Friday, August 29, 2008

Who has tried fasting?

I just read an interesting report from the Sunday Herald Newspaper (an Australian paper) that said that the practice of alternate day fasting is starting to become very popular.

Alternate day fasting (or traditional intermittent fasting) is where you fast every other day.

This a much stricter form of fasting than the flexible intermittent fasting that is used with the Eat Stop Eat lifestyle - where you fast once or twice per week.

I like alternate day fasting, but I still prefer flexible intermittent fasting because it's more flexible (I know, I know..that was obvious).

It's my opinion that flexibility is the key to a diet's longevity. And the longer you can stay on a diet, the better it will work for you.

Either way, it's good to see this eating style finally getting some media exposure.

Interestingly this article states that some Hollywood celebrities have followed versions of intermittent fasting, including Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck and model Christie Turlington.

If you know any Celeb's that are following Eat Stop Eat...please let me know ;)

BP

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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

If you can fast for 3 days and intensive exercise without effecting your metabolic rate, is it possible to fast for 1-2 weeks while intensive exercise without effecting your metabolic rate?

I wanna loose some fat and maintain my muscle for next friday (1 week away). So if I fast and intensive exercise until then, will my metabolic rate stay the same?

Anonymous said...

I fast (16/8) ... Oh wait you said celebrities :-)

PS: fasting for days on end ? (or even weeks) ... I don't think you should do that. At least get your protein this week (protein even comes from the Greek proto, which means something like that which comes first). And working out intensively while on a prolonged fast ... be carefull with that too. (don't overdo it)

Brad Pilon said...

HI Anon,

My expertise is on short-term fasting anywhere from 12 to 72 hours. After this, my expertise drops considerably.

So from my experience I would recommend 2 24 hours fasts during the week combined with some responsible eating, as opposed to a week long fast.

I hope this helps,

BP

Anonymous said...

Hi Brad. I've read all about your program and your ideas are very much in tune with my beliefs about the food and diet industry and the reasons they don't tell the truth. However, it must be tough for you to "sell" this as a course. Basicaly, you should fast for a couple of days a week and eat responsibly for the other 5 days. Furthermore, this routine should be enhanced with exercise and weight training. Perfect! That's the lot! As for the science of it, I believe you as most other people no doubt will. Two days a week does not seem excessive....

Anyway, congratulations on a real contribution to the weight loss industry that doesn't pander to weakness.

Rhondalynn_J said...

The longest I have ever fasted was 3 weeks. With NO working out. I was trying for a total detox. It's amazing that chewing ice chips all day kept my mind off of eating. It really makes you think more about if you are really hungry or just need that chewing motion! I think I might try the every other day fasting. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I wanted to know what your views are on the benefits of fasting the Islamic month of Ramadan. This is obligatory on all persons who are fit and able to do it.

It means eating before sunrise and then fasting until sunset, these days in Scotland thats basically from 4AM till 8PM, every day for 30 days.

It is the 17th of Ramadan today and I have been doing this for the last 17 days and will continue to do it until the 30th.

I think it would be very useful if you could carry out a scientific study of such a fasting person.

Brad Pilon said...

Hi Anon,

There is a very large amount of research on Ramadan.

The basic findings are that Ramadan style fasting is a great way to improve health, so long as you do not gorge on your meals before sunrise and after sunset.

BP