Keto and Intermittent Fasting

Forums › Health and fitness › Keto and Intermittent Fasting

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

6699 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3561

Trusted

#2759509 13-Aug-2021 09:47

I've lost 10 kg since mid March. 90 kg to 80 kg aiming for 75. I'm 175 cm. More importantly my body fat % has gone from over 33% to nearly 27% At 75 kg that should get my body fat % below 25%.

We have a set of Fitbit scales which also measure body fat. I weigh myself every morning after showering. I don't put much focus on the day to day numbers, it's the overall trend that matters and the Fitbit app shows that really well. Fluid intake, time of the evening meal and time of the day you weigh in (early or late start) all affect that days numbers.

I generally eat three meals every day, occasionally skipping breakfast. Portion sizes and not snacking between meals has been what's done it for me. You just have to resist that urge to have snack if you feel peckish.

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

timmmay

20923 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5395

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2759512 13-Aug-2021 09:53

I'm on an interesting program right now. Instead of taking things away to try to lose weight the theory is they take away the bad stuff, add in lots of good stuff (whole foods), increase your energy, and make exercise and weight loss easy. There's also a big focus on gut health, and on what you absorb rather than what you eat. I'm only just starting and it's a four month program so we'll see. They say that fasting just puts stress on the body.

tdgeek

30088 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9526

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2759516 13-Aug-2021 10:00

Technofreak: I've lost 10 kg since mid March. 90 kg to 80 kg aiming for 75. I'm 175 cm. More importantly my body fat % has gone from over 33% to nearly 27% At 75 kg that should get my body fat % below 25%.

We have a set of Fitbit scales which also measure body fat. I weigh myself every morning after showering. I don't put much focus on the day to day numbers, it's the overall trend that matters and the Fitbit app shows that really well. Fluid intake, time of the evening meal and time of the day you weigh in (early or late start) all affect that days numbers.

I generally eat three meals every day, occasionally skipping breakfast. Portion sizes and not snacking between meals has been what's done it for me. You just have to resist that urge to have snack if you feel peckish.

My go to snacks are a few crackers with cheese, tomato slice and a sprinkle of Masterfoods

antonknee

1133 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1145

#2759596 13-Aug-2021 11:19

This stuff is all a bit unknown really. Research continues, and studies often conflict with other studies - suspect the reality is we are all different and what works for one may not for another.

End of the day though, these all just boil down to calories in vs calories out. If you eat less than you burn, you will lose weight and vice versa. Keto, IF, whole foods etc are all just different ways to achieve that goal (that may or may not have side benefits of their own around gut health or energy levels or your skin).

Personally I've done intermittent fasting for years, lost around 50kg. It works because it's an easy way to cut out a bunch of calories, and didn't require a lot of thinking, plus I used to get quite nauseous in the morning anyway so eating was the last thing I wanted to do. However it's not a license to go crazy in the non-fasting hours, packing away a bunch of junk food (ie lots of calories) meant I still packed on weight.

landcruiserguy

777 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 137

#2759639 13-Aug-2021 13:32

tdgeek:

I'm not so sure. Ive lost 10kg, 98 to 88. Little has changed in my diet

1. Cut back on snacks but still have snacks, but more healthier options but not always

2. Activity is unchanged

3. I eat same foods as before, but the key is the portions are smaller, that's been the key for me. No annoying diet to worry about, not missing anything. Sometimes I feel like just a small lunch or dinner so I do that, it all helps

Hey, if it works for you then go for it. Humans are adaptable creatures (we are omnivores) and there are many valid paths to success.

If you follow your logic above and apply it to someone with a drinking problem will be much better off if they switch from spirits to beer. Their health will improve, nobody would argue against that. I would argue that you have to fight the temptation to switch back to spirits though.

I would argue that fasting and low carb are better evolutionary fits for humans which means they are more likely to work for more people. Pre agriculture we had periods of plenty (feasting) and periods of hunger (fasting). You ate what you caught when you caught it rather than reaching for the fridge. It's only when agriculture came in that we had the ability to grow lots and lots of starches and store them. Agriculture was only invented hundreds of thousands of years ago which is fairly recent in the history of the species. If anybody has an interest in this then read the books by Dr Jason Fung as he explains this better than I can.

Our current food induced health crisis is more about addiction and sugar in my opinion. Pure sugar is only a few hundred years old. The brain runs on sugar and humans are evolutionary geared to seek out food. Food companies have spent a hundred years producing food that's addictive as possible. All this means that most people don't stand a chance in this battle of will power.

The solution is simple, avoid refined sugar everywhere. This basically means you can't ear processed food which fits with Dr Fung's rule of not eating anything that comes in a packet.

Everything is habit in this life, not eating before 5pm feels perfectly normal to me and I don't even think about it. It did take me some time to evolve into that but once you have a habit established there is no effort to keep it going.

tdgeek

30088 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9526

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2759651 13-Aug-2021 13:48

landcruiserguy:

tdgeek:

I'm not so sure. Ive lost 10kg, 98 to 88. Little has changed in my diet

1. Cut back on snacks but still have snacks, but more healthier options but not always

2. Activity is unchanged

3. I eat same foods as before, but the key is the portions are smaller, that's been the key for me. No annoying diet to worry about, not missing anything. Sometimes I feel like just a small lunch or dinner so I do that, it all helps

Hey, if it works for you then go for it. Humans are adaptable creatures (we are omnivores) and there are many valid paths to success.

If you follow your logic above and apply it to someone with a drinking problem will be much better off if they switch from spirits to beer. Their health will improve, nobody would argue against that. I would argue that you have to fight the temptation to switch back to spirits though.

I would argue that fasting and low carb are better evolutionary fits for humans which means they are more likely to work for more people. Pre agriculture we had periods of plenty (feasting) and periods of hunger (fasting). You ate what you caught when you caught it rather than reaching for the fridge. It's only when agriculture came in that we had the ability to grow lots and lots of starches and store them. Agriculture was only invented hundreds of thousands of years ago which is fairly recent in the history of the species. If anybody has an interest in this then read the books by Dr Jason Fung as he explains this better than I can.

Our current food induced health crisis is more about addiction and sugar in my opinion. Pure sugar is only a few hundred years old. The brain runs on sugar and humans are evolutionary geared to seek out food. Food companies have spent a hundred years producing food that's addictive as possible. All this means that most people don't stand a chance in this battle of will power.

The solution is simple, avoid refined sugar everywhere. This basically means you can't ear processed food which fits with Dr Fung's rule of not eating anything that comes in a packet.

Everything is habit in this life, not eating before 5pm feels perfectly normal to me and I don't even think about it. It did take me some time to evolve into that but once you have a habit established there is no effort to keep it going.

Not really a good analogy, cutting down on food portions to lose a few kg isn't the same as a drinking problem. I don't have an eating problem. So, reducing calories is a means to an end. Others may go for one of the many fashionable diets, fasting and so on, that's fine too. I don't have any temptations either. For me it's pain free, temptation free and it works, so yes it works for me

Mighty Ape

Shop now at Mighty Ape (affiliate link).

allune

108 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 14

#2767886 28-Aug-2021 00:49

Dang seeing this thread here is a reminder, I need to re-commit to a healthier lifestyle... I've got all the keto goods but I've just been eating and eating and eating... I haven't been able to sleep early since the pandemic began :( Wish I can start again

RedDinosaur

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2768150 28-Aug-2021 17:49

landcruiserguy:

tdgeek:

I'm not so sure. Ive lost 10kg, 98 to 88. Little has changed in my diet

1. Cut back on snacks but still have snacks, but more healthier options but not always

2. Activity is unchanged

3. I eat same foods as before, but the key is the portions are smaller, that's been the key for me. No annoying diet to worry about, not missing anything. Sometimes I feel like just a small lunch or dinner so I do that, it all helps

I would argue that fasting and low carb are better evolutionary fits for humans which means they are more likely to work for more people. Pre agriculture we had periods of plenty (feasting) and periods of hunger (fasting). You ate what you caught when you caught it rather than reaching for the fridge. It's only when agriculture came in that we had the ability to grow lots and lots of starches and store them. Agriculture was only invented hundreds of thousands of years ago which is fairly recent in the history of the species. If anybody has an interest in this then read the books by Dr Jason Fung as he explains this better than I can.

Our current food induced health crisis is more about addiction and sugar in my opinion. Pure sugar is only a few hundred years old. The brain runs on sugar and humans are evolutionary geared to seek out food. Food companies have spent a hundred years producing food that's addictive as possible. All this means that most people don't stand a chance in this battle of will power.

The solution is simple, avoid refined sugar everywhere. This basically means you can't ear processed food which fits with Dr Fung's rule of not eating anything that comes in a packet.

Everything is habit in this life, not eating before 5pm feels perfectly normal to me and I don't even think about it. It did take me some time to evolve into that but once you have a habit established there is no effort to keep it going.

The problem with evolution is that it only cares about getting you to reproductive age. The foods that most likely increase your chances to pass on your genes may not be the best for other desires.
Also, I don't see how the fact that we have only recently started to mass produce grains and legumes for example means anything, this is just an appeal to nature? A high grain and legume diet could actually be better.

Theories are good and all, but what does the science say?
It's pretty clear that refined carbs are bad, but haven't seen evidence that you need to not eat beans, in fact the opposite, health outcomes improve.

raytaylor

4088 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1312

Trusted

#2768218 28-Aug-2021 23:32

I am a fan of keto

I dont cook due to some stuipid stuff in my head - I only eat takeaways or process cooked meals.

I have diabetes in the family and have always shown signs of developing it - hypoglycemia as a teenager and rapid weight gain/loss.

It is well known that intermittant fasting is good at keeping diabetes at bay, and I find i am comfortable with one to 1.5 meals a day.
However there lies the problem... When I do eat, i tend to eat too much.

I will also go through periods of not eating for a week.

I find if i eat anything with carbs in the morning - say a pie for smoko, by 4pm i have a fever, sweating, hungry, pins and needles, shaking.
But once i come down through that "barrier" then i feel fine again and i loose the hunger feeling.

But the problem is when i delay my morning meal. If I am having a busy morning, it means i dont get to eat until lunch, which means I am feeling very hungry and over eat for dinner. I go to bed feeling full and the result is rapid weight gain.

I can also go to the polar opposite into fasting. Again due to stupid stuff in my head.

For various reasons I have been somewhat stressed over the last year which has been a trigger to enter into a few periods where I stop eating for a week or two. I have to force myself to drink mizone flavored water to get some energy and mix in some Enerlyte sachets to get some extra minerals and multivitamin tablets.

However the benefit is rapid weight loss. After about 2-3 days I feel quite alert and awake, and feel quite good - almost like a high. Problem is i dont have the energy for physical work.
I get the "keto flu" symptoms for the first few days but whatever i am worried about is enough to prevent me from being able to eat.

I find if i have been eating my keto meals for a week or two before, transitioning to fasting is much easier.

So yeah - i think success comes down to personality.
Many people will need to diet all their lives. My mother is one of those - she has tried every diet ever invented. And if it giver her some variety while helping to minimize weight gain then thats all good - because the same diet can get boring for some people after a while.

For someone like me who doesnt cook and likes process cooked food then there are some great options. If i have heaps of these in the freezer then i can snack on them as healthier choices.

- Radix keto menu is quite good for a breakfast on the go. My commute to the office is a little over 5 minutes so i put the boiling water into the pack, drive to work and its ready to open when i arrive for my morning meeting. One of the hippie organic guys in the office likes to joke that i am eating my "cat food".

- Muscle fuel for dinner is also good. They use cauliflour as a potato and rice replacement that works very well with similar textures though i would be happier with broccoli. The downside to muscle fuel is you need to order about 2 weeks ahead of delivery.
I recommend Not a burger burger, tex mex beef, roast beef and mac, beef stroganoff

- Weight watchers Beef Burgundy. This is no longer avaliable but i could eat these as a snack anytime for breakfast lunch and dinner and no matter how many of them i ate, i always lost weight. It was easy for me to go several weeks eating just those. It was like a casserole. Unfortunatley countdown stopped selling them. WW replaced it for a honey soy noodle with the same number of calories, but as noodles make me sleepy, and have more carbs, I couldnt eat them. I really want it to come back.

Someone further up said the breakfast being the most important meal of the day is a lie.
I disagree.
I think breakfast is indeed important, lunch less so.
If i can have a keto dinner-type meal for breakfast then i am less likely to need to go to the dairy for a pie or mcdonalds for lunch during the day.

If you must go to mcdonalds, order a big mac without the bun to cut out most of the carbs and half the calories.
I used to order a bigmac with extra sauce, cheese and an extra patty and have it served in a salad bowel. Unfortunatley now the "no buns" thing has become a standard menu item, the staff at mcdonalds can no longer grasp the simple idea of serving it in a salad bowl with a knife and fork - it now comes wrapped in lettuce in a box.

And KFC chicken is reasonably dirty-keto friendly. I dont like the chicken pieces as they are too messy to eat but i do like a chicken patty - so occasionally i will go to kfc and get a double down and eat it with a knife and fork.

When the KFC chicken is out of season, you can go to St Pieres / Bento Bowl and get a katsu chicken bowl without rice. They also do a katsu chicken burger which I would describe as a premium quality version of a KFC double-down.

So yes as you can see i am one of those people that are forever doomed to cycle between loss and gain.

A couple of the guys at work have had success just replacing bread, pastry, pasta, potatos and rice with more meat, coleslaw and nuts. Though their wives cook dinner most nights so it was easy for them because they didnt have to make a choice each night - it was always chosen for them. I am single and choosing to be lazy by getting takeaways is usually what happens.

Ray Taylor

There is no place like localhost

Spreadsheet for Comparing Electricity Plans Here

Dynamic

4038 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1862

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3483645 24-Apr-2026 09:03

I'm around 168cm tall and hit 101kg earlier this year, after putting on 1-2kg per year since I was 30. Not good. Really not good. Surprisingly I've not had any notable weight-related health issues so far, but on that trajectory it was just going to be a matter of time. I had done some half-assed dieting for short periods in the last few years but nothing really stuck and the weight went back on after a short time.

Decided to get on board with keto. Used an LLM to help me with a plan. Was a bit half-assed about it for the first few weeks but chose to lean in 10-ish weeks ago and have had very positive results. Went for my annual checkup at the doctor's office yesterday and their scales said 91.4kg. My last weigh-in with them 6 months ago was at 99kg.

Eating was an event that gave me pleasure - with a small side of regret from an overly-large portion. I've gone simple and boring and it's now closer to 'fuel for the body'. In the first few weeks I selected my foods based on carb count, but from there I did not count carbs. I could not tell you if I had 5g of carbs yesterday or 50g. I'm just not focussing on it. Weighing myself at home since starting keto happens only once a month. Again, not focussing on it.

Common meals are:

whole chicken breast cooked in the sandwich press with lots of salt and light seasoning sprinkled over it
pork belly slices in the air fryer
chorizo or kransky sausages (looking for under 3g carbs per 100g) cooked on the sandwich press
every other day I'll add broccoli and keto cheese sauce on the side, or a green leafy salad with cubes of cheese and a very light dressing, but half of my days don't include anything green
scrambled or boiled eggs feature frequently.
bacon and broccoli (keto) wraps with a mayo and sweet chilli sauce mix (light on the sweet chilli sauce)
butter chicken on cauliflower rice
home made pizza using a keto-friendly base
buying two precooked chickens and stripping them easily takes care of lunches for the week (every other week), otherwise I'm eating leftovers for lunch after deliberately cooking enough the night before.
eating out is often a double patty burger in a lettuce wrap rather than buns, with little or no added sauce

My snacks are typically 1-2 handfuls of natural almonds each day. If I want something sweet, I'll grab one of the Musashi Peanut Crunch Protein Deluxe bars (carbs are 6g per 100 for that particular flavour). Coke Zero Sugar is a favourite (one can most days) after I got used to the flavour. A Berocca tablet breaks up the monotony of water. Unsweetened almond milk in my coffee. I do pop a multivitamin every other day, but have done this for years.

Driving past Maccas in the morning without grabbing a coffee and a muffin became easy very quickly. It is inconvenient to not be able to stop and grab a handy snack if I'm out and about, but I became used to that. I'm never starving. I'm not watching portion sizes and eat until I'm full. It's been a surprisingly easy change, for me at least. It's been so easy that it feels like cheating. No exercise has been involved with this weight loss, though have a personal goal to start strength training when I hit 85kg.

I don't have firm long term plans. Getting down to 75kg is a loose goal. Keeping the weight off rather than allowing it to creep on again is perhaps the biggest trick to master. A fortnight on and a fortnight off keto might be in my future, or perhaps just going carb-lite but having the occasional baked potato or pasta meal. I look forward to being able to have Korean Fried Chicken occasionally from Munch or Ko Ko Dak, or sushi from Tomi Ro. :)

“Don't believe anything you read on the net. Except this. Well, including this, I suppose.” Douglas Adams

johno1234

3487 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2977

#3483653 24-Apr-2026 09:35

Nice one!

Keto worked great for me too. Main thing was shopping - just don't buy milk, juice, bread, rice, pasta and potatoes in your weekly shopping and stock up on low carb snacks like nuts, avocados, strawberries, cheese and you're almost there. For fruit try to stick to berries and melons but avoid apples, pears, grapes and the like.

I think once you are at your target you should wind back on the processed and salty food. I love bacon and kransky sausages but too much of those in your diet is asking for other issues.

Recommend this book: https://www.carynzinn.com/about-us

Add: Don't think the fortnight on-off thing would work for me. The initial few days getting into ketosis is a drag. I didn't stay on hard out keto once I hit my goal (93kg -> 80kg) and just try avoid sugary food like the plague which seems to be enough. Went up a kg or two but I'm OK with that. I think the worst carby inputs I had in the old days were milk and juice. Used to drink gallons of it.

HP

Shop now for HP laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

timmmay

20923 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5395

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3483661 24-Apr-2026 10:04

I've found that eating whole foods helps a lot, even if they have carbs. I lost 10kg by cutting out processed foods, even though I was eating potatoes a lot. Basically any food that looks the same when it comes into your house as when it was grown / raised, so vegetables, natural meats (not processed meats like bacon), eggs, and I find basic processed foods like cottage cheese ok. If it comes in plastic, it's probably not a whole food.

My diet wasn't weight focused, it was migraine related and was very successful at reducing migraines, if anyone gets migraines drop me a PM and I'll send you some info.

MikeAqua

8205 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3957

#3483682 24-Apr-2026 11:03

[I've written a bit of an essay TL;DR at the bottom]

I had to lose 25kg, quickly but safely, to donate a kidney to someone. I did it in 24 weeks, with diet cardio and resistance. I read a lot on the subject of weight management and general physiological health. I am not an expert at all (obviously talk to your doctor) but here are few things I have learned and applied successfully.

At a very basic level, losing weight is a simple matter of calorific deficit. Calories-In (food) must be less than Calories-Out (exercise + digestion + metabolism). Exercise helps most at the start when you're heavy and move inefficiently. But long term ... you can't outrun a fork.

It takes a certain amount of energy to keep your body alive and warm. This is called your Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) and it's part of your calories. If you're sedentary, you have to eat less than this to lose weight. If you exercise, you can eat a little more and still lose weight. Set a calorie budget. Count calories. There are apps and a rotation of know meals helps. Stick to your budget.

Keto works short term. It's probably a good way to jump start a diet, but there are some concerns about negative health effect with long term keto. Also ... ketosis can make you smelly (bad breath and body) and lacks dietary fibre. There are some lessons there though: Simple carbs bad, protein good.

More than a small amount of simple/refined carbs are bad. Protein makes you feel full (hopefully stop eating). Simple carbs spike your blood sugar, and encourage insulin resistance which leads to physiological stress, inflammation, retention of sodium, increased blood pressure, hardened/sticky arteries, and deposition of visceral fat.

Brown rice is the simplest carbs you should regularly eat. Potatoes with their skins on are OK. Sweet potato, and other firmer tubers, nuts, corn or beans are better. Porridge is good.

Protein is satiating, it will make you feel full for a long time. It won't spike your blood sugar. Ideally something you have to chew, rather than a shake. Chewing is satiating. Also if you have to chew something, it won't be easy to digest. So your body will use more energy digesting. This is part of your calories out.

Another tip that works for me is to eats in courses. At lunch and dinner, I eat my salad/veges first. They're filling (chewing is satiating) and low in calories. One head of broccoli is only about 100 calories. Then I eat my protein, sauce and complex carbs, but not that much because I'm mostly full already.

Be organised. Don't buy unhealthy food, if it's not it the house you can't eat it. Convenience food is usually junk. When you cook plate up a reasonable quantity of food (using a smallish plate) and then put the rest away into containers and freeze. Do meal prep and have frozen healthy food in the freezer in portions ready to go. Always have eggs - you're only ever four minutes from having an omelette.

Try to eat mindfully - chew your food, savour it and don't rush. Don't eat in front of the TV/computer. You'll eat more - probably junk. Limit alcohol. It's carbs and it pushes your body into a stress state. Learn the difference between genuine hunger and just wanting to eat. Ignore the latter.

Intermittent fasting is good - it helps prevent insulin resistance. One form of fasting that many people find works for them is the 16 or 14 hour fast. A man only eats within an eight-hour window each day. For example, you stop eating at 8pm at night, and don't eat until noon the next day. Women only have to do a 14 hour fast. Obviously work up to this fasting routine. Some people swear by the 5:2 fast. For two days a week, you only eat 500 calories. Not for me.

Long term, you can't diet forever. You need a sustainable lifestyle, that includes exercise, so maybe it's about finding a form of exercise you like. Ideally, you'd do cardio in the am on an empty stomach and resistance/weights in the pm having eaten protein during the day. Fasted cardio on an empty stomach will train your fat metabolism (like keto does). For example, running for an hour on water only is fine. As well as burning calories, exercise reduces insulin resistance and has bunch of other physical and mental health benefits.

If you only do one form of exercise do resistance training. The bigger your muscle mass is, the higher your BMR (more calories out 24/7). Resistance training also has a bunch of other health benefits especially for men 50+ and (peri)menopausal women.

Do whatever you can to make exercise easy, enjoyable or mandatory. Get a treadmill/spin bike for home and or some weights. Start biking to work. Get a dog and walk it twice a day. Find a hobby you love that you can fit into your life that requires exercising - swimming, kayaking, mountain hiking, tramping, deer stalking, diving. I travel to participate in 10km running events and I have a gym buddy that I do weights with.

There is one non-pharmaceutical supplement on the market which is safe and effective. It's called calo-curb. It utilises the bitterness sensors in your stomach to supress your appetite. Your body equates bitterness to toxins so it tries to stop you eating. Disclaimer, it goes through some people like a laser beam.

TL;DR ....

To summarise

Calorie budget
Shop and organise to eat healthy and carefully
Intermittent fasting
Weights
Cardio

Mike

dafman

4094 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2697

Trusted

Subscriber

#3483713 24-Apr-2026 13:29

dafman:

Good luck, I wish you well.

I've been intermittent fasting for about 3 years. Typically, I don't eat until 12pm, then two meals a day - lunch & dinner. Prior to 12pm, I only intake water and black coffee.

My main reason was not primarily for weight loss, rather I liked the idea of giving my digestive organs a break each day. So as a general rule, I follow the 16/8 diet - 16 hours no food, 8 hour food window. However, bear in mind it takes up to 8 hours to digest a meal, so in effect, I eat for 8, digest for up to next 8, fast for final 8.

About six years ago I gave up added sugar for regular meals (eg. yogurts, cereals, soft drinks and pretty much any processed food as it all comes pre-packed with added sugar). It you want to lose weight and improve general well being, I would recommend this first over intermittent fasting.

I have always been active, reasonably regular at gym. I lost about 3 kg with giving up sugar and same again, approx 3 kg, with intermittent fasting.

I don't do any fad diets and I would put Keto clearly into the fad category. My view is that our bodies have evolved to derive nutrients from a variety of natural foods. I just think there is risk in severely restricting major food groups. Yes you might lose weight, but what are the long term health implications?

Update on above. Around 2024 I gave up intermittent fasting after reading that 8-hour time restricted diet was linked to a 90% increase in risk of cardiovascular disease. It is around this time that I also starting experiencing for the first time regular bouts of irregular heart beats. In my case, the two may not be linked, but it was enough for me to call it quits. So I have introduced plain porridge in the morning with natural yoghurt.

My thoughts on diet:

Eat only natural meats and vegetables. Try and keep away from any food that comes out of factory. If the packaging contains numbers or words that your grandmother wouldn't understand, don't buy it. Study up on what ultra processed food is and try to keep away from it. In the short term, it is putting unnecessary weight on you, in the long term it is killing you.
Eat only natural sugar that comes in fruits. We eat a lot of fruit and my personal rule is if it comes from nature, I don't need to limit it. If I need to add something super sweet - it's honey (it comes from nature). Learn to live without artificial sweetners, it is possible.
Zero flavoured drinks of juices. Not only are they a significant source of sugar, they are way more expensive than water (which is free). You can put the money saved go much better uses. Fruit juice in particular. You can't eat 8 oranges in row, but you can drink eight oranges in a glass. Nature has a novel way of restricting your sugar intake - it is called fibre.
Never eat on the run or while you are distracted doing something. Eating should never be relegated to a chore or a fill in.
And try to keep moving. If you are going up a couple of flights in a building, take the stairs.

Of course there are always occasions when we stray. Beer! Plus, I eat occasional biscuits and cakes, but always homemade (thanks to my partner), not from a factory (because they are putting a whole of preservatives and things you don't need in your body).

timmmay

20923 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5395

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3483718 24-Apr-2026 13:42

Fruits have been bred over the years to be super sweet and high in sugar, particularly fructose. My opinion is fruit is not necessary and should be severely limited, except perhaps berries which aren't toooo bad. Sugar is a big driver of various diseases. Noting though this is my opinion based on what I've read, and I'm not telling anyone what to do, if people want to eat fruit or sugar so be it.

Glucose Revolution is an interesting book.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5