made out of this new was metal. I’ll have to check the packaging 🤔 Despite requiring twice as many coffee grounds, what I’m getting taste better than what I brew. Sometimes I drink it cold, but sometimes I heat it up in the microwave.
Just keep in mind that if you pour cold water over to ground coffee, the coffee won't be very dark. The only way it can become dark when using cold water is to to immersed the filter with the ground coffee in the water for several hours. If you immerse it overnight, or even 12 hours, the cold coffee with be as dark as it can possibly be. I used cold brew not too long ago, and did so with the filter and about one-half of ground immersed for at least 10 hours. The end result was a very thick and dark coffee that I had to water down before drinking it. 16 oz or more of this coffee can be kept cold at the campsite (if you do such things) in a Thermos bottle for 3-4 days. All you have to do before drinking a cup of it is to think it with water (I prefer hot water, or just heating it before drinking).
Just keep in mind that if you pour cold water over to ground coffee, the coffee won't be very dark. The only way it can become dark when using cold water is to to immersed the filter with the ground coffee in the water for several hours. If you immerse it overnight, or even 12 hours, the cold coffee with be as dark as it can possibly be. I used cold brew not too long ago, and did so with the filter and about one-half of ground immersed for at least 10 hours. The end result was a very thick and dark coffee that I had to water down before drinking it. 16 oz or more of this coffee can be kept cold at the campsite (if you do such things) in a Thermos bottle for 3-4 days. All you have to do before drinking a cup of it is to think it with water (I prefer hot water, or just heating it before drinking).
I’m just dumping the 1-2 cups coffee grounds into a 64oz jug, fill it with filtered water, put it in the fridge and let it sit for 24 hrs. Then it is poured though a filter into a second jug. I wonder if this process would be better or worse at room temp? 🤔
I’m just dumping the 1-2 cups coffee grounds into a 64oz jug, fill it with filtered water, put it in the fridge and let it sit for 24 hrs. Then it is poured though a filter into a second jug. I wonder if this process would be better or worse at room temp? 🤔
I have never cold-brewed in the refrigerator, so I don't know if there is a difference in taste between the two modes. But I would think that brewing it at room temperature allows for more of the natural oils and flavors in the coffee ground to be released in the water. I could be wrong, or course.
I have never cold-brewed in the refrigerator, so I don't know if there is a difference in taste between the two modes. But I would think that brewing it at room temperature allows for more of the natural oils and flavors in the coffee ground to be released in the water. I could be wrong, or course.
I have never cold-brewed in the refrigerator, so I don't know if there is a difference in taste between the two modes. But I would think that brewing it at room temperature allows for more of the natural oils and flavors in the coffee ground to be released in the water. I could be wrong, or course.
While I haven't noticed the differences relating to bitterness, I have some friends who attest to the minimized bitter taste of cold-brewed coffee.
I don't know if the following helps reduce the bitter taste of coffee since I don't notice it when I drink it. However, it is possible that the way I prepare it helps tame the bitter taste (?). This is what I do, regardless if it is a cold or hot brew: I brew enough coffee to to have two or three 4-5 ounce cup of coffee each day, for a period of three days, and drop into the pitcher where the coffee collects... 2 cinnamon sticks that are about 5 inches in length each. I also pour in 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. When the coffee has cooled, I place the full pitcher in the refrigerator.
If I drink a cup of hot coffee right after hot-brewing it, I can notice the tase of vanilla extract, but it is too soon for me to notice the flavor of cinnamon in the brewed coffee. Now, the taste of cinnamon is present one day after the coffee has been in the refrigerator, as long as I first stir the coffee in the pitcher before I drink it. I could very well sprinkle powdered cinnamon into the coffee, but I don't like any residue from cinnamon and other spices remaining in the brewed coffee.
Since I hot-brew coffee while pouring hot water over the coffee ground in a paper filter, adding any spice in powdered form clogs the paper filter and slows down the process. That's the reason why I use cinnamon sticks instead of powdered cinnamon or cloves. By the way, I enjoy the adding of different spice flavors to my coffee, not just cinnamon, ginger root, and sweet cloves of various kinds. But I have adapted to plain black coffee spiced with some of the flavors I mention above, and most important: without sugars, creamers, milks, and so on like I used to do about a year ago.
While I haven't noticed the differences relating to bitterness, I have some friends who attest to the minimized bitter taste of cold-brewed coffee.
I don't know if the following helps reduce the bitter taste of coffee since I don't notice it when I drink it. However, it is possible that the way I prepare it helps tame the bitter taste (?). This is what I do, regardless if it is a cold or hot brew: I brew enough coffee to to have two or three 4-5 ounce cup of coffee each day, for a period of three days, and drop into the pitcher where the coffee collects... 2 cinnamon sticks that are about 5 inches in length each. I also pour in 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. When the coffee has cooled, I place the full pitcher in the refrigerator.
If I drink a cup of hot coffee right after hot-brewing it, I can notice the tase of vanilla extract, but it is too soon for me to notice the flavor of cinnamon in the brewed coffee. Now, the taste of cinnamon is present one day after the coffee has been in the refrigerator, as long as I first stir the coffee in the pitcher before I drink it. I could very well sprinkle powdered cinnamon into the coffee, but I don't like any residue from cinnamon and other spices remaining in the brewed coffee.
Since I hot-brew coffee while pouring hot water over the coffee ground in a paper filter, adding any spice in powdered form clogs the paper filter and slows down the process. That's the reason why I use cinnamon sticks instead of powdered cinnamon or cloves. By the way, I enjoy the adding of different spice flavors to my coffee, not just cinnamon, ginger root, and sweet cloves of various kinds. But I have adapted to plain black coffee spiced with some of the flavors I mention above, and most important: without sugars, creamers, milks, and so on like I used to do about a year ago.
Thanks for the tip. As I typically sleep by 9 and wake a little before 6 and workout before wor I do not require coffee.
The ex introduced me to cold brew and I typically drink it when socializing as there aren't any other zero cal options that doesn't have some sugar substitute that messes with my body long term
