I know it’s a very basic question and I apologize if it has been asked before. I used the search option and read through a few interesting threads, but none of them answered exactly what I would like to know. I heard about Intermittent fasting having lots of health benefits, such as causing the body to induce autophagy, reducing inflammation, preventing or even reversing pre-diabetes and so on, so I decided to give it a try. I am currently trying to find out which type of IF produces the best outcomes healthwise.
I admit that I’ve been a bit lazy so far when it comes to reading actual studies in debth, and my problem with a lot of articles on the subject matter is that they seem to mix up health with weight loss a lot, which I’m not interested in, since I’d like to maintain my current weight. So I was wondering if you could give me your opinion. Do I need the long windows without food of 5:2 to really get all these healthy processes going? Or could the larger fluctuation of blood sugar level/ hormone levels that comes with 24+ hours of fasting be too hard on the body? Any other reasons why one method could be healthier than others?
Thank you in advance!
If going 24 hrs without food was too hard on the body our species wouldn’t have survived past the caveman days. On average, we have 80,000 extra calories stored as body fat/energy on our bodies. We can go several days if we needed. Try not eating for 14 hours out of the day. 8hrs of sleeping plus 6 hrs after that of nothing except black coffee or water. Instead of your body working on digesting food all day, allow your body to work on itself and heal.
I do either 18:6 or 16:8 every day and eat high carb low fat vegan for my evening meal. I do raw til four til my dinner and in four weeks lost six inches of my waist. I’ve also healed a lot of my fibromyalgia and arthritis symptoms and my depression is a lot better now
Healthy is relative— it matters whether you’re a post-menopausal woman, an 18 year old healthy male, a 50 year old male with heart disease, a lactating woman, a trans person on hrt…
I have a coworker who’s in grad school for nutrition and she told me that a lot of studies have excluded women, since the issue of pregnancy and lactation comes up so much. My point being, I’m not convinced that there’s a one-size-fits-all solution
Unpopular fact, but autophagy isn’t really a magic bullet and you don’t need to chase it. It’s a process happening all the time.
That said, it depends on what you’re looking for and your tolerance. I personally find that OMAD works best, with whole foods on a Mediterranean diet menu. Easy, effective, and sustainable. All of my health markers and mood improved.
I supplement with electrolytes and vitamin B12 and allow myself a cup of coffee and a dash of 1/2 & 1/2 in the morning.
It is definitely something you can build over time. I started at 14:10, then moved to 16:8 and now I’m perfectly content going to 20 or all the way 24 hours. When things start to stabilize at work, I may go to 36 and eventually 48 hours but I know my body and I know I have to “train” my mind. I’m also on Keto so I literally have zero appetite left at this point.
I’m two weeks in and am doing the 16:8 combined with WW app to track my food points, exercise and water. I’ve found this to be very manageable with my work and life schedule. First week loss was 3.8 lbs. 56 yo F, 5 ft 5 in. SW 170.9, GW 135. I feel great, sleeping better and more energy
Ive lost 117 lbs so far. I started 16;8. Week later 18:6. Then a week later Omad. Now I do a combo if at least 18 hours between meals up to 20-24 hours. Usually do 2 1 day fast each week and 1-5 day fasts when I am up to it and some days I may do two meals or even 3 on a weekend so it kinda keeps my body adjusting. I definitely did it slow each week adding more time to work towards those 5 day fasts. I never snack and only eat whole food. Very little sugar. Only water and unsweet tea. 10 months in. Feels maintainable compared to my old way of eating and gaining.
I started with 16:8 then gradually moved to 18:6 and eventually just went until I was legit hungry so anywhere from 18 to 23 hours. Maintaining a steady time window of eating is good for the body though for many reasons. But try different methods and see what works best for maintaining consistency
Intermittent fasting (IF) can have many health benefits, such as reducing inflammation, preventing or reversing pre-diabetes, and promoting autophagy (a process in which cells break down and recycle damaged components). The type of IF that produces the best outcomes healthwise will vary depending on the individual and their specific goals.
The 5:2 method, where you eat normally for 5 days and fast for 2 days, can be an effective way to achieve many of the benefits of IF. However, it’s important to note that this method may be more challenging for some people to stick to long-term.
On the other hand, the 24+ hour fasting approach, such as the popular 16/8 method, which involves fasting for 16 hours and eating within an 8-hour window, is a more gradual and sustainable approach. This method allows for a larger fluctuation of blood sugar level and hormone levels, but it can be more manageable for people who find it difficult to stick to strict fasting schedules.
Ultimately, the best approach will depend on your personal preferences, lifestyle, and health goals. It might be worth experimenting with different methods to see which one works best for you.
I was having great success with 36 hour fasts. My routine: 7pm Normal Dinner the day before, including a good source of salt and magnesium of some kind, like mixed nuts. Then fasting all day, drinking hot water and dressing warm all day to conserve some calories. Then the next day breaking the fast at 8am breakfast. It really isn’t hard when you stay hydrated and have salt the day before. I did this every 3 weeks for about half a year and lost a significant amount of weight and felt very healthy.
While you’re trying to lose weight 20:4, once you’re happy with you’re weight 16:8. Just my experience it’s different for everyone. I’m also trying to put on some lean muscle and it was difficult for me to fit enough calories into a 4 hour window.
You might be interested in reading the complete guide to fasting by Dr Jason Fung. Each chapter is devoted to explaining how fasting affects different systems/conditions by summarizing the latest available studies and discussion what is not yet known etc. Then base on that science he recommends different fasting protocols. For example someone with diabetes should fast for longer periods than this just trying to shed some extra lbs. There’s separate chapters on heart disease etc.
For those interested in autophagy he recommends longer fasts (eg 7 days). It can help prevent cancer by ridding the body of abnormal or non functioning cells and replenish.
If you’re looking for the health benefits that come with fasting such as autophagy, expedited ketosis & reduced inflammation, then you’re window of fasting really needs be well over 24 hours.
All of the “health focused” benefits will come well into your 2nd day of fasting…however this is a double edged sword for you as you mentioned you’re not interested in losing weight, which you definitely will (although it’ll be mostly water weight).
Best thing imo is to cycle periods of extended fasting with a gradual ease back into higher than maintenance calories to ensure you can maintain your weight.
For example - you could do a 3 day fast once per month and just increase your calories for 1-2 weeks afterwards to get your weight back to maintenance.
Good luck! 😊