Russian Jesus gives up food to meditate on how he can improve crypto messenger Telegram It's coming up to 1pm, you haven't eaten a morsel in seven hours, and you've been smashing your head against the same work problem for the last two. What do you do? If you answered "go and get some lunch", you're an idiot. The titans of tech didn't get where they are today by fulfilling every basic human desire, did they? …
A whole month is just about doable.
I think a whole month should doable for most people. Depends a lot on your BMI when you start but your body quickly switches over to using reserves. It's a long time ago but I did at least three weeks whilst at university and could still cycle the 10 km each way, though really strenuous exercise and hard work can become difficult. I think I allowed myself cups of tea and even the odd glass of ftruit juice but it was essentially an extended fast. Given my current weight I'm sure I could manage six weeks!
There's a nice article over at The Econmist about the current fads: apparently Oura rings are currently all the rage. But, I'm increasingly coming to think of some of these people as I do of professional athletes: most definitely not normal.
Ketogenic diets are not unhealthy and play a huge part in treating both diabetes and epilepsy (particularly in children). My partner (who has a rare form of adult onset diabetes) has been involved in two dietary studies including one based on an ultra-low carb ketogenic diet (and a 600 calorie a day diet on a strict exercise regimen in which she actually managed to gain weight due to the weird metabolism she has) . You do not have to starve yourself or be unhealthy. You just don't eat carbs but replace them with proteins and fats - something we are better evolved to digest anyway.
Try being a bit better read and more up to date, Richard Currie.
"But he also made fasting fashionable for Silicon Valley in pursuit of "euphoria and ecstasy", a symptom known to the medical community as ketosis – when the body produces ketones in the absence of glucose."
It's amazing how a few additional words helps establish the context.
Or perhaps your desire to find offence was such that context wasn't important?
"a symptom known to the medical community as ketosis"
Well, it isn't a symptom. It's a mode of operation for the body. One we once relied heavily upon. Not having access to this mode of operation due to having relied on carbs for the entire life is a pretty big disadvantage. Hence going into ketosis a few times a year is a good thing to do. It stops you from being totally reliant on stored glucose, and hence stops you from horrible "sugar lows" -if you are so disposed.
I downvoted you for being off the mark (Silicon Valley fads) and then for being a snowflake. The body can use ketosis in extreme circumstances but it is not the norm and not something most people should been seeking to induce.
As for Steve Jobs, it's known, and perhaps understandable, that he engaged in a lot of quackery once he was diagnosed. Don't wish pancreatic cancer on anyone because the outlook is generally very poor, but quackery doesn't help either.
Thanks for being "up for it". Not being a snowflake - just very experienced in this area. I disagree about it being used in extreme circumstances and what I've learned from the stuff my other half has been involved in (with some to UK universities) is that it may just be more of a standard way of our bodies working and something that in our evolution happened far more often. It's certainly a developing science.
I didn't vote either way, but let's try this argument: the article wasn't talking about treating diabetes. Perhaps these examples will help make the point.
"Ketosis is potentially useful for treating diabetes, according to some studies.": Correct statement.
"Ketosis is not useful under any circumstances.": Incorrect statement.
"Ketosis is a healthy thing to do and will offer many benefits.": Incorrect statement as it is too broad
"Ketosis was attempted by Steve Jobs when he obtained pancreatic cancer.": Correct statement, with many available sources
"Ketosis did not fix his pancreatic cancer.": Correct statement.
Phrase any correct statement with sarcasm to make a point, and it's still a correct statement. However, you focus on a statement the writer never made, and start saying some other things, some correct (such as the benefits for diabetes), and some incorrect (such as there being digestion benefits to a ketosis-inducing diet) that have nothing to do with the statements in the article. Are we on the same page now?
"Ketogenic diets are not unhealthy and play a huge part in treating both diabetes and epilepsy"
Under medical supervision and as a treatment for specific illnesses, yes, it can be useful. But during a potential future fad for baldness, self-medicated chemotherapy as opposed to a visit to the barber is probably not a viable solution.
'(and a 600 calorie a day diet on a strict exercise regimen in which she actually managed to gain weight due to the weird metabolism she has)'
I understand she is your partner but ....... Really ?????
What kind of metabolism creates mass from reduced energy input and increased energy expenditure?
"What kind of metabolism creates mass from reduced energy input and increased energy expenditure?"
Essentially it is a evolutionary throwback where our bodies attempted to deal with famine.
Some people are able to detect decreases in the amount of food, or changes in the types of food being eaten and the body react by going into a kind of famine mode. Where food is stored rapidly. It's not something we need now in the west where food is generally plentiful, and may be linked to some of the high instances of obesity (in particular where the obese person is actually very fit and has little in the way of stored fat in and around organs). Often the changes this causes can cause pancreas issues and thus adult onset type one diabetes. It will result with people that sadly are diabetic and overweight yet are able to exercise very well and have excellent VO2 max levels, etc.
'Essentially it is a evolutionary throwback where our bodies attempted to deal with famine.'
Yes, I understand that the metabolism slows due to the restricted energy input. However, assuming the exercise regime allowed for the metabolism slowdown ( a reasonable assumption if stipulated by a healthcare professional ), it doesn't explain the weight gain. Neither does the rest of your post.
Unfortunately, I remain sceptical.
In my young and gaunt days, I occasionally achieved ketosis toward the end of a long run--not on purpose, but because I was, well, gaunt and given to taking long runs. I am here to tell you that you don't want to share an elevator with someone in that state. The ammonia smell was offensive even to my own tolerant nose.
If that's satanic, where does a meat of unknown origin kebab with enough garlic sauce and chili sauce to disguise any original flavors, a mixture of indeterminate vegetables in various states and extra chili's appear?
Actually, I've answered my own question. It's heavenly...
...and to top it off, he didn't exist either!
Let's also not forget that Arthur Conan Doyle, his creator, believed the Cottingley Fairies to be real, and was pretty much obsessed with spiritualism, so his judgment may not be as sound as all that, even if couched in the words of a famous fictional detective.
Since zero food consumption improves clarity of thought [citation needed; not Woo please], I also got many things done on the product-management side.
It's actually not a new invention, fasting for clearer thought. I've been researching it because I have gone overweight due to lifestyle (not to obese levels, but enough to not enjoying it), and I wanted to find a way to reset. The clearer thoughts would be a bonus, but I won't get my hopes up there :). The problem with increasing exercise to address overweight is that it doesn't really help much long term, it is better to start such a regime when being slim (also less weight related damage).
Fasting is effectively forcing the body to switch to a mode we don't use much because we no longer have to forage for food (survival mode). It is best done with medical assistance, and you have to keep up liquids and minerals but avoid anything sugary, including fruit.
However, be aware that the first days are not going to be pleasant for you as well as your environment (someone mentioned your breath - that's just one of the side effects), and your temper will suffer too although probably would notice that with New Yorkers (I'm sure there are UK equivalents). After that it'll be OK, with one major caveat: your body will tell you when your fast is done (return of appetite and other fairly abrupt signals), and you should then restart eating (small at first, of course).
If this is a "fad", it is only because some marketing type may have wrapped a barrel of hype around it, but the idea is FAR from new. There's also a reasonable body of research available on it. I can imagine health clubs don't go for it because there's little money to be made from (temporarily) bad tempered people who only drink water with some minerals added..
I find it frees up time and mental space and the world becomes startlingly clear, particularly of diabetes with a 5 day on, 2 days off intermittent fasting regimen ie feast like Baron Harkonnen on the weekends - one plate of food every 24 hour hours during the week. My beer gut is almost gone after 8 weeks, having lost a stone. Plus I can code 24 hours straight, hopefully not into a jacket, though that remains to be seen.
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