500 calorie diet vs 5 day fast

(TJ Borden) #21

Um, yeah… I don’t know of ANYONE that says kids should fast. Even religions that still fast regularly don’t have kids do it.

(Doug) #22

Good advice, Bob.

I’d temper it with what I see as the fact that some people develop insulin resistance and other hormonal imbalances at a fairly young age. Some fasting would do them good.

(KetoQ) #23

Bob –

I like to get some workouts in while fasting. I’ve been doing a 60 hour fast every week from the end of dinner Wed evening through Sat am/afternoon.

I walk 4-7 miles a day during the fast, and weight train at least once. I find that I am a bit drained and performance suffers if I try for two weight training workouts during that period, as I usually go hard on the weights.

When I get closer to 72 hour fast while trying to be active, it doesn’t feel right. That is sort of my breaking point.

(Bob M) #24

I agree with that, that’s why I was suggesting limiting meals and snacks. Of course, it depends what one means by “fasting”.

I’m sure I was insulin resistant when I was younger, under 18. But I still had the ability to lose weight quickly and gain muscle mass quickly. But being a teen is such a time of upheaval, that it’s difficult to know what to recommend. I tried to be a bodybuilder back then, and remember going on some type of “all tuna” diet. I remember having wild mood swings because of that diet, which I assume was essentially a keto diet. I was also incredibly active, played football, played outside all the time, walked for miles, etc. Trying to fast with that much activity and raging hormones could be a challenge.

On the other hand, if you’re 16 and don’t do much exercise, and are beginning to develop or have insulin resistance, fasting (in all its forms, including skipping breakfast) is something to try. But if you can’t concentrate during tests or have other effects, I think fasting could be troublesome.

My advice for a 16 year old: try low carb/keto first. Get fat adapted. How is that? Then try skipping some meals, like breakfast. How is that? What happens if you skip breakfast and lunch (is it even possible to skip lunch in high school – what do your friends say when you do not eat at the lunch table?). How is that?

Everyone these days wants instant results, but the body has taken 16 years (or 50+ in my case) to get where it is. You can’t change it overnight.

(Bob M) #25

Like you, I feel I get a good if not better workout being fasted over 24 hours. Although lately, I haven’t been able to fast over 24 hours – get freezing. Literally ice cold. Will continue to try.

When I started fasting several years ago, I could workout multiple times in a 4.5-5.5 day fast. No longer can I do that. I’m not sure why.

(bulkbiker) #26

Are you near to your goal weight? less fat on board to keep you going?
Just some suggestions…

(Central Florida Bob ) #27

This is a great idea! Because I can’t resist tweaking good ideas, I say we (notice how I slipped “we” in there?) ship them an empty box. You’re sending them something, you’re sending them the nothing that they’re supposed to eat.

Remember the breatharians, who claim they live off the energy of the universe? We’re sending them that!

(TJ Borden) #28

I like it

(Candy Lind) #29

More than likely. Look up rhabdomyolysis. It can be brought on by high-intensity workouts. You might want to elect lower-intensity workouts when fasting.

(Empress of the Unexpected) #30

In Judaism, kids sometimes fast one day before bar or bat mitzvah, and at the age of 12 for girls, or 13 for boys, ALL fast for one day on Yom Kippur. Then we have my pious daughter, who was raised strictly Jewish, but thinks bacon is not kosher but makes an exception for shrimp! Go figure.

(TJ Borden) #31

My evangelical Christian family is the same way. I’m going to hell because I drink beer and have tattoos…or so they tell me as they eat the Christmas ham

(Empress of the Unexpected) #32

And I went along with the program and did not eat bacon for 11 years!!!

(Empress of the Unexpected) #33

Christmas ham??

(TJ Borden) #34

Somewhere in Leviticus it talks about not eating pork. The same book of the Bible that says tattoos are bad, plus a bunch of other things that you go to hell for. I’ve always argued if one were to accept that the Bible was interpreted, edited, and assembled by man, eliminating the book of Leviticus would completely change the face of Christianity.

But I know… this isn’t the place for religion

(Empress of the Unexpected) #35

Yes, but it can be more fun than keto. So, your relatives keep Kosher?

(TJ Borden) #36

Oh hell no. They’re just very selective about the scripture they choose to follow.

(Running from stupidity) #37

I keep left when walking, and it pisses me off that others don’t. #stupidaussies

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #38

Dr. Jason Fung, the fasting guru, explains that when we give the body a restricted amount of calories, it responds by lowering the metabolism and cutting back on non-essential processes such as reproduction, hair and nail growth, etc. It also prioritizes hanging on to its fat store. On the other hand, when we fast, it simply increases ketone production to keep the metabolism running at the same level.

So that’s the difference between them.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #39

Since a sixteen-year-old is still growing, my advice would be to keep carbohydrate under 20 g/day and eat protein and fat ad litibum. I would not advise a growing youngster to “keep protein moderate,” as I would advise an adult. The reason is that a growing youngster is putting on muscle mass and growing bones and needs a goodly amount of protein for this process, in addition to an adequate caloric intake.

(Raj Seth) #40

+1 for me. I am either fasting or feasting - and when I feast, I mean it! I eat to Thanksgiving level of fullness. Just not carbs… I can do this forever…

If you can fast easily - then do that. Your body will defend protein more aggressively on a fast.