Okay - I kept hoping to see something about this "Ebook". It's by Brad Pilon, who says he graduated from University (I don't think he says which one) with honors after having studied nutrition and metabolism. In this Ebook, he says that almost everything we hear about dieting, such as "eat multiple small meals a day” and eat “high protein foods every 2-3 hours" is nonsense. His book basically says that if you want to lose weight, one of the best ways of doing it is to fast 2 days per week. He says that fasting for short periods (24 hours to 72 hours) does not decrease your metabolism; in fact, he says that food has little effect on metabolism one way or another and that it is actually HEALTHY to fast (for short periods).

Any thoughts on this?

When fasting, do you not eat anything..at all? I ask because if I go too long with out eating I feel very sick and light headed and my blood sugar gets out of whack..

No - apparently you aren't supposed to consume any calories at all during the fasting period. However - he says that the fast should last 24 hours - so if you start it after dinner you have 24 hours and then eat dinner again, so you are eating every day.

He does cite research on fasting - and dieting. He claims that there are actually health benefits from fasting. It's just so hard to know what the truth is!

I have heard of this. A not so drastic approach is calorie cycling. If your median calorie intake is 1000 cals per day. Somedays do 1000, some days 500 and sometimes 1500. I believe that wrestlers do this to lose weight. Fools the metabolism and there is no storage of fat.

I'd love to hear more about this if anyone has anything to add. Or even any personal experiences?

I'm not sure if it's ok to post this, but here goes: take a look at lowcarb.ca and search "intermittent fasting". Lots of info there. Also, Google "Fast-5, Bert Herring" for a free ebook on the subject.

I think it's a good idea, if only because back in the day, when I was thin, this was how I ate naturally.

I think that website was very interesting. Thanks.

Sorry to bring this old post back, but I have tried the diet and found it works very well, also in regard to your concerns about feeling hungry I didnt have this problem.

After using this deit myself I would reccomend it to anyone.

Hope that helps some one out.

Cheers,

David

i have also tried this diet.. and in all honesty.. it works.. but the down side is that as with any "fasting" your body does go into starvation mode plus this can trigger things like diabetes and other health problems... it is said that once your body hits the 48 hour mark without food it will actually burn real fat. i am unsure if it actually does that. i dont recommend starving yourself for days.. because it is just not healthy. there is no reason to deprive yourself of needed food. just eat in moderation and stick to small several meals that have low fat/no fat. you can even avoid carbs to get rid of tummy bulge... but fasting is not the answer to long term weight loss.. the weight will come back once you start eating again.

I do calorie cycling just naturally, that's how I lost the majority of my weight, but fasting with no food at all would be very harmful for me because my blood sugar would drop too low.

It's really dangerous for people who aren't possibly aware they have diabetes or blood sugar problems or any other hidden health problem to attempt to "fast" without food for any real length of time (not talking about a few hours, but 24 hours is way too much).

It's really irresponsible, in my opinion, for some of these people who are selling books to propose things like this to people unless they add the proviso that everyone who tries it should see their personal physician for medical clearance first.

I agree with the previous poster, there is no need for deprivation from needed food to achieve lasting weight loss, in fact, that will backfire every time.

Fine to cut back a little more now and then for short periods.

Im not sure about this but anytime I have fasted, it has been when in prayer about a specific thing. There are a lot of books on fasting but most from a biblical stand point. There are all kinds of fasts, like a Daniel Fast is fruits and veggies and there are others.

That sort of sounds like the JUDDD program... I think it's dangerous and irresponsible, and if nothing else fosters disordered eating habits.

I tried IF for about 3 weeks. I fasted for about 18 hours a day, and ate during a 6 hour window. I ate what I wanted during the 6 hour window. I did not lose any weight, but I maintained my weight over Thanksgiving. My observations:
1-if you're only eating for a few hours a day, it's very hard to eat sufficient fruits and veggies.
2-I felt absolutely wonderful during the fasting hours. I did not expect that.
3-It really helped me become less obsessed with food. I know that seems counter-intuitive, but it was definitely true for me (even with my history of disordered eating).
4-It helped me become comfortable with the sensation of being hungry. For so many years, I'd read advice that said if you let yourself get too hungry, you'll binge. That wasn't what I discovered. Hunger is normal and a good thing. When you eat after being hungry, food is very enjoyable!

I quit because I found it hard to exercise in the morning when I was fasting, because I found it hard to eat enough fruits and veggies, and, of course, because I didn't lose weight. But I'm really glad I tried it.

Never did a fast, and my opinion is that unless it is for religious purposes, there isnt any need. I would think that after going 24 hours with no food you have a significant risk of binging the next time you go to eat.
I'm all for calorie cycling, I still do that. although no one should do a 500/1000 calorie cycle. That's not enough food no matter what the calories are coming from.

For religious purposes, I fast for 30 days each year or more. At first it is difficult to rise before daylight and eat the proper things like eggs, yogurt, water, protein, bread etc, but after one week I am just fine. Of course, you will be thirsty and start to become hungry around 4 pm, but we are suppose to focus on God and try to remember the unfortunate people in this world, who are suffering from far worse.

I wouldn't recommend it full force because it will be a huge stress to your body. The children usually do a half fast. If you are on medications, I would not do it.

In the end of my fast, I feel absolutely great. My body feels cleansed and my belly is usually really flat lol. You would actually be surprised that when you break your fast you do not really eat that much, at least I don't. I usually go for my jug of water