16 Comments

with current grocery prices, I've been intermittent fasting unintentionally! ;)

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Best line of the day!

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I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for a couple of years. Now, my weight stays the same, especially with exercise. I do the 8/16 program and I never eat after 7pm. I do basically Keto as well. BIG DIFFERENCE!

NO sugar, NO processed food, NO carbs (less than 30/day). I’m 60😉.

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Yes, you can synergize the benefits of intermittent fasting by adding in daily exercise and the elimination of processed foods, added sugars, and simple carbohydrates.

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Dr. Mark, those of us who rise ealry and work out 3-4 times a week... get pretty hungry long before lunch time. Hard to fast when the body is looking for fuel. Have any suggestions for this type of lifestyle? Thanks.

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Yes. Intermittent fasting isn't ideal for heavy early-morning workout folks. You have two options: 1. On days you work out in the morning, eat a high-energy fuel source beforehand strictly to support the workout. 2. Skip the pre-workout energy meal and eat an early and high-calorie lunch. With option 2, several days a week, your fasting interval will be an hour or two shorter.

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There are people who eat to live, and those who live to eat. I don't think intermittent fasting will work for those in the latter category, and those in the former don't need to.

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Those in either category are not living well. The latter are conflating the healthy enjoyment of meals with hedonism. The former are conflating self-restraint with asceticism.

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Changed my life. The whole notion of three meals a day should not really be the norm as you get older. Also IF allows you to eat everything, which psychologically takes the pressure off being super vigilant about your intake. And as a result, you start making better choices on your own plus really feel less hungry. And of course, no PHARMA side effects.

I do hear, however, that it doesn’t work well with some people’s biology but it’s been a winner for me.

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Yes, Irina. What you have discovered is that the exercise of self-discipline brings freedom...and maintains a nice body.

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the weightloss drugs just make you not hungry and not eat. that’s it. you can do that on your own. just eat less. use your will power. it’s not that hard. mind over matter. intermittent fasting does just that. you eat less.

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and stop taking an antihistamine every day. it causes weight gain

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Yes--both are true.

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Not long ago we were told to eat six small meals a day in order to keep our metabolism up and lose weight. Now we're told to fast. I did lose weight with the small meal approach after baby #1. Now after baby #2 I've loosely tried both methods and neither has worked for me. It's probably my age that's making it much harder to lose weight, in addition to how life changed since the lockdowns.

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Intermittent fasting, in combination with 20 minutes of vigorous walking every day, is a powerful combination. Give it a try.

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Jan 15
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Most people find that skipping breakfast becomes entirely "normal" for them after a couple of weeks, but there are other ways to practice intermittent fasting. Eliminating dinner is one. Skipping lunch does not support intermittent fasting, though, because it doesn't create a single period of time every 24 hours without food.

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