26 replies to this topic

[Layberinthius]

Starting today, twice a week I will not be eating anything except for a cup of soup in the morning, a multivitamin, and maybe a single 10mg noopept.

The multivitamin contains the following:
 nofGMXOs.jpg   111.72KB   29 downloads

I will be adding supplemental reports of my mood, intelligence increase (if any) is noticeable, stomach cramps, tiredness, fatigue, eyesight improvements.

I will add these reports on an ad-hoc basis surrounding my schedule.

[Layberinthius]

Ok a bit of back history, I have basically been treating my body like crap for the last 17 years, my BMI is 35, eating whatever I wanted basically, in the last 2 months I have started to have regular meals, which consist of:

Breakfast:
A bowl of cheerios in the morning, with powdered milk and tap water.

Lunch (optional, not every day.)
two sandwiches with white bread, a small can of pre-flavoured tuna, no margarine, no butter, ever.

Dinner:
a can of food in the afternoon, beef goulash, pasta, cream of chicken soup, 4 slices of bread, no margarine, no butter, ever.


Beginning the diet:
Well first thing that I've noticed right from the start is that I feel lighter, Its easier for me to walk around, without carrying around any food, what would be in my stomach at the moment would be a large bowl of cheerios, powdered milk, water, multivitamin and noopept.

Whats in my stomach at the moment is probably the last remnants of the cup of soup, which is 150 calories.

I had two bowel movements yesterday, so since then its been almost nothing in my stomach.

Immediate effects:
My interest in wanting to read and study has improved slightly.
My eyesight has improved slightly.

Edited by Layberinthius, 14 November 2013 - 12:18 AM.

[Layberinthius]

A slight amount of fatigue has set in, its nothing serious as I'm taking it easy and laying down, occasionally walking around, and drinking plenty of water.

I seem to be more fixated on objects now and less on thoughts in my mind, its kind of like a bias and that bias is slowly but surely tending towards thinking about objects, and LESS about what they are, what they do, how can I use them, etc, which I would consider to be "normal".

[Layberinthius]

I just put out 3 sheets from the laundry, no easy task when you've had nothing to eat.
Also bought in a heap of groceries into the house.

Its a lot easier to carry things when you're no longer carrying around any food in your stomach anymore, or putting work into digesting it.

Some things that I've noticed however.

I'm more willing to do menial tasks rather than just say "feck it"
My thought patterns are more closer to those same thought patterns which I used to have as a teenager, for example:
car exhaust smells cool.
the breeze feels nice on my skin.
I hope it rains today.
that palm tree looks beautiful blowing in the breeze like that.

Maybe I'm negating the effects of noopept tolerance by not eating? Thats a possibility.

It could also be that the constant thought which is running through my mind, the thought that my mind is clearer and more receptive to new information than it was before.

Every now and again I'm tripped up by the thought that "my mind IS clearer"

I've noticed this effect before while fasting in previous sporadic attempts.

I hope that this fasting will help build new braincells :D

http://jeromeburne.c...illnesses-html/

http://www.naturalhe...rain-power.html

Edited by Layberinthius, 14 November 2013 - 01:16 AM.

[Layberinthius]

I slept, I slept and I slept, as of the last posting I started to get tired, and more tired, irregardless of how much sleep I had this morning.

This must have been my blood sugar levels dropping dramatically.

Its over now, I slept for about 3 hours, and am awake and alert now. I suprisingly have no cravings from my stomach (must have slept through them, woo) however I did dream of ice cream and maple syrup, pizza, burgers, tuna sandwiches, asparagus spears with paul newmans ranch dressing and tomato on 2 slices of bread, etc.

Was kind of a nice dream actually, and afterwoods it was even better because when I was awake I could day dream what i wanted to day dream about. Kind of like a councious lucid dream effect going on there.

I do feel weak, but I also feel lighter, I feel actually more alert and peppy than I was before. I feel less dragged down by the effects of digesting food.

Going to drink some water and put on some music I think, or see if I can watch a youtube video. (that should give you an idea as to how weak I feel at the moment, hopefully it passes, no matter help isnt far away if issues occur.)

I can move around no problems, heavy thinking feels arduous and difficult but I bet I could still do it. Eating food still feels natural but I'm not feeling like I should go out and engulf a heap of it, my mind is distracted.

Edited by Layberinthius, 14 November 2013 - 03:59 AM.

[Adaptogen]

why do you eat such poor quality foods? and what are you trying to achieve through such a fast?

you would be doing your health a big favor if you transitioned your diet away from refined carbohydrates and processed foods.

[Layberinthius]

I used to live on high sugar foods, I dont anymore, this is my diet now:

Breakfast:
A bowl of cheerios in the morning, with powdered milk and tap water.

Lunch (optional, not every day.)
two sandwiches with white bread, a small can of pre-flavoured tuna, no margarine, no butter, ever.

Dinner:
a can of food in the afternoon, beef goulash, pasta, cream of chicken soup, 4 slices of bread, no margarine, no butter, ever.

Moving away from processed foods is something that I cannot afford to do. I live on $150 a fortnight for food (down from $240/fn), or less. Food here in australia is expensive as hell, and I'm on welfare.

There is a move towards growing my own food, I've been growing lettuce and tomatoes, and I'm going to be growing Jalapenos aswell soon, but its going to take months

As for the reason behind the fast:
#1 Weight loss
#2 improved mental state
#3 less stress on my body
#4 reduced risk of cancer
#5 improved heart and cardiovascular health
#6 generate new neurons by triggering the brain into a starvation mode.

Here is an explanation here: http://hub.jhu.edu/m...-feed-your-head

The intermittent fasting advocated by Mattson and others for overall brain health may be linked to how humankind has evolved. There are reasons why the intermittent shocks of hunger do a brain good. "Our ancestors undoubtedly had to go without food for stretches of time," Mattson explains. "It hasn't been that long since humanity lacked regular supplies of food. When you search for food when you're hungry, the brain is really engaged. The individuals who survive the best—the ones whose brains are more attuned to predators and who can remember where food sources are—are the ones who've survived."

Edited by Layberinthius, 14 November 2013 - 05:04 AM.

[Layberinthius]

Just ate a sachet of Safcol Tuna, approx 529kJ/126cal. or 100g

This will hopefully last me for the rest of the night.

I felt that it was important to keep myself mentally active even during my fasting days.

about 1000kJ seems to be the right amount per 24 hour period inorder to achieve that.

Edited by Layberinthius, 14 November 2013 - 05:44 AM.

[Adaptogen]

ah i understand. still, i think something like brown rice or potatoes (sweet preferably) would be a better alternative to the highly glycemic white bread and cheerios, and i would imagine it costs around the same, although i don't know the prices in australia. are you exercising as well? from personal experience, consistent exercise is the most powerful tool for mental and physical wellbeing.

[blood]

I worry about that multivitamin. It contains at least three potentially neurotoxic substances - manganese, copper, and iron. There is good reason to believe that supplementation of these minerals without evidence of deficiency may in fact be harmful (neurotoxic). I suspect a B complex would be safer to take.

I can appreciate that your budget is limited, but surely you could manage e.g., a piece of fruit/ day?

When I was a starving student, I'd live on brown or black rice, olive oil, brocoli, and a bit of herbed salt. A day on nothing but brown rice is kinda like fasting, it puts you into a very ascetic frame of mind, and it is exceedingly difficult to over eat.

Edited by blood, 16 November 2013 - 03:53 AM.

[Brett Black]

Hi Layberinthius. Generally speaking, a diet with an emphasis on vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and nuts is considered the best evidenced for health. Your current diet doesn't conform well to this template.

I have some suggestions for cheap and (hopefully) healthier foods which may be of some help:

- Oats
- Dried legumes (e.g. red lentils, green lentils, yellow split peas)
- Carrots
- Oranges
- Apples
- Pears
- Frozen vegetables (e.g. string beans, cauliflower, peas, brocolli)
- Bottled tomato pasta sauces (go for the ones which list 90% or more tomato content)
- Canned vegetables/legumes
- Canned pumpkin soup (try to avoid high saturated fat varieties)
- Stock cubes (a simple and quick way to add some flavour to some of the above if necessary)

Edited by Brett Black, 16 November 2013 - 04:31 AM.

[Layberinthius]

I have an odd craving for Jalapeno peppers.

I'll take that neurotoxicology report about the multivitamin to heart and research into b complex.

The "experiment" with fasting lasted only 1 day, I felt so weak during the afternoon of the first day that I had to eat something, and then something more, and then something more.

If I do fast then I might do it only once a fortnight, or once a month, and then move my diet towards a more vegetable oriented one.

I should also mention that I have a craving for black olives, but the fresh ones are too bitter (thats what they're like naturally), it would be nice if I could take something beforehand which would coutneract the bitterness.

But I do like to use my tastebuds a bit, so I'm gonna seek out some foods which will give me a punch (like hot peppers) but not necesserially reduce my life expectancy by all that much.

Thanks for the tips guys I will try and readjust my diet somehow

Edited by Layberinthius, 16 November 2013 - 04:45 AM.

[theconomist]

As someone who abstains from food once a week the best tip I can give you is to only do it on very busy days where you have a lot of things to do to keep your mind off food.
I don't take any extra vitamins/supplements during my fasting day. I do it not only for the benefits of fasting but also to keep my CR in check; I end up eating only around 310-320 days a year so even if I slip up a bit on the other days I come out ahead.
But you definitely need to fix your diet first; you shouldn't feel hungry at all during your fasting day.

[Layberinthius]

As someone who abstains from food once a week the best tip I can give you is to only do it on very busy days where you have a lot of things to do to keep your mind off food.
I don't take any extra vitamins/supplements during my fasting day. I do it not only for the benefits of fasting but also to keep my CR in check; I end up eating only around 310-320 days a year so even if I slip up a bit on the other days I come out ahead.

Cheers for the info.

But you definitely need to fix your diet first; you shouldn't feel hungry at all during your fasting day.

It was only during the trailing 6 hours before bedtime, the hours before that I didnt feel hungry at all, just tired.

Edited by Layberinthius, 16 November 2013 - 02:19 PM.

[theconomist]

As someone who abstains from food once a week the best tip I can give you is to only do it on very busy days where you have a lot of things to do to keep your mind off food.
I don't take any extra vitamins/supplements during my fasting day. I do it not only for the benefits of fasting but also to keep my CR in check; I end up eating only around 310-320 days a year so even if I slip up a bit on the other days I come out ahead.

Cheers for the info.

But you definitely need to fix your diet first; you shouldn't feel hungry at all during your fasting day.

It was only during the trailing 6 hours before bedtime, the hours before that I didnt feel hungry at all, just tired.

How about thirst? I noticed that the days I fast I don't feel the need to drink water at all and I have to force myself to.
Try drinking a glass of water whenever you feel hungry, it should really help.

[Layberinthius]

As someone who abstains from food once a week the best tip I can give you is to only do it on very busy days where you have a lot of things to do to keep your mind off food.
I don't take any extra vitamins/supplements during my fasting day. I do it not only for the benefits of fasting but also to keep my CR in check; I end up eating only around 310-320 days a year so even if I slip up a bit on the other days I come out ahead.

Cheers for the info.

But you definitely need to fix your diet first; you shouldn't feel hungry at all during your fasting day.

It was only during the trailing 6 hours before bedtime, the hours before that I didnt feel hungry at all, just tired.

How about thirst? I noticed that the days I fast I don't feel the need to drink water at all and I have to force myself to.
Try drinking a glass of water whenever you feel hungry, it should really help.

The afternoon that I started and the day after I fasted I drank like a fish actually.

I usually average 2 litres of water a day, the days that I was fasting I desired and drank 5+ litres easily.

And yeah it does help, but I caved :P Was only my first time seriously fasting.

Edited by Layberinthius, 16 November 2013 - 02:36 PM.

[Luminosity]

Are you eating olives right off the trees? Those are toxic. You can't eat unprocessed olives. Olives have to be professionally cured by people who know how to do that.

I agree with the people that say you need to increase fresh fruit and vegetables and use healthier starches and fresher proteins. I think that even if you have a limited budget, there are ways to do better if you make it a priority.

I have been on many diets, fasts, and cleanses. I regret that now. I feel that they are destructive. They aren't even helpful for weight loss. I would eat three meals a day. According to Chinese Medicine, skipping meals is not good for you, nor is eating cold food, especially in the morning. I would to eat more hot food, especially at breakfast.

I'd avoid abusing hot peppers. Why don't you grow some sweet bell peppers? Don't make food some weird kind of self-abuse. I see you have that capacity.

I would avoid fad diets, extremes, and starving yourself. That will not make you healthier and will take you further from your stated goals. Sometimes when we eat a low quality diet or one that isn't right for us, fasting seems like an improvement, but it is not. Don't go down that road.

Edited by Luminosity, 17 November 2013 - 06:08 AM.

[Adaptogen]

Are you eating olives right off the trees? Those are toxic. You can't eat unprocessed olives. Olives have to be professionally cured by people who know how to do that.

raw olives may be bitter, but they aren't toxic. olive oil is made from raw olives

[JohnD60]

As for the reason behind the fast:
#1 Weight loss
#2 improved mental state
#3 less stress on my body
#4 reduced risk of cancer
#5 improved heart and cardiovascular health
#6 generate new neurons by triggering the brain into a starvation mode.

As I recall from some other post, you are quite a bit overweight. Since you are overweight, I don't believe you are going to be triggering any of the metabolic benefits of fasting (other than weight loss) that you mention.

And a fast with soup is not a fast by my definition, but I suppose it does not matter if weight loss is your primary goal.

Edited by JohnD60, 19 November 2013 - 07:04 AM.

[Luminosity]

Raw olives are toxic. Whatever it is is extracted out by the oil making process. That's why you have never seen raw olives for sale.

[theconomist]

Raw olives are toxic. Whatever it is is extracted out by the oil making process. That's why you have never seen raw olives for sale.

Do you mean olives straight from the tree?

as in : http://jschumacher.t...ed3cf970c-800wi


then after the extraction process they become the olives we buy from stores ...




I think both posters were refering to the 2nd image when talking about ''raw'' olives.

[blood]

I wasn't able to find any links/ articles/ studies supporting the notion that raw olives are toxic.

As was previously mentioned, raw olives are extremely bitter, apparently due to their oleuropein content.

Oleuropein is the primary active ingredient in standardised olive leaf extract supplements.

[Luminosity]

What's all the arguing about the raw olives? Is there a raw olive lobby that I don't know about? Just don't eat raw olives. Yes, olives off the trees are raw and unprocessed both, as you might expect. I already said I was referring to olives "off the trees" previously. Olives that human beings eat have been cured in brine or with lye, I think, by people who know how to do that. No one eats raw olives.

Olive leaf extract has been offered as a medicine lately. What we know about it's toxicity, I'm not sure, but it's not a food and it's not olives.

I've been a celebrated cook and food person for thirty-three years. You guys don't know enough to argue with me but that does't seem to stop you from trying. Everything isn't a debate.

Just don't eat raw olives.

[blood]

"Just don't eat raw olives" is a quite different claim than "raw olives are toxic".

You made a silly claim, and can't support it.

It's no big deal - we all get it wrong sometimes.

The embarrassment only comes when you hunker down and try to defend an indefensible position.

[Reich]

If you are going to fast I would recommend drinking wheatgrass juice. Since fasting is very stressful and wheatgrass provides a whole spectrum of nutrients. ;-)

[Saintor]

I suggest that you go right here.
http://thefastdiet.c...st-diet-forums/

[Reich]

There's an urban myth that the bitterness is actually a toxin that can harm you, and that curing draws out the toxin, or that lye neutralizes the toxin. Now, you have to wonder why people who believed that Raw Olives were toxic never stopped to asked themselves why olive oil, which is pressed from raw olives, isn't.