Fasting - Not Not Foo’ay Beans
Foo’ay beans: a Scots saying that can mean “full of energy / vitality / vigor / enthusiasm”
On a trip home to Scotland last week, I bored some folks 😉 when talking a little about my experiences with fasting / Intermittent Fasting (IF) and the positive impact it has had on my life. Here we, here we, here we…. go1 (again for some).
For the *TL;DR* (Too Long; Didn’t Read) please refer to the last bullet in the first bulleted list below.
The following is my knowledge and experience of fasting in a nutshell and I hope you find it useful and / or interesting.
Background
Many moons ago when living in Canada, a smashing, intelligent female friend and working mother of two, was diagnosed as a diabetic. She took it on the chin, did hefty research and ended up reversing the prognosis. For good measure, she also lost (and largely kept off) about 10-15kgs of weight.
The book she recommended was The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day and Extended Fasting, by Dr Jason Fung (herein called “the book”. Note that the book has many anecdotes with people diagnosed with diabetes as that is an area of expertise of Dr Fung’s, but there were many many useful takeaways). The author has several presentations on-line and there is scientific and anecdotal based evidence cited in his work if you want to explore at your leisure.
The following are some topics that are covered relatively extensively in the book and I found interesting which are out with the scope of this post:
How to overcome hunger (the ghrelin effect), the “I can’t do it”, or “it’s not for me” attitudes (apparently this is the main issue people express for not attempting to fast. Additionally, when the author informed that hunger is a mindset, I found that he was, frustratingly, rather correct);
Dispels the perceived notions of fasting being unhealthy;
Insulin resistance (how your body operates in that regard);
Ketosis;
The food industry and its marketing (e.g. breakfast being the most important meal of the day; snacking; and how it is obviously geared towards selling food. Being more aware and cognizant of it can be quite useful in selecting, or not selecting, one’s food);
Human’s historic eating habits (including details about religious fasting and their origins); and
*TL;DR*: The numerous health benefits which I have conveniently listed at the end for reference (feel free to skip there – I love a good skip too 😉).
The longest ever recorded fast was a Scottish man, named Angus Barbieri who fasted for 382 days, from June 1965 to July 1966. He lived on tea, coffee, soda water and vitamins while living at home in Tayport, Scotland. He lost 276 pounds (125 kg) and set a record for the length of a fast. The book mentioned this and stressed that fasting was not dangerous.
Another top (and Iron 💪) man and grand friend that I was training with for the Vancouver marathon2 at the time talked extensively about diet, nutrition and of being in ketosis (Ruled.me.com hyperlink to a wee intro to the concept FYI and if you are interested), how he was noticeably more alert and had more energy. At the time, I did little with this information.
The main IF regimes discussed in the book are 12:12, 16:8 or 20:4 (i.e.12, 16 or 20 hours without food paired with an 12, 8 or 4 hour eating window), but these are just indicators or guidelines. Some graphs in the book are illuminating illustrations showing insulin levels during the fasting regimes when our bodies are burning either: fat from consumed food; or our body’s stored body fat. I have copies, but no permission to publish them.
The book said the 12:12 IF was a “powerful preventative weapon against obesity… may be a great preventative strategy, [but] it may not be powerful enough to reverse weight gain. Slightly longer fasting periods are often required for that.”
As the 16:8 with 20:4 IFs are the most challenging I will focus on my experience with them and on other occasions that I have done the 3-day longer fasts. I likely would have done more longer fasts if the GA was not providing such immensely tasty and tempting food and high-quality, refreshing and relatively cheap beer (yes, beer breaks one’s fast – I checked… more than one source). This is certainly not a complaint (well, maybe partially about the beer breaking fasts 😉).
16:8 Intermittent Fasting (IF) (wi’ ma tea)
Years after being educated by the friends in Canada and being made aware of fasting, I started skipping breakfast during weekdays (essentially doing - or so I liked to think - a 16:8 IF, 5 or 6 days a week). I did not give up my morning black tea, honey and lemon brew because at the time, I was unwilling.
The main drivers for me were:
Inspirational friends and experts;
Curiosity and the challenge;
Potential weight loss; and
Trimming down (to below an 80kg target “fighting weight”, just because this is what what recorded on my Canadian drivers license 🤷♂️)
And so I did the “16:8 IF wi’ ma tea” for many months.
When I embarked upon the fasting journey I found that sleeping through most of the fasting period facilitated completion. The honey in the tea was also effectively cheating, but my body and mind did adjust to not eating breakfast without too much difficulty. I maintained my exercise regime and I dropped some weight, but not a lot.
I thought I had a record of some of my weight metrics, but I cannot locate. It was the only metric I monitored. If I remember correctly, my weight ranged from:
Upper: ∼86 – 91.2kg (90kg being the upper-alarm-bell-threshold I set for myself based on how I felt)
Lower: ∼82 - 86kgs.
Generally maintaining this approach, my weight range mostly stayed in the lower range.
In hindsight, the morning tea including honey helped dealing with the change in having no food before lunch, but I did not realise the full benefits of the fasting efforts.
One aspect I really enjoyed was that I found myself looking forward to and savouring food immensely. This added more gratitude into my life, increasing my well-being and I had noticeably more energy and alertness. Remarkably, I found this heightened state of clarity accentuated during longer fasts – ketosis! However, I think the main positive, along with the gratitude and clarity, was that it freed up a lot of time.
I now rarely go a working day without doing a complete (/ approximate) 16:8 IF (I now never monitor the time). I just stop eating at night and have lunch if and when it comes.
I do still, or even more so, enjoy a cooked breakfast wi’ ma tea at the weekends.
20:4 IFs
After completing 16:8 IFs regularly, I went straight to trying a 3-day fast (see next section). However, subsequently life granted an excellent opportunity to adopt more 20:4 IFs into my routine.
As I work remotely, in an international team for international clients, when I was forced to go into the office, I would not eat at all during the day until I returned home from work in the evening. During these days in the office, my last meal was dinner the previous evenings. Sometimes I would have food after dinner (e.g. yogurt, jam and a selection of nuts and seeds or fruit (so the fasting window may not have been 20 hours, but to be honest, I do not think it mattered at all for my goals).
I prepared some liquids (listed in the below section) in flasks and took them to the office and I went a few walks during the day, smashed some walking lunges (to the bewilderment of many a by-passer or office worker) and meditated and left the office a wee bit hungry (or Hank Marvin), but revitalised. The wife knew I was fasting and usually had a premium dinner and beer ready for my return 🙏
Another (much lesser) benefit (for me anyway), still well worth a mention, is that it saved on spending the gid smackeroonies (YouTube. A legendary lad reminded me of this Kevin Bridges sketch whilst in Scotland. Funny.)
Longer (3-day) Fasting Experience
I was driving the family home from a holiday in the Austrian Alps and listening to a few podcasts (might’ve been this Tim Ferris Show podcast ep 117 with Dom D’Agostino or this Broken Brain one - there are many out there).
I had podged a bit on holiday and was feeling a bit heavy, but inspired by the experts and so decided to try a 3-day fast starting that Sunday evening (only after scranning (Scots colloquialism for eating) the amazing home cooked soup, meal and baking made ready by the in-laws for our return – it would have been churlish not to 😉).
I double checked internet sources that the honey in my morning tea had to be omitted (as the caloric intake resets the fasting clock so to speak (of course it does (☝️numpty))). I also e-mailed a synopsis of my situation to this quite awesome couple (RyanandAlex.com) and after I had complete my fast, I was pleased to receive a couple of personal responses to related questions. They recommended to:
Start with a 3 day fast (as I had mentioned some experts recommended longer fasts for optimal benefits).
Skip the honey in the tea (or to try to keep it under 50 calories to get the benefits of autophagy. A tablespoon of honey is about 65 calories so a half tablespoon might be sufficient?).
Keep workouts light to very light during the fast and that yoga should be fine.
Listen to your body and stop anything that makes you lightheaded.
I omitted honey wi’ ma tea.
Throughout the fast, I consumed (as per some literature) only liquids:
Water - sometimes with some cracked sea salt and lemon (electrolytes would be good too, but I did not have any);
Fruit teas with fresh grated ginger (settles the stomach and is burny zingy goodness); and
Coffee.
Apparently, you can also put some coconut oil or ghee (sherpas do this extensively apparently) in your coffee which can help stave off hunger. I have done this on occasions, but I do not recommend cutting coffee out during your first longer fast if you are a regular consumer. Even in an unfasted state the headaches are real. I did not think I was addicted, but my head and body disagreed when I tried the coffee reset. As an aside, it is interesting how the body’s receptors and chemistry works with respect to coffee consumption, but let us not digress too much.
According to sources I found, the second day was said to be the most difficult in terms of feeling hungry and coping with it, but I did not find it too strenuous (which was probably helped by my “16:8 IF wi’ ma tea” fasting introduction and acclimating to it). It wasn’t easy, but quite manageable given “hunger is a mindset” (more than once, I wanted to chib the author for this chat).
Plus, depending on one’s last meal, it is around this time that some people may embark on the ketosis gravy train.
I found that I was not constantly hungry and it came in waves. Certainly, drinking the liquids or doing some stretching or light exercises helped. I actually found my exercise regime was not hampered at all by the longer fast either3.
It was most difficult when I had to prepare food for family and, as what the Stoics advocate resonates with me, I was cognisant not to complain about this self inflicted venture too.
For better or worse, I did fantasize often throughout the 3-days of how I was going to break my fast.
Wednesday night arrived and the time came to do just that.
Breaking the Longer Fast – Oh My Goodness! Food Gratitude Through the Roof!
According to my research, the best food to break ones longer fast is to consume a high-quality bone broth (miso works too) and then wait a short while (time varied from sources) to see how your body reacts and to eat something nutrient-dense and that is easily digestible (there is lots in the book and on the internet about this).
I smashed a massive portion of bone broth and went straight to a 6-egg omelette with:
Some fried onions (not the easiest to digest, but remembering their taste this one time makes me salivate)
Spinach and a few other ingredients that I considered easily digestible, but probably were not
Seasoning and a smidgen of turmeric
With out a doubt, this was the tastiest, or certainly the most memorable, omelette I have ever had in my life.
(As a side note here, a Grand Legend of a friend of mine (not shy of consuming calories) told me while at university that it is best not to whisk eggs (like you would for scrambled eggs), but to burst the yokes with a fork and to stir prior to making the omelette – something about chemistry).
My weight metrics changed significantly. Again, I thought I recorded this and I looked for them, but I cannot locate. I think I lost in the region of 7.5kgs, but I did put a large percentage (say 50-60%) back on when I started eating again. I read that the regaining of weight would likely be due to replenishment of glycogen stores (the body effectively readjusts metabolism and increases water retention) and / or (as was likely in my case) overeating. Still a 3+kg net weight loss was not bad for 3 days of fun.
(Note that it was not a cake walk, but saying it was fun is not disingenuous.)
I later complete one other 3-day fast and it went well. I would like to do more, but my in-laws keep baking stuff, making tasty scran (Scots for food or eating4) or beers are tabled and I pie (a Scots colloquialism for “disregard the notion”) it pronto.
Very Very Very Brief Notes on Insulin, Insulin Resistance and Glucose (not technical)
Subsequently I found out that eating some cereals (and particularly porridge / oats) results in your body having to process a lot of glucose (linked to the technicalities of insulin resistance detailed in the book or discussed in podcasts), may give a short spurt of energy, but thereafter may be followed by a period of low energy and hunger. I am not saying anyone should not eat cereals (porridge / oats).
Related to this topic, which I find fascinating, is Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs). These allow you to test how your body reacts to certain foods and tailor your diet to accommodate e.g. some people may react differently to eating peppers and others may show contrary data – everyone’s ecosystems are different. I would love to try this when CGMs become more affordable (they are not too expensive depending on how chunky your wallet is and your priorities).
This discussion on Five Surprising Foods That Spike Blood Sugar and How to Make Them Healthier (from Levels Health formerly the Broken Brain Podcast) talks about CGMs and the link also lists the “Five Surprising Foods” if you cannae be bothered listening to the discussion.
Contrary to many other experts, one expert mentioned that skipping breakfast (which I do more often than not) was extremely dangerous, because of… some science. He said skipping lunch was safer if one wanted to do a 16:8 IF. I find skipping breakfast easier and I enjoy eating lunches with my wife (usually 😉) if our calendars align.
Eating can be a pleasurable and an important social endeavour and so planning fasts around family BBQs or parties warrants some rumble gumption.
Very Very Very Brief Notes on Diet, Water and Sleep (not technical)
There is a plethora of literature and now podcasts on the subjects of diet, water and sleep and can be quite technical. Luckily for me, I can just state that the technicalities are out with the scope of this post. I am sure most are aware, but it is worth mentioning and reminding myself at least.
Diet and the types of foods consumed make a massive difference to one’s health and well-being. In short, fresh, generally colourful (not skittles 😉) wholesome foods are gid fir yer general health and mitochondria (these are basically the cells that generate chemical energy for our bodies to function💪🤯) and all those other wee cellular beauts that make up one’s body (there are wee ecosystems all over).
Refined carbohydrates, oils and sugars can stimulate high levels of insulin, and along with processed foods and transfat (e.g. commercial baked goods, such as cakes, biscuits and cookies etc. etc.) can be much less nutritious and reportedly they can also contribute detrimentally to one’s mental and physical health.
Again, as a reminder to myself mostly and definitely worth a mention too, quality hydration is hugely important for physical and mental well-being even when in an unfasted state. On occasion, I notice that I have a sore head and then gulp a pint of filtered water and it’s like a magic remedy… or just rumble gumption. Adding electrolytes can enhance the elixir of life and give it a wee boosty bang.
Sleep is imperative to repair the brain and optimise performance (whatever your goals are). I have a high degree of certainty that when I meditate and can recognise and process stressful situations I sleep well. This is extremely important for my mental well-being, but even meditation is not a fix-all for this complex process.
I now take full responsibility for my body and from experimentation have found that I am diligent and disciplined, through fasting and I can essentially, eat and drink what I want when I want (within reason) whilst maintaining a body weight that (nearly) aligns with my goals and objectives.
The beer intake does still have to be moderated and mindful practice also facilitates the whole endeavour5.
And naw(!!), according to last weigh-in, am still no sub-80kg(!! 😊). Evidently I like beer more than a lower number on the scales.
(*TL;DR*) Benefits of Fasting
The book details the science behind the benefits in more detail and I have captured in brief below:
- Improves mental clarity and concentration
- Induces weight and body fat loss
- Lowers blood sugar levels
- Improves insulin sensitivity
- Increases energy
- Improves fat-burning
- Lowers blood cholesterol
- Prevents Alzheimer’s disease
- Extends life and reverses the aging process
- Decreases inflammation
- Autophagy happens (that sh17 means possible cancer prevention through cellular regenerational jazz)
Some benefits that I’ve found:
- Increased will-power to combat hunger whenever it arises
- Unless sick (which is rare and may be unconnected to fasting), I generally seem to find energy stores for the life I want to lead
- It frees up a lot of time
- I can eat and drink whatever I want. For example, if I IF before parties or a heavy weekend, I can gorge on tasty food with little consequence as subsequent fasts and my metabolic system makes it relatively easy to drop any excess weight again.
- It can save money
- It massively increases gratitude for sustenance (particularly for the 20:4 IF or longer fasts)
By pairing fasting with any form of exercise regime I would be surprised if, depending on one’s goals, one does not experience some form of positive results.
Caveates
The book and other sources stressed that if you are not feeling well when fasting, then you should stop the fast and informs that fasting might not be best practice for people with certain medical conditions or if they are pregnant. I checked with my doctor before doing longer fasts and she gave, what I perceived to be, a “risks-are-marginal-if-there-are-any. Do-what-you-want-ya-numpty” look - I may have misread that though.
Conclusion
Everyone’s body is different (there is lots of info online about body types (Medical News Today) if you are interested in this too) and if fasting is of interest to you, read into it or listen to some experts that make a living out of specialising on this topic. Excercise your critical thinking.
Perhaps you may experiment yourself cautiously and safely, see how your body reacts and how you feel if you skip a meal (or two). Rinse, repeat and extend.
If you do decide to try it, remember hunger is a mentality, can be managed and will pass (that’s from the book author, not me 😉).
Undoubtedly, I would like to do more longer fasts, and definitely enjoy when I am foo’ay beans!
If this post has piqued your interest, you want to know more about any of the technicalities please do get in touch, open dialogue or look for respected and trustworthy people on the internet.
We make the hard and “fast” rules.
The stage is yours.
Love
P.S. Any comments, queries, suggestions to improve my fasting or any related anecdotes would be well received and more than welcome.
P.P.S. There are fasting apps with timers. Oh, and if anyone wants to try a longer fast feel free to let me know as I could use a nudge or some moral support on this front.
Attention at around 1min 50s into this post’s song: Canter (Live in Glasgow) by Gerry Cinnamon
I DNF, but to be fair, I did not even make the start line!
Some notes on exercise (this could be another post if there is anyone interested). If I manage at all, I endeavour to do the following as often as time or motivation permits on a daily basis:
Very rarely, run over 5km (with short warm-up / cool-down).
10-15 minutes of breath work interspersed by a wee bit of core work.
A short 10-20min yoga routine.
Wee bouts of closed kinetic chain (body weight) exercises or on more rare occasions, plyometrics. I do not do HIIT, endurance or heavy gym work – not that I wouldn’t like to.
Total side note here, but in France they say “bon appétit” and Czech Republic they say “dobrou chut’” prior to digging in to scran, literally meaning good eating / taste / enjoy your meal. I said to my wife that I would like “dobrou chut’” to mean a wee note of gratitude (for the whole process of getting the food to table and to really savour it).
In Scotland we have the Selkirk Grace, but nothing that is similarly uttered on a regular basis. And so, I take note here (unless one wants to take the initiative) to engage a Scots Gaelic speaker to come up with a phrase using one or a combination of these words:
I could write another post on mindfulness if there is anyone interested. There will be a wee bit more on this in the mini-series finale.
I should also add for anyone interested in the metrics I am also 6" tall.
Further, anyone looking to dig in and whet their appetite with more digestible / harder science, a good friend pointed me to Low Carbs Down Under (YouTube) for specifics on everything I tried to explain or touched on.