Hi from a newbie

(Mindaugas K.) #1

Hi all.
I’ve been looking for information and support online, and stumbled on this forum. I hope to find buddies going through the same and hope to tap into more experience here.
I’m 42, having sedentary and stressful office job. I am generally healthy and not considered overweight in terms of BMI, since I am a tall and small bones guy, but I do have quite a bit of waist fat (most of my fat at least visually is there). My body fat percentile and blood cholesterol are also in the unhealthy territory.
I would like to get rid of that belly fat, build more muscle and improve my body fat/cholesterol numbers.

Couple of years ago I’ve seen BBC Horizon episode on intermittent fasting and its health benefits.
It coincided with my own decision to take more care of my body, to be more active and to exercise more.
Over the last couple of years I am doing light cardio (mainly 10k step walks) and some light exercise with free weights at least once-twice a week.
I’ve also done couple of 3 day fasts during the warmer parts of the year. Max I went is 80 hours on water/green tea alone and it was ok. I tried to do it in winter time, but I was constantly cold and shivering.
I did not adjust my general diet much, although I try hard to eat more veggies and get rid of sugar.
All in all, in roughly two years I have improved my well being, built a little bit of muscle (not as much as I would like), but I am still stuck with all the waist fat and unhealthy body fat percentile.

I am determined to do more about it, and I am thinking about doing even more exercise and engaging intermittent fasting. As I have mentioned, I seem to tolerate fasting quite well. I can go 24h without food pretty easily. But I do not want to loose that little bit of muscle that I’ve worked and I am considering exercising even more.
I am trying to add more proteins to my diet and researching what kind of fasting plans would be best for me.

Sorry for a long story!

MinK

#2

I have some of the same issues and practices, but at 52 y/o I’m finding it harder to gain muscle due to the natural tendency to sarcopenia at this age, which is often attributed to lower levels of Human Growth Hormone (HGH).

Fasting longer than 48 hours, usually considered Extended Fasting (EF), will substantially raise HGH, and is one of the reasons I’ve been extending my fasts and currently starting another 72 hour fast.

I don’t see any significant information in your post on eating ketogenically and I would strongly encourage keto and getting fat-adapted since the general presumption is that since that not only seems to make fasting easier, it takes less time for the benefits of fasting such as autophagy to begin since the fat-adapted body doesn’t have to burn through glycogen first and enter fat-burning mode, ie. lipolysis.

I would also stress that it’s a good idea to “feast” before EF, maybe even for a day or two, so there’s plenty of everything the body needs.

During EF, given the way the body recycles amino acids from proteins from autophagy, combined with increased HGH, people such as Jimmy Moore have reported DEXA-confirmed increases in skeletal muscle even during very long fasts as well as the reduction in body fat.

First eat ketogenically and then do some extended fasts.

A personal trainer named David Sean can be found on the Internet, but recently on the Low Carb Leader podcasts with Dan Perryman and he’s coaching people deliberately reducing body fat, building strength and muscle through the judicious use of feasting and extended fasting.

(Mindaugas K.) #3

Thanks!
I am not eating ketogenically just yet. But this is what I plan to do, while also including fasts here and there. Did not know about HGH and EF, but that is very encouraging. As I wrote for me fasting for 24+h is somehow not that difficult. I do not experience any noteworthy side effects. I know others can barely go through a day.
I am now in the process of putting together a low carb eating plan, which would be compatible with “normal” office hours and evening exercise.
One specific question that I find a lot of conflicting info about is taking amino acid supplements for weight exercise. Is this compatible with keto diets?

#4

There are two podcasts that I think you would find especially interesting but I would check them all out when you have time.

http://2ketodudes.com/show.aspx?episode=58

http://2ketodudes.com/show.aspx?episode=61

#5

Some amino acids are ketogenic and others are anti-ketogenic and this is discussed in different threads in the forums. It’s probably more about how, when and how much that would allow them to work for some and not others.

Personally, unless someone is an elite athlete and training on the edge, there are more than enough amino acids circulating in the labile amino acid and coming from the recycling of autophagy than the risk of interfering with ketosis.

I think the main goals are reducing insulin to maximize fat-burning and increasing HGH to maximize repair and growth and if you start an EF in a well-fed state, there will be more than enough material on hand to provide an environment for muscle growth.

Some people freak out when they lose weight during a fast and after discounting losses from water and stool, they assume anything else is coming from muscle, but it is more likely coming from the recycling of cellular garbage through autophagy.

Dr. Jason Fung explains it like storing wood (fat) for the upcoming winter (fast), but as soon as it starts, the body starts chopping up and burning the furniture (muscle) and the “body just isn’t that stupid” - he has a very direct and colorful way of explaining things. :smile:

Short answer: Amino acid supplements may be “compatible” with keto, but I don’t think you need them and there’s a bigger risk they’ll interfere with it.

(Carpe salata!) #6

Hello forum!

I just signed up to the forum it looks like fun.

I got sick with cellulitis twice and was hospitalised each time for a week. That was a few years ago now. Since then, I have been searching for why my health was suspect. Earlier this year my doc said I had 30% chance getting diabetes.

I had been trying to eat healthy and that meant eating a daily salad and less bread. Since Jan17 I have been trying to keto. My recent A1c was 5.2 (had been up to 5.7. Not bad but not great)

Recent fasting insulin was 7.

Anyway, Sydney Australia and Hi :slight_smile: