This thread has a lot of information I was not aware of. I'm especially interested in the fasting and eating between 7 & 3. A couple questions I have are:

- how does fasting affect blood sugar level? Does it create large high and low swings?

- how does fasting affect what the body uses for energy? Often I've read that the body will start to draw energy off of muscle vs. fat under various circumstances. Maybe I've misunderstood or read wrong but it never made sense to me why that would occur.

I'm curious to know if I have the discipline to try a fasting regimen if there are negative consequences or side-effects to be aware of.

Thanks!

- how does fasting affect blood sugar level? Does it create large high and low swings?

- how does fasting affect what the body uses for energy? Often I've read that the body will start to draw energy off of muscle vs. fat under various circumstances. Maybe I've misunderstood or read wrong but it never made sense to me why that would occur.

When you fast, your body uses the sugar in your bloodstream first and that will gradually lower your blood sugar levels. Once that's been depleted, your liver starts using the sugar it's stored as glycogen and releases that to your blood. Once both your current blood sugar and the reserves stored by your liver are used up, your body switches to ketosis and burns your fat as an energy source. Every study I've read says muscles aren't used for energy sources until all sugar and fat reserves are completely depleted.

With exercise and fasting, one can use all sugar stored and switch to ketosis in three days.

as Jason Fung would say "the body's just not that stupid". Fasting is muscle sparing. Most of the byproduct of protein metabolism is from atophogy of amino acids etc. You may lose some lean muscle mass but it is quickly replenished with the next feeding.

In January this year, my Medical Insurance company picked up my fitness center costs under "Silver Sneakers". A 24/7 fitness center is located across the street from my apartment. It's free....so, 3 times a week I'm sweating there for about an hour.

I went from weighting 191 in January to 174 as of today. Blood pressure is way down and I'm on minimum dosage meds. I feel good and I sleep well.....sometimes.

I maintain no junk food, no processed foods with corn sugar, no excess salt, no Mexican foods, no late night snacks and I eat lot's of fruits and veggies.

Of course, YMMV.

It took me a while to realize I'm not a 20 year old soldier anymore. Once I concentrated on my diet and cut back on the amount of drinking I did things started to get better.

I currently do intermittent fasting and eat during the 2-10 window every day which is about where I get hungry anyways. I'm not crazy about it, if I eat after 10 due to something happening I simply make up for it the next day.

I hydrate more which helps with the hunger and is good anyways. I've never really been a soda guy but I've been doing LaCroix soda water and that keeps me from getting tired of just doing tap water.

Exercise wise I dont like gyms for a number of reasons but I do have a bowflex and elliptical which I actually use for more than hanging coats. My real gains I've seen from bodyweight HIIT style stuff. I have two apps on my phone Home Workout and Home workout free with a spartan helmet (best description ever, I know) that give me good variety and a program to follow but fit into my schedule. I really like body weight stuff as I can do it anywhere though as time goes on my joints are having trouble sometimes. No idea if this helps anyone else but it works for me.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:
To set aside the nutrition for a moment, I'd like to bring something back into the mix.

In my comments I've talked about it somewhat, but the importance can't be understated.

Mental health. Outlook. Motivation. However you'd like to frame it.

What we eat and our activity level have a big impact on our mood, and vice versa. We are chemical and hormonal beings, and letting food urges control what you do and how you feel is something that must be brought under your willful control.

Just as with nutrition, there are many ways to approach this, but a strategy is needed for success.

It is all too easy to binge the shit out of whatever you have a taste for.

Not doing that actually takes more than "a plan" or "wanting to," if we're honest it takes some mental/emotional capital to get started, and you've got to find drive to keep going. This isn't easy, for a lot of people.

Finding what works, is key. Physically, mentally, nutritionally, schedulally, you've got to be able to actually hack it if it is to work. At the same time, too hard, and you'll fold. Well, don't give up too easily, but don't stop trying.

This is so true. From my reading, what you eat directly affects your mood, not to mention your hunger. And since eating is so much of your lifestyle, other lifestyle issues affect everything else - getting your 7 hours of sleep, getting your exercise, and of course what you eat. You'd be surprised the difference you feel when you cut out the bad carbs - sugar, processed flour, etc. Below videos of Dr. Georgia Ede details the effects that food have on your mood / brain.





Then there's dementia / Alzheimer's disease (which is now also referred to as Type 3 diabetes) - which is a western disease, something relatively new - brought on by the SAD - standard American diet. Looking at and studying indigenous people who don't eat a western diet, dementia / Alzheimer's is almost non-existent. Something new is Dr. Dale Bredesen's Alzheimer's treatment:

book

The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline, Dale Bredesen (2017)

Reversal of cognitive decline: A novel therapeutic program 9-27-2014

quote:

Originally posted by Nickelsig229:


Now if I can just get rid of this dickiedoo.

If only my belly didn't stick out further than my dicky do.

I was skinny until my late 30's. I'd eat anything and everything. Times have changed for me.

Thanks for the thread. Bread and alcohol are my worst enemy. I cut those, and I can get back to normal. I am an addict for food before alcohol, anyway it will take some work to make a change.

Being able to stand up straight in the shower, then look down and see your dick is some strong motivation.. Also the way the body deposits fat means that your dick can be buried by the tissue surrounding it.

So many things are at work with what and how we eat, and the commercials we see on any given media aren't helping, nor is our culture around food.

When you can't see it it's a symptom of metabolic syndrome; wiki:

sometimes known by other names, is a clustering of at least three of the five following medical conditions: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high serum triglycerides and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels.

Three of the five - as in you don't have to be fat to have it. For the skinny guys who eat a lot of sugar / flour foods, there's thin outside fat inside (TOFI).

Viseral fat was one of the main motivators for me to cut carbs. Viseral fat - fat around your midsection, in and around organs. Yes, in. As in fatty pancreas, liver, kidneys, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD):

Lack of Saturated Fat Consumption: At least two studies, one from Duke University, and one from Cambridge University have shown that reducing carbohydrate consumption and increasing saturated fat intake helps the liver shed excess fat in as little as three days.

The Effect of a Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Pilot Study 2-2007

Short-term weight loss and hepatic triglyceride reduction: evidence of a metabolic advantage with dietary carbohydrate restriction. 5-2011

Most (almost all) of diagnosis of metabolic syndrome is when you are well into the late stages - then they treat symptoms. They won't tell you to cut carbs, go ketogenic. They (majority of doctors) are still following the SAD - standard American diet - low fat / high carbs, which kills - slowly.

I start my low carb/low sugar way of eating tomorrow. I have done a lot of research into it and recipes for alternatives to bread. Tomorrow morning I will make English Muffins with only 4 carbs and have it with eggs and sausage. Lunch will be tuna salad I made, 1 carb per serving, in butter lettuce wraps.

My biggest thing will be having to stop drinking. I am not an alcoholic, but I like to have 2-4 drinks each evening and now it will need to be zero.

The Jenny Craig diet me and my wife did was bullshit. It was purely a calorie reduction diet with tons of carbs and sugar. I saw almost no results. I am sure I will see results on this new way of eating.

quote:

Originally posted by Strambo:

Good thoughts. Here is one thing I know for sure having lived what most would probably say has been an objectionably hard life at times...

Life and stress is a whole lot easier when you are in shape. I don't just mean physical stress, mental stress is way easier when you are in shape as well.

Health, nutrition, physical condition, stress, performance, success...they are all related.

True dat. All of it. And when I get really stressed, whether it's work, home life, whatever, I don't turn to drink or drugs; I hit the iron. Or I jump on my road bike and burn some miles. Lots of them.

Hey, my man Bob Couch knew the score!


Link to original video: https://youtu.be/Rhl5K0mTSKY

One of the best dang songs ever.

quote:

Originally posted by StorminNormin:
I start my low carb/low sugar way of eating tomorrow. I have done a lot of research into it and recipes for alternatives to bread. Tomorrow morning I will make English Muffins with only 4 carbs and have it with eggs and sausage. Lunch will be tuna salad I made, 1 carb per serving, in butter lettuce wraps.

Best of luck.

It's always good to have support, a place to ask questions - and I had many(!).

http://lcneighborhood.com/

http://forum.lowcarber.org/index.php?

The second link is more technically oriented; studies, detailed discussions, and separate forums for specific WOE (ways of eating). Or maybe it just seems that way to me. Join up - check them out.

A couple recent recipes I found while out and about:

Avocado Chips 7-9-2018

8-28-2015: this looks good, and the guy's funny...

Is anyone doing weekly Weight Watchers meetings and following their program?

quote:

Originally posted by f2:

quote:

Originally posted by StorminNormin:
I start my low carb/low sugar way of eating tomorrow. I have done a lot of research into it and recipes for alternatives to bread. Tomorrow morning I will make English Muffins with only 4 carbs and have it with eggs and sausage. Lunch will be tuna salad I made, 1 carb per serving, in butter lettuce wraps.

Best of luck.

It's always good to have support, a place to ask questions - and I had many(!).

http://lcneighborhood.com/

http://forum.lowcarber.org/index.php?

The second link is more technically oriented; studies, detailed discussions, and separate forums for specific WOE (ways of eating). Or maybe it just seems that way to me. Join up - check them out.

A couple recent recipes I found while out and about:

Avocado Chips 7-9-2018

8-28-2015: this looks good, and the guy's funny...

[FLASH_VIDEO]<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XaCYSX5WE5M" width="560"></iframe>[/FLASH_VIDEO]

Thanks for the info. I can’t wait to try the pizza! That guy is funny.

I made that exact pizza. I watched a couple of video's but his was simple and easy to follow.

The pizza didn't have the crust of a real pizza, but it didn't fall apart and with pepperoni on it actually tasted like pepperoni pizza.

There is a better one though using 10oz of canned chicken breast. It holds better and the crust is a little firmer and crisper without falling apart.

I'm closing in on a 39 inch waist.

Congrats! When I started Atkins induction (20g of carbs / day), the weight at first didn't come off, but the inches did.

I started on the Keto diet 3 weeks ago Monday . Due to birthdays and weddings I wasn’t able to stick to it on the weekends but during the week I’ve been strict staying under 20-30g of carbs a day and was down 12 lbs.

Started working out this week putting in 20-30 min on the treadmill or rowing machine and some weights every other day. Adjusted my diet to eat more and also added a few more carbs prior to working out but I’m down another 6 lbs so far this week and based on the test strips have been in medium to large ketosis since Monday night.

So long as I keep plenty of food around it’s pretty easy to stick to the diet. I’m 6’5” and was 268lbs and my goal is to get back to 225 lbs which is what I got down to 6 years ago when I did this diet the first time.

Are you still fat?

Late June 2011...

I decided that I needed a change and joined a CrossFit Gym.

My 1st workout...The Bear Complex with 25 m Bear Crawls between sets. (Awful)

Over the years, I got in really good shape, but I never changed my diet.

I hurt my back about two years ago and turned 50 in April...

I decided to turn it around. I'm back in the gym (not CF, but I'm in there).

I did the Bear today. It wasn't pretty, but I was soaked at the end of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4Jw5ZHtLqQ

At 50...no amount of workouts are going to make a dent in a bad diet.