16 hour daily fast?

[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!

[goldfinch]

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!

It doesn't seem to matter how I eat, I have food constantly on my mind. Low fat, high carb. High fat, low carb. Lots of little meals. Longer space between meals. Big breakfast. Small breakfast. Meh. It doesn't seem to matter much, if at all. At least when I am moving about I am less likely to think about food.

[GLC1968]

It doesn't seem to matter how I eat, I have food constantly on my mind. Low fat, high carb. High fat, low carb. Lots of little meals. Longer space between meals. Big breakfast. Small breakfast. Meh. It doesn't seem to matter much, if at all. At least when I am moving about I am less likely to think about food.

I used to be the same way until I figured how to filter out all the noise and truly listen to my body. A lot of that noise (for me) was coming from sugar and from the scale and I've finally learned how to deal with both. Now I eat when I am hungry (which is typically between 2 and 4 times per day depending on my activity level), I don't think about food except when I want to (like when shopping for or preparing food), I sleep sounder, my skin is clearer, my body recovers faster and I feel absolutely amazing.

For the most part, I've stopped trying to convince anyone that my way of eating the best, but over the past two weeks, I've been super squeaky clean again (my nutrition...not my body! ) and I'm feeling so freaking fantastic that I can't help but want to share.

The best suggestion I can make is to read "It Starts With Food". It's not about caveman or fueling for crossfit or weight loss or a 'quick fix diet' or any claims that it will cure all ills. It just talks about how everything you feel, your entire body, every aspect of your performance from mental to physical to psychological...it all starts with what you eat. And this book does a great job of explaining exactly why they make the suggestions they do and then HOW to find out what works best for you and your particular body.

It sounds hokey, but it truly changed my life for the better.

[goldfinch]

I've read a lot and experimented a lot. I've kept a diary. I've been thoughtful. I've cut sugars. I've added them back in. Not much matters, however I do think it is worse if I eat very refined quick acting sweets, like ice cream or candy. But even if I don't I am hungry. I am just a person who has an appetite that won't be satisfied. It has been this way for years. I don't have an off switch. So, I count calories.

[Crankin]

I have never been much of a sweet eater. Or junk food. I do love bread, but have totally lost my taste for most white flour products, and barely eat any bread at all. I have to agree with Goldfinch. I have never seen much of a difference in the way I feel or in the amount of my hunger with any changes in my diet. I have definitely added good fats and protein to replace most of the carbs and I still get cravings for having at least one measly piece of Ezekial bread a day. Truth is, I enjoy eating and cooking and while I am very open to trying new ways of eating, I feel super deprived at times, especially when it involves going out to dinner, which I do a lot, and I seem to spend most of my time pre-planning what I can or cannot eat. I guess I have accepted this is the way it is, if I want to be thin, but it's wearing me down. I generally keep this to myself, and just smile when people (like at work) tell me how "good" I am.

[Crankin]

I bought the book and read it yesterday, as we had a "snow day," GLC. Interesting, but I don't think I could give up wine for 30 days! And even though my grain consumption is way down, that would be hard, too.
It did make me realize that I have been much less bothered by allergies and sinus stuff since I've reduced the grains.

[tulip]

Seems like the best way to control blood sugar fluctuations is to eliminate sugar (and related simple carbs). I've done it, it's hard to do, but the results are positive for me: more alert, less grumpy, more energy, better sleep, and lost weight. I did a 30-day no-sugar/simple carbs (anything white, essentially) trial and after the first 10 days I really began to feel better. The other part is eating good quality, non-processed foods--just not with sugar or flour. That eliminated a whole slew of foods. Cookies were definitely out! Frozen berries were in!

The exception to the no-white-food rule for me is dairy. I eat dairy--milk, half-and-half in my coffee, and yogurt (plain--full fat if I can find it). Yes, fats are okay. They make you feel full and satisfied.

I lost 9 lbs in the process. I stuck with it full-on for about 3months. It wasn't a burden after the first hard patch. I've since let sugar slip back in, but not to the extent that it was before. The main healthy habits have stuck, although I think another focused month is in order soon.

I love making bread but I don't anymore. I miss that most of all.

[Catrin]

It was challenging for me to cut out all grains and almost all sugar (outside of the very occasional dollop of honey). The results made me feel so good that I've not been tempted to cheat since I started 6 months ago. It isn't that I am trying to keep some rule, I just feel really good eating the way that I do! I've lost 10 pounds since starting, almost all of my physical issues have reversed themselves, and frankly, I love having bacon for breakfast and putting real cream in my coffee

The only dairy I consume is real cream in my coffee, and very occasionally, some goat cheese or full fat yogurt. I eat no grains or pseudo-grains and no processed foods. Fat isn't our enemy, sugar is. It is the combination of high carbs with high fat that causes problems, but with low-moderate carbs fat isn't the problem. I consume much more fat and animal protein than I once thought possible and my trigs have dropped way down, and my HDL/LDL ratio is far better than when I was on a conventional low-fat diet. I once thought I couldn't give up bread, but I wouldn't give up the way I feel for any amount/type of food.

[Crankin]

I would say my eating is very much like yours, Tulip, and it isn't hard for me. Doing away with all grains would be.
Last year I lost 6 lbs. and now I am having difficulty maintaining.

[Eden]

back on the OT.... for me no way I could follow a diet like that.

I can't drink any kind of liquid on an empty stomach. It makes me almost immediately severely nauseous. Hot or cold, water, tea, clear juice it doesn't matter, makes me feel like barfing and going 16 hours at a stretch with no liquids doesn't sound like great idea.

[GLC1968]

I bought the book and read it yesterday, as we had a "snow day," GLC. Interesting, but I don't think I could give up wine for 30 days! And even though my grain consumption is way down, that would be hard, too.
It did make me realize that I have been much less bothered by allergies and sinus stuff since I've reduced the grains.

You read the book in one day? Holy cow, you read fast!
I haven't give up wine forever...just for 30 days (or in my case, 90 or so until my first tri of the season). And I'll eat dark chocolate and raw honey and sushi and a few other things that I'm not eating now one day again too. But I will say that not eating those things was WAY easier than I thought it would be once I cut them out cold turkey.

It was challenging for me to cut out all grains and almost all sugar (outside of the very occasional dollop of honey). The results made me feel so good that I've not been tempted to cheat since I started 6 months ago. It isn't that I am trying to keep some rule, I just feel really good eating the way that I do! I've lost 10 pounds since starting, almost all of my physical issues have reversed themselves, and frankly, I love having bacon for breakfast and putting real cream in my coffee

The only dairy I consume is real cream in my coffee, and very occasionally, some goat cheese or full fat yogurt. I eat no grains or pseudo-grains and no processed foods. Fat isn't our enemy, sugar is. It is the combination of high carbs with high fat that causes problems, but with low-moderate carbs fat isn't the problem. I consume much more fat and animal protein than I once thought possible and my trigs have dropped way down, and my HDL/LDL ratio is far better than when I was on a conventional low-fat diet. I once thought I couldn't give up bread, but I wouldn't give up the way I feel for any amount/type of food.

I 100% agree. I can't get over how much fat I eat now and yet I am getting leaner, feeling better and my blood work is literally off the charts. My triglycerides didn't register on the scale and my HDL/LDL ratio is spectacular. I had really good cholesterol numbers before I started this...now they are just remarkable (as the biometrics lady told me in October).

[Crankin]

I do read really fast, GLC, always have. I did skim over some of the stuff I felt I already knew.
I eat a lot more fat now, too. My HDL/LDL ratio has always been off the charts great, but my total cholesterol went up last year to a bad #. It's always been borderline. When I had it retested after 2 months, it was back to the borderline level, after almost entirely cutting out red meat. I do wonder if this was because I had been eating a lot more meat in the 3 months before I had the first test. It will be interesting to see what it's at now.