Intermittent Fasting, beyond losing weight

Since at least one person is interested, I'm going to share some of what I've learned about intermittent fasting (IF) in the past year.  If you think it's a silly idea, go read another thread or go for a hike.  If you have real questions, ask away.  

To get started, try looking at some of the references in a blog post I have in my fitness blog.  It's a personal blog that will never have any advertising.  It's an easy way to for me to keep notes on what I find about topics related to being an older ski nut who wants to stay in shape and ski until age 80 or 90 or older.

http://over50skifitness.blogspot.com/2018/09/benefits-of-fasting-for-active-people.html

A good book to consider is The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung.  His speciality is not nutrition.  He is a Canadian nephrologist who wanted to help his obese patients with kidney failure, many of whom were diabetic.

Not that it matters, but I don't have a medical background, I'm a petite women with a kid in high school, over 60, and eat healthy but don't go overboard in terms of watching what I eat.  I'm married to a non-skiing man who likes meat and potatoes or anything fried.  I have a Ph.D. in Biostatistics and worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 15 years before retiring early.  Grew up in NYC, learned to ski in the Adirondacks, but moved to NC in high school because that's where my mother wanted to be when she retired. Father was a professor. Parents lived to 95 and were sharp mentally until the day they died.  No major issues getting around until after age 94.  I had good role models.

My wife has been talking about fasting, just recently, not sure why.  She was telling me that I do it naturally. I often go 16 hours and on weekends sometimes 36 without eating much. Does that count?

On a gut level (ha) I know it would be good for me to really do it.

Harvey wrote

My wife has been talking about fasting, just recently, not sure why.  She was telling me that I do it naturally. I often go 16 hours and on weekends sometimes 36 without eating much. Does that count?

On a gut level (ha) I know it would be good for me to really do it.

Yes, that counts.  As long as you aren't snacking or drinking sugary drinks during the time you aren't eating.  The benefits only kick in when there is enough time with no eating, only drinking liquids with no sugar or sugar substitutes.  Has to do with insulin levels and how that regulates whether food energy is stored or used.

One book I read notes early on that everyone fasts to a degree because humans sleep.  One way to start fasting a bit more deliberately is to not eat breakfast.  Assuming no mid-morning snack, then fasting for about 16 hours is not hard.  That's not enough to lose weight but still can be useful in the long run.

The thing to keep in mind about IF is that there are lots of different approaches.  The most common are "eating windows" of 4-8 hours per day, alternate day (skip breakfast and lunch every other day), 5-2 (2 fast days per week), and one meal a day (OMAD).  Doing a longer fast, say 36-48 hours, once a month is another form of IF.

One feature of IF is that the issue of fatty liver goes away faster.  Pretty sure fatty liver is a risk factor for diabetes.  There is also other fat around organs that gets used up.  Guess what looks different?  The waistline.  There are people who do IF and don't weigh themselves.  Can tell that things are changing by how pants feel, especially if wearing a belt.  I always wear pants (tomboy from way back) and use a belt.  The change after playing with IF for a few months this summer was obvious.  Made a difference of 2-3 holes on my belt compared to my highest weight in recent years.

Here's another blog entry that includes a couple videos.  Pretty sure the creator is an American who lives in Japan.  He decided to move to eating once a day in 2016.

http://over50skifitness.blogspot.com/2018/09/science-behind-fasting-hunger-and-daily.html

If you prefer to read, there is a link to the full transcript in the source.  Includes plenty of links to his sources.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/16239257

how do you get past those sinking feelings.  like hunger nausea.  always assumed that was just my blood sugar temporarily cratering like an engine sputtering before it completely quits (bonk).

Southern Tier wrote

how do you get past those sinking feelings.  like hunger nausea.  always assumed that was just my blood sugar temporarily cratering like an engine sputtering before it completely quits (bonk).

From what I've learned, the initial shift takes a while.  Can be a few days or a few weeks.  Depends on the approach taken to getting started with fasting.  Also depends on how much "insulin resistance" exists.  For example, someone who is diabetic or obese will take longer to make the needed change in levels of hormones that are related to hunger and fat-burning compared to someone who has developed a bit of a middle-age bulge but is otherwise in pretty good shape physically.  Dr. Fung prefers to start his obese patients with an extended fast of 3 days, but that's with direct supervision by his clinic.

I started out by just skipping breakfast a few times a week.  Since I'm retired and don't have a regular work schedule to deal with, it was easier to experiment.  But I also remembered not feeling hungry years ago when I was doing something intense like running a multi-day sporting event from 7am to 11pm.  I would eat a small breakfast and then not eat again until late at night.

Longevity & Why I now eat One Meal a Day
https://youtu.be/PKfR6bAXr-c

10 things I learned from 30 days intermittent fasting
https://youtu.be/f44P_T3T8Ko

(Sorry, can't remember how to embed a video)

Gin Stephens has some "success stories" on her website.  I think most come from her Facebook Group, which has apparently grown rapidly since she started it about two years ago.  The ones that may be more relevant for NYSkiblog folks are about Alex Boss, Brian from California, Dave, or Nick.  The rest are women and most are not likely to be skiers or mountain bikers.

http://www.ginstephens.com/success-stories.html

I've only read her first book.  Never looked at the FB Group.

For those who like listening more than reading, here's another video from the guy who created What I've Learned.

Fasting vs. Eating Less: What's the Difference? (Science of Fasting)
https://youtu.be/APZCfmgzoS0

A key topic that is covered by all books about intermittent fasting are the flaws in the Calories In Calories Out concept.  One idea to think about is whether 100 calories from candy is the same as 100 calories from vegetables or protein.  It turns out that WHEN you eat is more important in terms of hormones related to metabolism and hunger than WHAT you eat.  The info about the related hormones is not really new.  But there is clinical research that has looked at the hormone levels a bit differently in the last decade.

Southern Tier wrote

how do you get past those sinking feelings.  like hunger nausea.  always assumed that was just my blood sugar temporarily cratering like an engine sputtering before it completely quits (bonk).

Even though this man has obviously figured out how to turn his knowledge into a business, my sense is that his approach to intermittent fasting makes sense.  He was an athlete growing up playing rugby and doing long distance running, lives in California with wife, kid, dogs, and horses.

https://www.thomasdelauer.com/about-me/

https://youtu.be/LLVf3d0rqqY

This is awesome stuff. Thx for sharing!  

i only eat breakfast when i'm going to do something active in the morning so generally weekends.  i never over do breakfast or lunch.

thanks for the info

Southern Tier wrote

i only eat breakfast when i'm going to do something active in the morning so generally weekends.  i never over do breakfast or lunch.

thanks for the info

Keep in mind that the physiological processes that makes intermittent fasting effective has little to with how much you eat at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  It has to do with how many hours your system is functioning in a low insulin state because you aren't doing anything to initiate insulin production.  If you eat a little every 2 hours, you'll never lose weight.  If you eat the same number of calories in a 4-hour window for a few weeks, your system will make adjustments and spend more time using stored energy, meaning converting fat into usable stuff.

In short, better to skip breakfast and eat lunch and dinner, than to eat breakfast and skip lunch, then eat dinner.  Also means a heavy late night snack is actually counter-productive.  Better to eat the ice cream right after dinner.

ScottyJack wrote

This is awesome stuff. Thx for sharing!

Once I learned the basics from The Obesity Code, made it a lot easier to find other sources to start making sense of the advantages and realities of the various approaches to intermittent fasting.  There is a lot of stuff out there to sift through.

Personal experimentation is important.  There is definitely not one approach that is the best for anyone and everyone.