Fasting - all types (intermittent, long, dry, etc)
- Thread starter Papist
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Carbs are important, but do not eat them past 6pm.
Think of your metabolism like a fireplace.
Sugars, especially sucrose, are kindling that burns up fast and easy, but only gives a temporary boost.
Proteins are the medium sized logs that burn strong and hot, the duraflame type logs.
Carbs are the giant fat logs at the bottom of the wood pile that burn for hours.
A healthy fireplace needs all three types of logs to function properly and burn strong. Likewise, it is the same for the body. However, this is why it is important not to add carbs past 6pm, since it will be like the fat log that burns all night long, and never really burning out completely, which means it gets stored as fat during your sleep.
Treat the metabolism like a fireplace and it's very easy to regulate one's weight. Eat lots of proteins all day long, sugars at the start of a day to get yourself started, and add carbs moderately until 6pm. After 6pm if you are hungry, ONLY EAT PROTEINS (and fats, which in many ways are just a type of protein). No sugars (which do not satisfy and only stimulate the metabolism to burn without any energy to sustain, causing disfunction and resulting in long-term diabetes) or carbs in the evening.
This is so incredibly reckless. You could very easily die by going more than 3 days without water. Even if you survive, you can end up with permanent organ damage and very unpleasant side effects like kidney stones. Where are you getting information that this is advisable?
Not true at all. Your body releases metabolic water. If you are young and healthy 3 days without water isn't going to harm you at all (unless you are in scorching heat).
I don't really have room for long true fasting being very lean, it will just burn through muscle and not being young muscle is something I'm reluctant to lose.
Dry fast, would not try it even when young, a way to lose kidneys. One meal a day intermittent kind of fast is what I do once in a while, mostly just a day on the road not bothering to eat until evening, not intentional really. I don't have weight issues and don't find the need to do any special diets or calorie counting, just avoid sugar, unhealthy, not whole or processed foods, exessive animal fats, fried, pesticide-containing stuff, none of it is natural except high animal fat had a place in some ancient peoples lives, like Eskimos, who were living very active outdoor lifestyles and ate stuff raw, though they did not live long and had parasites from raw food. Just basic organic whole foods in moderation. I work out a lot but avoid too much protein (bad for kidneys, kidneys is not the thing to mess with). If you don't eat a lot to begin with stomach doesn't get too big and feels full when you ate just the right amount. If someone used to eat in excess or unhealthy 3 day type fasting should help shrink the stomach and reset hormonal hunger control mechnism. I've seen 3 day fasts do some good to really old people but they weren't athletic, had assisted living and muscle loss was not their worry
Dry fast, would not try it even when young, a way to lose kidneys. One meal a day intermittent kind of fast is what I do once in a while, mostly just a day on the road not bothering to eat until evening, not intentional really. I don't have weight issues and don't find the need to do any special diets or calorie counting, just avoid sugar, unhealthy, not whole or processed foods, exessive animal fats, fried, pesticide-containing stuff, none of it is natural except high animal fat had a place in some ancient peoples lives, like Eskimos, who were living very active outdoor lifestyles and ate stuff raw, though they did not live long and had parasites from raw food. Just basic organic whole foods in moderation. I work out a lot but avoid too much protein (bad for kidneys, kidneys is not the thing to mess with). If you don't eat a lot to begin with stomach doesn't get too big and feels full when you ate just the right amount. If someone used to eat in excess or unhealthy 3 day type fasting should help shrink the stomach and reset hormonal hunger control mechnism. I've seen 3 day fasts do some good to really old people but they weren't athletic, had assisted living and muscle loss was not their worry
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Back in September 2025, I watched several YouTube videos about insulin resistance by Pradip Jamnadas and Jason Fung. They suggested that fasting is one of the best ways to combat it. Fasting can range from extended water fasts to standard intermittent fasting.
I also remembered that years ago, Simeon Strangelight advocated eating one meal a day (OMAD). Instead of burdening myself with carefully choosing meals, tracking macros, and counting calories, I decided to adopt an “all-you-can-eat” approach within a one-meal-a-day framework.
When I started in September 2025, I did not immediately follow OMAD 100%. Sometimes I still ate twice a day. At first, I ate my single meal at night because I usually have difficulty sleeping on an empty stomach. However, starting in October, I shifted my meal to the afternoon after learning that eating late at night may not be optimal.
Coincidentally, during this period I was not exercising as regularly as before. I admit this was a mistake, as exercise should have remained part of my routine.
The interesting part is that despite following OMAD in a suboptimal way, I still experienced noticeable results. First of all, since starting, I have lost 13 kg.
Second, I feel less thirsty than before. Even though I drink less water now, I experience less thirst and can go much longer without drinking. Previously, I needed to drink large amounts of water yet still felt thirsty.
I also no longer feel lethargic after eating. In the past, I would usually need to take a nap after meals. However, about a month after starting OMAD, this post-meal fatigue disappeared, and I am now able to stay focused after eating.
Additionally, my immune system seems to have improved. When people around me have coughs, runny noses, or fevers, I am often one of the few who does not get sick.
It appears that my insulin levels may now be more normal. If they were not, it would likely be much harder or even impossible for me to lose weight. Addressing insulin resistance was my main reason for starting OMAD, and the weight loss was simply a bonus.
If I have experienced this much improvement despite doing it in a suboptimal way, I wonder how much better the results would be if I optimized my meal and exercised consistently.
I also remembered that years ago, Simeon Strangelight advocated eating one meal a day (OMAD). Instead of burdening myself with carefully choosing meals, tracking macros, and counting calories, I decided to adopt an “all-you-can-eat” approach within a one-meal-a-day framework.
When I started in September 2025, I did not immediately follow OMAD 100%. Sometimes I still ate twice a day. At first, I ate my single meal at night because I usually have difficulty sleeping on an empty stomach. However, starting in October, I shifted my meal to the afternoon after learning that eating late at night may not be optimal.
Coincidentally, during this period I was not exercising as regularly as before. I admit this was a mistake, as exercise should have remained part of my routine.
The interesting part is that despite following OMAD in a suboptimal way, I still experienced noticeable results. First of all, since starting, I have lost 13 kg.
Second, I feel less thirsty than before. Even though I drink less water now, I experience less thirst and can go much longer without drinking. Previously, I needed to drink large amounts of water yet still felt thirsty.
I also no longer feel lethargic after eating. In the past, I would usually need to take a nap after meals. However, about a month after starting OMAD, this post-meal fatigue disappeared, and I am now able to stay focused after eating.
Additionally, my immune system seems to have improved. When people around me have coughs, runny noses, or fevers, I am often one of the few who does not get sick.
It appears that my insulin levels may now be more normal. If they were not, it would likely be much harder or even impossible for me to lose weight. Addressing insulin resistance was my main reason for starting OMAD, and the weight loss was simply a bonus.
If I have experienced this much improvement despite doing it in a suboptimal way, I wonder how much better the results would be if I optimized my meal and exercised consistently.
I have been trying this as well, and have had some of the same results. In particular, I found that if I go all day without eating, I stay wide awake, and don't have the lethargy in the afternoon like I normally do.
One thing I found is that you can just push through hunger and eventually it passes. I used to skip breakfast and hold off on lunch, but by mid-afternoon I'd be so hungry I couldn't take it any more, and would eat. It seemed to me that if I didn't give in and eat, the hunger would just keep getting worse and worse until I gave in. However I have found it doesn't keep getting worse and worse. Eventually it passes for a while, and even when it comes back, it's no worse than the last time. It's not as hard as I expected to go longer without eating.
I have come to this current fasting regime.
One 36 hour fast every week. Saturday night until Monday lunch.
On non-lifting days I fast 18 to 20 hours.
On lifting days I fast 16 hours.
Lifting days, I really have to start shoveling the food in so that I can keep from losing muscle.
Non-lifting days I am eating two big meals 4 hours apart.
I eat a ton of protein, some carbs and fat. I only eat sugar on lifting days in the form of oatmeal and raisins. I also quit caffeine about 8 months ago. I have never felt or looked better. Fasting really is a life hack.
Fasting has solved my insulin resistance, which we often call a "sweet tooth", I no longer even want sweet foods. Fasting has allowed me to have more mental clarity and focus. Fasting has given me more confidence. Pushing through the discomfort of hunger is a big step in growing self-confidence. Not needing an "external" source as soon as your body desires it is a big thing to continually push into your subconscious. I found on my longer fasts that if I add some salt to my water, it prevents any headaches or tiredness.
I strongly recommend some sort of fasting for everyone, especially those in the west where our food is so unhealthy.
One 36 hour fast every week. Saturday night until Monday lunch.
On non-lifting days I fast 18 to 20 hours.
On lifting days I fast 16 hours.
Lifting days, I really have to start shoveling the food in so that I can keep from losing muscle.
Non-lifting days I am eating two big meals 4 hours apart.
I eat a ton of protein, some carbs and fat. I only eat sugar on lifting days in the form of oatmeal and raisins. I also quit caffeine about 8 months ago. I have never felt or looked better. Fasting really is a life hack.
Fasting has solved my insulin resistance, which we often call a "sweet tooth", I no longer even want sweet foods. Fasting has allowed me to have more mental clarity and focus. Fasting has given me more confidence. Pushing through the discomfort of hunger is a big step in growing self-confidence. Not needing an "external" source as soon as your body desires it is a big thing to continually push into your subconscious. I found on my longer fasts that if I add some salt to my water, it prevents any headaches or tiredness.
I strongly recommend some sort of fasting for everyone, especially those in the west where our food is so unhealthy.
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Update: Not exercising regularly—especially lifting—has finally shown its effects. Over the past few days, my post-meal lethargy and sleepiness have returned. It is at its worst about 1–2 hours after eating. I have realized that fasting is indeed powerful, but it must be combined with regular exercise to work optimally.
However, I do not regret not exercising and lifting regularly, since I learned valuable lessons from the experience. Exercise and strength training are very important for our health and cannot be replaced.
However, I do not regret not exercising and lifting regularly, since I learned valuable lessons from the experience. Exercise and strength training are very important for our health and cannot be replaced.
Fasting is honestly a crazy life hack, because we don’t actually have to do anything to fast—in fact, it reduces the number of things we do. After switching to eating just once a day, I realized that eating multiple times daily actually requires a noticeable amount of planning, since we usually want each meal to be different and satisfying.
When fasting, we save time on planning and even save money. By fasting, we reduce the effort we spend, yet somewhat counterintuitively we can still gain more benefits compared to eating multiple times a day.
I also found that a pinch of salt in warm water works very well for me. Every morning, the first thing I drink is salt water. Yet whenever I measure my blood pressure, it is always within the normal range. This makes me wonder whether salt is sometimes overly demonized. Many people think salt automatically raises blood pressure, but in my case, consuming salt every day has not caused any problem and even beneficial.
When fasting, we save time on planning and even save money. By fasting, we reduce the effort we spend, yet somewhat counterintuitively we can still gain more benefits compared to eating multiple times a day.
I also found that a pinch of salt in warm water works very well for me. Every morning, the first thing I drink is salt water. Yet whenever I measure my blood pressure, it is always within the normal range. This makes me wonder whether salt is sometimes overly demonized. Many people think salt automatically raises blood pressure, but in my case, consuming salt every day has not caused any problem and even beneficial.
How long have you been maintaining this routine and how much weight have you lost? I ask because this a pretty aggressive fasting schedule, especially if it isn't specifically intended for weight loss purposes.
Fasting is one of those things that people sometimes overdo because it works so well. But then when you overdo it, you will obviously get more drawbacks than benefits.
Absolutely. If you are avoiding processed food, and especially if you are fasting regularly and exercising, you should be using what feels like an excessive amount of salt on your food.
For about 8 weeks. It feels great. I have lost a lot of weight, not that I wanted to or needed to, but I feel better as a result. My bench press has collapsed, another reason I hate the bench press lift, it is very ego driven and being bulked up and overweight is rewarded in the bench press.
I do feel a ton better, but I have lost weight and strength. I still pound food in my body during my eating window and eat almost as much as I used to eat, but the fasting seems to keep the weight off. I also eat super healthy, so that helps as well. I no longer have any sugar cravings, when I see or smell "sugar", I am almost repulsed by it. The only sugar I do eat is when I lift, I put a small amount of raisins into my pre and post workout oatmeal, for an insulin spike and protein absorption.
Most people guess me to be 10 to 15 years younger than I am, and I think this is partially due to fasting as well.
If you fast as much as I laid out, you will lose weight and strength. And yea, that sucks, but the benefits outweigh these concerns for me. I feel light and bouncy and I can dunk a basketball again. It is fun to be old and have a young feeling body, because I can really appreciate how it feels.
You should try experimenting with a longer duration but lower frequency fasting schedule. For example, instead of 36 hours weekly, try 48 hours every other week. Or 72 hours once a month. It's easy to overdo fasting and lose too much weight, especially when you're already doing pretty strict intermittent fasting on a daily basis. There's definitely a sweet spot to be found.
Yea, I might have to experiment with it. Right now, I really like the results I am getting. I don't want to get skinny again ,but it is my genetics to be skinny and accepting it is probably a big step in crushing my ego.
I appreciate it, I will keep this in mind as I play around with it.