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Intermittent Fasting

Gudrun

Well-Known Member
Messages
279
Location
Leeds
Type of diabetes
Parent
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Hmmm.. probably a lot less than stuff I like
For the last week I have been experimenting with intermittent fasting in order to rest the pancreas and bring my BS levels down a bit more. I eat 373 calories on Monday, 461 on Wednesday, none yesterday. And of course, also to help lose weight. I've got ab out 40 kg to lose (that's 88 lbs in old money). Quite a lot....

My fasting BS had slowly gone up last month (average in June 5.77; it was 5.22 in May). Don't really know why as I'm still low carbing (most of the time), although relaxed it when we were away for several weekends. My weight had also been stuck fairly solidly, with losing just 1.5 kg in June.

I reread some parts of the Michael Mosley's book The Fast Diet and went back to intermittent fasting last week (attempted it 18 months ago for a few weeks before having to give it up due to family illness and increased stress).

On fast days now my BS is usually under 5 and according to all I have read (and listened to on YouTube) this seems to make a huge difference to our bodies in helping with insulin resistance.

I think I will carry on doing this but wonder what others have experienced. Has anybody else tried it and if so, what was your success?
 
From my own experience I would say don't do this too much or too often as cutting calories significantly can slow down the metabolism so that it burns less calories in the longer term. This is something I have done recently without meaning to and I have put on 3lbs! It may work for you, but you need to have times when you eat significantly more than this so that you keep your metabolism 'guessing'. My problem with intermittent fasting is that I ate only when I was hungry and the less I ate the less hungry I felt. I am having to be quite strict with myself to eat enough this week. I still haven't managed to get back up to my target of 1200 calories a day.

Take care
x
 

I totally agree, Zand... On the days when I don't restrict my calories I eat pretty much whatever and however much I want. I never really manage to stick to less than 1500 calories (but don't count). Still eating low carbs, medium fat, but quite freely adding single cream to my Quark or butter/oil to my bacon and eggs.

I would like to 'fast' three days a week and see what it does to my BS.
 
My non-diabetic parents have been following 5:2 for a few months and are doing well on it.

When I tried it last year (before diagnosis) I felt great during the day, probably due to the carb reduction, but was too hungry to sleep. Good old LCHF for me now forever.
 
Does fasting for two days a week mean nothing to eat at all on those days ?
 
AnnieC said:
Does fasting for two days a week mean nothing to eat at all on those days ?
Click to expand...

No, it doesn't. Women can eat 500 calories a day (men 600 cals). There used to be the full documentary of his BBC Horizon program on YouTube, but it is no longer there. You can see others talk about the 5:2 diet, though.

I taped it when it was first shown and (apart from weight loss) it was found to have a lot of other health benefits. He's got a website with more information

http://thefastdiet.co.uk/
 
I understand that the fasting limit of 500-600 calories is what is used on the 5:2 diet. What I don't understand is why they call it 'fasting'!

To me, fasting is no food, just water. To me, 500-600 calories is a very low calorie diet. When the Newcastle diet was first talked about they called it the 600 calorie diet, when in fact it was 800 calories! Is it any wonder we get confused?
 
zand said:
To me, fasting is no food, just water.
Click to expand...

And it was to me too until a colleague who sits next to me in the office started her fast for Ramadan, last weekend. 28 days without any eating or drinking from 2.30am to 9.30 pm, each day. She's pretty zonked in the afternoon but gets through it somehow. It amazes me.

I asked her if she loses weight through it. No, she says, much to her regret she doesn't. It seems that the tendency to load up with as much food as you can, when you can, actually makes some of the participants gain weight over the month, each year.

She's T2 as well which I pointed out should make her largely exempt from the fast but she says she owes it to her family to observe it as long as she's able.

It's worth pointing out that Ramadan in high summer is particularly tough, and not only because of the heat. The dates move each year, but it's a dawn to dusk fast, which is obviously much longer in the middle of summer than it is at many other times of the year.
 
Last edited by a moderator:



I saw the Horizon program, it was very interesting. From my recollection I think the conclusion was that two days a week fasting seemed to be optimum in terms of weight loss and improved BG levels AND being able to continue with the regime in long term.
Some of the participants in program did have fast in terms of no food but researchers found that in their (limited) study a 500 - 600cal day twice a week provided same results in terms of weight loss and improved BG levels or insulin response.

@Gundrun you mention that you arent counting calories and freely adding cream, oil etc Whilst a low carb high fat diet does work for many people in my own experience I have found I have a calorie limit, above which I will gain weight.
If I gain weight I go back to weighing, measuring and counting total calorie intake (still on Lowcarb high fat to control BG levels) to ensure I keep to reasonable portion control (cheese is my nibble downfall - shocking how small a piece 100g is ).
 

I should have qualified my 'adding cream'... Before I started on the LCMF I never had cream and was still trying to eat low fat. Didn't lose any weight on it, though. Now if I add cream I may add a couple of tbsp to a meal; a small carton of single cream usually lasts me about 3-4 days. The same goes for oil. I add a lot more than I used to but far less than I see added in cookery shows on TV.

I know that if I weigh food and count calories (for more than the occasional day) I will rebel. For decades food had been my coping mechanism, my crutch. It is only fairly recently that I can look at food as nutrition, rather than something I 'deserve' (because I'm feeling low, or ill, or happy, or miserable. Give me any emotion and I find a reason to 'reward' myself with food).. Over the last few months it seems to get easier and I don't have the urge to eat for emotional reasons.

My weight is slowly coming down since I changed my eating habits on 12 March this year. Since then I have lost 7.7 kg (1.2 stones) and I am quite happy with that, even if at times it seems so slow. It works out as one pound a week and I guess I should be satisfied with this.
 

1lb a week is very good, you should be pleased. 52lb over a year thats nearly 4st!!
 
When I did the 5:2 I used to fast from dinner the night before until dinner the next night so would go without food for 24 hours. At first it was hard but after third fast I got used to it and liked that feeling of hunger now and again and I also appreciated good more. I decided I was better off spending those 450 cals in a nice evening meal so would get a fuller for longer meal from m&s. It felt like a banquet.

I have to say though, since starting Atkins nearly two weeks ago, I don't think I could go back to fasting. I love the food quality and type and can't believe I'm on a diet!

Good luck Gudrun - do whatever works for you. My doc advised me not to do fasting at diagnosis but I treat their advice with a pinch of salt.

Xxx


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

Diagnosed prediabetic Easter 2014. Just left to get on with it, no guidance or help from GP. Every day I'm learning something new.
 

Thanks, Deb. I fasted three times last week and found it quite easy. It was one of those weeks where I'm not that hungry and so I just didn't feel deprived. I'll fast again tomorrow and will try and do two (or three) fasts next week. It has brought my BS levels down nicely and I have lost some weight as well, which is great. I have so much to lose that any extra weight loss is most welcome.

I didn't ask my GP about fasting; just went by books, documentaries and articles I found. If I would start to feel unwell, or notice any symptom other than feeling hungry, I would immediately stop.

I have bought a book on something similar to Atkins (Lose Weight by Eating - by Sten Sture Skaldeman) but no fruit and very little veg is allowed in there and I didn't want to start this diet until AFTER the strawberry time is past. According to this book I would be allowed 12 g of carbs a day (and no more than 3 g per meal). Very severe, although this Scandinavian diet promises much. I am not sure whether I could follow that; may just stick with normal LCMF according to Dietdoctor.
 
Well done! I found the more days I did the easier it was. Didn't go to the gym though on fast days.

Your very low carb diet seems harsh to me! I've been on 20g carbs for ten days and I can tell you that's the lowest I can go! After the two week induction you're allowed berries, yoghurt and nuts again so it's not forever. I've missed them a lot!!


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

Diagnosed prediabetic Easter 2014. Just left to get on with it, no guidance or help from GP. Every day I'm learning something new.
 
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