16 hour daily fast?

[OakLeaf]

I would think good blood sugar control is a must before starting on something like that. It doesn't sound like you have that?

Lots has been written about how Muslim athletes fuel for training and competition during Ramadan. If I were thinking about doing something like that, I'd look at their and their trainers' discussions.

More generally, it annoys me when evolutionary justifications are advanced, without evidence, for various practices that might or might not be valid. True, the earliest hominids evolved in equatorial regions where night and day were close to equal, year round. But it's also true that human DNA changed quite a bit while we were developing agriculture (emphasizing carbs and relatively empty calories that enabled them to work more hours of the day) and dispersing throughout the world (possibly making localized adaptations to seasonal changes - such as what we've been talking about in the hunger/cold thread). I would think that anyone whose ancestry comes mostly from temperate climates would do better to tailor both activity and nutrition to the available natural light. Not that anyone with a job outside of agriculture can do that in the 21st century - and even a lot of agricultural work is no longer dependent on light any more, with GPS-guided farm equipment.

[Crankin]

This is not based on any empirical evidence, but there is no way I could do this. I can barely go 2 hours without eating! I have never been able to fast, even on Yom Kippur. The most I could do is drink herbal tea/diluted oj until about 6 PM, and even then, it was not worth the wicked headache I got. It doesn't seem like this is a practical way to live, without even thinking about things like fueling for training.

[Catrin]

There are those in the Paleo/Primal community who do intermittent fasting (IF) once their bodies have become accustomed to burning fat for energy. It works for them (some quite long-term), but many appear to be male. I've heard there is research that shows that this doesn't work as well for women but I've not read the studies myself as I am really not interested in going this route. Part of it is knowing our individual bodies and what works for us.

[e3rdpower]

There's been a lot of chatter about IF for women lately. Long story short it appears to mess us up more often then the men folk. I personally did not do well with IF (this was in a period of time when I was not riding, and I imagine it would be worse with riding.)

http://www.paleoforwomen.com/shatter...he-literature/

http://www.stumptuous.com/rant-66-de...e-of-fast-club

http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/train-man-eat-woman

http://www.fitnessbaddies.com/train-...ous-for-women/

[Catrin]

Thanks for the links. I was tempted to try this but I know my body well enough that I didn't think it would work for me. It is hard enough for me to get enough calories/nutrition given my activity level as it is, there is NO way that I could do that in just one meal... That being said I know a couple of women for whom it works well, just goes to show that nutrition isn't "cookie cutter".

[Owlie]

I couldn't do it. At least, not as written. I need to eat within 2 hours of waking up. Otherwise I get headaches. BF can manage it. Heck, he can ride on an empty stomach.

A big breakfast (ie, bacon, egg, sausage, hash browns...basically a fat-delivery system) will usually get me through the day until dinner, with perhaps a light lunch. Skipping it entirely...no way.

[OakLeaf]

I imagine it would be worse with riding.

Not necessarily ... I think it depends a lot on intensity, among other things. High intensity activities consume energy faster than the body can convert fat to glucose. Low intensity, not necessarily. It's been a very long time for me, and I know my metabolism is very different from what it was 30-35 years ago, but back in the day, I've done several easy 50-milers in the middle of 5-7 day juice fasts, and felt really good.

I think exercise generally tends to stabilize blood sugar in non-diabetic people (also IIRC in people with Type II diabetes, though I don't know that for sure).

[GLC1968]

I certainly don't plan my meals around the idea that I need to fast, but I often go long periods without eating when I am fat-adapted. It actually makes life a lot easier knowing that I don't need to eat every two hours like I used to when I was primarily burning carbs. I have more even energy, I think clearer, my moods are more stable and I eat so much less often that it's kind of a relief.

Eating only during an 8 hour window just seems really gimmicky. I mean, if you ate nothing but birthday cake and ice cream for 8 hours, you sure as hell wouldn't lose weight, so I think it's a very misleading article. Besides, the headaches I'd have had if I went 16 hours without food when I was a sugar-burner would have knocked me flat in two days for sure!

[SAMbike]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. Sometimes I think I'm just looking for the "trick" that will help me lose those final pounds... even though I really deep down know what I need to do. It's clear it's not for me, but there is something to be said for letting the body fast overnight (I don't mean for 16 hrs, but just not eating at 11pm)

OakLeaf you said it's clear I don't have good blood-sugar control. I assume you said that because I said I get cranky when hungry - yes? I would love to find out how to not be that way. There have been times when it has affected the people I'm with and my decisions too (for example I'll not have eaten for about 3-4 hours during the afternoon at a conference, trying not to eat the junk, searching for something more healthy, and the crankiness ensues... which makes me then get desperate (excuse) and eat the cookies; or with my SO sometimes when I haven't eaten in a while and it's clear I'm not in a good mood). Any insights or references as to how I can stop this from happening would be great.

Thanks!

[e3rdpower]

Not necessarily ... I think it depends a lot on intensity, among other things. High intensity activities consume energy faster than the body can convert fat to glucose. Low intensity, not necessarily. It's been a very long time for me, and I know my metabolism is very different from what it was 30-35 years ago, but back in the day, I've done several easy 50-milers in the middle of 5-7 day juice fasts, and felt really good.

I think exercise generally tends to stabilize blood sugar in non-diabetic people (also IIRC in people with Type II diabetes, though I don't know that for sure).

Agreed. I definitely train at higher intensities at times and need my fuel for those glycolytic efforts.

[Crankin]

I didn't take it as a moral judgment, either.
Perhaps my blood sugar is a bit screwed up, and my genetics, well, I come from a family of big eaters who mostly are thin, with a sprinkling of heavy. No diabetes at all in my family. And I definitely get hungrier with all of the exercise I do.
So far, what I do works most of the time, but it's hard to have food constantly on my mind!