Fasting to reset health and endocrine system - any advice?
July 16, 2016 7:06 PM Subscribe
I have never fasted or done paleo. But I want to try both for awhile as I start a new health regimen. Can you give me some pointers?
Very long story, but I took a medication a few years ago that seemed to deteriorate my energy and affect my hormonally, libido-wise, etc, although nothing terribly revealing shows up in blood tests.
I have recently met some people online with an identical experience and their recovery method was: fast off and on for a week weeks to cleanse the body and prepare it to heal, followed by a paleo diet for awhile in addition to some HIIT workouts.
What has been your experience with fasting? All or nothing? Or a juice fast of some kind? Did you feel better? Does it make sense to do it before an attempt at paleo?
What are your paleo experiences? Any improvement to overall wellness, libido, energy, etc?
Thank you!
Very long story, but I took a medication a few years ago that seemed to deteriorate my energy and affect my hormonally, libido-wise, etc, although nothing terribly revealing shows up in blood tests.
I have recently met some people online with an identical experience and their recovery method was: fast off and on for a week weeks to cleanse the body and prepare it to heal, followed by a paleo diet for awhile in addition to some HIIT workouts.
What has been your experience with fasting? All or nothing? Or a juice fast of some kind? Did you feel better? Does it make sense to do it before an attempt at paleo?
What are your paleo experiences? Any improvement to overall wellness, libido, energy, etc?
Thank you!
Typically paleo will decrease energy. Fasting does little besides burn some calories, make you tired, and leave you more prone to illness. I feel the best when I eat some meat but also whole grains and lots of fruits and veggies. Going to carb makes me feel terrible. So does going vegan. Both of those and fasting make me feel exhausted. From a scientific perspective, cleanses and fasting have no benefit. I think this website is complete nonsense.
posted by Kalmya at 8:21 PM on July 16, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by Kalmya at 8:21 PM on July 16, 2016 [7 favorites]
The Fast Diet is a pretty interesting overview of intermittent fasting.
posted by gregr at 8:27 PM on July 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by gregr at 8:27 PM on July 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
I did paleo as a woman in my late 30s. My approach to paleo was to eat unprocessed or minimally processed meats, fish, veggies, nuts, and fruit. No dairy, legumes, or grains. I didn't eat a lot of paleo baked goods or snacks. It is a very nutrient-dense and healthful way of eating, and I found it beneficial for my mental and physical health. More energy, less depressive mood. It definitely improved my wellbeing. Not a lot of benefit on the libido side, but I was in a bad relationship and likely all the health in the world wouldn't have improved desire for me. I was tired/brain fogged for a few days at the start, but I added in some sweet potatoes and that helped (I was mostly eating salads and got a bit too low carb I think). I didn't count or track carbs, or try to get into or maintain ketosis. I just ate the stuff from the "OK to eat" columns and avoided the stuff from the "Not OK" columns. I was pretty strict at first, relaxing a bit over several months.
However - everybody is different, people have different needs, and you may or may not have similar results from paleo. As long as you don't try to enforce some kind of calorie or very low carb restriction, there's no harm in trying it out. I don't have any experience with fasting, but I don't do well when I don't eat consistently, so I'm pretty sure it isn't for me.
I got off paleo because I could only eat creamy, carb-y things while I was getting chemotherapy. Which sort of points to the fact that no diet is a miracle cure, that health is relative, and mitigating our risks of disease isn't a guarantee. I'd still recommend it.
posted by jeoc at 9:18 PM on July 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
However - everybody is different, people have different needs, and you may or may not have similar results from paleo. As long as you don't try to enforce some kind of calorie or very low carb restriction, there's no harm in trying it out. I don't have any experience with fasting, but I don't do well when I don't eat consistently, so I'm pretty sure it isn't for me.
I got off paleo because I could only eat creamy, carb-y things while I was getting chemotherapy. Which sort of points to the fact that no diet is a miracle cure, that health is relative, and mitigating our risks of disease isn't a guarantee. I'd still recommend it.
posted by jeoc at 9:18 PM on July 16, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have been doing the ketogenic diet (not super strict) since Nov for weight loss and to break my sugar habit. If you were considering the ketogenic diet as opposed to the paleo diet (they are similar), the only fasting you would be doing to start with is stopping carbohydrates and upping fat intake. Later, once fat adapted, fat fasts where you consume liquid and fat but not protein or carbs, is practised by some. Keto and HIIT is very popular. My recommendations: DietDr and Keto Evangelist.
posted by Thella at 2:57 AM on July 17, 2016
posted by Thella at 2:57 AM on July 17, 2016
Best answer: this seems kind of irresponsible to say 'health issues? yes, you should try fad diet instead of seeing an endocrinologist and a registered dietician!' on here.
...the answers you'll get on here will be
1 quite different from what you would have been told fifteen years ago, when different fad diets were having their moments in the sun
2 not remotely tailored to what might best for you
3 a bit of 'blind leading the blind' vis-a-vis medicine and diet -- even if somebody is a MD/RD, they won't be your MD/RD and for that reason seem unlikely to helpfully weigh in
since you are trying to do something more complex than shed some weight, i'm having a hard time seeing where anything but 'see your own MD/RD' could be good advice -- anecdata is not useful. 'cleanse the body and prepare it to heal' makes no scientific sense. that a small group had similar experiences sounds more like a sort of mass placebo effect than anything else. again, since you're after better health and not just a bit of weight loss, i'd steer clear of internet anecdata and see pros.
posted by kmennie at 4:42 AM on July 17, 2016 [14 favorites]
...the answers you'll get on here will be
1 quite different from what you would have been told fifteen years ago, when different fad diets were having their moments in the sun
2 not remotely tailored to what might best for you
3 a bit of 'blind leading the blind' vis-a-vis medicine and diet -- even if somebody is a MD/RD, they won't be your MD/RD and for that reason seem unlikely to helpfully weigh in
since you are trying to do something more complex than shed some weight, i'm having a hard time seeing where anything but 'see your own MD/RD' could be good advice -- anecdata is not useful. 'cleanse the body and prepare it to heal' makes no scientific sense. that a small group had similar experiences sounds more like a sort of mass placebo effect than anything else. again, since you're after better health and not just a bit of weight loss, i'd steer clear of internet anecdata and see pros.
posted by kmennie at 4:42 AM on July 17, 2016 [14 favorites]
Once you go into that rabbit hole of fasting and restrictive eating, there will always be another new plan to try. Cut carbs, cut sugar, cut dairy, add lots of fat, add lots of fruit, intermittent fasting, olive oil, coconut oil, what have you. There will always be yet ANOTHER way of eating that some will claim changed their lives, gave them energy and spunk and cleared their skin. Always.
I can only say in my own experience, I tried fasting ONCE just for the experience and the experience SUCKED. First, I was pretty hungry, angry, had disgusting breath, was exhausted and achy, had terrible headaches and after the first few horrible days passed and I was in the zone of less hungry, I was just tired and all I could think about what I would eat when I broke my fast. I was spending all day dreaming of strawberry cheesecake and massive bacon cheeseburgers, and I was a vegetarian.
Every single science-type thing (I'm obviously using terms of someone who knows nothing about nutrition) I've ever read says:
1. Fasting to cleanse is complete bullshit. Our bodies don't need to be cleansed.
2. A healthy diet consists of counting calories as well as eating cleaner fruits, grains, vegetables and proteins. Fiber is good for you.
3. Many people seem to feel better when they cut out excess processed sugar.
4. Everyone should probably drink more water.
5. Food should be a wonderful and delicious part of every day. It shouldn't be some restrictive nightmare of all the things you won't eat and you shouldn't try to starve yourself.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 5:13 AM on July 17, 2016 [16 favorites]
I can only say in my own experience, I tried fasting ONCE just for the experience and the experience SUCKED. First, I was pretty hungry, angry, had disgusting breath, was exhausted and achy, had terrible headaches and after the first few horrible days passed and I was in the zone of less hungry, I was just tired and all I could think about what I would eat when I broke my fast. I was spending all day dreaming of strawberry cheesecake and massive bacon cheeseburgers, and I was a vegetarian.
Every single science-type thing (I'm obviously using terms of someone who knows nothing about nutrition) I've ever read says:
1. Fasting to cleanse is complete bullshit. Our bodies don't need to be cleansed.
2. A healthy diet consists of counting calories as well as eating cleaner fruits, grains, vegetables and proteins. Fiber is good for you.
3. Many people seem to feel better when they cut out excess processed sugar.
4. Everyone should probably drink more water.
5. Food should be a wonderful and delicious part of every day. It shouldn't be some restrictive nightmare of all the things you won't eat and you shouldn't try to starve yourself.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 5:13 AM on July 17, 2016 [16 favorites]
Everybody is different. I don't fast now, because I turn into a zombie/am cranky when I fast and I need to perform at work, but fasting can have amazing effects under the right circumstances. I was coming down with a fever, and felt horrible about 2 years ago, so I fasted and slept all day/was on bed rest. Turns out I had dengue, but I was able to get better in 48 hours without external aids because I shut down everything but my immune system. By contrast, many around me were hospitalized for a week or longer due to dengue. Animals do the same thing when they're sick - pausing their digestive system to let the body focus on other things. Of course, I've been restricting calories from an early age so I know how to manage the side effects (low internal temperature, brain fog) relatively well. If you ride it out, by the third day or so, you'll gain amazing clarity of mind. A lot of religious people fast, including Christians, Buddhists and Muslims.
posted by kinoeye at 6:28 AM on July 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by kinoeye at 6:28 AM on July 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
There is no such thing as a "cleanse." Your body is "clean," unless you are in need of a bath or shower for hygeine, or unless you have some sort of infection that needs to be cured medically. Fasting will not "cleanse" anything or "prepare" you for anything. It will make you hungry. It may also have mental effects that could possibly include making it psychologically easier for you to cut out entire categories of food if you so choose (because your brain will be grateful for food and maybe not be so picky about the flavors. Or it could backfire and make your brain crave the fattiest, most nutrient dense and therefore high calorie foods it can think of). But it will not make you any cleaner. You are clean.
If you want to change your diet to eat more foods that you believe are nutritious and fewer foods that you believe are less nutritious, that sounds great. If you want advice about which foods are nutritious, a registered dietitian or some other expert may be able to help. But no responsible person who knows how bodies work is going to tell you that abstaining from food or drinking sugar water for a prolonged period of time is going to make you more clean.
posted by decathecting at 2:00 PM on July 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
If you want to change your diet to eat more foods that you believe are nutritious and fewer foods that you believe are less nutritious, that sounds great. If you want advice about which foods are nutritious, a registered dietitian or some other expert may be able to help. But no responsible person who knows how bodies work is going to tell you that abstaining from food or drinking sugar water for a prolonged period of time is going to make you more clean.
posted by decathecting at 2:00 PM on July 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: in addition to some HIIT workouts.
This may have been the thing that actually was effective in your anecdata. Lymph is returned to the blood stream via the pumping action of normal muscles. When you work out or just walk, lymph returns to the bloodstream dramatically more rapidly than when you are at a resting state (like 8+ times faster, iirc). Lymph is how your tissues get cleansed. You can go google that and read up on it. You do not have to take my word for it.
If you want to "cleanse" your tissues: walk more, drink more and generally eat healthier/cleaner. Non-crazy ways to eat cleaner include: eat less meat, eat organic, eat kosher, etc.
Don't go trying dangerous, crazy fad diets when your system is already compromised by a past medical issue.
posted by Michele in California at 2:19 PM on July 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
This may have been the thing that actually was effective in your anecdata. Lymph is returned to the blood stream via the pumping action of normal muscles. When you work out or just walk, lymph returns to the bloodstream dramatically more rapidly than when you are at a resting state (like 8+ times faster, iirc). Lymph is how your tissues get cleansed. You can go google that and read up on it. You do not have to take my word for it.
If you want to "cleanse" your tissues: walk more, drink more and generally eat healthier/cleaner. Non-crazy ways to eat cleaner include: eat less meat, eat organic, eat kosher, etc.
Don't go trying dangerous, crazy fad diets when your system is already compromised by a past medical issue.
posted by Michele in California at 2:19 PM on July 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
A lot of people describe a kind of high from fasting, but that's simply what your body does when you're starving, it sends out lots of hormones trying to give you the energy to go get some food. Fasting intermittently might be safe (which is why people can do it for Ramadan, but some people have to observe Ramadan differently for their own health issues) but that doesn't mean it has benefits. Take it from someone with an eating disorder....fasting can feel good but it doesn't do anything for you long term, and for a lot of people, it just makes them overeat from being extremely hungry.
If you ride it out, by the third day or so, you'll gain amazing clarity of mind. A lot of religious people fast, including Christians, Buddhists and Muslims.
As for these kinds of claims, its safe for people to fast religiously but that doesn't mean it has health benefits. Siddhartha Gautama had an ascetic phase -- and as the stories go, he realized starving himself wasn't really doing anything to contribute to his enlightenment and accepted that he needed nourishment. He ate, and continued meditating. Buddhists practice moderate eating: what you need and not a grain wasted.
You can certainly change your diet but a nutritionist can be very helpful about helping you construct a diet that will help you feel full and satisfied by making sure you get the right combo of fruits, veggies, carbs, protein and fat.
posted by mmmleaf at 3:18 PM on July 17, 2016
If you ride it out, by the third day or so, you'll gain amazing clarity of mind. A lot of religious people fast, including Christians, Buddhists and Muslims.
As for these kinds of claims, its safe for people to fast religiously but that doesn't mean it has health benefits. Siddhartha Gautama had an ascetic phase -- and as the stories go, he realized starving himself wasn't really doing anything to contribute to his enlightenment and accepted that he needed nourishment. He ate, and continued meditating. Buddhists practice moderate eating: what you need and not a grain wasted.
You can certainly change your diet but a nutritionist can be very helpful about helping you construct a diet that will help you feel full and satisfied by making sure you get the right combo of fruits, veggies, carbs, protein and fat.
posted by mmmleaf at 3:18 PM on July 17, 2016
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posted by critzer at 7:06 PM on July 16, 2016