Intermittent Fasting

buggravy said:
For me it started solely as an attempt to gain control over chronic joint pain & inflammation that was being caused by Reactive Arthritis, which is actually an autoimmune disorder. I heard a podcast talking about how fasting was showing very promising results in reducing inflammation markers, and autoimmune regulation, so I dove in. Basically, as I understand it, when your body is in a fasted state it enters the states of autophagy and apoptosis, wherein the body identifies unhealthy cells (diseased, inflammatory, etc.), scavenges them for anything it can use from them, and then flushes them out. Growth hormones are then produced which cause new healthy cells to grow in their place. Apoptosis is more of a function of longer fasts, like 2+ days, and supposedly can perpetuate some degree of an autoimmune reset. USC recently did a study of cancer patients who were in remission but whose bodies and immune systems were ravaged by chemo, and the group that a did a 3 day fast showed much better and faster restoration of healthy immune function. Other benefits, as I understand it, are decreased insulin sensitivity, healthier blood glucose levels, and a myriad of other things. For me personally I was on some gnarly meds to control the joint pain and inflammation that I was experiencing, and my rheumatologist wanted to put me on an immunosuppressant as well. I knew I needed a different path, and since I started intermittent fasting I'm completely off meds, and have less pain than I've had in years. I also haven't gotten sick once since starting, I'm sleeping better, and feel a bit more mental clarity as well. The other thing that I heard is that while you certainly do lose some body fat, more importantly the fat cells around your organs decrease as well. Supposedly that's beneficial in disrupting cardiovascular disease, and the like, but that's getting into territory I haven't researched a lot. All that said, I think YMMV applies in spades with IF.
Click to expand...

Kudos to you for realizing the meds weren’t working and finding GREAT results in the alternative.
 
Interesting research and results @buggravy. Thank you for sharing. I wish I would have read your post before riding with you today. My wife has battled Rheumatoid Arthritis (an autoimmune disease) for 25 years and that includes some pretty aggressive medications. She has done surprisingly well with her meds - minus the part where she almost died, needed emergency surgery and was kept in a drug-induced coma for a week.

I will have her look into what you have discovered, although the Orencia seems to be working very well right now. (Knocking on wood)
 
Last edited:
I've been doing this since a little bit after I got back from my Oregon trip. It was a kickass trip and I had a ton of fun, but it was an eye opener that I need to drop some pounds and just move to be in better shape in general. I basically started out with two back to back 48 hr fasts pretty effortlessly and it has broken the majority of my hunger. I carry a hydro flask with me basically everywhere I go and probably drink between 1-2 gallons of water a day. I have the 24 oz container and probably drink 3-4 of them a day. I feel better, I'm really feeling like separating eating because I'm hungry and want food and eating because of: time, social cues, snacks and worst of all (IMO) boredom. I've done quite a bit of research and feel like it's really going to work for me long term, along with the gym and riding. The biggest appeal to me, is it is one way to help control calories and weight with zero effort besides will power. It doesn't cost anything, actually saving money, is super flexible, has really made me feel quite a bit peppier.

I have a routine doc appointment next week, so it will be interesting to get labs done and see if there's anything noticeable or not, however, I'm down about 12 lbs since Oregon and probably 15 or more since the last time I was weighed at the doc. I'm currently at 238ish and would ideally like to be at 200-210.

I can't count how many times I would eat breakfast (I start shift earlyish at 7am) and then still eat lunch because it was 'time' even though I wasn't that hungry. It's not hard to see how many extra calories I was getting. On top of all that, I'm just trying to eat better. Sticking to cooking lean meats and fresh veggies and reducing/avoiding, but not eliminating carbs. I have no problem with mac and cheese, but trying to stop eating an order of mine and then finishing my kid's food because they took two bites and didn't eat it.

At 38, gone are the days of eating 3 footlongs at Subway and playing basketball for 14 hours straight at the gym to burn it off and then some.
 
Last edited:
kazlx said:
I've been doing this since a little bit after I got back from my Oregon trip. It was a kickass trip and I had a ton of fun, but it was an eye opener that I need to drop some pounds and just move to be in better shape in general. I basically started out with two back to back 48 hr fasts pretty effortlessly and it has broken the majority of my hunger. I carry a hydro flask with me basically everywhere I go and probably drink between 1-2 gallons of water a day. I have the 24 oz container and probably drink 3-4 of them a day. I feel better, I'm really feeling like separating eating because I'm hungry and want food and eating because of: time, social cues, snacks and worst of all (IMO) boredom. I've done quite a bit of research and feel like it's really going to work for me long term, along with the gym and riding. The biggest appeal to me, is it is one way to help control calories and weight with zero effort besides will power. It doesn't cost anything, actually saving money, is super flexible, has really made me feel quite a bit peppier.

I have a routine doc appointment next week, so it will be interesting to get labs done and see if there's anything noticeable or not, however, I'm down about 12 lbs since Oregon and probably 15 or more since the last time I was weighed at the doc. I'm currently at 238ish and would ideally like to be at 200-210.

I can't count how many times I would eat breakfast (I start shift earlyish at 7am) and then still eat lunch because it was 'time' even though I wasn't that hungry. It's not hard to see how many extra calories I was getting. On top of all that, I'm just trying to eat better. Sticking to cooking lean meats and fresh veggies and reducing/avoiding, but not eliminating carbs. I have no problem with mac and cheese, but trying to stop eating an order of mine and then finishing my kid's food because they took two bites and didn't eat it.

At 38, gone are the days of eating 3 footlongs at Subway and playing basketball for 14 hours straight at the gym to burn it off and then some.
Click to expand...
I’m inspired!

I would love to scarf a few footlongs and play B-ball for 14 hours!

But alas, I too am motivated to lose a few pounds, like 50 of them. I ain’t fasting tho...not yet anyway. This summer, i’ve Been drinking more beer and riding less. My plan is to drink less beer, ride more, not finish my wife’s/kids’ leftovers (you make a good point), eat only half a donut from the office kitchen, cut out soda and onion rings and animal-style fries and and and...until Chicken Nugget Showtime.

Dammit tho, I’m hungry!
 
DangerDirtyD said:
I’m inspired!

I would love to scarf a few footlongs and play B-ball for 14 hours!

But alas, I too am motivated to lose a few pounds, like 50 of them. I ain’t fasting tho...not yet anyway. This summer, i’ve Been drinking more beer and riding less. My plan is to drink less beer, ride more, not finish my wife’s/kids’ leftovers (you make a good point), eat only half a donut from the office kitchen, cut out soda and onion rings and animal-style fries and and and...until Chicken Nugget Showtime.

Dammit tho, I’m hungry!
Click to expand...

My buddies and I all used to just eat like crazy in HS, but I was also non-stop sports and just life. After college and once I really got a job I've been sort of slowly gaining. I made a big push prior to meeting my wife and was really trim in my late 20s (starting riding bikes again around 25 to do something fun and help control weight. After I got married, got a little thicker, just from doing less gym and solo stuff and more dates, meals and things like that. It's been a slow slide after kids. Long portions of inconsistent sleep, eating extras to not 'waste' food and just easy meals that usually include lots of pasta and carbs.

On a positive note, I'm really not a beer/alcohol fan, so that's not an issue Very occasional social drinking. My one vice is drinking Diet Coke like it's going out of style and just sort of snacking and eating too much in general. My goal is to go from 250ish down to about 200-210. I've always been a pretty solid dude once I started putting on muscle through high school. Peak weight for me was about 210 and looking pretty trim. I'd be happy close to that again. Plus, I'd really just like to improve my performance on the bike. Climbing will be the most noticeable, but I know I'm way faster descending when I'm leaner.

I have taken some before pics and I'm hoping to throw up some results after hopefully seeing some noticeable changes. Too bad it won't regrow my hair....
 
So, an update to this whole thing, for me. I started IF Aug 19th. Like stated before, I was around 250+ on the Oregon trip the first week of August. For me, so far, it works. Obviously, there's not much science behind the why it works...don't eat food = lose weight. I think the reason this has been working well for me as sort of a 'diet' is because of a few different factors. I still pretty much eat what I want (although, full disclosure, I have been making better choices) and mentally, it's easier to prepare for timing and have on/off times since I'm so bad at moderation and portion control. But now I can basically have a normal meal and I find myself eating noticeably less to his that 'full' point. After doing a couple longer fasts back to back, I have found that for me, it has really cut my affinity to eat and especially snack/eat junk. I've also been trying to limit carbs. I'm down to high 230s already and that was with killing a couple legit burritos at a Mexican place at Big Bear over this weekend. It might not be for everyone, but so far it has been working really well for me. The biggest change is that I'm not hungry all the time and it sinks in more of when you 'want' to eat as opposed to more 'need' to eat. It has mentally really cut back on my snacking. I am able to sort of recognize the small hunger pangs and ignore them instead of just eating something. In 20 minutes or so, they just go away. So far, this has been without working out (besides riding the bike, no gym).

I started at the gym this morning before work. I really hate getting up early, as I start work at 7am. So, to get in a workout, I'm up at 4:45 to get to the gym by 5 and then workout until 6 and then home to shower and normal routine. I ate a small meal last night (3 eggs/slice of swiss). My treats/sweets lately have been dark chocolate almonds, which I normally love anyway. I've read/watched a few things where dark coco is a suggested food for something sweet and nuts are a pretty open goto on most of the diets. So, for me, it's a great way to have a small handful to take the edge off when I want something sweet.

I have to say, overall, I feel quite a bit better, sort of 'lighter' instead of the 'always sort of full' kind of way. I feel like I have more energy, which, a lot of this is still new, so it could be mental/the change/whatever, so I'll have to see how I feel over the longer term. Gut feeling tells me this is going to be a way easier way to regulate my weight and 'diet' than just eating less all the time. At this point, I've read quite a few articles and watched a bunch of different videos and it makes sense for me and to me. I'm a big science guy so I like seeing things backed up with solid reasoning and data, plus making sure it jives with my personal experience, which, bottom line...it does so far. I'm really hoping to give this a solid 6 months to look back at pics and see how I look/feel. If anyone else is doing the same, I'd be interested in hearing.

I have an annual appointment with my doc on Thursday, so I'm curious to see how that will go. I know I'm down weight wise, but I should be getting a full blood workup as well, so it will be interesting to see how numbers compare to previous labs. I'm on meds for high blood pressure and have been since I was in my early 30s. I realize this may just be hereditary, but I'd be super stoked if I can lose weight, manage to stay in better shape long term and actually reduce or get off meds. I'd really like to avoid being a Type II diabetic.
 
kazlx said:
So, an update to this whole thing, for me. I started IF Aug 19th. Like stated before, I was around 250+ on the Oregon trip the first week of August. For me, so far, it works. Obviously, there's not much science behind the why it works...don't eat food = lose weight. I think the reason this has been working well for me as sort of a 'diet' is because of a few different factors. I still pretty much eat what I want (although, full disclosure, I have been making better choices) and mentally, it's easier to prepare for timing and have on/off times since I'm so bad at moderation and portion control. But now I can basically have a normal meal and I find myself eating noticeably less to his that 'full' point. After doing a couple longer fasts back to back, I have found that for me, it has really cut my affinity to eat and especially snack/eat junk. I've also been trying to limit carbs. I'm down to high 230s already and that was with killing a couple legit burritos at a Mexican place at Big Bear over this weekend. It might not be for everyone, but so far it has been working really well for me. The biggest change is that I'm not hungry all the time and it sinks in more of when you 'want' to eat as opposed to more 'need' to eat. It has mentally really cut back on my snacking. I am able to sort of recognize the small hunger pangs and ignore them instead of just eating something. In 20 minutes or so, they just go away. So far, this has been without working out (besides riding the bike, no gym).

I started at the gym this morning before work. I really hate getting up early, as I start work at 7am. So, to get in a workout, I'm up at 4:45 to get to the gym by 5 and then workout until 6 and then home to shower and normal routine. I ate a small meal last night (3 eggs/slice of swiss). My treats/sweets lately have been dark chocolate almonds, which I normally love anyway. I've read/watched a few things where dark coco is a suggested food for something sweet and nuts are a pretty open goto on most of the diets. So, for me, it's a great way to have a small handful to take the edge off when I want something sweet.

I have to say, overall, I feel quite a bit better, sort of 'lighter' instead of the 'always sort of full' kind of way. I feel like I have more energy, which, a lot of this is still new, so it could be mental/the change/whatever, so I'll have to see how I feel over the longer term. Gut feeling tells me this is going to be a way easier way to regulate my weight and 'diet' than just eating less all the time. At this point, I've read quite a few articles and watched a bunch of different videos and it makes sense for me and to me. I'm a big science guy so I like seeing things backed up with solid reasoning and data, plus making sure it jives with my personal experience, which, bottom line...it does so far. I'm really hoping to give this a solid 6 months to look back at pics and see how I look/feel. If anyone else is doing the same, I'd be interested in hearing.

I have an annual appointment with my doc on Thursday, so I'm curious to see how that will go. I know I'm down weight wise, but I should be getting a full blood workup as well, so it will be interesting to see how numbers compare to previous labs. I'm on meds for high blood pressure and have been since I was in my early 30s. I realize this may just be hereditary, but I'd be super stoked if I can lose weight, manage to stay in better shape long term and actually reduce or get off meds. I'd really like to avoid being a Type II diabetic.
Click to expand...
Kudos! I tried the intermittent fasting but I have a hard time sticking to it as my work hours are all over the place sometimes. It’s tough when you don’t have a normal schedule.
Keep up the good work! I’m sure your Dr will be pleased with your results too ;)
 
mountaingirl sara said:
Kudos! I tried the intermittent fasting but I have a hard time sticking to it as my work hours are all over the place sometimes. It’s tough when you don’t have a normal schedule.
Keep up the good work! I’m sure your Dr will be pleased with your results too ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks. I definitely shift it around as needed. It really hasn't been hard to skip breakfast even though I was eating breakfast all the time. After some gaps, it's been actually pretty easy to skip breakfast and lunch, which I've been trying to do so I can have dinner at home with my family. In my situation though, we have been pretty busy with the kids (soccer 2 nights a week), which has made it even easier. We'll come home about 7:30 after practice and my wife will make something for herself or she makes something quick for her and the kids before I get home and we head out. I just skip dinner. After about the first 2 weeks, it's been suprisingly easy for me to skip an entire day without eating and effectively going until lunch or dinner the following day. That includes working out (gym), but no bike rides completely fasted yet.

DangerDirtyD said:
I’m inspired!

I would love to scarf a few footlongs and play B-ball for 14 hours!

But alas, I too am motivated to lose a few pounds, like 50 of them. I ain’t fasting tho...not yet anyway. This summer, i’ve Been drinking more beer and riding less. My plan is to drink less beer, ride more, not finish my wife’s/kids’ leftovers (you make a good point), eat only half a donut from the office kitchen, cut out soda and onion rings and animal-style fries and and and...until Chicken Nugget Showtime.

Dammit tho, I’m hungry!
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat. I started at 252. Reality was probably close to 260 before I hated myself and started at least eating a little better and hitting the gym probably the month before my Oregon trip. It was after I got back that someone casually mentioned on another forum I'm on and posted a youtube vid and I watched and started looking more into it. Diet Coke is seriously my worst vice, but I've actually been really good about it lately. Especially now that I carry water with me everywhere. I'm not really a beer drinker (other than randomly on occasion), but the rest of it you're basically speaking my language. I was guilty of having breakfast and then getting to work and someone would bring donuts, so there was another snack (or two). Then I wasn't even really that hungry, but still have lunch. Same with snacking again on something stupid in the afternoon and again having dinner at night with my family. I'm a decent cook and like to cook, but we would definitely eat a lot of pasta. It's easy and both kids eat it. That's one of the main things I've cut out majorly. I'll have some in moderation once I get closer to where I want to be. Even if I have to make different food for the kids, I've been just cooking a lot of meat/veggies for the wife and I. Ideally, I'm hoping to hit 200, which I can't even remember the last time I was there. But I'll be stoked around 210-215. I'm 6'1". At least I put on muscle pretty quickly. I'm going for more how I look in the mirror and feel than a number, but the numbers help. I weighed in at 238 this morning.
 
I could not see starving myself as ever an option. Hope it’s working for you. About 3 months ago I decided to see a nutritionist because I was feeling like :poop:. She helped me stabilize my blood sugar and put me on the right track with healthy clean eating, nothing to radical, and with some lacking education, a lot of desire I’ve done what she said with amazing results! Energy levels way way higher, dropped 15 lbs in 4 weeks, I’ve dropped 20 lbs as of today. I thought I was eating healthy and was way off! I guess there will always be a new way, I’m sticking to the old way.
 
I fast from 10 pm to 7 am.

Most of my morning rides (60-90 minutes) are fasted, but skipping meals is something I have a hard time committing too. I just hate filling hungry. I know it is a mental thing, but I just don't see the need.
I try to eat a vegetable-based diet and reduce my animal-based protein. I drink water or sparkling water exclusively (with the exception of coffee occasionally, and TW on the bike).

I was able to drop about 18 lbs from Dec to July - down to 202 lbs.
the last few weeks I cut back on my riding and indulge on bread and pastries. I back to 209.
 
hill^billy said:
I could not see starving myself as ever an option. Hope it’s working for you. About 3 months ago I decided to see a nutritionist because I was feeling like :poop:. She helped me stabilize my blood sugar and put me on the right track with healthy clean eating, nothing to radical, and with some lacking education, a lot of desire I’ve done what she said with amazing results! Energy levels way way higher, dropped 15 lbs in 4 weeks, I’ve dropped 20 lbs as of today. I thought I was eating healthy and was way off! I guess there will always be a new way, I’m sticking to the old way.
Click to expand...

That's been the interesting part for me. I'm not really starving. I'm just genuinely less hungry all the time. Around 'typical' meal times, I get small hunger pangs, the feeling like, 'I could eat', but by no means starving. I think a lot of it, just for me personally, I was drinking a lot of diet coke. I think it was really messing with my insulin and other hormone levels. I actively have been drinking roughly a gallon of water every day over the course of the day and it seriously just seems to help every aspect of how I feel and my hunger levels.
 
Cool to see the positive results people are getting. It seems to have had a profoundly positive effect for me. That said, while I have tried to maintain the amount of calories I was taking in, just compressed into a smaller window, in reality that is tough to do consistently. Either way I have gotten down to a weight that is less than I'm comfortable with for my height (though strength hasn't really suffered, so maybe I'm just mindfarqing myself with numbers). Since Cannell I have been off my 15/9 plan. Not "off the wagon" so to speak, but more a conscious decision to eat (healthily) when I feel hungry. It's been almost 2 weeks of that, and I'm feeling some low level inflammation creeping into my low back and elbows. Neck is also jacked. It's jacked even in the best of times, but it's especially lit up right now. Lots of other variables, and just nonscientific self observation on my part, but the experiment continues.
 
Jumping on this thread because...

My wife has been doing this for about three weeks now. Monday / Wednesday / Friday she doesn't eat ANYTHING. On Tuesday/Thurs she eats whatever she wants, but only from 8:00AM until 8:00PM... and then it is back to a 36 hour fast. She then relaxes on weekends and eats whatever she wants... but as many of you have pointed out, once you do this a few times it really suppresses your appetite.

I did this for ONE DAY and almost ate off my arm. Problem is... I try to run and bike four days a week. When I come home from a three hour bike, if I don't eat something in the next two hours I actually start to feel sick. But it is working for her and she finds it much easier to manage than a traditional "diet". It is much easier to say NO FOOD AT ALL than to try to manage calories... or eat "just a salad" while your pizza leftovers from the previous night are staring at you from the fridge.
 
DangerDirtyD said:
I’m inspired!

I would love to scarf a few footlongs and play B-ball for 14 hours!

But alas, I too am motivated to lose a few pounds, like 50 of them. I ain’t fasting tho...not yet anyway. This summer, i’ve Been drinking more beer and riding less. My plan is to drink less beer, ride more, not finish my wife’s/kids’ leftovers (you make a good point), eat only half a donut from the office kitchen, cut out soda and onion rings and animal-style fries and and and...until Chicken Nugget Showtime.

Dammit tho, I’m hungry!
Click to expand...

If you’re not ready to fast and want to suppress your appetite. Try adding some (about a cap full to start) apple cider vinegar to your water in the morning. Besides helping with the appetite there are many benefits.
The taste is kinda gnarly but you get used to it. I add about 4-5 tablespoons to mine. Can’t go without it.
 
hill^billy said:
I could not see starving myself as ever an option. Hope it’s working for you. About 3 months ago I decided to see a nutritionist because I was feeling like :poop:. She helped me stabilize my blood sugar and put me on the right track with healthy clean eating, nothing to radical, and with some lacking education, a lot of desire I’ve done what she said with amazing results! Energy levels way way higher, dropped 15 lbs in 4 weeks, I’ve dropped 20 lbs as of today. I thought I was eating healthy and was way off! I guess there will always be a new way, I’m sticking to the old way.
Click to expand...

Good job with the nutritionist:thumbsup:
Now go see a holistic Dr. They’ll get you cleansed of all the bad parasites and viruses you don’t know you have.
 
I rarely eat breakfast these days but do have juice as a substitute. Since I get up at 3:45am I usually have dinner at 5-6pm, lunch around 11am, and my morning juice is usually around 7-8am. So I usually go 12-14 hours before even having juice and that juice is mostly celery, ginger, lemon, turmeric, and beets.

I’m no nutrition expert but the routine works for me and even though I’m not riding trails as much lately I’m relatively slim compared to years past when I was riding a lot more.
 
I think my next phase is to still maintain a time restricted feeding window 5 days a week, but something that allows me to get enough calories to maintain a proper body weight. Maybe 12/12, and then adding in a 36 hour fast once every other week, or once a month. 15/9 has served me very well in many ways though, so maybe I just need more tweaks to the type of food I'm eating in my window. It sure will be nice when the studies in humans catch up to the hypotheses and anecdotal evidence, and more protocols are realized.
 
Redman said:
Good job with the nutritionist:thumbsup:
Now go see a holistic Dr. They’ll get you cleansed of all the bad parasites and viruses you don’t know you have.
Click to expand...

Been seeing a holistic for about 3 years now, I’m feeling pretty dialed with these last tweaks. For me being Hypoglycemic blood sugar is king! I recommend an A1C test for everyone to find out where you stand with blood sugar, a big number of us are pre diabetic and don’t even know it.
 
Cornholio said:
I rarely eat breakfast these days but do have juice as a substitute. Since I get up at 3:45am I usually have dinner at 5-6pm, lunch around 11am, and my morning juice is usually around 7-8am. So I usually go 12-14 hours before even having juice and that juice is mostly celery, ginger, lemon, turmeric, and beets.

I’m no nutrition expert but the routine works for me and even though I’m not riding trails as much lately I’m relatively slim compared to years past when I was riding a lot more.
Click to expand...
That's similar to what a friend of mine did. He was obese since childhood, and in later teens he started eating only fruit before noon. I was shocked to see him at 20 years old with all that skin hanging off him, not fat at all.

Pardon the fasting diversion...
 
BonsaiNut said:
Jumping on this thread because...

My wife has been doing this for about three weeks now. Monday / Wednesday / Friday she doesn't eat ANYTHING. On Tuesday/Thurs she eats whatever she wants, but only from 8:00AM until 8:00PM... and then it is back to a 36 hour fast. She then relaxes on weekends and eats whatever she wants... but as many of you have pointed out, once you do this a few times it really suppresses your appetite.

I did this for ONE DAY and almost ate off my arm. Problem is... I try to run and bike four days a week. When I come home from a three hour bike, if I don't eat something in the next two hours I actually start to feel sick. But it is working for her and she finds it much easier to manage than a traditional "diet". It is much easier to say NO FOOD AT ALL than to try to manage calories... or eat "just a salad" while your pizza leftovers from the previous night are staring at you from the fridge.
Click to expand...

I feel you. I have no idea how this will affect me while trying to ride. In all honesty, I will still prob have a solid dinner the night before and still eat in the morning if I plan on a larger ride. I have routinely ridden without eating breakfast for years and it's never bothered me. If anything, I stop by the local donut shop and grab a bagel on my way out.

I just figured so many people are in the same boat as me. I'm late 30s, married, kids, etc. Time is a pretty precious resource for me. I'm definitely not obese. I get exercise, probably more than a lot of people, ride my bike, etc, but I'm still guilty of just eating too much and the wrong stuff. I 100% agree with your wife, even though I get small hunger pangs, it really hasn't been that hard to push through. I've gone pretty hardcore before with small meals like 6x a day and that for me was brutal. I was literally hungry all damn day, which, surprised me when I saw that exact scenario addressed in some of the talks/vids/studies/etc. I just assumed the worst trying this, but for me, it really hasn't been the case. It has been way easier to just not eat and then eat a large meal and feel satisfied than it is to meander along eating salads, nuts, low calorie everything all day long. Eventually, the amounts just kept getting higher because I was always hungry and I'd just fall off the wagon. Roughly a month in, I can honestly see this working for me long term. My one long term challenge will be self control. I'm a glutton for stuff like fresh chocolate chip cookies and sweets. It's my damn kryptonite.

The biggest part that appeals to me is the overall concept of 90% of us probably eat when we really don't need to. I'm 100% guilty of just having food because it's time, or other people are eating or (the worst) because I'm bored. Having water with me all the time has really helped. Also giving myself that mental challenge of knowing 'I'm in a fasting window' just really makes me conscious of throwing food in my face for whatever reason.

I'm definitely not saying it will work for everyone or every situation. Hell, my wife is 5'5" and 120 lbs. She definitely doesn't need it. But she literally has no sweet tooth and never really over eats. At first she got all crazy with me thinking I'm going to starve, but then realized that her telling me she almost never eats breakfast is basically IF. She usually eats lunch around 11, doesn't really snack at all and then we usually have dinner at 6. So she is actually on a 7/17 IF schedule without really having to think about it. What comes naturally for her doesn't for other people.

I'm really hoping to see some gains in my physique and riding by hitting the gym consistently. I've always been able to drop weight relatively quickly when I put my mind to it. I really want to do this for myself, just for long term health and to boost my riding. Oh, and I promised the wife some resemblance of a six pack :cool:

Edit: I have doc appt today. He noticed I have lost weight and made sure it was on purpose. Got my blood drawn today, so will probably take a few days to get results, so we'll see how all that turns out.
 
DangerDirtyD said:
Everyone’s input is valuable and relevant, but how do ya’ll cope with the munchies!!?
*~~:whistling:
Click to expand...

I'm your huckleberry! WHEN I get the munchies, I go for fruit. Sweet fruit... apples, grapes, and bananas are my main three. Strawberries, watermelon, and pears when in season. All are sweet and loaded with sugar. They satisfy my cravings. Or, I eat a lot of nuts and seeds, almonds, cashews, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds. I make my own trail mix of raisins, cranberries, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. ALL ORGANC, or course. Every now and then I'll throw in some banana chips or dehydrated mango.

Don't get me wrong though, I am just as guilty as anyone else. There are times when some cookie dough and a huge scoop of ice cream just can't be passed up. Tastes sooooo good and I feel congested minutes afterwards.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top