My five day almost fast
As I’ve gotten older, and my aches and pains have gotten more pronounced, I’ve begun paying more and more attention to my health. I’ll be 43 soon, and still have two young kids. I want to be around to see them grow up and have kids of their own. Plus (and this is really important), I already have enough pain from various types of inflammation (bad back, joint pain etc) and I REALLY don’t want to not hurt. And I know that diet and exercise are crucial for longevity and quality of life.
Previously I started doing time restricted feeding (a more specific description for what is commonly called intermittent fasting). Basically I’m done eating by 7 or 8 at night, and don’t have my first meal till about 11 or 12 the next day. Thus getting 15–16 hours of fasting in each day. This allows my body time to rest and encourages autophagy which is the process in which the body cleans up old/dead cells. I combine that with a generally low carb diet because that makes it soooo much easier to stay on diet and lose/maintain weight. Since I started this protocol I’ve lost about 30 lbs and kept it off for close to two years now (with a bit of bouncing around when I come off diet for the holidays etc).
Prolonged Fasting
However, recently I’ve been reading a lot about the benefits of a longer fast. Basically the theory is that our bodies are not meant to be in a fed state all the time…
