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Would love to hear your thoughts on fasting. 3, 4 days water fast. I've done it, had some astonishing positive results. But I think it needs to be done regularly.
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I need to read up about it. If you become fat adapted, i.e. if the Randle cycle switches to fat preference, then no doubt your ability to oxidize stored fats increases. Since most of long-term energy is stored in the form of fat, not glucose (i.e. glycogen), no doubt it will be less unpleasant than fasting while being carb adapted.
Anthropologically, I think we definitely evolved to sustain hunger for days, some nutritionists even think ketosis/the fasting state is actually the default state of human beings. Been thinking of starting prolonged fasting as well, but it still represents a psychological hurdle because back when I was eating carbohydrates, it was unimaginable for me to go without food for longer than 3-4 hours.
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You might want to look at Thomas Seyfried's work. Very interesting. Also Alan Goldhamer. He runs a fasting clinic in CA. It's vegan, but he's been doing it for 20 years, and I believe he has some good insights.
I'm not sure that being on a keto diet is key to fasting. Fasting kind of sucks no matter what. I haven't experienced the "high" that some people say they get. But once you're convinced it's really important and helpful, you do it.
And once you've done one or more 3 or 4 day fasts, you may very well have some minor or major health issues clear up. Especially if you're older. Autophagy can be amazing. And that gives you the motivation to do it again.
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Thank you, I have to look up fasting. We are not taught about autophagy in medical school. We are not taught anything about anthropology, and only very little about biochemistry (so nothing about nutrition specifically).
The Randle cycle is a biochemical concept. If you consume more carbs than fat, than your cells will spend more glucose and stimulate the uptake of glucose. If you consume more fat, then your cells will oxidize fat and inhibit glucose entry and expense. It's why the worst thing to do to your body is eat a fatty and carb rich meal (=junk food). Similarly, it seems to me that ketosis, i.e. fat adaptation is best for fasting, since you will be oxidizing your body's fat excess fat supply. That's just an opinion however.
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