Fasting? \ stacker news ~HealthAndFitness

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1051 sats \ 25 comments \ @fauxfoe 18h HealthAndFitness

I know some people are into intermittent fasting (which I just call "skipping breakfast") but I have for some years now done sporadic multi-day fasts where I eat a few hundred calories a day for up to a week at a time. It is an experience that can have some intense emotional and psychological effects, and I'm wondering if others here have gone down this road.

I am not woo. Alternative medicine is sometimes cool, sometimes incredibly stupid. Here are my weird experiences from fasting, ymmv:

Experiencing states that are lightly psychedelic in nature. You like microdosing? Try fasting. A few days in, the world takes on a bit of dreamy surreality that will remind you quite a bit of tripping.
My eyesight improved? This one is weird. Like, I legit stopped wearing glasses for a couple months. Didn't need them. Not sure what that was about.
I got emotional. I straight up cried in front of a colleague/friend, which is not a thing I've done before or since. Access to your emotions! It's a double-edged sword.
Energy levels are up when I fast, which is always a surprise. I rode my bike maybe 10 miles a day while fasting last time around.

I don't plan fasts. Sometimes my body decides it doesn't need much food for a day or two. I notice and decide to keep it going for a bit and ramp further down. At some point, I end up in front of food and my body tells me it is time to eat. Then I end my fast.

Anybody else here personal experience with fasting?

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256 sats \ 8 replies \ @freetx 17h

I only eat once a day. My eating window is 5-7. I've done this for about 5 years now.

I don't think I will ever return to 2 or 3 meals a day.

In general my energy levels are much higher than before and I just feel better than I used to (less brainfog, more energy, weigh less, etc).

Beyond the health benefits, there is also the question of time. When you only eat once per day (or once every few days), you start to realize the incredible time-sink that eating is.

Decide what to eat
Buy food
Prepare food
Eat
Clean up (goto start)

Multiple that by 3 meals instead of 1 and stretch it out over several months and you will see the incredible amount of time eating / digesting takes in your life.

Even if you are very conservative and assume eating Breakfast / Lunch is only adding 45 mins per day total, thats still 12 days of time per year....

21 sats \ 2 replies \ @Undisciplined 16h

I just started doing OMAD last week, but I can easily imagine sticking with it for a long time.

52 sats \ 1 reply \ @freetx 16h

First week or so was hardest for me.

At this point, people always apologize for eating in front of me at lunch but its not a struggle at all...

5 sats \ 0 replies \ @Undisciplined 16h

Since I had been regularly doing 16/8 - 20/4 IFs, it was really just a decision to give it a shot and didn't end up being very difficult.

9 sats \ 1 reply \ @nichro 5h

Do you workout and if so, I'm guessing you gotta do it before eating optimally? like 1-2h before?

Sounds rough after so long with an mmemoty stomach but maybe it's a thing to get used to.

I do 16/8 and 14/6 IF about 80% of the year. Learned I had to workout during the feeding window or I'd feel weaker and lightheaded fast.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @freetx 39m

Yea, I workout everyday - but only do lite lifting 2 or 3 days per week. Other days its biking / walking / yoga based on schedule. I don't run anymore (knees / ankles hurt too much now)....so my workouts aren't very high intensity.

36 sats \ 0 replies \ @fauxfoe OP 16h

Dinner is a big social event in my family. Hard to give that up. I think that's my biggest barrier to doing something like OMAD. But I do sometimes join dinner without eating much myself, so maybe it could work.

As for meal prep, to me that is an act of love. It is a service I do for my family. And sometimes they all jump in, take a turn, etc. But the time commit is real and I am looking forward to it tapering off when my kids go to college.

10 sats \ 1 reply \ @OT 12h

What are you eating for that one meal? Is that 5-7am or pm?

18 sats \ 0 replies \ @freetx 10h

Sorry, dinner (pm).

Its not a diet (thats something people confuse about fasting -- its "schedule eating"), so I eat whatever I want. Like today had breaded pork chops + mashed potatoes + broccoli and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Often times I may eat 2 servings of food....

Thats one of my favorite things about this, you only have 2 hours to eat, so load up!

The curious thing is no doubt your stomach shrinks over time....you find that although you tend to want to eat everything during your "eating window", in reality its probably not that much.

121 sats \ 2 replies \ @Signal312 17h

I used to fast regularly. It was really tough, but I would do a 2 or 3 day fast, maybe twice a year, because I thought it was really healthy. I'd read so much about the benefits of fasting.

I experienced some reductions in inflammation (like...my eyes got very clear and white). And some other benefits.

But now, since carnivore (about 18 months almost 100% animal based foods only), I'm not bothering with the fasting. I experienced such positive benefits from adopting the carnivore diet that I don't feel like fasting would be beneficial. And for me, anyway, fasting was always really hard, and I did NOT experience the energy boost that some people do.

Here's some of my previous carnivore posts on Stacker News:

2025-05: Carnivore Classic by Dr. Anthony Chaffee - 'Plants are trying to kill you!' 2025-04: Carnivore hack: how to buy meat without spending a fortune 2025-04: Rendering beef tallow, from beef fat trimmings - yum 2025-04: The most common question I get asked as a Carnivore has been answered 2025-03: I was unknowingly almost vegetarian, before going carnivore 2025-02: Is sugar the new smoking? 2025-02: I would continue with Carnivore even if I got only this ONE benefit 2025-02: Weird, oddball health improvements I've experienced on the Carnivore diet 2024-10: There's currently a propaganda campaign against low-carb diets 2024-07: Carnivore quotes in classical literature 2024-04: Carnivore diet - looks like it fixed this nighttime disorder for me 2024-04: Carnivore diet - believe it or not, it healed this oddball disorder for me 2024-04: Can a keto/carnivore diet heal issues like depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar? 2024-04: Eating Carnivore on a short trip - tips and tricks 2024-01: Latest steps in my carnivore path 2024-01: Carnivore achievements unlocked 2024-01: Taking a temporary break from mostly-carnivore diet during holidays 2023-12: Sugar and Alzheimers 2023-12: Kinda-carnivore diet is leading to WAY more energy 2024-12: Question for carnivores/carnivore-curious folks 2023-12: I'm transitioning ... to a more MEAT centric diet 2023-11: This book is blowing my mind - The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholtz

34 sats \ 1 reply \ @fauxfoe OP 15h

My journey started from a bunch of digestive issues that led me through GF to low carb, so that limits my vegetables a bit, but I don't completely avoid them like carnivores do. When I don't eat any vegetables, my body rebels. I get sores in my mouth, for example. I've been doing it for more than a decade and learned what works well for me in the short and medium term.

We're all making decisions based on short-term observations and I do wonder about the long term. Every body is different. Nutritional science is in its infancy. I hope we some day get the specific dna and gut biome testing that helps people figure out their individual dietary needs. Until then, I'm sticking with what feels good.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Signal312 8h

Whenever talking about nutrition, I always recommend the book The Big Fat Surprise, by Nina Teicholtz. It's an amazing read, I couldn't put it down. Here's my post on it -#320715.

The subtitle is - Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet. I had never been seriously exposed to the ideas she talks about in the book, and it was a revelation. It's why I went carnivore. (Though after I went carnivore, I discovered a huge and growing carnivore oriented subculture, huge amounts of youtube channels, blogs, books, etc. )

42 sats \ 3 replies \ @christo 17h

I have IF'd a few times opting for 22/2 approach

I would start fasting at 10pm and break next evening at 8pm

I'd drink black coffee and water

Up until lunchtime I was pretty ok then at 2pm I'd get serious hunger pangs and mentally that would be my break point, but once I'd got past 4pm I literally had that floating sensation, where I felt like I could not eat again 🤣

My self critical point would be, in my 2hr eating window, I'd eat absolute crap 💩 beers, processed food, chocolate 🍫, sweets 😋

I know I should eat avocados and all that quinoa shit but nah not for me

I should really try it again because I've gained a few pounds but you shouldn't use fasting as a yo-yo mechanism to lose weight, because as soon as you stop you'll stack it all on again!

I've never tried these week long water fasts but it's amazing what the body can accommodate, personally I'm carrying a few pounds of fat and autophagy would love to make light work of it!

10 sats \ 2 replies \ @Undisciplined 16h

Interesting account. I've basically been doing 22/2 for the past couple of weeks, but I have been doing at least 16/8 for a long time, and I noticed that I eat less junk food while fasting.

The first things I want to eat are substantive healthy foods and before I have time to crave sweets, I'm full.

42 sats \ 1 reply \ @fauxfoe OP 15h

I don't eat much junk food --- my normal diet is fairly low carb (not keto). But I definitely notice that getting used to a non-sweet diet means that a bite of fruit is an explosion of delicious sweetness in my mouth. It's easy to avoid junk food when basic fruits are so satisfying.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Undisciplined 15h

I know exactly what you mean. I've just been eating fresh fruit for my sweet snacks lately.

9 sats \ 1 reply \ @Undisciplined 16h

I can't say I've ever noticed the kinds of psychological effects you described, while doing prolonged periods of very low calorie intake. I wonder if you were experiencing protein deficiency, because that does sound like the first-hand account of protein deficiency someone gave me.

My eyesight improved when I started eating a lot more vegetables. My eye doctor thinks it was the increased lutein consumption.

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @fauxfoe OP 15h

Protein deficiency is an interesting theory. I will look into that. TY!

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @SalmaChan 4h

I started fasting since i was young (well for religious purpose), now whenever i feel tired or i start having stomach issues i fast for few days and i get back to being energetic I started fasting 2 times a week and it really helps me be more productive, yes you get tired especially if you're used to caffeine for exp but it also helped me lose weight without the drama of diet

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Kontext 6h

I normally eat 1, max 2 (big) meals per day. Love it, makes me appreciate food so much more, less brain fog, more energy (I always feel like I get too lazy/complacent after a meal)

I don't plan fasts. Sometimes my body decides it doesn't need much food for a day or two.

Same! I've done up to 72 hours and never planned them (usually I would still have coffee w/ butter and/or MCT oil and sometimes a few pieces of dark chocolate). Can totally relate to the "lightly psychedelic" experiences as well... although I feel fasting can only be an enhancer to that. I think you have to be in a certain mindset beforehand to get into that state.

The first meal after a 24h+ fast is always such a magical moment.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @teremok 10h

OMADer here and also did multi dat fasts

I'm a dad of two in my 40s and I'm more energetic and more fit than most of my younger bachelor friends. I never thought I'd have abs (I only do bodyweight stuff and not very intense)

Fasting and quitting shitty carbs changed my life.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Msd0457890 12h

Wow, your experience with fasting is truly amazing. I personally believe I would never be able to do that. I am thin but I eat a lot. Thanks for sharing your story with us.How long was your last fast?

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @seashell 14h

I’ve read that the trippy effects during long fasts might come from high ketones, dopamine shifts, and way less sensory input. Low glucose kinda forces the brain into this weird focused mode like mild sensory deprivation but internal, tapping into some underused brain state that kicks in when the body goes deep into survival mode.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @noknees 16h

My eyesight improved? This one is weird. Like, I legit stopped wearing glasses for a couple months. Didn't need them. Not sure what that was about.

do you remember any radioactive spider biting you?

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @denlillaapan 17h

My eyesight improved? This one is weird. Like, I legit stopped wearing glasses for a couple months. Didn't need them. Not sure what that was about.

that is dope. Freakin odd.

Sometimes my body decides it doesn't need much food for a day or two.

Same; always follow the body, eh. If I'm not hungry, I'm not hungry... done