fasting 4 days a week

[mory]

I was wondering if anyone else has my experience? I am in my late 50's, 5'4", about 190 pounds. I started IF about 3-4 years ago-- one day a week to start with, after a year I went to 3 days a week, I now fast (just water)Sunday night through Tuesday, and Thursday through Friday~~ pretty much eating on Wednesday and the weekend. For those of you that do fast close to what I do, you know you can't over eat anymore--- so I'm not gorging like crazy on the days I do eat. But I've stayed about 190 for the last two years-- I should probably be 160 to be considered a healthy wieght, and be down to a 32" waist. I feel great, and no known problems--- don't trust the medical proffession enough to ever approach them for something like this (could you imagine what they'd say?) If my thyoid was malfunctioning I'd be cold, and i think my skin would be bad ( I have skin like a 20 something woman ) There are so many joys and benefits of fasting I will do it till I die--- but I'm so curious to know why,with eating less than 6000 calories a week that I would not loose wieght? I'd like not to be considered chubby-- people think I'm an overeater, when i tell them what I've done for the last 3 years they think I'm lying. Anyone have a similar experience and maybe have an explanation for it?

[Sara2]

I did this post to the main email list about another CR member's "extreme fasting" yearly technique. She is a very active person with dance competitions too.

 

Consider gene testing at some point to help give us some answers. Maybe you have "unique markers" in your genes to help us understand how some few people can do what you & Liza can do.

 

To:

cr@lists.calorierestriction.org

Posted by: Liza May, M.s.

Date: December 06, 2007 09:07AM

 

John Doe wrote:

<< Nice. And Liza May looks very good!

 

Liza May:

I've been asked this before [eating about 1,000c/day] and my only answer is that my metabolism must either be very slow, or very efficient, or both. For several years now my husband and I have been competing on the national dance circuit which means constant practicing, and traveling two to three times a month for a four-day marathon of competing from noon to 4 or 5am every day (this is no exaggeration) ... in other words a lot of physical activity and a lot of stress. And yet I stay stable at this weight (which is what I weighed in high school).

 

John Doe:

<< And the fasting is scary. Moderate fasting along the lines of one 24 hour period once a week is one thing, but it is my understanding that going much beyond that (and 40 days is just extreme!) is actually detrimental for health. Of course, I'm no authority, so to each his/her own. >>

 

Liza:

You may be right. You are certainly right to think of it as scary - it is not safe for everyone in fact it can be dangerous. If you've been on medications, steroids in particular, or are or have every been obese, or have any medical condition - then you should certainly not consider it.

 

The most dangerous part of fasting is not the fasting itself, but coming off the fast. This is where you will most easily land yourself in the hospital. The period of "weaning" yourself back into normal eating should take as long as the fast itself, and needs to be very carefully monitored and disciplined since once the appetite returns the impulse is to eat everything, including the plate and napkin.

 

Fasting, for whatever reasons, has seemed to have worked well for me. I started many years ago, beginning with a 7-day fast which I remember finding not only scary but accompanied by strong feelings of deprivation, self-pity, and wondering if I was crazy. But I felt so terrific afterwards I soon embarked on another, longer fast, and so it went.

============

 

Liza has fasted up to 62 days (once) and 40 days several times seemingly without physical damage on water alone. That's biblical in nature, and I wonder what her weight is at the end? Liza stated she started with a 7 day fast to begin with.

 

Is anyone aware of another CR person doing 7+ day fasts on water alone? Just curious about any other "extreme" fasting experiences. Anyone?

 

This must indicate that some people like Liza have "extreme fasting" gene(s) for most normal body types I don't think could withstand that kind of deprivation w/o some damage to the body long-term. Certainly, Liza is very correct about coming-off that kind of fast can be very dangerous, as many war-time starved [concentration camp] prisoners died from being fed once rescued.

 

Another biblical aspect to her extreme fasting is the "spiritual high" she seems to get from doing this too. I think many on CR near the extreme end also report such euphoric feelings sometimes too???

 

I hope Liza will give us an update about her CR/health sometime soon. She has not posted here in years.

 

Did any of the rodent studies have such extreme fasting with very slow addition of calories stretched over considerable time after the fast? That might be an interesting experiment, if not done yet, ... at least for Liza's regimen of extreme fasting.

[SJC]

Since reading Mory's post a few months ago, both my wife and I have switched to her fasting regime. We started fasting about 9 months ago doing a single 48 hour period each week of (water, black tea/coffee, diet coke) fasting. That became increasingly easy to do, and in late April we added another 40-48 hour weekly fast, pretty much in the same arrangement as Mory mentions.

 

The only objective change I've noticed is that my resting pulse has fallen from 75+ to around 50. We hope to have more to report soon re changes in cholesterol levels and BP. My weight (c 9.5 stone, 133 lb) has stayed pretty constant though it fluctuates during the week by up to 6-7 lb.

 

Only side effects for me were headaches (initially, when water fasting only). A work colleague pointed out it was probably caffeine withdrawal, something that would never have occurred to me. Drinking black tea and coffee fixed that immediately, and the headaches have not recurred.

 

If anyone knows of any researchers wanting to study the long term effects of this type of fasting, we'd be very willing volunteers. We're based near London in the UK.

[Arcady Economo]

Hello colleagues and CR experts,

 

I am looking for your expert explanation of blood tests.

 

Just had two patients, who did 1-2 weeks fasting program in our

facilities (Anti-Aging Center Europe). There is a paradox with blood tests results:

at the end of fasting blood tests showed blood to be aterogenic (dyslipidemia) with elevated Cholesterol and LDL levels. Bellow some details:

 

Patient J.C. (female) from France 47 years old. Was on strict water fasting

regime (0 Cal per day) for 7 days. Blood samples were taken in the morning of

8th day just before starting recovery feeding on juices.

 

Glucose: 4.0

C-reactive protein 2.3 mg/L

HDL Cholesterol 1.22

LDL Cholesterol 6.18

Cholesterol 8.0

Trigliceride 1.24

Insulin 5.9

IGF - results will be ready in a few days.

 

-------

 

Patient N.C. (female) from UK 48 years old. Was on strict water fasting

regime (0 Cal per day) for 14 days. Blood samles was taken in the morning of

15th day just before starting recovery on juices.

 

Glucose: 3.9

C-reactive protein 1.4 mg/L

HDL Cholesterol 1.17

LDL Cholesterol 5.41

Cholesterol 7.3

Trigliceride 1.22

Insulin 2.5 ng/ml

IGF - 35.6 ng/ml

 

----------

 

So, any ideas or explanations why both patients at the end of fasting

had so high level of LDL and Cholesterol.

 

Arcady Economo

Skype: roberttino3822

e-mail: service@my-lifespan.com

[James Cain]

Arcady, extended fasting results in increased FFA mobilization and lipid flux through the liver. Plasma and hepatic lipid levels increase during this time and are largely reversable upon refeeding. This is a normal physiological response to short-term fasting and may be exacerbated with extreme fasting or in conjunction with obesity or metabolic disorders.

 

From your post I take it you are in the sciences and can track down relevant sources to see if this at least partly explains your results, but let me know if you need some help.

[SIRT1]

Hello colleagues and CR experts,

 

I am looking for your expert explanation of blood tests.

 

Just had two patients, who did 1-2 weeks fasting program in our

facilities (Anti-Aging Center Europe). There is a paradox with blood tests results:

at the end of fasting blood tests showed blood to be aterogenic (dyslipidemia) with elevated Cholesterol and LDL levels. Bellow some details:

 

Patient J.C. (female) from France 47 years old. Was on strict water fasting

regime (0 Cal per day) for 7 days. Blood samples were taken in the morning of

8th day just before starting recovery feeding on juices.

 

Glucose: 4.0

C-reactive protein 2.3 mg/L

HDL Cholesterol 1.22

LDL Cholesterol 6.18

Cholesterol 8.0

Trigliceride 1.24

Insulin 5.9

IGF - results will be ready in a few days.

 

-------

 

Patient N.C. (female) from UK 48 years old. Was on strict water fasting

regime (0 Cal per day) for 14 days. Blood samles was taken in the morning of

15th day just before starting recovery on juices.

 

Glucose: 3.9

C-reactive protein 1.4 mg/L

HDL Cholesterol 1.17

LDL Cholesterol 5.41

Cholesterol 7.3

Trigliceride 1.22

Insulin 2.5 ng/ml

IGF - 35.6 ng/ml

 

----------

 

So, any ideas or explanations why both patients at the end of fasting

had so high level of LDL and Cholesterol.

 

 

 

Agree with James.

 

The high cholesterol levels can be explained by the bodies reaction to extended fasting.

 

The body would need more cholesterol to transport more stored fats to the rest of the body.

 

High LDL cholestrol implies increased transport of fats from the liver.

 

On the surface, if someone was eating normally, those figures would appear to be atherogenic (low HDL / high LDL).

 

However, the body activates other mechanisms while fasting, like releasing more nitric oxide among others.

 

Fasting, apparently, has an atheroprotective effect.