Fasting Question

[geo]

If a person is 100% healthy, is in the healthiest BMI range, follows the lifestyle protocols suggested here (an MWL style diet), along with your guidelines, principles and recommendations, (dietary, exercise, mentally, socially, etc) would there be any reason to also practice fasting (in any of its forms, i.e. intermittant, short term, long term, etc...)?

Is there any science that says the body could use some form of "rest from eating" despite being in optimal health and following an optimal lifestyle? I know the healthy body can always deal with such a situation as fasting, but does it, as the old commercial saying goes, do a body good, if that body is already in optimal condition?

I believe I've read that you did or used to do some fasting? Did you find it worth while?

[JeffN]

If a person is 100% healthy, is in the healthiest BMI range, follows the lifestyle protocols suggested here (an MWL style diet), along with your guidelines, principles and recommendations, (dietary, exercise, mentally, socially, etc) would there be any reason to also practice fasting (in any of its forms, i.e. intermittant, short term, long term, etc...)?

Is there any science that says the body could use some form of "rest from eating" despite being in optimal health and following an optimal lifestyle? I know the healthy body can always deal with such a situation as fasting, but does it, as the old commercial saying goes, do a body good, if that body is already in optimal condition?

I believe I've read that you did or used to do some fasting? Did you find it worth while?

I think that would be an excellent question for the doctor who runs TrueNorth, Dr Alan Goldhamer.

http://www.healthpromoting.com/contact

Let me know what he says

In Health
Jeff

[geo]

Thanks for the suggestion Jeff! I've sent Dr Goldhamer the same question. I'll let you know what he says...

[geo]

Well I doubt I will get a response from Dr Goldhamer. Seems the link you provided was for actually asking for info on their services. The staff responded by asking me to fill out an 8 page health questionaire and after that telling me that then I could call them to schedule an appointment. But thats ok. I understand most doctors are very busy and all. So no problem on my end.

Instead, I bought Dr Furhmans Fasting book and am reading it now...Its interesting that there is so much interest in fasting these days, but their is a real paucity of modern scientific books on the subject. short of Dr Furhman's. I did notice that Jimmy Moore is now publishing a book advocating fasting as well (LOL guess there's no better way to go zero carb than to fast!)

[JeffN]

Well, I know what he would say but wanted you to hear it from the horses mouth.

Now it is official.

Just published..

LOCAL FRONTIERS
Clinical Fasting
Toshia Myers, PhD,
Alan Goldhamer, DC

Sonoma Medicine
Summer 2017

http://www.healthpromoting.com/sites/de ... rticle.pdf

"Despite the possible good outcomes, water-only fasting is also not a cure or treatment in the traditional sense; it is simply intended to promote the body’s self- healing mechanisms. In order to maintain the results obtained by water-only fasting, it is necessary to adhere to a health-promoting lifestyle that includes a diet of minimally processed plant foods, adequate sleep, and robust physical exercise."

In Health
Jeff

[geo]

Thank you Jeff! Pretty much what I was expecting. Though lots of questions remain, such as:

1. Is fasting better or more efficient at returning a body to propr metabolic functioning than say the MWL with your guidelines.
2. Whats the best way to refeed following the fast and how quickly to jump into a more permanent plan?

My gut feeling is that in the long run. Sticking to a far simpler MWL plan with your guidelines from the get go gets a person started quicker into the lifestyle (rather than doing a fast and then once again switching to some refeeding schedule that is temporary but progressive before settling into something more permanent) and lets them be more comfortable with the changes and better able to stick with it. And ultimately, will make one more successful.

I can see, for the extremely obese/sick where time is of the essence that a fast may be whats needed to quickly bring the body back under some control. Much in the same way Dr Kempner did using his phased approach.

[JeffN]

Thank you Jeff! Pretty much what I was expecting. Though lots of questions remain, such as:

1. Is fasting better or more efficient at returning a body to propr metabolic functioning than say the MWL with your guidelines..

I don't know of any evidence that fasting per see does it any better. Remember, as Alan just said, there is nothing special about fasting, it is just a period of complete rest ....

"Despite the possible good outcomes, water-only fasting is also not a cure or treatment in the traditional sense; it is simply intended to promote the body’s self- healing mechanisms. In order to maintain the results obtained by water-only fasting, it is necessary to adhere to a health-promoting lifestyle that includes a diet of minimally processed plant foods, adequate sleep, and robust physical exercise."

I admit that for many finding the time to take this rest, with or without fasting, is hard. For many years, (years ago), once I was comfortable with the process and concept of fasting, I would go to a Benedictine Monastery in SE IN for 2 weeks each year to rest, recharge and rejuvenate and would often fast for much of if not most of the stay.

2. Whats the best way to refeed following the fast and how quickly to jump into a more permanent plan?.

If you really need to fast then I would recommend you go to a fasting center, such as TrueNorth and while there, they will insist you stay after your fast to re-feed you. By the time you leave, you will be able to return to the recommended guidelines.

My gut feeling is that in the long run. Sticking to a far simpler MWL plan with your guidelines from the get go gets a person started quicker into the lifestyle (rather than doing a fast and then once again switching to some refeeding schedule that is temporary but progressive before settling into something more permanent) and lets them be more comfortable with the changes and better able to stick with it. And ultimately, will make one more successful. .

I agree 100%. Many of my clients are actual patients who have recently been to TrueNorth.

I can see, for the extremely obese/sick where time is of the essence that a fast may be whats needed to quickly bring the body back under some control. Much in the same way Dr Kempner did using his phased approach.

I would agree with the extremely sick. But for the obese, I would recommend learning how to eat as therapeutic fasting is not recommending as a weight loss strategy.

Here is an email from a long-term client who has gone about this using a slow, steady and methodical approach.

"For my part, the 10 years of working with you .. have probably saved my life. At 73, I take a minimum of medication and feel great. I just got my certificate for lifetime rowing of 5 million meters. The 120 pounds I worked off is still off, but as Kevin Hall would predict, further weight loss has proved challenging. I'm not 100% compliant with the ideal diet, but I do the best I can every day."

In Health
Jeff