Alternate day fasting instead of a consistent 800 cals a day?

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  • posted by Ali-G
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    Can anyone tell me if there is a good reason to keep to 800 cals a day. To me that sounds like a recipe for metabolic slow down and constant hunger. Surely it would be more beneficial and easier to do say max.100 cals one day (just tea/coffee with milk) and then 1500 cals the next day? And really easy to do if you are already a low carb eater. I’d much prefer feasting & fasting.

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    Hi Ali-G, yes there is a slowing down in weight loss on 800 cals and I know because I have been on this plan for nearly 3 years and still not reached my goal weight. That is mainly my fault as I keep finding times when I can go over like holidays and Christmas. For me the 800 and particularly the low carb is for my Blood Glucose levels. As I diabetic this diet is proven to keep my BG levels under control and a lot lower, with less medication, than other diet plans. All diets would have the same metabolic reduction but in the case of the 800, eating say 1200 will cause a gain. If you are on 1600 then 1800 would cause a gain. It is all relative. I find if I am not moving I come off the calorie limit for a couple of days then get straight back onto it and start shifting weight again. Obviously at a much slower rate than someone who has not dieted recently. As for hunger, just like your body gets used to 800 cals and more causes weight gain, your body also gets used to the lower calories. I personally have a very interesting and varied diet so the boredom factor doesn’t come into it and I am rarely hungry.
    The idea you are suggesting is very similar to Dr M’s intermittent fasting diet which a lot of people here do, and I am just now reading his new book the Fast 800 and what you are saying makes perfect sense according to the doctors theories. The problem I have with that is being diabetic I find I have to eat at regular intervals so as not to let my BG go too low but I am being persuaded to try a limited intermittent fast. He states people who eat the same number of calories but in a limited window than others (in controlled conditions) lose more weight and more visceral fat with improved lipids. The 12 hour window seems to work and is not too difficult and the 16:8 window is even better.
    I am sure someone will come on who is doing fasts and be of more help than I am.

  • posted by Jennie10
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    Hi Ali-G
    I think it depends on a number of things, including what we can each manage personally.

    For me, I tried 5:2 where you go low calorie 2 days a week and I couldn’t stick to it as well as I can to the BSD with its steady 800 cals each day. You would think you would be hungry on that number of calories (as a serial dieter I certainly would have been in the past) but after the first couple of weeks I can genuinely say I was very rarely hungry – so there wasn’t any constant hunger. I think reducing your carbohydrates makes a big difference.

    The 800 is only supposed to be for a certain amount of time (the weight loss phase I guess) and then you transition to something else anyway, e.g. a Mediterranean diet, 5:2 or BSD (low carb, healthy fat) but with increased calories etc.

    I suspect you’re right about the metabolic slow down. From what I’ve read this will happen on most diets after a certain period. I think there’s quite a few people on here that incorporate intermittent fasting and/or time-restricted eating into the woe to try to counter that. (A lot of people on here are Jason Fung fans)

    My plan is to do 8-12 weeks and then as I get nearer to maintenance I’ll be looking at ways of increasing my metabolic rate, adjusting my body’s set point etc

    Like sunshine-girl, I did the BSD because I have type II diabetes so just went with MM’s best research-based advice to reduce my blood sugar levels – (the low cals was based on the Prof Roy Taylor’s Newcastle diet which had been shown to be effective in reducing bgls in clinical trials).

    In the end, it’s about doing BSD in the way that works best for you. Good luck. Keep in touch and let us know how you get on.

    Jennie
    Btw, I’ve bought his new Fast 800 book on kindle and I’m going to see him soon, so I will be interested in what he is now saying about fasting, TRE, etc. I’ll let you know.

  • posted by JGwen
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    Hi Ali-G,
    One of the nice things about this forum is that we are free to share information from a number of sources. Some of the followers of other low carb/fasting programs run by other Dr’s act as if people who mention alternative programs are heretics but that . You will find links to podcasts for different scientists and doctors on the Take a look at this thread, including Dr Fung who recommends the alternative day fasting, and Dr Bikman who explains so clearly the importance in keeping insulin levels low.
    ———————
    In his original BSD book Dr MM recommends following this low carb diet for 8 weeks to kick start weight loss and then going on to 5:2 to continue weight loss over a longer period.
    My understanding from reading around the subject is that if you keep carb intake down sufficiently so that you remain in ketosis (fat burning mode) then you will not suffer from a reduction of metabolic rate even if you stay eating 800 calories a day long term. – Some of us who had a lot of weight to loose have done this.
    ———————-
    My personal journey has been that I started off by cutting out the “big whites” bread, pasta, rice, pizza, sugar, chocolate in October 2017 Once I had got used to that way of eating I started to eat under 50g of carbs and aim towards 20g. When my work commitments have been intense (I have a physically active job) I don’t count calories but stay low carb. When low carb you don’t get as hungry, so its easier to do time restricted eating, skipping breakfast and gradually having the first meal of the day mid afternoon. For the last few months I have been monitoring if I am in ketosis using a cheap breathalyser. So far I am down over 90lbs.
    I started to experiment with fasting in October. I found 36 hour fasts an interesting experience, it brings to the surface how emotions are linked to appetite. Also how hunger is often confused with routine, for example finishing work/and having a meal. However I need to link it in with work patterns, Dr Fung recommends that people with physically active jobs do not fast more than 24 hours.
    There is also the fasting mimicking diet, which involves low cal and low protein for a 5 day period to trigger Autophagy which I have tried a couple of times.

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    My thinking is that if you have been eating a high carb diet for a long time, to go straight into fasting alternative days would be difficult to achieve. The risk of reducing metabolic rates is only a risk if you have a lot of weight to loose, but by breaking it into the steps of reducing carbs, and then moving into ketosis as a normal Way of Eating rather than thinking in terms of a diet there shouldn’t be a problem with reducing metabolic rate. – Obviously the number of calories burnt a day will reduce as weight reduces but if you take care to not have long periods of counting calories but not carbs you should not have a problem with reducing metabolic rate.

  • posted by Ali-G
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    Many thanks to all who have replied. It is much appreciated that you went to such lengths to give your views, experience and recommendations. Best wishes to you all for improved health. xx

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