Thanks kfunk, I do like a challenge to keep me going
Love to buddy up and support each other during fasts. Thinking of starting my first 48 hour fast on Tuesday 12th September - scary!
LONG POST ALERT!!
As for autophagy, well that's the biochem nerd in me coming out - sorry. So autophagy literally means "self eating" and it's what our bodies do automatically after a certain period without protein coming in through diet. Less scary than it sounds I promise...
After some time without food your body starts looking for rubbish (old damaged cells for example) that it can break down into amino acids and use. That rubbish needs to be protein based, hence unused loose, flabby skin is a prime target. Your body then breaks this down to sustain itself through the fast. Autophagy is not a bad thing - it is a normal mechanism that has been shown to protect against cancer. Think about it - your body is breaking down the rubbish cells before they become harmful... You can google a Dr. called Jason Fung. He's actually a kidney specialist but became interested in weight loss through the many diabetics he treated. He prescribes intermittent fasting alongside a ketogenic diet and says he's NEVER once referred a patient for skin removal post weight loss. I don't know if that means a 300lb patient who goes to 150 could expect super supple skin but I think he says the body can deal with skin well enough through autophagy for it to be livable and avoid surgery, which in my opinion is good enough.
The bad thing about autophagy is that no-one really knows how long you have to fast before it starts. Jason Fung personally says he fasts for 24 hours, most people agree that you need to fast over 18 hours at least. The research I've seen on mice equates to about 36-48 hours in humans but it's all a guess and it's very individual. If you're eating a ketogenic diet you will start autophagy faster than if you're eating carbs. I personally believe from my research that fasting for 48-72 hours will give my body the best chance of "eating" any loose skin but that is my opinion and I'm not giving anyone medical advice here.
Finally, one thing that is universally agreed upon is that even tiny amounts of protein (
less than 3 grams!) will stop autophagy in its tracks. So you have to fast properly - no splashs of milk in your coffee to get you through it. Tough but for a day or two, doable. I thought about posting this on the loose skin thread as it seems something so many of us worry about but as I say, I'm not giving medical advice and I don't have a tonne of loose skin to use myself as a guinea pig and claim it works. I believe it works though. Everything I've ever learned in biochemistry supports this theory so I'm willing to give it a try. I already fast for between 14-17 hours each day so I'm prepared to go that bit further.
5lb Challenge #356
Fingers crossed for us all.
Well eating dinner on Wednesday would take us the full 48 hours and I'd be happy with that.. But secretly I would like to see if I can last until Thursday breakfast. I'm not putting pressure on myself (or you!) to do that though. If I last until Wednesday dinner I will be a happy bunny. I'm planning to photograph my mummy pouch before and after - I can't believe I've just said that, it's my most hated body part... We can start a new fasting thread tonight if you like so we don't bore everyone here 