tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12467961192588443122024-03-13T07:44:12.473-04:00Intermittent FastingThis blog is devoted to intermittent fasting and its effects on physiology and health. Steve Mount has practiced intermittent fasting since 2004 and is a scientist interested in the idea that intermittent fasting may be a good way to obtain the health benefits associated with caloric restriction.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264977010144529019noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1246796119258844312.post-4902614748834802162017-03-26T11:23:00.001-04:002017-03-26T20:26:56.158-04:00Intermittent Fasting: What I do and why
I have been fasting for 13 years. But what, exactly, does that mean? “Intermittent fasting” encompasses a range of related practices. I am often asked what exactly I do, and why.
Let me tell you.
My fasts have evolved a little over time, but my basic practice has remained the same: three one-day fasts each week. For the last few years, this has meant Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I’mAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11165778509005539379noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1246796119258844312.post-7108480747908205322016-12-07T05:50:00.000-05:002016-12-07T05:50:11.452-05:00Fiber Factor for fats and total caloriesIn an earlier post, I described the "Fiber Factor" as I calculate it, which is essentially
Fiber factor = (% DV dietary fiber)/(% DV total carbohydrate)
Here, I'd like to extend that definition, which is focused on carbohydrates, to total calories.
Fiber factor (fat) = (% DV dietary fiber)/(% DV fat)
and
Fiber factor (total) = (% DV dietary fiber)/(% DV calories)
In eachAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11165778509005539379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1246796119258844312.post-36467308303263618332016-08-20T14:05:00.001-04:002016-12-07T05:39:11.180-05:00Intermittent fasting is sustainable and compatible with a well-balanced diet. Bon appétit!
The Bon Appétit blog recently posted on intermittent fasting under the title “Wellness Tips from Bon Appétit: Intermittent Fasting – Not So Fast.” I appreciate their attention to intermittent fasting, and I agree that caution is always appropriate when considering a new diet. However, they overstate the problems, and conclude that intermittent fasting “is unlikely to be a sustainable way of Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11165778509005539379noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1246796119258844312.post-46379944424691878072016-06-29T19:56:00.001-04:002016-06-30T09:30:32.295-04:00What I do eat: the fiber factor
I do not count calories, but I do read nutrition labels and I pay attention to what I eat and how much.
Intermittent fasting does not require any particular diet on eating days, and the alternate day fasting that I do is, in principle, compatible with any diet. That’s one great thing about it. However, I do eat according to the same principles that motivate my diet, and this post lays out Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11165778509005539379noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1246796119258844312.post-58292096459237963352014-11-02T13:56:00.001-05:002014-11-02T13:56:19.486-05:00Are the benefits of intermittent fasting settled science?I have been on the IF diet for over ten years now. I do it thinking that the available evidence supports health benefits, but that the jury is still out. I was thus a little surprised to read the following:
Intermittent fasting regimens ... have similar healthspan-extending effects [as caloric restriction] ... [and] the molecular consequences of fasting, rather than weight reduction per se, may Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11165778509005539379noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1246796119258844312.post-20475317596802477992014-02-09T12:53:00.000-05:002014-02-09T16:31:58.883-05:00Making lifestyle choices with imperfect knowledge about what is healthyGary Taubes ends his opinion piece in today's New York Times with a rhetorical question:
Before I, for one, make another dietary resolution, I’d like to know that what I believe I know about a healthy diet is really so. Is that too much to ask?
after having spent the article presenting a persuasive case for the conclusion that "Yes, it is too much to ask." His key point is that
Because Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11165778509005539379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1246796119258844312.post-56297696892121805792013-08-24T15:54:00.000-04:002013-08-24T16:02:03.192-04:00The ELF diet (Eat Less Food)Intermittent fasting is a good way to lose weight, and in my case, I think that fasting is good for about 10 or 15 pounds. However, I've been fasting since 2004, and after a while, I gained some weight back and thought that it would be a good idea to lose some. For the last few years, I've been watching my weight using the ELF diet, which involves Eating Less Food. The person who Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11165778509005539379noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1246796119258844312.post-71724526008091778652012-06-26T09:38:00.000-04:002012-06-26T12:54:57.957-04:00Do artificial sweeteners lead to weight gain?
The personal genomics firm 23andMe recently released the results of a user survey indicating that the consumption of diet soda is very highly correlated with high body mass index (BMI). You can read this surprising result here.
people who drink diet soda five or more times a day have an average BMI nearly 5 units higher than those who never drink diet soda.
Of course, this could beStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264977010144529019noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1246796119258844312.post-26153361168696641312010-11-11T16:08:00.002-05:002010-11-11T18:13:22.566-05:00Liping Zhao on caloric restriction, gut microbes and agingI just heard a very interesting talk from Dr. Liping Zhao, who is Director of the Laboratory of Molecular Microbial Ecology and Ecogenomics, and Associate Dean of School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He is also associated with the new Shanghai Center for System Biomedicine. He described a consistent effect of diet (high fat vs. normal or normal vs. lowStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264977010144529019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1246796119258844312.post-54377975875960619552010-07-26T21:08:00.002-04:002010-07-26T21:17:10.659-04:00"The Youth Pill," a new book on aging by David StippI haven't read it, but a review in the Economist (July 24, pg. 80) alerted me to a new book on aging, "The Youth Pill: Scientists at the Brink of an Anti-Ageing Revolution"). If the review is to be believed, this book successfully avoids many of the traps that anti-aging books fall into (such as "embracing decrepitude"). David Stipp is a medical writer for the Wall Street Journal.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264977010144529019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1246796119258844312.post-1938324255051455642007-11-23T19:12:00.000-05:002007-11-27T00:42:09.220-05:00One meal each day vs. intermittent fastingPeople in the intermittent fasting group on Yahoo are trying out many variations of intermittent fasting. The most popular appears to be daily (or frequent) fasts of greater than 18 hours, without caloric restriction. This normally means following the Fast-5 program of eating all food within a five hour window each day. The Fast-5 approach avoids longer fasts, but provides many more of them.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264977010144529019noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1246796119258844312.post-46729095138020304492007-10-13T14:05:00.001-04:002011-08-21T16:14:57.355-04:00Gary Taubes on Insulin and ObesityThe new book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories", by Gary Taubes, contains a wealth of information about nutritional research. The book will become famous and controversial, if it hasn't already, because it presents a point of view that is contrary to the medical consensus but growing in popularity (both within and without the medical world). Anyone interested in the science related to intermittent Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264977010144529019noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1246796119258844312.post-34356251428506349352007-08-19T14:23:00.000-04:002007-08-20T11:31:59.668-04:00Intermittent FastingWhat is intermittent fasting?It has been known for a long time that caloric restriction (a significant reduction in food intake – to 60-70% of normal levels) prolongs life in many species (even including yeast!). Many people are interested in caloric restriction (for example, a caloric restriction support group on Yahoo! has over 2600 members; there is also calorierestriction.org) but relativelyStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15264977010144529019noreply@blogger.com1