Fast-5 Diet and Lifestyle: [fast5] Re: Fast on! Fast off!

Sometimes, it can be just one thing that you cut out that makes enough of a difference to matter. Peanut butter is a frequent suspect, because it is tasty, calorie-dense and very easy to gulp in a few hundred extra calories in what seems like a small snack.

In the "study of one" category, another suggestion applies only to those who typically drink most of their beverages cold or on ice, and especially to those who work in an air-conditioned workspace. Drinking cold beverages may signal the brain, (the hypothalamus "set point" controller) that the environment you're in is much colder than it really is, and so the hypothalamus may add to appetite to build or maintain fat reserves to deal with the a cold winter that isn't really there. The experiment would be to avoid cold (particularly iced) beverages for about 4-6 weeks and see if there's any noticeable change.

Why do I think it might matter? Iced drinks are a relatively new fashion as homes acquired freezers and ice makers, then ice dispensers over the last few decades. Iced drinks are much more popular in the USA than in Europe. Obesity follows a similar pattern. In a world where we spend most of our time in air-conditioned/heated comfort, we may be inadvertently signaling our brains that it's freezing cold outside, in which case putting on extra weight to make it through the winter would be a good idea.

If you work outside or exercise to the point of breaking a sweat frequently, your body's probably getting enough messages that it's warm to balance out the cold messages from cold drinks.

Bert

--- In fast5@yahoogroups.com, seven3403 <no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> Barnaby,
>
> Thank you for the advice, I will give it a try. Do I need to count carbs or just stop eating them altogether or what?
>
>
> Travis
>
> --- In fast5@yahoogroups.com, "Barnaby Walker" <barnabywalker@> wrote:
> >
> > Limit Carbs, NOT Calories
> >
> > Eating plenty of fatty meat to satiation instead of insulin producing carbs, will make the fat loss breakthrough and the 20 hours of fasting will be even easier.
> >
> > Barnaby
> >
> > --- In fast5@yahoogroups.com, seven3403 <no_reply@> wrote:
> > >
> > > <<Fast-5 though, has the issue that people do it, then just do it. There isn't much to talk about. "Hi! I didn't eat today again!".>>
> > >
> > > haha... that was funny, great point. :)
> > >
> > >
> > > David - thank you for the laugh, I really enjoyed reading your post, hang in there, sounds like you're off to a great start!!
> > >
> > >
> > > As for me, I started Fast5 in June, lost 15 lbs in about the first couple of months and have plateaued. I have maintained my 5 hour window (mine is 2pm - 7pm), but have not lost any more weight. I have to admit that the issue is probably "what" I'm eating in my 5 hour window... I really do eat what ever I want to eat, but I don't eat a ton of food because I hate to feel stuffed. I figured I would be fine since no matter what, I'm still eating less calories than I was before F5. Nevertheless, I'm stuck at 15 down. I'm at 228 and need to get to 190. I did start exercising in the past week, but with my crazy scheduled it's very, very difficult to maintain consistence in a workout program for very long. I need to regain my discipline on my water consumption (one thing that has slipped since I started F5) and try to eat a little healthier during my window and that will hopefully get me over the hump.
> > >
> > > Any other advice from anyone? I was wondering if I should eat one or 2 days just to throw a curve ball at my system...? The 19 hour fast barely even requires any effort anymore... almost makes me think that's why it may not be working? :)
> > >
> > > Thanks for any advice, I'll take what I can get!
> > >
> > >
> > > Travis
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In fast5@yahoogroups.com, Heather Twist <HeatherTwist@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Congratulations to you! Clearly you are thinking about
> > > > the philosophical aspects of all this.
> > > >
> > > > It's interesting to me that you mention the "Sumo" aspect. Sumo tradition
> > > > has intrigued me for some time. Mainly because the average Japanese person
> > > > is both lightweight and healthy, without working too hard at it. Sumos work
> > > > hard at being heavy, and strong. But the [rather secretive] Sumo diet is
> > > > different from that of the average Japanese, and I think the differences
> > > > will tell us a lot about how genes work. I've also met Korean kids who were
> > > > brought up in America on the "American diet", and their physique came out
> > > > much like those of my family (which are kind of Sumo-esque too).
> > > >
> > > > I think Fast-5 triggers some kind of insulin reaction, which works nicely to
> > > > help lose weight. I think food choices trigger some of the same
> > > > insulin-related things too, although none of this has been studied enough.
> > > > It *could* be that some of these unexplained plateaus are related to some of
> > > > these issues, mainly food choices?
> > > >
> > > > The things I've been studying are kind of varied. One big one is vinegar.
> > > > Yep. Vinegar. Vinegar has a big effect on insulin, possibly because it
> > > > interferes with iron metabolism. It also helps a lot with appetite, and I've
> > > > been drinking "Poor man's soda" in the morning which pretty much blocks any
> > > > kind of hunger. Poor man's soda is:
> > > >
> > > > 1 oz vinegar
> > > > a glass of water (or cooled tea)
> > > > 1/4 tsp baking soda
> > > >
> > > > Makes a fizzy drink, which isn't sour. A little like Perrier. It can have
> > > > honey in it too, although that wouldn't be compatible with fasting.
> > > >
> > > > Another thing that changes hunger is fish and eggs. When my diet has more of
> > > > either one, I eat less, and am more satisfied, compared to beef or pork.
> > > > Again, I don't know why, but I do know that the rumored Sumo diet has more
> > > > beef and pork, less fish and eggs.
> > > >
> > > > The Sumo diet is also rumored to be based on wheat noodles, rather than the
> > > > usual Japanese rice. There are a number of people looking into this too.
> > > > Wheat does weird things in the body, some of which might be related to
> > > > weight gain.
> > > >
> > > > Also, the Sumo diet uses beer, rather than tea. Beer has hops in it, and
> > > > hops are used in herbal tradition to increase appetite. Tea ... sheesh, tea
> > > > does a lot of things, I don't begin to understand it. But the tea-drinking
> > > > cultures tend to be thin.
> > > >
> > > > Anyway, if you "got past a plateau" ... it could just be your body is now
> > > > ready to let go of either the fat or the water. Or something else changed.
> > > > If it was me, I'd analyze both.
> > > >
> > > > As for traffic being light ... I'm in a number of groups, and I never have
> > > > figured out the traffic patterns. Fast-5 though, has the issue that people
> > > > do it, then just do it. There isn't much to talk about. "Hi! I didn't eat
> > > > today again!". In some groups there are a lot of recipes (how to make
> > > > crackers with zero carbs!) or support (I really, really, need a cookie!
> > > > Please stop me!). But if you look in to the archives, most people are ok
> > > > after a couple of weeks, so there isn't much to talk about. Also, Fast-5 is
> > > > now on Facebook, and some people prefer that format.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 12:19 PM, entermittenedfaster <
> > > > no_reply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Well, down another pound and a half this morning... yippeeee!
> > > > >
> > > > > Defeat does not exist in this dojo, does it?
> > > > > NO, SENSEI!
> > > > >
> > > > > I have been wobbling back-and-forth on the edge of a stubborn plateau for
> > > > > the last couple of weeks, and am hopeful now of attaining a more rapid
> > > > > descent down into the fabled valley of lightness and well-being.
> > > > >
> > > > > I am nearing the end of my daily fasting period, that enjoyable stretch of
> > > > > emptiness when I know my insulin levels are efficiently low and I can enjoy
> > > > > for the last couple of hours a bounteous buffet of sumptuous, predigested
> > > > > appetizers, happily nibbling away upon my own accumulated belly fat.
> > > > >
> > > > > So, that makes a grand total of 26½ pounds down from the moment I crested
> > > > > at 290 pounds (there, I said it!) – an enviable sumo physique, I might add –
> > > > > maybe 5 months ago, but the accompanying pain in the hips and knees and the
> > > > > limited mobility prompted me upon that fateful day to make a solemn pledge
> > > > > to get down to my old college fighting weight, or thereabouts. Under 200
> > > > > pounds, let's say... a bodyweight that begins with a one in the hundreds
> > > > > column sounds about right (I'm 6 foot one and male, for the sake of full
> > > > > disclosure)... I'll fine-tune my goal weight once I arrive in the
> > > > > neighborhood.
> > > > >
> > > > > For now, it's one day at a time.
> > > > >
> > > > > I don't want my first post to be too long, and it would be great to hear
> > > > > back from some of you old-timers. The traffic is a little light on this
> > > > > group's site of late, which also prompts me to write to you today.
> > > > >
> > > > > One thought hit me this morning though, which it might be useful to share.
> > > > > I notice that I never wake up hungry. The transition to fat burning as an
> > > > > energy source that takes place normally during our nightly fast doesn't stop
> > > > > just because we open our eyelids and start moving around. Cruising from
> > > > > wake-up time to break-fast time (somewhere between noon and 3 PM for me)
> > > > > without eating feels easy and natural. I think it's perfectly normal
> > > > > Paleolithic behavior not to be thinking about food in the morning. And for
> > > > > this reason we are scolded with the adage: "Breakfast is the most important
> > > > > meal of the day!"
> > > > >
> > > > > We have to be *told* that, reminded of that "fact" regularly by our
> > > > > parents, because it is not obvious to us. And it is not obvious to us
> > > > > because our body is not telling us that message itself. And it's not
> > > > > telling us that message because the message is a *lie!*
> > > > >
> > > > > So I'm learning to listen to my body and reinterpret its messages more
> > > > > skillfully. When I feel somatic hunger, I don't take that as a command to
> > > > > eat immediately, necessarily. I look at it as a status update from my gut
> > > > > to my conscious mind that it is currently dining on body fat and can happily
> > > > > do so for a few more hours. Why else the hell was I storing up 100 extra
> > > > > pounds of butter cookies inside my own skin? For just such an occasion!
> > > > > Mangiare! Bon appetit!
> > > > >
> > > > > Oh, good (ho, hum)... it's time for lunch...
> > > > >
> > > > > All the best,
> > > > >
> > > > > David
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Heather Twist
> > > > http://eatingoffthefoodgrid.blogspot.com/
> > > >
> > >
> >
>