This isn’t specifically related to Dr. Fung, but I wanted to let folks know, in case they didn’t already know, that the r/loseit subreddit is actively hostile towards any discussion of intermittent fasting that is for a period longer than 24 hours (OMAD).
Two days ago, there was an announcement by moderators in the subreddit included this language:
>If you are here to get validation for over restrictive habits - prolonged fasting, water fasting, or calorie goals consistently below medical guidelines – we can’t allow this community to have a part in furthering your disorder.
and …
> I will also reiterate here that we do not condone and will not normalize the idea that excessive restriction (fasting, water fasting, or unsupervised VLCD) are safe or healthy.
Various redditors who attempted to comment on this issue (including here and here) received various levels of scorn (see the downvotes), a moderator saying “Discussions of water fasting are absolutely not allowed here,” and various other comments attacking the idea of anything more than a 24-hour fast.
Given the comments of various moderators, some of them appear to believe that multi-day fasting is at best, very unhealthy, and at worst, an eating disorder.
Again, I’m sorry for the “not directly related to Dr. Fung” post here, but I thought it was important for anyone who is a proponent of intermittent fasting (as I know many fans of Dr. Fung are, including myself) to know how that particular weight loss subreddit is approaching the issue.
I have seen posts bragging about multi day fasts using adderall and phentermine on that sub.. along with peoples first ever fasts being 7days long.. that’s ridiculous and dangerous. I have read Dr Fungs book and it’s doing wonders for my health. I mostly lurk on the other thread but I see a lot of posts that I think are encouraging people to ignore their bodies and that’s not good.
Most diets fail. When you consume literally zero calories, you can’t fail, and a Nobel prize was awarded for the discovery of autophagy. I hear their concerns about eating disorders. Pretty easy to say “Must be over 15% BF to consider this diet” whenever it’s brought up.
Crabs in a bucket.
Thanks for the heads up. I usually keep my fasting posts to the fasting sub, sometimes keto. I think I reacted in a similar manner when I first heard about OMAD, let alone multi day fasts. Skipping meals? For DAYS? STARVATION MODE YOU WILL DIE!! (then I did my homework, tested it out, and my mind was changed)
The indoctrination of standard dietary guidelines is exactly what Dr. Fung is turning on its head, and it makes people really uncomfortable. The fasting sub also gets its fair share of “this is disordered eating” tirades. Eating disorders are real and serious, of course, but the idea that everyone who fasts has one is akin to saying everyone who washes their hands has OCD. The motivations and outcomes are totally different.
One other thing I’ve noticed… “disordered eating” seems to include any restrictions at all now. Every way of eating gets slapped with this. If you aren’t eating SAD 6 times a day, someone will think this is “unhealthy”.
I think a lot of these subs, INCLUDING r/intermittentfasting (not the mods, some of the Redditors) are of the belief that fasting/weight loss is a strictly CICO thing, when it is not.
(Full disclosure: I have not seen the IF sub be hostile towards longer than 24 hrs fasts per se.)
So in that vein, if they are completely ignoring the impact of insulin in fat storage then I could see where they might think that 24hr+ fasts are sliding into “disordered” eating.
Obviously, I disagree with them. I have done 48 hrs at most (though to be fair it was also at a time of great stress so it wasn’t intentional , however much I appreciated the effects).