I've been doing loads of reading/research on Fasting...Just out of interest and curiosity. However, when I tell people I'm fasting they're immediate reaction is "OMG your starving yourself" or "isn't Fasting bad for your health" etc or I often read and hear Personal Trainers/Dieticians claim it's just another way of reducing calories or it's all about Calories In vs Calories Out.
Is there anyone out there that Fasts whether it be 5:2, 16:8, 18:6, 24hour fasts, Alternate Day Fasts etc where we can share tips and offer support and speak of our personal experiences with Fasting. I feel like I just want someone to say "Oh yes, I've read that book, it was brilliant" or "I love fasting and incorporate it into everyday life". Its actually really hard to find Fasting Forums online so I figured lets go to Mumsnet :-) (I am a long time lurker and I have posted a few times and responded to peoples topics - I'm not a researcher or anything like that - I work in admin).
So I suppose I can start off by saying I first became interested in Fasting when my friend a few years back started the 16:8 Fasting so I thought I'd look around and try and find more information on this.
I found one guy Dr Jason Fung who's articles on his website were so interesting and I was hooked on reading more. I then read the Obesity Code and have recently just finished the "Ultimate Guide to Fasting" which again was a good interesting read. I've watched numerous YouTube videos and various smaller articles on the internet, all of which I find interesting. I know Fasting (from what I've read) is mainly aimed at people with Type 1 & 2 diabetes and who are morbidly or obese but Fasting can be done by most people providing you have no eating disorders and your have more than (something like) 6% bodyfat. Of course I know not everything works for everyone but I feel like I just need some people out there who also Fast on a daily basis and can offer advice/support for the harder days etc.
I started my Fasting journey on Mon 29th Oct where I started Fasting for 20hours Mon - Fri as I find Mon-Fri to be the most easiest. My start weight was 12st 4lb and today it is 11st 10lb. Of course I know a lot of this is probs water weight, however, its not just about the losing weight, I actually feel so much better in myself. I've not experienced any bloating, not experienced my usual afternoon dip where I feel really tired, I sleep better which is major for me because I can fall asleep easily but then literally wake up for around 2-3 hours each night - this has dramatically reduced. I count calories on MFP, have done for a long time and yes I get that to some people all I'm doing is putting myself in a calorie deficit but I really do feel so much better when I fast. I did try the 5:2 for about 4 weeks but I actually felt like I wasn't able to stick to the 500 calorie days, I manage better Fasting for 20-22hours and then I break my fast with lunch around 3pm and eat my tea. I suffer from dry hands and I often looked at them and thought god my hands look old and now that dryness has gone and they are soft again. I know this all sounds silly but is there anyone out there that does Fasting and has gained positives from it.
So I'm still Fasting but naturally I have reduced my calorie intake so I dont feel the need to count calories. What is interesting from my reading the books/watching the videos is that there is scientific evidence to show there is a difference between someone who is dieting and restricts daily calories to someone who Fasts but naturally restricts they're calories. Its weird!
Sorry for the long post. Just want to hear from others who do this :-)