Comments on: Protein Power verses Intermittent Fasting

By: Rabbi Hirsch Meisels

Rabbi Hirsch Meisels — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:18:25 +0000

Jacob asked: “What effect would Intermittent Fasting have upon one�s weight lifting performance?”. MRE answered: “I�m going to post on these very issues soon. Stay tuned”
My question: was it done already? or did it get to the bottom of the stack in place of more important stuff?

No, it hasn’t been done. I want to do a comprehensive post on it when I do it, which means digging out and critically reading all the scientific literature since I last posted on the subject, and I just haven’t had the time.

By: Lewis

Lewis — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 09:25:57 +0000

This link (http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/seyfriedInterview.pdf) no longer works– is this interview still available?

Also, Seyfried has continued to publish interesting studies, see for example:

Epilepsia. 2008 Nov;49 Suppl 8:114-6.
Targeting energy metabolism in brain cancer with calorically restricted ketogenic diets.
PMID: 19049606 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Nutr Metab (Lond). 2007 Feb 21;4:5.
The calorically restricted ketogenic diet, an effective alternative therapy for malignant brain cancer.
PMID: 17313687 [PubMed]

I checked and the link doesn’t work. I’ve switched blogging software since I wrote that post and many of the links pre-switch don’t work. I’m out of the country right now, but when I get back, I’ll work on getting that link operational.

Thanks for the heads up.

By: Jane

Jane — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:33:38 +0000

Dr. Eades,

I just read your article which states that Intermittent Fasting isn’t all that good? I still want to give it a try but now I am unsure as to what you think is best as of now.

Thanks,

Jane

It works great for a lot of people; not so great for others. The only way to find out is to give it a try.

By: Violet

Violet — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:02:49 +0000

Dr. Eades,

I just read your post about intermittent fasting which led me to this article.
I am 18 years old and weighed 225 pounds when I was 16. A change in lifestyle led me to lose weight. Currently, I am 165 pounds but I still have high fat content on my buttocks, thighs, stomach, and arms.

I am interested in beginning Intermittent Fasting for all the health benefits. However, I am not so familiar with low-carb after the whole Atkins scare. It seems to me that low carb diets are good as long as they are followed properly.

What are the guidelines for a proper low-carb diet? Meaning, am I allowed to eat cheese and butter and high fatty foods? If I DO eat carbs, what kind of carbs should they be? e.g. fruits, vegetables? Are whole-grain carbohydrates OK?

I want to lose/burn the fat that I have in various regions of my body but more importantly, feel strong and healthy.

Thanks,

Violet

Hi Violet–

It’s beyond the scope of the comment section of this blog to lay out all the guidelines for a proper low-carb diet. It took us the entire book Protein Power to do it. I would recommend that you read that book or the 30-day Low-Carb Diet Solution for everything you need to know. You can also get on the Protein Power forum (link at the top of this blog) and get a lot of help and a lot of answers.

Good luck.

MRE

By: Phineas Boggs

Phineas Boggs — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:38:53 +0000

Just wanted to report that I continue to feel fine, and, since I started IFing, I have gotten rid of 10-12 lbs. I expect to get rid of another 8-10 lbs in the next coupla months.

I’m also taking many supplements, which perhaps, slows down my weight loss a bit. OTOH, I am at an upper age level, so it behooves me to lose weight slowly (slow and steady, with persistence).

Thanks for all your educational information!

By: robyn cardy

robyn cardy — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:02:56 +0000

you know, if you want an anti-aging pill, why not try slow burn weight lifting? if I lay off lifting for a week and a half or so, and then have a good long slow burn session, the next morning, I can see the effects of that rise in human growth hormone in my face. My daughter has noticed it in her dad as well as me. gotta trust those sharp young eyes. she wanted us to run a 10K with her on Thanksgiving, and while that is longer than we usually run, we went with her. it was physically and psychologically stressful for us. it is unnerving, when you run with at most 2 other people, to all of a sudden be in the midst of thousands of others running on narrow suburban streets. the silence, except for the sound of all those pounding running shoes, and thoughts of stumbling and falling and landing at the bottom of an immense pile of tripped runners is very disquieting. needless to say, you’re careful, very careful, of your footing. the day after Thanksgiving, with the immense spike of HGH that we had experienced the day before, we looked like we had facelifts instead of a run. we don’t look that bad usually, thanks to Dr Mike, MD and PPLP.

something that I do not know if paleo-whatevers have a good handle on, is the span of time that humans were increasing in numbers, and large food animals were decreasing in numbers. could a case be made for intermittent fasting as part of our development, as we had to travel farther for game, and large kills were spread out farther, time-wise? Early observers of American Indian life always stress Indians’ periods of near starvation as large game was scarce and small game required so much energy to acquire.

robyn cardy

I’m sure that intermittent fasting on a regularly irregular basis was a part of our nutritional heritage.

By: Phineas Boggs

Phineas Boggs — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:16:33 +0000

Great and interesting thoughts shared. I’m wondering about the effect of two things during IFing–intake of Glutamine (should I be afraid of it?) and low-dose metformin taken for anti-aging purposes.

Any input on these?

I have been taking metformin in the morning, and then have been unhungry all day. I eat in the late afternoon only because I feel I should. My weight is stable and I’m feeling fine, so far, even though I would like to get rid of 15 pounds.

Thanks for your book and for sharing your continuing growth and exploration.

Glutamine shouldn’t be a problem, but I have a problem taking pharmaceuticals unless absolutely necessary. I’ve read all the reports about low-dose metformin as an anti-aging product, but I wouldn’t take it. But that’s simply my bias. If it works for you, who am I to naysay it.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Jeany

Jeany — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 18:44:33 +0000

Dr. Mike –
Thank your for giving me the tools to make a change. IF has given me the oppertunity to recognize some disturbing behaviors I have aquired. IF has allowed me to stop the grazing of unhealthy foods without thought. IF has required me to think about what I’m going to eat and why. IF gives me the time to reflect and plan. I believe this way of eating is allowing me to change my addicitive emotions towards food.
Protein Power made a difference to me when your book first came out and you continue to guide me in my quest for health.
Thank You.

Thank you for the kind words. Sounds to me like you had to do all the work.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Shaina

Shaina — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:28:08 +0000

Thanks!!
I have yet another concern that I just thought of – is it possible to stretch your stomach by consistently overeating? When I eat my big meal, I am sometimes painfully stuffed, but I feel like I’m not satisfied until I eat that much (and its within my calories for the day). Am I stretching my stomach, and should I be worried about this? Or is that just a myth?

Thanks so much for answering my questions!!

That’s a good question, and I don’t know the answer off the top of my head.� If you eat a large meal one day, then don’t eat for a day, I don’t think you run the risk that you would by eating large meals constantly.� Having said all that, I don’t even know for sure that the whole stomach-stretching idea has any basis in fact.� I’ve never really seen any scientific information on the subject.� It will give me something to look up once I get home.

Cheers–

MRE�

By: Shaina

Shaina — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:22:56 +0000

Thanks again!
I had one more question regarding carbs and IF. I like keeping carbs low because it seems to cause some rebound hunger when I eat too much in my meal. I’ve heard that perpetual low carb intake tends to reduce thyroid output and leptin levels (which is bad, right?). So thats why some people advocate refeeds of carbs every once in a while, like once a week, or once every two weeks.

Is this really necessary? I mean, I guess it could be like a “cheat” meal but since carbs just end up making me miserably hungry later, I’d rather not do this if I don’t have to. What are your thoughts on this?

My thoughts on it are to keep the carbs low most of the time.� That’s what I do myself.� If carbs cause metabolic problems, they cause them whether you eat carbs everyday or once per week.� I don’t see any advantage in consuming a bunch of carbs anytime.

Cheers–

MRE�