grrlAthlete

I finally buy and read Eat Stop Eat and I'm pretty confuse. I did many course in human nutrition and I've read a lot on the topic but still, I don't know how I should eat exactly. There is so many theory that seem true and logical until an other study show the contrary... We know a lot about human biology, but theres a lot more that we ignore.

After reading Brad's book, I runned at my university to find more about it and I found interresting stuff about fasting for health purpose. However, I'm still not convince about doing it. I'm sure I can loose a few pound by fasting, like many other methods, but is there any research to show that poeple will maintain it after a few years? It's an other way to obtain caloric restriction but I fear the long term effect. All diets work for a given time...

I can believe that there is no metabolic slow down after a short term fast with weight training but I don't know how to explain that poeple who have dieted a lot have more problem to loose weight. The yoyo effect seem to me to be a real and documented effect. Poeple do take pounds easier after dieting even if they don't eat more.

I have lost 20 pounds by listening to my hungers signals (and TT!!!). Basicaly, I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I am not hungry anymore (Jean-Phillipe Zermati theories). It did wonderful for me and it was a real pleasure but I'm stuck with the remaining 15 pounds. I would like to continue to eat that way between my fasts but I fear it will affect my hunger signals if I don't listen to them during the fast.

In resume, I believe in fasting for health purpuse but I have doubts about long terms effects on weight and effects on hunger signals. If someone could give me explanations or references I could read, I would really appreciate!

Oh, I forgot, english is not my main language so I'm sorry if I did mistakes.

Hi Anick,

I'm glad to here that Eat Stop Eat was a thought provoking read for you.

You raise some valid points about dieting and weight loss. The key principle behind dieting is really one of balance.

As an example, if you currently have been maintaining a bodyweight 150 pounds, and you reduce your caloric intake to below what you are normally eating, then you will lose weight.

Now, lets say after continuing this diet for 2 months you "plateau" at 140 pounds. This simply means that you have now hit the amount of calories it takes for you to maintain a weight of 140 pounds. Your body weight has "balanced" to your caloric intake. And this amount of calories will obviously be less then the amount it took to maintain your weight at 150.

So it is very easy for people to think that dieting causes them to put weight back on easier, or that Yo-yo occurs, but really that's not the case.

If you diet down to 140 pounds, then go back to eating the way you ate when you weighed 150 pounds, you will eventually return to weight 150 pounds.

No matter which diet you choose to follow, a diet will only work when you are following it.

That's the reason that Eat Stop Eat was designed the way it was - I wanted it to be effective long term. It was the most effective way I could think to reduce calories without restricting a person's lifestyle. And that's the beauty of the program.

Even though there is a lot of research behind the many health benefits of short term fasting, I still think its very best attribute is the amount of flexibility it offers.

I hope this helps,

BP

Hi Brad!

I don't want to be painfull but, from what I've seen from personnal experience as well as for friends, it's true that when we lower our weight, our caloric need is lower so we need to eat less. The only thing is that when we go back to our old way of eating, we often go back to an higher weight then before. How does it happen, I don't know, but it seem to happen. If people would just return to their old weight, it would not be so bad. I guess you know that some authors blame diets for the big america weight problems.

I've read many research that state that when you come back at regular eating, regular metabolic rate also come back and I also read the contrary. Though to rely on studies only, but I can't believe that there is no metabolic adaptation de caloric restriction. The people I know that maintain a bodyweight that I would like to get are eating next to nothing. It's possible that I'm completely brainwashed after years of too much nutrition talking but I just want to understand.

I remember my famous stage calorie cycling diet (an incredibly rigid, complicated and unfriendly diet...), sometimes I would loose more weight when increasing my caloric intake and I was able to eat insane quantities of "good quality food" when the caloric intake was raised very, very slowly, without taking a pound. And on my low days, I would still loose weight with an average of 4000 cals a day. That's huge for me! When my body adapted, I had to lower the calories a bit. I lost all the weight I needed to loose but I also almost lost my mind, so I quit, and eating like before, I gained 10 pounds extra. Because of that, It's tough for me to think that I can fast without metabolic consequences.

You're right, what you propose seem perfect to me: easy, simple, flexible and good for health. I just have my doubts on long term weight loss, but I really appreciate your way to encourage poeple to stress less over what they eat. I've learned that the though way.

I guess the best way to know about your method is to try!

If some of you are experimenting this way to eat since a lot of time, I would like to know how it goes and what are the changes that you have notices on the way it was working for you at the beginning and now... I'm also very interrested by cognitive restriction, so do you see changes in the way you eat or think about food after a fast? Does it become better with time?

Again, I don't want to be painfull but if your method is as wonderfull as it seem, I need to understand it well just as everybody out there.

Thank you!

Anick

P.S.: Can I translate and post what we write here to my blog?

Hi Anick,

Of course you can translate and use this on your blog!

I think a key confounder in many nutrition studies as well as accounts of personal experiences with dieting is muscle mass. From what I have observed, people who have resistance trained and maintained muscle mass while dieting maintain their metabolic rates. However, people who are bed ridden (as an example) see their metabolic rates decrease as a result of loss of muscle mass. This may account for some of the rebound you describe, however this is just a guess, as I havent come across this phenomena in any studies, I really can't give you anything other than my educated guess.

October 20th will be the one year anniversary of my first fast. I can tell you that fasting has definetly changed how I think about food, and for me it has become easier with time. However, I should point out that I do not think Eat Stop Eat is a miracle diet. It is simply the easiest and most effective form of dieting that I have personally come across. It has provided me with slow and steady weight loss. Nothing drastic, but as close to effortless as dieting can be for me.

Hope this helps,

BP

Hi Brad,

Thank's for the answer. I'm happy that you say that Eat Stop Eat is not a miracle diet because I am not a believer on that topic... I just want a slow steady and healthy weight loss that will stay without making me crazy about it.

I'm at 5 hours left to complete my first 24h fasting and, after reading your book and studies, telling myself that I could possibly get benefit for my healthspan and asthma have made it pretty easy.

I tried to see it as a hours without having to think about meal, so I'm free to do whatever I want and I have more time for myself.

I felt very hungry but also energized, and since it's for a short period and I kept busy, it's was very managable. I was surprise to feel better than expected.

I'll probably do it again next week. This week have been a great experiment and I'm curious to see how it goes over weeks.

Have a good day!

Anick