Turns out starving is good for you.

[MsGuy]

But if starving is so good for you, shouldn't those guys in the Sahel live past 100?

http://dailydigestnews.com/2014/06/fasting-can-regenerate-entire-immune-system-study-finds/

Maybe it's only beneficial for us overfed Westerners but, hey, if you've been feeling poorly lately, give it a try. If nothing else, (visible) ribs are sexy!

[RA1]

As an over fed Westerner or Southerner, I can attest that foregoing food is very beneficial. However, I have not found the perfect balance for food ingestion. I normally avoid breakfast and also avoid lunch which leaves me as having one meal a day later.

The problem is I like a cocktail or two before a meal. That adds calories. Otherwise, I would lose weight. But, I do not.

Therefore I have to assume there are other solutions out there.

Best regards,

RA1

[Guest PasadenaCA]

They have been carrying out research on calorie restricted diets for many decades. The results on animal studies have been quite stunning: fruit flies, mice, etc. In humans all the secondary endpoints ( blood pressure, sugar levels, cholesterol, etc.) are very encouraging. It will be interesting to see if the small communities of people dedicated to this lifestyle can replicate what has been seen in animals.

[JKane]

I've been trying intermittent fasting, it's surprisingly easy to skip food for a day, especially after a day of overindulgence.

[RA1]

I have tried fasting for up to two weeks. It is easy enough if one wishes to do so. However, one must eat to survive and that often leads to indulgence or over-indulgence at the end of a fast. I view this as a psychological dilemma. Easy enough to forego food during the fast but difficult to maintain a reasonable calorie count meal continuum after that or so I think.

Best regards,

RA1

[AdamSmith]

Wonder if there have yet been any studies comparing the intermittent-fasting practice against the notion of eating several tiny meals throughout every day? One can see how evolution would have adapted us to both, given the uncertainties of 3-million-year-ago food supplies.

[RA1]

I feel that the US "farmer" style of eating is the best for everyone, adjusted for the various active lifestyles or lack thereof. In other words, a good breakfast, decent lunch and very small supper. Anyone, including me, could lose or maintain weight on such a diet, with the proper portions and calorie intake. It minimizes hunger and maximizes energy. Both good.

However, not easy to follow.

Best regards,

RA1

[AdamSmith]

The "farmer" diet indeed sustained our forebears many of them into their 90s or even beyond. My grandmother recounted how, when she was 14, she one time ate if I recall 16 biscuits for breakfast. (American biscuits, needless to say, not faggy little English cookies.) (Whoops, now we need the offensive-language debate again.) but anyway, her mother said, You're going to kill yourself eating. But the girl was the family's breadwinner, the father having passed away 2 years before, and had to go out and chop cotton for hire all day. So those biscuits went to good use. And she was not big: 140 pounds at that age of 14, and got smaller with the years.

She btw considered it a godsend to get a cotton mill job at age 15, and get out of the fields. Etc.

[RA1]

Why was your grandmother not married at age 14 or 15? That was a common way to get away from "family" obligations and out on your own, sort of. My grandmother married at age 14 which made her first born more little a younger sister rather than child, especially as other children came along.

I think an English biscuit is more like what we call crackers. How about a scone, 14 or fewer?

Best regards,

RA1

[AdamSmith]

She did elope at 15. He was 19. They were deeply in love for all life, til he passed of leukemia at 64.

[Guest hitoallusa]

That's so sweet.. It's always good to see happily ever after~~~

She did elope at 15. He was 19. They were deeply in love for all life,

[wayout]

Not sure I've mentioned this in a previous thread or not but I've been working on slowly losing weight over the last eight or so months. My belief is slow and steady, with changes to lifestyle, primarily eating habits and exercise. No surprises there. What I discovered for myself is that one of my biggest obstacles was the demon alcohol...the before dinner cocktails just stimulated my appetite (as well as adding calories) so I have had to limit my drinking to just weekends (and make sure I don't make up for the rest of the week in those two days) and go for gin (or vodka) with diet tonic as a relatively low cal before dinner cocktail (especially at this time of year).

What I also found was that it was good for me to mix up lots of different methods for eating over the last six months. Fasting for a period of time, then all vegetarian diet, then very low carb diet, then small meals every 3 hours, then mostly liquid (non-alcohol) diet, etc etc. I think it is good to "confuse" the body so it can't get used to any one of them. Throw in some added exercise and significantly increase water intake and I can get consistently between .5 to 1 lb per week loss. Still have another couple months to go at this rate to get to my goal but I am confident it will be reached. And btw, from a psychological standpoint, I follow the strict rule to weigh myself only once per week (same day and time) so as to avoid any discouragement from natural fluctuations on a daily basis.

[RA1]

Great and good on you.

Best regards,

RA1