I love reading from sites like those. When I got to about ten similar sites I could see what was consensus.
Some very good points.
When IF isn't solely about fat loss. It gets interesting to read about extra benefits that three squares just can't claim.
My understanding is as we start intermittent fasting on a regular and consistent basis. The body becomes more accustomed to fasting state. Where day one may take 12-18 hours to reach the fasting state, if we're on adf or 4:3. The body switches a little sooner as we get past the 10th fast. . I apologize for not explaining it very well, but layman's terms is as we train the body to burn fat it gets better at it.
I'm copy and pasting from new York Times on exercise.
When I decided to adopt a healthy lifestyle. I was sedentary at the time after a car accident, it's was years ago. I packed on 20lbs, but more importantly I lost a lot of strength.
The first 30lbs weight-loss goal was from fasting. Then the second 30 more was from exercise and fasting. If we can exercise, we should, at least the doable.
.............
The Best Exercise for Aging Muscles
GRETCHEN REYNOLDS
MARCH 23, 2017
The toll that aging takes on a body extends all the way down to the cellular level. But the damage accrued by cells in older muscles is especially severe, because they do not regenerate easily and they become weaker as their mitochondria, which produce energy, diminish in vigor and number.
A study published this month in Cell Metabolism, however, suggests that certain sorts of workouts may undo some of what the years can do to our mitochondria.
Exercise is good for people, as everyone knows. But scientists have surprisingly little understanding of its cellular impacts and how those might vary by activity and the age of the exerciser.
So researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., recently conducted an experiment on the cells of 72 healthy but sedentary men and women who were 30 or younger or older than 64. After baseline measures were established for their aerobic fitness, their blood-sugar levels and the gene activity and mitochondrial health in their muscle cells, the volunteers were randomly assigned to a particular exercise regimen.
Some of them did vigorous weight training several times a week; some did brief interval training three times a week on stationary bicycles (pedaling hard for four minutes, resting for three and then repeating that sequence three more times); some rode stationary bikes at a moderate pace for 30 minutes a few times a week and lifted weights lightly on other days. A fourth group, the control, did not exercise.
After 12 weeks, the lab tests were repeated. In general, everyone experienced improvements in fitness and an ability to regulate blood sugar.
There were some unsurprising differences: The gains in muscle mass and strength were greater for those who exercised only with weights, while interval training had the strongest influence on endurance.
But more unexpected results were found in the biopsied muscle cells. Among the younger subjects who went through interval training, the activity levels had changed in 274 genes, compared with 170 genes for those who exercised more moderately and 74 for the weight lifters. Among the older cohort, almost 400 genes were working differently now, compared with 33 for the weight lifters and only 19 for the moderate exercisers.
Many of these affected genes, especially in the cells of the interval trainers, are believed to influence the ability of mitochondria to produce energy for muscle cells; the subjects who did the interval workouts showed increases in the number and health of their mitochondria — an impact that was particularly pronounced among the older cyclists.
It seems as if the decline in the cellular health of muscles associated with aging was “corrected” with exercise, especially if it was intense, says Dr. Sreekumaran Nair, a professor of medicine and an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic and the study’s senior author. In fact, older people’s cells responded in some ways more robustly to intense exercise than the cells of the young did — suggesting, he says, that it is never too late to benefit from exercise.
Pang, tweaking my exercise is on my todo list. I start a beginner's yoga class this weekend. I know yoga isn't intense, but stress is another aspect I want to get better at handling.
Glad things are going well for you, Ubee. Things are still going well on my front too. =)
Shrimp curry last night and tonight was orange chicken, with bok choy, onion, sesames, and pieces of oranges instead of OJ or marmalade. I don't get a chance to eat much fruit so I decided to work some into the meal! =)
[QUOTE=SouthernMaven;5308695]Very good explanation about how and why IF is so effective:
SM - thanks for this
it is one of the nest IF summaries i have see in a long time
sorry you are moving on but wishing you well
from what you said re bloating and why we bother eating I am entering another short fast (48 hours)
might do this on a regular basis as i just cant face another long fast at the moment (even though deep down i think i should to finally heal)
II've been on a planned break.
The first quarter of the year I lost 23lbs.
I'm entering the second quarter of the year on monday starting with a 36 hour 600 calorie fast. I'll take the 4:3 IF approach again for 12 weeks. I hope to lose 18lbs. I'm stepping up the exercise while able to 1800 calories of exercise a week.
My diet chooses will geared for insulin resistance regulations.
Fish with iodine, broccoli, and selenium foods with intermittent fasting.
Weekends will be filling , but geared for exercise.
Skipping rope, walking, 7 compound lifts and strength training.
So I'm not changing anything from the last 12 weeks. Just more emphasis on skipping rope.
I used eating windows to control my eating. And cheating.
8 hour window.
10 am - 6pm
It was easy to fit 3 meals into it
10 am breakfast plate
2pm lunch plate
6pm dinner plate.
I think this worked because I was breaking my habits outside the window.
When I then turned to fasting 3 days a week.
The other 4 feed days I eat in the 8 hour window.
On the fast days I eat 600 calories in a 5 hour window.
1pm - 6pm
So I'm low in energy on fast days, but on the feed days I feel normal. ON feed days I have the energy to exercise.
Pang, I'm glad you found a schedule that works for you. I like to keep it even simpler, lol.
Regarding nutrient-dense food, I think that trying to eat the healthiest foods is a good habit. In my case, it's more like a hobby. From time to time, I focus on getting excited about including specific healthy whole foods in my diet. It's sort of a fun challenge for me to come up with something that I can work into the menu, a little bit like a puzzle. In the end, I sometimes tweak my regular diet. Or I might include something that I usually forget to put in my meal lineup; a few weeks ago I had liverwurst for a few meals.
Honestly, there are very few foods I dislike (ripe sweet bananas, tripe, poi, bitter melon, uni, and nato are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head). I love trying new foods or familiar foods prepared differently or with different spices. I am thinking about ways I can incorporate foods that I don't usually eat in my meals. I am thinking I might be able to make a yogurt sauce (but I won't want to cook it since I want the live culture).
Icky weather here this weekend so we decided to stay home. Last night we had chicken/broccoli stir fry with peanut sauce (although I like all sorts of meat, chicken remains my favorite and it's often on sale) and leftovers for tonight. =)
Hello all! Intermittent fasting with around 500 calories daily!
Hey everyone. I'm new to this site, but have done this before a few years ago. I have 7 health problems, so I need something extreme to lose any weight. I do fasting on a 23/1 schedule daily, and eat around 500 calories in the evening. I'm also vegan. I am at 245 lbs now (I'm 5'4), down 5 since I started Monday. I only drink water as well. I up my food value with nutritional yeast and vitamins. I am trying to get to 175. I feel so much better this past week, with so much more energy. If I do this with anything over 700 calories, I don't lose a pound. I'm guessing from my hormone problems, including pcos. I also have stage 3 endometriosis (which resulted in a hysterectomy at 28 after my second child, which was a blessing because they found out I would have had uterine cancer anyway), pseudotumor cerebri, fibromyalgia, hashimoto's, hypothyroidism, and now a type 2 diabetic. I've had over 12 surgeries, including 3 brain surgeries, and I'm tired of being fat, unhealthy, and exhausted. I have no problems doing the 23/1 fasting with vlc. I'm just trying to see if anyone else is doing it as well this way. I was at 263, but lost 13 lbs when I became vegan a year ago. Anyway, I'd love to hear if anyone else is doing this and had great success. I don't plan on doing this until reaching my goal, I plan on eating this healthy for life. I plan every calorie to be something to help my body and nourish it as much as possible. Thank you all!
I'm new and starting today. However, I lost 55 pounds years ago by IF after the birth of my 3rd child. I've yo-yo'd my entire life and IF was by far the easiest method I ever found. What worked for me was eating a Large lunch and not snacking. I became highly aware of how much I had been mindlessly eating (my kids' leftovers, cookies, snacks, etc.)
The past few years I've gone back to those old habits, added a few new ones (eating salty and sweets in front of the TV, for instance) and managed to pack nearly every pound back on. Sigh...
Now, I'm fighting Fibromyalgia (? It's painful, whatever it is) and frankly, I'm uncomfortable and insecure about my looks and my weight. I'm even afraid to get on the scale to see EXACTLY how bad the damage is.
Anyway, I'm 48 yo, 5'4", I believe I'm probably pushing 170 and want to lose 50pounds.
I successfully completed three fasts last week, using eat stop eat. I was surprised to find I didn't go off the rails when I was allowed to eat normally. I've also felt great. For me this does have to do with weight loss, but more importantly health related issues, like pre-diebetic, heart disease, and all the precursors that come with that.
I haven't weighed myself, so I am not sure if I've lost weight this week. For me, weighing in seems to defeat me more than anything. If the scale doesn't move or goes up, I tend to just feel devastated and will shortly just retire whatever it is I was doing. It's a very unproductive way to lose weight (that defeated feeling) Since I can't change my mind so quickly to be more positive (that takes time to bring those changes about). I'm staying away from stepping on a scale until I completed a a month of this life style. For now I will focus on how I'm feeling vs what I scale tells me, I'll focus on how my clothes are fitting vs that bathing stuffed in the dresser. I'm looking forward to having that pressure off.
The scale can be so crazy-making. It can go up from hormones, salt, food bulk, and even if you exercise (water retained in muscles).
I haven't looked into eat-stop-eat specifically, but eating less often than the average Western diet can help the conditions you are worried about. I'm glad you had an easy transition and I hope it continues smoothly.
I hope things are going well for everyone else too.
Half an avocado and Chicken Mexicana on greens last night. No plan for tonight yet, but I have another half avocado. I much prefer whole avocado to guac. I like the texture and I use just enough salt on the surface.
Hi, all! I am jumping in for the OMAD. I've done 24 hr fasts in the past, but I never mentally committed to OMAD every day until this week.
Here's some background: I haven't been to this site in a while. I was a regular a couple years back. I had lost approx. 45 lbs from calorie counting----zig-zagging my calories and starting my calorie count with dinner. That worked well for a long while. I've kept off most of my weight for more than five years now, so I'm proud of myself for that, but over several years, I have put on about five pounds. What worked for me in the past doesn't work for me now, though (mentally, not so much physically----any plan will probably work if you stick to it). Also, over the years, I've noticed that I cannot eat as many calories to maintain. I used to be able to eat 2200 for maintenance when I first started maintaining, but now I can only eat about 1800-1900 calories to be the weight I want to be, which is about 135-138 (not a low number considering I'm 49 and only 5 ft. 3). That 400 calories or so makes a BIG difference in terms of satiation.
I'm one of those people (like so many of us) who find it hard to moderate. Once I eat, the metaphorical faucet is turned on, and I just keep grazing all day long. Yet I still find satisfaction in a big dinner. This is what led me to consider OMAD. I would rather not eat at all during the day, fight through the few hunger pangs, and eat a hearty, satisfying dinner at night---even having a small dessert if I want. Mentally, I am one to "save the best for last," so the evening meal gives me something to look forward to when I get home. Over the years, I've tried not to see food as comfort, but I've never succeeded in separating the two, so now I'm just working with that with OMAD. I've also tried to identify pitfalls that have prevented me from effectively sticking to fasts in the past. One pitfall is preparing dinner on an empty stomach. Inevitably, I start picking, and cave. This time around, I prep most of the next night's dinner after I've already eaten dinner. It's early yet, but so far I love this way of eating.
ETA: Besides prepping the next night's dinner when I'm full, here are some other tips I've found helpful (trial and error---I've been working toward this WOE for a while):
1) I try to break my fast with a salad. I am a super fast eater, and by the time I feel full, I've often overeaten. Because of this, I deliberately time the eating of my salad for about 20-30 minutes before my main meal. This helps me to eat more moderately at my main meal.
2) I like the idea of "courses." Besides the salad, if I have some homemade soup on hand, I have that, too, before my main meat and vegetable. Then, I usually allot something for dessert. It makes me feel indulgent, like I'm eating at a restaurant----yet, I'm staying between 1200-1400 calories for all of it.
3) I have bone broth if I'm really starving. (I know many people do this).
4) If I'm not working that day, I try to plan my day's activities so there isn't much down time.
For me, weighing in seems to defeat me more than anything. If the scale doesn't move or goes up, I tend to just feel devastated and will shortly just retire whatever it is I was doing. It's a very unproductive way to lose weight (that defeated feeling) Since I can't change my mind so quickly to be more positive (that takes time to bring those changes about). I'm staying away from stepping on a scale until I completed a a month of this life style. For now I will focus on how I'm feeling vs what I scale tells me, I'll focus on how my clothes are fitting vs that bathing stuffed in the dresser. I'm looking forward to having that pressure off.
When I dieted five years ago and ultimately lost approx. 45 lbs., I did not weigh at all until five months or so into the process when I looked the way I wanted to (and then I was at my goal weight when I weighed). I feel the same as you do about the scale. I know some people look at it as simply an objective tool and they can use it as a scientist would (to track patterns in their weight loss), but I have never been able to do that. Weighing regularly just discourages me and makes me obsessive.
Things are going ok – still falling into a window rather than a meal (grazing while preparing a meal and just having a sweet thing after a meal) - this is annoying me.
BUT
I printed out SM’s summaries of IF and dip into when I am feeling weak, which is actually helping.
Hi Dewenton – I have hypothyroidism too, it is hard to lose weight when you are up against rubbish thyroid function so I feel your frustration.
Hi Yo Yo Oh No – I am in much the same boat as you, 3 kids / just on the right side of 50 / 5’2” with up to 35 lbs to loose. Had to look up what fibromyalgia was but was surprised how many of the symptoms I recognised in myself BUT I will not be visiting the Dr… I have had too many wasted and pointless visits to the Dr’s. This is my own battle and I will just keep on trying to deal with things myself through eating the best I can.
Hi lin43 – like you I can’t eat as much as I used to and agree that it is better to try and get 1 good meal a day rather than agonising over 2-3 miserable offerings. I too am really enjoying this way of eating BUT I have been prone to grazing before and after the meal which I think it really contributing to no weight loss yet. I am super-fast eater too – when I was a kid my brother would take my food if I didn’t get it down me quick enough – we joked there were 2 types of people in our house – THE QUICK & THE HUNGRY.
Having come from anorexia and bulimia the scale has been torture for me, I am SOOOOOO heavy now compared to when I was at the height of A&B that I am really quite scared of the scales, to the extent that I now measure myself in kilos rather than lbs (as I really don’t know what the lb equivalent is and I really just want the number to go down).
I used to journal but found it was not helping me – I think I was beating myself up too much SO I have started noting 1 good thing about each day in a small diary – this is better although sadly it has been hard to come up with a good thing some days.
I have also been trying to cut down on fat (I know I know fat is good for you) but I could smother everything in EVOO so I have been trying to be conscious of that.
However, on a positive note I am off on holiday for 2 weeks and I actually think it will be easier to stick to OMAD as I will have less food preparation / will not be in my own kitchen with all its temptations.
