Intermittent Fasting Questions

newbies
fasting
(Travis Harris) #1

I’m on my seventh week of Keto and it has largely gone well. I’ve certainly skipped meals on a number of days, and while I know there aren’t any hard, fast rules about these things I had a couple questions about IF:

  1. Do many of you do IF daily?

  2. If you really eat only one meal a day then do you have to get 1 gram protein per kilogram of weight and something approximating a “regular” days calories in that one meal? Is it okay to eat less?

My main concern is that I don’t want to put my body in a “starvation” mode. I feel like longer fasts (I haven’t done any yet) are a bit simpler because you just don’t eat without worrying about the “am I eating enough today” questions.

Thanks!

(Mary Ann) #2

I think this is a good question especially if you are going to do 1 meal a day. I don’t know the answer but I’m interested in others’ responses. :smiley: I wonder if hitting that protein macro is just not that important short term.

(Meeping up the Science!) #3

Well, first off, there really isn’t “starvation mode” other than ketosis. Ketosis is the closest thing we have, and I hesitate to even call that “starvation mode,” as I feel it’s somewhat of a severe misnomer.

I have yet to read compelling evidence we “damage our metabolism” doing fasting or not eating during certain periods of time. This makes no sense from a biochemical perspective, and also not from an evolutionary biological perspective, as we did not evolve with food availability. Our ancestors ate when they were able to catch something. Only for the past ten thousand years or so (a small time in evolution) have we been able to have reliable and grown food.

I have IF’d daily for years and continually lose weight. Honestly, it makes life drastically easier. With IF you aren’t necessarily eating less. I have a gastrectomy so I have to eat a bit more often in the IF window to hit my protein requirements. Even with my smaller stomach it’s pretty easy. If you have a normal stomach, for most people it would take 8-16 ounces of meat.

8 ounces of beef, for instances, has about 60-62g of protein on average, depending. If you eat a 10-16 ounce steak, you easily hit your protein macros in one meal. In my case, I just divide the steak by 2-3 and eat it that way. Protein is probably the easiest macro to hit while keto, I’d argue, if you eat animal protein, especially. So for sure, you can do it. :slight_smile:

(Anti-Gravity Gains) #4

@Donna this is spot on! I get the “tilted head of a dog” look when I mention the same to “normies” that are friends or relatives. The common reply is something to the effect of “well, we don’t know what it was like 100,000+ years ago” or “yeah, but the average lifespan back then was what, 28, so how do we know this is the optimal way to eat?”. SMH

I have been doing I.F. for 5+ years. I think the key is to get it to a point of feeling “natural”. Start off with 14 or 16 hours. It becomes easy. Increase to 18 hours and on to 23 and One Meal A Day (OMAD). Consider your goals/context. Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to induce autophagy? Do you want to gain muscle mass? From what I’ve been hearing lately, variety in fast durations is beneficial. I like my routine 18:6 daily routine, but if I hit a plateau on a weight loss goal, for example, I will vary my fasting more and vary my workouts more with HIIT, etc. I will incorporate 36+ hour fasts more often, maybe every week.
Also, alot has been talked about lately about feasting well before famine; that is, ramp up your metabolism for a couple/few days before going into an extended day fast. Supposedly, the idea is that it will increase your metabolism right before you start your longer fast thus yielding better weight/fat loss results.

(Mark) #5

I love IF. I tend to practice it sporadically. When I get into a weighloss pleateu it serves to clean up my eating and simplify my day. I would encourage experimenting with IF but don’t be too strict with yourself. For me, learning to listen to and respond to my body has been part of the journey. I spent most of my life ignoring my body’s cues about hunger so it’s a really long walk back to a sense of heathy normalc. IF has given me some structured practice in that regard.

(Todd Allen) #6

I switched to one meal a day IF a few days ago and have been experimenting with a variety of approaches to fasting for a few months. So far I like it and I hope to continue for a month or two before switching to something else.

I’ve been eating roughly 45 g of protein in my one meal plus a 15 g whey protein drink before bed.

#7

I’m doing an experiment for the month of June. I do a 22-hour fast (dinner only) three times a week – Monday, Weds and Friday. Then 16-8 on all other days. Trying not to weigh myself or measure anything except ketones till the month is over.

I’m eating keto as I have for the past six months pretty much by instinct now. I’m not measuring protein. I don’t worry about eating enough to avoid ‘starvation mode,’ I just eat till I’m full.

I’ll report back after the month ends. After 9 days, feeling fine.

Here’s a question, though: Since I’m in ketosis most of the time, I figure the protein must be where it’s supposed to be, right?