All About Fasting

[Z...]

I thought that at first too and also prefer exercise in the morning, though that is not always possible for me.

He goes into it at the 1hr 13min mark "Glucose Clearing, Exercise and Compounds" section.

According to the studies he mentions, HIIT changes blood glucose depending on the time of day: Increases blood glucose if done early, decreases it if done late. It does appear that it is used pretty quickly by muscle if done in the morning.

If you have eaten in the afternoon, HIIT in the evening should lower blood glucose and accelerate the transition to the fasting state.

Surprises me that there is such a difference between early/late day exercise.

I am usually doing interval sprinting first thing in the morning of fasting days, i.e. by the evening I haven't eaten for 12 or 24h depending whether I am doing 36 or 24h fast so I think I am good either way.

 

[Iain]

I am usually doing interval sprinting first thing in the morning of fasting days, i.e. by the evening I haven't eaten for 12 or 24h depending whether I am doing 36 or 24h fast so I think I am good either way.

Yeah, you should be.

He spends very little time on longer 24hr+ fasts. The vast majority of it is about a 4-8hr eating window per day, making the most of circadian rhythms and a little on how exercise of various types can fit into this pattern.

 

[Maya]

I'm not working out, just going to work by bike and work 9 hours shifts standing/walking
and heavy stuff lifting (warehouse ). My body can not take something more.
Then I become too exhousted to function properly.
But definitely fasting is a great help to feel good and energized the whole day.
And the most important - to regain my health.
Last 3 years I ate a lots of carbs, lots of crappy comfort food and the result is 7kg+ and obviusly chaos in my body.
I started with two meals in between 8 hours / 16 hours fasting for 2 months and now I'm on one meal a day for two weeks now.
Feeling amazing. Will see how it goes further.
I'm following dr Eric Berg about everything related to fasting but will take a look to this other vids as well, thank you.
Cheers

 

[Konstantin]

In the last few weeks, I experiment with intermittent fasting. I have increased the fasting window to 17-18 hours.
My first meal is at 08:00 before going to work. It is usually a little bone broth with Turmeric and black pepper. After that, I take some solid food, without any carbs.
Then my second and Last meal for the day is around 12:45 - 13:00. I eat some carbs, like rice or potatoes, vegetable salad, and meat.
After that, I go to work again until 17:30 and at 18:00 I have HIT training in the gym, for a maximum of 30 minutes. I can take longer sessions in the gym but after that, I lose my will to exercise regularly. So, high-intensity weight training for 30 minutes is more than enough for me.

After a few weeks, I noticed a dramatic change in my mood. When I am not fasting in the evening I feel bloated and very very depressed.
On a few occasions, I felt so depressed that I could not get up from bed to have a glass of water or go to the bathroom. I just didn't have the willpower to do anything.

In these few weeks, I experimented to break the fast in the evening. Just a few bites of food and the next day I felt that the depression feeling was coming back.
Also for a few years, I have had a lot of problems with eczema. During the fasting, the situation significantly improved. The itchy and damaged parts of the skin started to heal and until now I haven't noticed new skin areas affected by eczema.

In conclusion, I can say that intermittent fasting as I am doing it now is really helping me. Also, I lost 3 kg in the last few weeks. For me, it works much better if I fast for 17-18 hours. If I reduce the fasting window to let's say 12 hours the effects are much less noticeable.

 

[Iain]

In the last few weeks, I experiment with intermittent fasting. I have increased the fasting window to 17-18 hours.
My first meal is at 08:00 before going to work. It is usually a little bone broth with Turmeric and black pepper. After that, I take some solid food, without any carbs.
Then my second and Last meal for the day is around 12:45 - 13:00. I eat some carbs, like rice or potatoes, vegetable salad, and meat.
After that, I go to work again until 17:30 and at 18:00 I have HIT training in the gym, for a maximum of 30 minutes. I can take longer sessions in the gym but after that, I lose my will to exercise regularly. So, high-intensity weight training for 30 minutes is more than enough for me.

After a few weeks, I noticed a dramatic change in my mood. When I am not fasting in the evening I feel bloated and very very depressed.
On a few occasions, I felt so depressed that I could not get up from bed to have a glass of water or go to the bathroom. I just didn't have the willpower to do anything.

In these few weeks, I experimented to break the fast in the evening. Just a few bites of food and the next day I felt that the depression feeling was coming back.
Also for a few years, I have had a lot of problems with eczema. During the fasting, the situation significantly improved. The itchy and damaged parts of the skin started to heal and until now I haven't noticed new skin areas affected by eczema.

In conclusion, I can say that intermittent fasting as I am doing it now is really helping me. Also, I lost 3 kg in the last few weeks. For me, it works much better if I fast for 17-18 hours. If I reduce the fasting window to let's say 12 hours the effects are much less noticeable.

Interesting, definitely shows the differences between individuals.

I have been working with a 6hr eating window for some time now. Up at about 530 when I have a salt water drink and then have about an hour of stretching and HIT (except for a Friday rest day - extra on weekends!). Coffee and a smoke after.

I have a first meal at around 1300 (usually a bit of meat, egg and salad). When I get home from work around 1630 I usually have a coffee, smoke and a small snack with a bit of carbs/sugar, then a last meal at 1800 (meat and veg of various types including some potato/rice carbs, another cigarette). Bed around 2200-2230.

I have found it much easier to work out in the mornings than afternoon/evening for some reason, although I do sometimes add an extra 30min session on an afternoon - maybe 2-3 times a week.

Within 2-3 days of starting this regime my energy levels and concentration were vastly improved - and they were not too bad beforehand. Little to no digestive issues, no drops in energy or concentration throughout the day, no sudden mood changes and my fitness/flexibility is improving daily. Memory and focus are far better and a minor re-occurring eye infection seems to have immediately started to clear up.

So far, can't recommend a good 18hr daily fast enough - just requires individuals to find how it fits around their own needs and daily routines. I did not really have any fat to lose when I started as I have always been pretty lean - but I have so far put on about 4kg of muscle.

I should note that I personally do not have any allergies or issues with any foods except feeling pretty ill after vegetable oils and indigestion following a large quantity of gluten (both of which I steer clear of now). Everything else appears to be fine for me at this point.

 

[PERLOU]

Voilà plusieurs mois maintenant que je pratique comme ceci : un cappuccino vers 8h, plat du jour vers 13h puis un verre de cidre vers 18h... Peut on appeler cela "Jeûne intermitent" ?... Je n'éprouve aucune sensation de faim...

I've been practicing like this for several months now: a cappuccino around 8 a.m., dish of the day around 1 p.m. then a glass of cider around 6 p.m.... Can we call this "intermittent fasting"?... I don't feel hungry...

 

[Deliverance]

Perlou, vous consommez entre 8h et 18h, donc avec une fenêtre de 10 heures.
Le jeûne intermittent, je crois, s'étale sur une fenêtre de 8 heures maximum et plutôt mieux de 6 heures.

Perlou, you eat between 8am and 6pm, so with a 10-hour window.
Intermittent fasting, I believe, is spread over a window of 8 hours maximum, or rather 6 hours.

 

[Honzap]

I am at 9 hours of eating window, slowly shaving minutes towards the 8 hour goal. Starting at 8 am is easy enough, sometimes it gets hungrier than usual but light work outside before the breakfast seem to help a lot in that regard.

Afternoon/evenings are the hardest. Regular job + hard physical farm work after formed a mental block in my mind that I will surely die if I don`t eat more Knowing such block exists is half the battle won.
Now onto believing in myself that shorter eating window doesn`t mean death by starvation and to the contrary it will actually help in the long run.

Good news - now I wear the same size jeans as when I was 18

 

[Iain]

Afternoon/evenings are the hardest. Regular job + hard physical farm work after formed a mental block in my mind that I will surely die if I don`t eat more Knowing such block exists is half the battle won.
Now onto believing in myself that shorter eating window doesn`t mean death by starvation and to the contrary it will actually help in the long run.

I highly recommend trying to fast throughout the morning and only breaking it around midday. It may not work for you, but before I tried it I thought much the same - how can I not eat in the morning? I always had a large early breakfast for nearly 40 years!

But, as I said above, it worked, and within a few days the improvements were huge. Sounds like I do not have as physical a work load as you do but I do work out pretty much as soon as I get up and that really helps. On weekends I keep active all morning either around the house/garden or out walking (and get a hell of a lot more done than I used to).

The exercise in the morning should increase blood glucose for a short while plus a coffee, plenty of water and a cigarette helps to keep off hunger (which I do still get a little of, but no drops in energy - so I guess I'm still getting used to it to some extent).

I used to try a fast a few days a week by skipping an evening meal, but that never quite felt right. I tended to feel very tired, often cold and lacking in energy and concentration. But this has not been the case at all with fasting throughout the morning.

 

[PERLOU]

Doit on considérer un cappuccino ou un verre de cidre qui ne sont que des boissons comme de la nourriture ?...
Je pensais que les boissons ne comptait pas, seule la nourriture solide était prise en compte ...

Should we consider a cappuccino or a glass of cider which are only drinks as food?...
I thought drinks didn't count, only solid food counted...

 

[Iain]

Doit on considérer un cappuccino ou un verre de cidre qui ne sont que des boissons comme de la nourriture ?...
Je pensais que les boissons ne comptait pas, seule la nourriture solide était prise en compte ...

Should we consider a cappuccino or a glass of cider which are only drinks as food?...
I thought drinks didn't count, only solid food counted...

If there is any sugar in a drink it will break a fast. Cider certainly has sugar and I assume cappuccino does too.

Water, tea with no milk, black coffee, other infusions with no sugar etc. would all be fine.

 

[Konstantin]

Doit on considérer un cappuccino ou un verre de cidre qui ne sont que des boissons comme de la nourriture ?...
Je pensais que les boissons ne comptait pas, seule la nourriture solide était prise en compte ...

Should we consider a cappuccino or a glass of cider which are only drinks as food?...
I thought drinks didn't count, only solid food counted...

Cappuccino has milk. Milk has fats sugars and proteins, so you can count it.
Also, Cider is an apple alcoholic beverage and it has sugars, so it will also break your fast.
You can drink water and herbal teas without sugar or milk.

 

[Wandering Star]

I used to try a fast a few days a week by skipping an evening meal, but that never quite felt right. I tended to feel very tired, often cold and lacking in energy and concentration. But this has not been the case at all with fasting throughout the morning.

I have read in this forum (perhaps in this thread) that hunters/gatherers (the skilled people/Abel) did not get food until noon, so many people have the genetics of not being hungry, until several hours after they have woken up in the morning.

 

[PERLOU]

Merci Konstantin, aujourd'hui, j'ai conservé le cappuccino du matin 8h et mon plat de 12h30/13h et de l'eau pour le soir 18 h à la place du cidre...
Je me demande si les compléments alimentaires pris le soir vers 18h avec de l'eau devrait être pris avec le plat 12h30/13h plutôt que le soir 18h ?...

Thank you Konstantin, today I saved the morning cappuccino at 8 a.m. and my dish from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. and water for the evening at 6 p.m. instead of cider...
I wonder if food supplements taken in the evening around 6 p.m. with water should be taken with the dish 12:30 p.m./1 p.m. rather than 6 p.m. in the evening?...

 

[Iain]

...today I saved the morning cappuccino at 8 a.m. and my dish from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. and water for the evening at 6 p.m. instead of cider...
I wonder if food supplements taken in the evening around 6 p.m. with water should be taken with the dish 12:30 p.m./1 p.m. rather than 6 p.m. in the evening?...

I think it would depend what food supplements you are taking. Having them around 0630 would not affect fasting, assuming that is within your eating window.

Personally, I take any vitamin supplements with a meal (rather than alone with water) as it is usually recommended for metabolising them as much as possible.

Regarding the cappuccino or cider, if you do not mind having some sugars/alcohol in your general diet then having it within your eating window would also be fine in regards to fasting. Having either outside your eating window would definitely break the fast.