Intermittent Fasting

[Cort]

If I could stop shoving food into my mouth I would like to try this. It's done wonders for Courtney Craig...

• http://authoritynutrition.com/what-is-intermittent-fasting/

It shouldn't be THAT hard....

You can do this by skipping breakfast, eating your first meal at noon and your last meal at 8 pm.

Then you’re technically fasting for 16 hours every day, and restricting your eating to an 8-hour eating window. This is the most popular form of intermittent fasting, known as the 16/8 method.

 

[weyland]

Probably not the safest thing to try due to low cortisol and frequent hypoglycemia found in ME patients.

 

[tatt]

tried this, had a relapse. I actually feel better on holiday when I eat and drink more and wonder if I'm nutrient deficient when fasting. Trouble is as any activity can be a problem I have to eat very little.

 

[Abrin]

Probably not the safest thing to try due to low cortisol and frequent hypoglycemia found in ME patients.

I must agree. Anecdotally, I've tried D-ribose on more then one occasion and always end up getting hypoglycemia's symptoms of diziness and headaches even when taking a dose of a mere 1/4 teaspoon so fasting between meals would not be a good option for me personally.....but I do know everyone is different.

 

[weyland]

I must agree. Anecdotally, I've tried D-ribose on more then one occasion and always end up getting hypoglycemia's symptoms of diziness and headaches even when taking a dose of a mere 1/4 teaspoon so fasting between meals would not be a good option for me personally.....but I do know everyone is different.

Yes, I've had similar hypoglycemia reactions to D-ribose.

 

[Paw]

For me, it's probably worth investigating. Last summer I fasted longer than required before an endoscopy and colonoscopy. As a result my long-term IBS was greatly improved for at least a month. (My neurologist attributes the IBS to small-fiber neuropathy.)

 

[tandrsc]

For years I've struggled with sugar levels, but I've recently discovered that it's all about inflammation.

I thought I'd experiment with eating more anti-inflammatory foods; so for 2 days a week I only eat vegetables (mostly as soup) and nuts. The theory being that I'm only eating anti-inflammatory foods on those days.

My drinks are decaf green tea which is anti-inflammatory, and I don't eat in between the meals. On these days I don't have any trouble with sugar levels at all and can go several hours without eating. So if I can get the inflammation down the sugar levels look after themselves.

I've been using this site as a guide of inflammation:
http://inflammationfactor.com/look-up-if-ratings/
I don't know how accurate it is, but it seems to point me the right direction.

On the the other days I try and eat as much veg as possible to counteract the other foods. I bought a dehydrator to help get more veg down me.
http://www.cortjohnson.org/forums/threads/getting-more-veg-down-us.2795/

 

[tandrsc]

I thought I'd experiment with eating more anti-inflammatory foods; so for 2 days a week I only eat vegetables (mostly as soup) and nuts. The theory being that I'm only eating anti-inflammatory foods on those days.

Update: I had to give up on the 2 day thing. By the 3rd week I started getting bad stomach cramps. I stuffed a few oatcakes down me and the cramping stopped - I clearly need to eat starch.

Getting the inflammation down definitely helped the sugar cravings but didn't get rid of them completely. The final piece of my sugar craving puzzle seems to be tryptophan:
http://www.cortjohnson.org/forums/threads/tryptophan-and-sugar-cravings.3440/

By a happy co-incidence, I also do a daily mini fast by not eating anything between 8pm at night and lunch time (12.30) the next day. I noticed sometime ago that I feel generally better if I don't eat anything before lunchtime, I do my best not to eat again until dinner (between 6pm and 7pm) but sometimes cave. It works for me

 

[TJ_Fitz]

I've been doing IF for a couple of weeks now. Most days, I can manage 16 hours, but there are some days (like today) that I must eat sooner to avoid getting sick(er). On paper, IF is supposed to encourage the body to burn fat more easily, and that's welcome because I'm not getting as much physical activity as I'd like. Also, the process of burning fat is supposed to be anti-inflammatory rather than inflammatory.

 

[Not dead yet!]

If I could stop shoving food into my mouth I would like to try this. It's done wonders for Courtney Craig...

• http://authoritynutrition.com/what-is-intermittent-fasting/

It shouldn't be THAT hard....

I've done this for periods of time like a month or so. Eventually my brain got the message that it was a "diet" and then it kind of floundered. But it was good for about 3 weeks.

I think it's not a good test though, because I now know that wheat and I do not mix at all. I haven't yet tested barley or rye because I want a good long time for my body to recover, but I suspect it is all irritating glutens. So possibly after 3 weeks I was reaching for more comfort foods, and gluten went up and it borked it. I definitely will try it again after a period of rebuilding. The mental clarity was sublime.

I've completely misplaced the research now, but somewhere in Pubmed there is a report of a possible treatment for MS that is "eating on alternate days" so you fast for a day, eat the next, and repeat. It's meant to be permanent if you can do it. The purpose is to reduce inflammation. Now I can't find it. The evil gremlins are at work again! LOL

For me, it's probably worth investigating. Last summer I fasted longer than required before an endoscopy and colonoscopy. As a result my long-term IBS was greatly improved for at least a month. (My neurologist attributes the IBS to small-fiber neuropathy.)

Heh, I used to use fasting as a treatment for severe constipation IBS. Worked for a month or two.

 

[Carrie Naturalway]

I couldn't have done this when I was sicker. I would have been too weak to go that long without eating. Now that I'm doing better it works well for me. I actually eat a light breakfast at 10:00 or 11:00 am and eat dinner at 3:00 pm so I go 18 hours or so without eating. My digestive system rests. And it assures that I go to bed without food in my stomach so my food digests better and I sleep better.