Fasting

[Yellow Fang]

Late to the thread but I have been fasting since late May. I find it easiest to eat nothing until 2pm, when I have porridge made with 50g oats, a splash f milk and mainly water, sweetened with canderel and a banana. I drink about three cups of tea with semi skimmed throughout the day and lots of espresso, then another bowl of porridge as above at about 8 PM. My weight has gone from 17 st to 15st 8 but have plateaued this last three weeks. I can cycle better, longer and faster in fasting days than the day after. Last time I put in a two hour mountain bike ride after breakfast on the day after, I bonked halfway round, with a gel from the bottom of my pack saving the day, but when I got home my blood pressure dropped through the floor and I could barely manage the lunchtime dog walk. I went seriously dizzy and my legs were like lead. It was late that night before I had fully recovered. My theory is that on fast days your body switches to fat burn mode to fuel the exercise, but by the next morning you're running on virtually empty, possibly with nothing left to fuel the muscles. It's also possible that I'm dehydrating as on fasting days I wee like a big dog. My weight can fluctuate by about four pounds between the morning of a fasting day and the next morning, empty to empty. That s got to be fluid variation plus half a pound of fat or so, as the weight is coming off at a pound or so a week. I now only ever weigh myself on the morning after my second fast of the week, as the variation is so huge it makes weighing yourself inconsistent.

I think at least part of the health benefit comes from making your body switch from burning glycogen to burning fat.

 

[raleighnut]

Thanks for the tip. I don't usually like herbal teas, although peppermint tea is alright.

Green tea is not one of these 'herbal infusions' (unless you count black tea as 'herbal') it is the Chinese way of drinking the tea plant they have and is not 'perfumed' like Earl Grey (unless you try the Jasmine variant) its just really nice without milk.

I don't think green tea is really a herbal tea. Isn't it tea that has not been 'fermented' (oxidised) into black tea?

I am just enjoying my nightly mug of green and black tea. I like the taste of green tea, and the strength of black tea so I mix the two together.

Traditional tea caddies had 2 compartments and a central mixing bowl for that very reason.

 

[PK99]

My theory is that on fast days your body switches to fat burn mode to fuel the exercise, but by the next morning you're running on virtually empty, possibly with nothing left to fuel the muscles. .

on a fast day, you have carb stocks on board from the previous day. plenty for a 2 hour ride.
on the day after a fast day, carb stocks are low and bonking a real possibility - your experience reads like straightforward bonking.

Last week, on a fast day, I did 50 miles flat riding from 8am after breakfast, in one hit with nothing more than zero cal sports drink and felt fine all the way (only reason i stopped was the cafe in Richmond park winked as i passed)

If i go out with the CTC wayfarers on the day after a fast day, i'm slower than normal and struggle on anything resembling a real hill. I now make sure that if i ride the day after a fast day i have energy drink in my bottle and gels in my pocket.

 

[nickyboy]

I don't think green tea is really a herbal tea. Isn't it tea that has not been 'fermented' (oxidised) into black tea?

I am just enjoying my nightly mug of green and black tea. I like the taste of green tea, and the strength of black tea so I mix the two together.

I go to China a lot on business so I have cupboards full of green teas of a bewildering number of varieties. You'd be doing me a favour taking some of my hands.....next forum ride I'll bring you some. I'll bore you with the arcane niceties of the tea making ceremony too

 

[ColinJ]

I go to China a lot on business so I have cupboards full of green teas of a bewildering number of varieties. You'd be doing me a favour taking some of my hands.....next forum ride I'll bring you some. I'll bore you with the arcane niceties of the tea making ceremony too

Ooh, yes please!

Or if you fancy pigging out at Watergate tearooms again, let me know and I will ride out to meet you somewhere and accompany you in.

 

[The Jogger]

As the other thread is locked


The 5:2 is brilliant and is healthy the benefits of fasting on your health is so good. Also try and eat a lot less carbs if you can ignore the stupid food pyramid.

 

[david k]

first night after fasting, drempt about food all night!!! felt fine until late on when i got hungy, felt tired first thing, feel better after brecky

 

[PK99]

As the other thread is locked


The 5:2 is brilliant and is healthy the benefits of fasting on your health is so good. Also try and eat a lot less carbs if you can ignore the stupid food pyramid.

... a lots less starchy carbs.

we eat mountains of rainbow veg and no starchy carbs on a diet day and overall significantly less pasta/Potatoes/crap bread* than we used to. If I have a big ride the next day, i make sure i am stoked up with carbs the day before.

* I've taken to sourdough, both bought and home made

 

[The Jogger]

When I use to feel hungry I used to hit the zero coke and it took the edge off it. I would have a 600 calorie meal at tea time after fasting all day then nothing for the rest of the day or 500 cal tea and a 100 cal snack later, easy.

 

[PK99]

Just stumbled across this critique of Body Mass Index: useful for anyone tracking BMI rather than weight alone


http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/255712.php

 

[Leescfc79]

Did my first fast day yesterday, 500 calories and found it ok, going to aim to do Tuesday and Thursday every week.

Have a ride planned this evening so hopefully that doesn't suffer.

 

[subaqua]

As the other thread is locked


The 5:2 is brilliant and is healthy the benefits of fasting on your health is so good. Also try and eat a lot less carbs if you can ignore the stupid food pyramid.

jogger speaks the truth here.

 

[The Jogger]

As always

jogger speaks the truth here.

 

[derrick]

A family friend started the 5-2 diet about a year ago and my wife joined her 6 months ago, they have both lost weight, my wife does quite a lot of cycling and the friend swims a lot. Neither of them is lazy they just struggle to stay at the weight they would like to be, i am lucky i can eat like a horse and don't suffer any change real change in my wieght, i go up and down a little but nothing i would worry about. So all i can say is well done to all who struggle with there weight, and what ever works for you just do it, Stuff all the knockers on here,

 

[Scoosh]

I trust we are all remembering that the main physical (medical) purpose and benefit of the 5:2 fasting regime (note, NOT "diet") is improved health and longevity.

Any weight loss is a bonus by-product.

For references, look further up the thread - I have mentioned this before …