[bpapache]

Originally Posted by graaja

Looking forward to your updates.

Dear Graaja,

Its time I shared some update.

Its been roughly 3 months since I started following IF and I've lost approximately 6 Kgs.

I'm 29 years old and 5.8 ft tall. I'm quite happy about the progress I've made so far and looking forward to reach my goal of 62Kgs. Post achieving this, I would work on lean muscle building. I've not been able to follow LCHF diet but I've changed white rice in my diet to brown rice. Moving to LCHF will need some cooking effort at my home. I'll definitely get there one day.

And my physical activity is limited to an intense 2 hours badminton game every weekend and climbing 6 flights of stairs everyday. Both during my fasting hours. As you had suggested my fasting window keeps varying. It varies between 14 to 17 hours. On an average I fast for 14 hours. And I'm guilty of having cheat days and that has reflected in the progress.
I use Keep notes to track my weight and I've attached a screenshot below.
And further update is that my father, mother and my wife are slowly trying out IF

All the Thanks goes to you. Really grateful for guiding us. Cheers!

[graaja]

Originally Posted by bpapache

Its time I shared some update.
Its been roughly 3 months since I started following IF and I've lost approximately 6 Kgs.
I've not been able to follow LCHF diet but I've changed white rice in my diet to brown rice. Moving to LCHF will need some cooking effort at my home. I'll definitely get there one day.
I use Keep notes to track my weight and I've attached a screenshot below.
And further update is that my father, mother and my wife are slowly trying out IF.

This is awesome progress

Thank you so much for sharing your progress. It is also great to know your family is also trying out IF. When it becomes a lifestyle of the whole family, it becomes much more sustainable.

Don't worry too much on the LCHF front. You can do lots of tweaks to the existing diet without having to make any big changes in cooking style. Cut out sugar in all forms from daily diet (keep it for those cheat days), reduce the portion of rice and replace it with bigger portions of vegetables, dal, meat, eggs etc., try millets which have higher fiber content than rice etc. These are changes that can be sustained for life and will result in lifelong health.

Keep up the great work and keep inspiring!

[IP_Man]

Dr. Dixit has been promoting two meal theory which is very similar to 'Intermediate Fasting'.

https://youtu.be/gBTXQrNgayo

[graaja]

Originally Posted by IP_Man

Dr. Dixit has been promoting two meal theory which is very similar to 'Intermediate Fasting'.

Thank you for sharing this. Yes. The message he conveys in this video is perfectly correct. Apart from eating two meals a day, the key is eat only when hungry, and no snacking between meals. IF is just a name we give to a lifestyle. But the key is to keep insulin spikes to minimum and that will reverse insulin resistance which in turn will reverse Type-2 diabetes.

[IP_Man]

Originally Posted by graaja

Thank you for sharing this. Yes. The message he conveys in this video is perfectly correct. Apart from eating two meals a day, the key is eat only when hungry, and no snacking between meals. IF is just a name we give to a lifestyle. But the key is to keep insulin spikes to minimum and that will reverse insulin resistance which in turn will reverse Type-2 diabetes.

Beauty of his diet plan is no particular restriction on food during two meals but low carb high protein diet is better for faster results.

https://youtu.be/JAllOEEGvdo

https://youtu.be/qtskRYwpJg8

[hellraizer]

Originally Posted by graaja

It is great to see that you have decided to start IF. Persevere through the initial week of symptoms and make this a permanent lifestyle. You are sure to reverse your diabetes and at the same time reach a healthy weight as well.

Wishing you all the best.

I have lasted 1 whole week with IF although I wouldn’t say, I have followed it perfectly. Nonetheless, I am already seeing benefits.

Here’s quick summary.
I am eating 2 meals. My morning meal is around 12 noon and dinner around 8PM. In between, I have had some dry fruits. My diet includes millets, red rice, jowar rotis and salads. I drink coffee and tea with no sugar. I have also given up on tobacco completely. I have also been exercising for an hour.

Oh my lord. My headaches have disappeared. I have new-found vigor and energy. I did 16 hour round trip from Bangalore to Kolhapur in my car with very less fatigue and no headache. This has never happened in history. I can’t believe myself that I don’t have a terrible headache after so much of driving.

Most importantly, I have been monitoring my blood glucose levels and it is always hovering around the 120 mark. FBS at 120 is still high but definitely better than before. For the first time in a long time, I have even seen BG levels dip below 100mg/dl.

My weight has perhaps dropped by 1kg. I have experienced this many improvements in a week. Imagine what one can get when this becomes a permanent lifestyle change.

Thank the lord and graaja. I am so grateful to you for sharing this info on this thread

The day I achieve my desired result, I will make a trip to Coimbatore and meet you in person.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by hellraizer

My headaches have disappeared. I have new-found vigor and energy. I did 16 hour round trip from Bangalore to Kolhapur in my car with very less fatigue and no headache. This has never happened in history. I can’t believe myself that I don’t have a terrible headache after so much of driving.

Most importantly, I have been monitoring my blood glucose levels and it is always hovering around the 120 mark. FBS at 120 is still high but definitely better than before. For the first time in a long time, I have even seen BG levels dip below 100mg/dl.

....

The day I achieve my desired result, I will make a trip to Coimbatore and meet you in person.

Welcome to health

I look forward to the day of meeting you soon!

[Axe77]

Graaja. This is something I am curious about.

When you are in IF and in peak training zone how do you manage your super long weekend sessions like long bikes / long runs or bricks. Those that are 3-5 hours long? How do you alter your IF for these?

[graaja]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Graaja. This is something I am curious about.

When you are in IF and in peak training zone how do you manage your super long weekend sessions like long bikes / long runs or bricks. Those that are 3-5 hours long? How do you alter your IF for these?

I have been off my Triathlon training for almost 2 years now (due to the plantar fasciitis). So, I have actually not done any long workouts the past two years.

Having said that, the longest workout I would do in fasted state would be 1.5 hours, and maybe 2 hours if I feel like stretching it. For anything more, I would take fuel. Even this 1.5 hours will have to be mostly in the endurance zone, not the threshold zone.

When I get back into triathlon training (have started running the past couple of weeks), I want to experiment with fueling with lower carbs than I used to do a couple of years back (the concept we used to discuss a lot). With all the IF and low carb diets, I believe my body is fat adapted and can run mostly on fat and need carbs only for those high intensity efforts.

PS: When it comes to long duration endurance training, I think the duration of IF and diet will have to be adjusted to fit the high energy demands. Still a lot to learn on this topic.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by graaja

Having said that, the longest workout I would do in fasted state would be 1.5 hours, and maybe 2 hours if I feel like stretching it. For anything more, I would take fuel. Even this 1.5 hours will have to be mostly in the endurance zone, not the threshold zone.

When I get back into triathlon training (have started running the past couple of weeks), I want to experiment with fueling with lower carbs than I used to do a couple of years back (the concept we used to discuss a lot).

Thanks. Yes makes sense for Zone 2 up to a certain limit. I guess anything beyond 1.5 to 2 hrs should have some nominal fuelling. And even intense anaerobic sessions however few, would require some fuelling I guess.

Let’s hope 2020 can get us back on track on some base training.

[GLAD73]

Originally Posted by graaja

This is fantastic. I am really glad that you have started fasting and keto as lifestyle and have started seeing results in weight loss as well as fasting sugar levels. The key is to start with the mindset of changing your lifestyle rather than an approach to a diet with just weight loss as goal. You are on the right track adding strength training to your schedule.

Wishing you all the best. Please keep updating your progress. Looking forward to GLAD73 2.0 soon

Time for an update. Its been a little over four months now on IF and Keto and the results have exceeded all my expectations. From 81.5 kg to 68 kg its been an amazing journey. Besides the increased energy and younger look have been an added bonus. Simple stretches that were impossible earlier are now quite effortless and I intend to move on to a weight training program soon.

[AYP]

Hello Graaja,

Thanks to the inspiration I got from this thread of yours, I have been able to reduce my weight from 93Kg to 75Kg in a little less than 4 months. It is great to be able to fit in some of my old clothes again. My aim is to ultimately reach 60kg, at which stage, my BMI shall be 21(currently, it is 26). I had joined this forum for the purpose of my interest in the automotive scene of India, but I have got quite a lot in return from this forum, courtesy to threads like these and people like you who take the initiative to start such a thread.

I have forwarded this thread to multiple people in my family and among my friends for inspiration. I am sincerely planning to live a controlled and healthy lifestyle now and irrespective of my future fitness level, I shall always look back to this thread as the one which started it all. Thanks again Graaja!

Now, my method of losing weight has been 'inspired' by you but to loose more weight in less amount of time, I have made some modifications to my routine.

So, my routine is something like this-

Day 1- I eat at night, 9 PM.

Day 2- I eat lunch at 3PM, then dinner at 9 PM.

Day 3- I eat absolutely nothing.

Day 4- I eat at night, 9 PM(basically a repeat of day 1).

Hence, I have a fixed set of three days where I follow the above schedule. As you can see, there is a 48 hour break between my meal on day 2 and my meal on day 4. Yes, there have been cheat days in between and a week or two where I didn't follow the above schedule, but more or less, that is how I have been managing. I eat the regular homemade food with reduced amount of rice and 1 Roti at maximum. I avoid snacking between my lunch and dinner time.

Following the above schedule was difficult initially, but now, it almost feels normal. Now, a few days back, I read somewhere that when someone performs a long fast at frequent intervals, the body goes into starvation mode. This has the potential to permanently slow down the metabolism of the body and thus reduces the ability of the body to burn as many calories as before. Example- If a body was able to burn 2500 cal in a day earlier, due to frequent long fasts, the ability to burn calories might reduce permanently to let's say, 2000 cal in a day, causing the person to gain weight fast when he or she goes back to a normal diet or goes on a break from IF.

Also, I have observed that the rate of my weight loss has reduced in the past 3 weeks as compared to before. Yes, I do admit that there have been a few more cheat days during the past month as compared to before, but I don't feel that the reduction in my weight loss can be attributed only to those extra cheat days. Thus, my concern regarding the slow down in the metabolism rate has grown further.

Do you have any feedback on the above? I did search for it online with mixed results, with some supporting it while others negating it. Now I know that the above query is not exactly related to IF, but your views, if any, would be great to hear.

Also, in case If I increase the time interval between my meals to 72 hours(instead of the current 48), will your answer change?

Thanks.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by GLAD73

Time for an update. Its been a little over four months now on IF and Keto and the results have exceeded all my expectations. From 81.5 kg to 68 kg its been an amazing journey. Besides the increased energy and younger look have been an added bonus. Simple stretches that were impossible earlier are now quite effortless and I intend to move on to a weight training program soon.

This is an awesome transformation!

Congratulations on switching to a healthy lifestyle and for the weight loss. If you are comfortable with the IF + Keto combination as a lifestyle, you can continue with. If you want to relax this for sustainability, then you can relax the keto part and keep the IF as permanent. This will ensure that you will continue to enjoy the current health for life.

Originally Posted by AYP

Hello Graaja,

Thanks to the inspiration I got from this thread of yours, I have been able to reduce my weight from 93Kg to 75Kg in a little less than 4 months.

I am sincerely planning to live a controlled and healthy lifestyle now and irrespective of my future fitness level, I shall always look back to this thread as the one which started it all. Thanks again Graaja!

Now, a few days back, I read somewhere that when someone performs a long fast at frequent intervals, the body goes into starvation mode. This has the potential to permanently slow down the metabolism of the body and thus reduces the ability of the body to burn as many calories as before.

Also, I have observed that the rate of my weight loss has reduced in the past 3 weeks as compared to before.

Do you have any feedback on the above? I did search for it online with mixed results, with some supporting it while others negating it. Now I know that the above query is not exactly related to IF, but your views, if any, would be great to hear.

Also, in case If I increase the time interval between my meals to 72 hours(instead of the current 48), will your answer change?

First of all, Congratulations on your weight loss and transformation. You have shown some incredible discipline in following a strict IF routine to achieve this result

Coming to your question on frequent long fasts:

Human body is a machine that changes its behavior (in this case, the metabolism) based on long term inputs it receives. It adapts to stimulus that last for many weeks. So, if one does long fasts frequently, the body will adapt to this situation by slowing down the metabolism. At the same time, it will not change the metabolism for an event that occurs rarely, say once in two weeks or a month. This is why you should keep the duration between long fasts longer.

Keep your regular fasts 16 or 18 hours. And do a couple of 20+ hour fasts in a week. Once a month, do a 36 hour or 48 hour fast. Once in 6 months or once a year, do a 72 hour fast. Eat nutrient dense food during the eating hours. Eat till you are satiated. Do not do extreme portion control. This way you will still lose weight and the body will never slow down the metabolism. Remember, health and fitness is a life time journey. It is not a good idea to do anything to achieve very quick results. It is ok to do some extreme diet control for a short duration for quick results. But you need to get back to a sustainable lifestyle to keep this for a lifetime.

PS: I usually don't recommend even OMAD (one meal a day) as a lifestyle to my friends. It is not that OMAD is bad, but with OMAD, you need to make sure to eat an energy dense food rich in fat, protein and micronutrients. This is very difficult in Indian diet which is predominantly carbs. Eating a few chapatis and vegetables in OMAD is definitely going to be a problem in the long run.

[KPR]

I've not read about the IF in detail yet from the glimpse of the fasting I saw in this page I would like to share a thing. Our Hindu culture also promotes IF in a way. Once in 15 days Hindus must follow Ekadashi Upavas. The schedule that elders in my family follow regularly and I've done few times too. The method is as follows:

1. Pre Ekadashi night: Light dinner before 8-9 PM.

2. Ekadashi day: No food. Nirjalam athi uttamam (means without water is very much great which is very difficult unless we have years of upavas practice). However if one cannot be Nirjala then they can intake some water, fruits. Strictly no grains/rice/wheat.

3. Post Ekadashi - Dwadashi day- On the next day post sun rise or when Dwadashi hours started one can have meals by ending fast. Ideally my parent eat around 6:30-7:00 AM on Dwadashi day. So ideally a fasting from 9:00 PM on pre Ekadashi day to 7:00 AM on Dwadashi day means straight 34 hours of fasting.

Again on Dwadashi day next meal will be in the evening after 6 PM only. Once again Dwadashi is a two meal day.
Our ancestors were health conscious too.

[AYP]

Originally Posted by graaja

Coming to your question on frequent long fasts:

Human body is a machine that changes its behavior (in this case, the metabolism) based on long term inputs it receives. It adapts to stimulus that last for many weeks. So, if one does long fasts frequently, the body will adapt to this situation by slowing down the metabolism. At the same time, it will not change the metabolism for an event that occurs rarely, say once in two weeks or a month. This is why you should keep the duration between long fasts longer.

Keep your regular fasts 16 or 18 hours. And do a couple of 20+ hour fasts in a week. Once a month, do a 36 hour or 48 hour fast. Once in 6 months or once a year, do a 72 hour fast. Eat nutrient dense food during the eating hours. Eat till you are satiated. Do not do extreme portion control. This way you will still lose weight and the body will never slow down the metabolism. Remember, health and fitness is a life time journey. It is not a good idea to do anything to achieve very quick results. It is ok to do some extreme diet control for a short duration for quick results. But you need to get back to a sustainable lifestyle to keep this for a lifetime.

Thanks for the response Graaja. I definitely do plan do shift to a more balanced diet once I reach my weight goal. While that it still some time away, I have envisioned a diet which I intend to follow once I reach my goal of 60kg, which shall involve having 1 fast a week(for 24 hours) and eating normally on every other day at 3 PM and 9 PM respectively.

So do you think that it is ok for me to continue my present form of diet for another 3-4 months and then switch to my envisioned diet or do you think that 3-4 months is too long a period and a switch to an alternate diet is the need of the hour?