I have been doing Bulletproof Intermittent Fasting for over a year. For six days a week I try to limit my consumption of carbohydrates and protein to a six hour window. I do this in part by having in the morning coffee that contains MCT oil and butter from grass fed cows. My hope is that this is increasing my lifespan by significantly increasing autophagy. I am far from an expert on biology or nutrition, but from what I have read autophagy seems fantastically beneficial.
One immediate benefit I think I’m getting is that my colds are much more mild. I used to get colds that lasted 6-10 days and made me miserable. I could often tell I was getting a cold because my wife or son would usually get one first and then I would get a very dry throat. Since doing intermittent fasting my colds only last a few days and just make me feel a bit worse. I take this as a sign that I’m undergoing increased autophagy.
I twice did 24 hour fasts before I did intermittent fasting and both times I got a cold at the end of the fast. From what I have read this might have been because when you undergo a really long fast your body shuts down autophagy when the fast concludes.
I am keto-adapted, but the transition was difficult in part because I didn’t know at the time that there might be a transition. Look up Atkins Flu to learn more about the transition.
Some fasting regimens suggest fruit juice. I’m aware that it contain a lot of fructose, but for the duration of fasting (a 2-3 weeks) this seems to be an acceptable trade-off, or?
From what I know (but I’m far from an expert) having lots of sugar will undercut the goals you mention such as getting better gut flora and improving insulin reactions. I would strongly distrust any diet recommendations that include fruit juice.
You might be right. But from what I have read, sugar cuts against all of the reasonable goals of fasting such as getting better gut flora, improving insulin reactions, and becoming keto-adapted.
If your goal is to lose weight, paleo seems to work for lots of people, and a huge part of paleo is consuming very little sugar. I try to consume less than 30 grams a day. I started paleo when I was older then you are now.
But from what I have read, sugar cuts against all of the reasonable goals of fasting such as getting better gut flora, improving insulin reactions, and becoming keto-adapted.
You might be right too. I didn’t know that sugar negatively affects gut flora but I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m not sure whether there is any need to improve insulin reactions. From my last consultation (‘readings like a 19 year old’) I’d guess that there is little room for improvement—but I surely wouldn’t want to degrade my insulin cycle.
Im not clear whether the benefits of keto-adaptation outweight the disadvantages for me.
If your goal is to lose weight, paleo seems to work for lots of people, and a huge part of paleo is consuming very little sugar. I try to consume less than 30 grams a day. I started paleo when I was older then you are now.
It isn’t. I’m lean and near optimum weight; I could just need a bit more exercise.
My main goals are a) to learn how my body behaves under this regime and b) if possible to improve gut flora.
Gut flora is really complicated and we don’t know a huge amount about it. You should look into MCT oil as this purportedly positively effects gut flora. If you try it, however, go slow at first.
A good test as to your insulin reactions is to notice what happens if you don’t eat until you have been up for, say, five hours. If you become consumed with hunger pains it’s a sign of weakness. Your caveman body should be able to easily go this long without food unless your sugar-hungry gut flora have hijacked your brain to send you “feed us now!” signals.
MCT oil is an intersting suggestion, but I will likely not try anything new here in combination with fasting—that is bound to create confounding which I wil be unable to unentangle.
If I don’t eat breakfast in the morning I don’t develop any pronounced hunger until midday. But I notice that cycling or brisk walking without breakfast makes me feel somewhat weak (not that I’d develop hunger because of it).
I have been doing Bulletproof Intermittent Fasting for over a year. For six days a week I try to limit my consumption of carbohydrates and protein to a six hour window. I do this in part by having in the morning coffee that contains MCT oil and butter from grass fed cows. My hope is that this is increasing my lifespan by significantly increasing autophagy. I am far from an expert on biology or nutrition, but from what I have read autophagy seems fantastically beneficial.
One immediate benefit I think I’m getting is that my colds are much more mild. I used to get colds that lasted 6-10 days and made me miserable. I could often tell I was getting a cold because my wife or son would usually get one first and then I would get a very dry throat. Since doing intermittent fasting my colds only last a few days and just make me feel a bit worse. I take this as a sign that I’m undergoing increased autophagy.
I twice did 24 hour fasts before I did intermittent fasting and both times I got a cold at the end of the fast. From what I have read this might have been because when you undergo a really long fast your body shuts down autophagy when the fast concludes.
I am keto-adapted, but the transition was difficult in part because I didn’t know at the time that there might be a transition. Look up Atkins Flu to learn more about the transition.
Fruit Juice = Liquid Candy. Avoid!
Some fasting regimens suggest fruit juice. I’m aware that it contain a lot of fructose, but for the duration of fasting (a 2-3 weeks) this seems to be an acceptable trade-off, or?
From what I know (but I’m far from an expert) having lots of sugar will undercut the goals you mention such as getting better gut flora and improving insulin reactions. I would strongly distrust any diet recommendations that include fruit juice.
Could you qualify your distrust? Fasting is quite different to regular diet, so different rules may apply.
You might be right. But from what I have read, sugar cuts against all of the reasonable goals of fasting such as getting better gut flora, improving insulin reactions, and becoming keto-adapted.
If your goal is to lose weight, paleo seems to work for lots of people, and a huge part of paleo is consuming very little sugar. I try to consume less than 30 grams a day. I started paleo when I was older then you are now.
You might be right too. I didn’t know that sugar negatively affects gut flora but I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m not sure whether there is any need to improve insulin reactions. From my last consultation (‘readings like a 19 year old’) I’d guess that there is little room for improvement—but I surely wouldn’t want to degrade my insulin cycle.
Im not clear whether the benefits of keto-adaptation outweight the disadvantages for me.
It isn’t. I’m lean and near optimum weight; I could just need a bit more exercise. My main goals are a) to learn how my body behaves under this regime and b) if possible to improve gut flora.
Gut flora is really complicated and we don’t know a huge amount about it. You should look into MCT oil as this purportedly positively effects gut flora. If you try it, however, go slow at first.
A good test as to your insulin reactions is to notice what happens if you don’t eat until you have been up for, say, five hours. If you become consumed with hunger pains it’s a sign of weakness. Your caveman body should be able to easily go this long without food unless your sugar-hungry gut flora have hijacked your brain to send you “feed us now!” signals.
MCT oil is an intersting suggestion, but I will likely not try anything new here in combination with fasting—that is bound to create confounding which I wil be unable to unentangle.
If I don’t eat breakfast in the morning I don’t develop any pronounced hunger until midday. But I notice that cycling or brisk walking without breakfast makes me feel somewhat weak (not that I’d develop hunger because of it).