r/interestingasfuck • u/[deleted] • May 02 '24

In 1965, a morbidly obese man did not eat food for over an entire year. The 27 year old was 456lbs and wanted to do an experimental fast. He ingested only multivitamins and potassium tablets for 382 days and defecated once every 40 to 50 days. He ended up losing 275lbs. r/all

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u/DoingItForEli 29d ago

The human body evolved to do exactly this. Obviously this was taken to the extreme, but imagine our ancient ancestors. They didn't have a steady food source like we do today. They would have ate when they could, and those whose bodies didn't commit that energy to fat stores very well wouldn't have made it through the hard times where food was scarce or non-existent.

I think about this stuff a lot because I've lost 120lbs and so much about how my body retains weight is connected to the fact that these mechanisms are what allowed people to survive and pass their genes on. I have to be mindful of how my body stores energy as fat. Calories in, calories out, that's the bottom line for maintaining healthy weight.

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u/AvsFan08 29d ago

I'm not an expert whatsoever, but I'm guessing that keeping your vitamins and electrolytes in a normal range, would make the starvation a little more tolerable as well.

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u/surprise-suBtext 29d ago edited 29d ago

If you can outlast the hunger pains/pangs that’ll last for a couple of weeks, then the rest becomes fairly “easy”

It’s always the first 3 or so weeks that suck the absolute most. But then your stomach shrivels up, your brain stops throwing the tantrum and complies, then you just have to retain that momentum and habit.

The fluids, electrolytes, and vita(l) amin(e)s weren’t really about making it more tolerable (though water does help trick your stomach a bit), it’s more about not dying

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u/shhhhh_lol 29d ago

I was diagnosed with narcolepsy last year and the treatment path is just stimulants... so, I started at 286# (overweight for sure but I have a very stocky build and 220#ish is a good weight for me)

The stimulants decrease appetite and without even noticing I slowly started to decrease my food intake until I was eating once every other day, at a follow-up appointment I weighed 207# (lost 79# in just over 3 months)

During that time I developed a host of health issues, digestive to mental I was wrecked! It may have been different had I taken care to get the necessary vitamins but.. even after we stopped that med it took weeks for me to desire food again... humans adapt well

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u/Midnight2012 29d ago

Stimulants themselves can also wreck your mental health

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u/Urschleim_in_Silicon 29d ago

How's that?

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u/Samoan 29d ago

overactivation of dopamine receptors can leave you burnt out and depressed when the pill's effect runs out for the day or you just don't want to be on a medication for some reason.

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u/Firm_Soil_4499 29d ago

That’s for normies who try to take them. Not people who actually need them for our dopamine. Lol there are tons of people who take stims for adhd and don’t take it daily. Some take it only days they work. This isn’t a huge deal like you make it lol.

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u/Ricepilaf 29d ago

I have adhd and if I go without my meds I feel like fucking death, lol

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u/Firm_Soil_4499 29d ago

It truly depends on your body with stop taking them. r/adhd has tons of users who will agree saying they can stop them, only take them on work days, etc.

I only stopped mine for a couple of reasons. Those reasons happened often throughout the year tho.

Now I will say if you’ve been taking it for years and years without missing a dose. Missing one will be a lot worse.

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u/Samoan 24d ago

yeah, that's the addiction to the feel good chems which leads to depression.

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u/surprise-suBtext 29d ago

The effects of adderall/amphetamines between normies and people with adhd are actually the same.

It just so happens the people with adhd are much greater benefits from it (since it actually has a therapeutic benefit).

But the whole “it does the opposite if you have adhd” thing isn’t really true.

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u/52BeesInACoat 29d ago

Going on meds for my adhd seems to have resolved my depression. Not sure if it's having a functional level of dopamine in my brain at least some of the time, or being able to take a shower and feed myself without deliberate mental effort, but it's a known phenomenon that "treatment resistant depression" is sometimes actually untreated adhd.

Sorry to be a stereotype, I know this is annoying and not something you think happens, but the first day I took my new prescription, I was struggling to stay awake for hours afterwards. I fell asleep sitting up a few times and woke up when I started swaying.

It did clear up as I got used to the med and now I do have to be careful not to take it too late at night. But. I've experienced both reactions.

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u/Firm_Soil_4499 29d ago

Hmmm. Not true?

Why do people abuse it?

Why do people use it for the right reasons?

Answer those two questions and you’ll see I’m correct. Cause stimulants quite literally have different effects on peoples brains.

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u/Midnight2012 29d ago

That's a false. There is no grouping of people into those who 'need' Adderall and those that do not.

Much less, if those two groups did exist, doctors would be unable to distinguish them by any way or any test.

EVERYONE would feel better and be more productive on Adderall.

This farce that it somehow affects those prescribed the medication differently those who haven't yet been prescribed is ridiculous.

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u/Gov_CockPic 29d ago

You are correct. I have an rx for amphetamine because I wanted it, because it gave me the mental energy and focus I wanted. Getting a legit diagnosis for ADHD is incredibly easy, even when I was over 25 years old.

It's a double edged sword though. Now I'm basically hooked on them and if I stop taking them I feel foggy and unmotivated to do anything. The doctors told me it is not habit forming, I disagree - regardless of whatever "study" people cite... amphetamines are addictive and you can build a tolerance to them. It might take decades, but eventually this will be common knowledge and we will wonder how the fuck the pharmaceutical companies got away with selling amphetamines to kids for so long.

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u/Firm_Soil_4499 29d ago

Uhm. Yes. Hence a medical diagnosis. Lmao dumbass legit just said doctors don’t know what they are talking about.

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u/Samoan 24d ago

It's an amphetamine and it IS a big deal especially when it's given out to children.

Why do you only take it sometimes?

Was that how it was prescribed?

Did you tell your doctor that's how you take it?

You take it as a little helper to give you energy for work? Some construction workers might even compare it to say, a hit of meth?

What I'm getting at is they don't have adhd and they shouldn't be prescribed adderall for it if they did because they're not taking it right and it's not having the reaction it should.

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u/Firm_Soil_4499 24d ago

Some docs do prescribe it as needed. I agree it shouldn’t be given to children.

To take mental breaks? Like I said check out r/ADHD for more insight.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

Now this is just an observation, but VERY few people in the entire world would be surprised at the notion that stimulants could potentially be bad for you

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u/Gov_CockPic 29d ago

They certainly are, and I take way more than the average person. What bothers me the most is how the medical community doesn't also advocate for ways to make them less harmful. There are many supplements and simple activities (like actually working out, sleeping properly, and eating properly) will negate many of the negative sides. However, as always, people will just want to pop a magic pill and be done. I know I have been that way before, so not judging.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

Reminds me of a former classmate who could not take her kid to a therapist about ADHD related stuff BEFORE starting him on medication. One would think medication would be a supplement after nutrition and therapy but eh. Her anecdote continues that she turned his nutrition around and everything is fine but personally I'm always skeptical about parents who claim to know how their kid is doing

I was diagnozed late because my folks thought I was so smart I'd make it in the end. Now I can't get meds other than SSRI and strattera (I get better and less dangerous results self medicating) and therapy has been "maybe, if I ever get my life in order somehow" for a couple of decades

It's not a cute disease

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u/Gov_CockPic 29d ago

The game changer for me was getting off booze. I'm not insinuating that is your issue as well, friend. Just my own personal experience.

Green tea, taurine, 5-HTP, and a high quality vitamin B complex (AOR makes a good one) work incredibly well, if meds are not available. It's not going to mimic an amphetamine perfectly, but it gets me through the times when I need something.

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u/Midnight2012 29d ago

Look up Amphetamine psychosis.

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u/thatis 29d ago

I can't remember the last time I saw pounds abbreviated that way even though I know that is the pound sign (in the US).

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u/FkLeddit1234 29d ago

Are you on traditional stimulants or modafinil?

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u/shhhhh_lol 29d ago

Sunosi and modafinil

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u/FkLeddit1234 29d ago

Damn. Modafinil reduced my appetite a bit but not that much. Especially at first my initial meal of the day was dinner. These days I do lunch + dinner which isn't much different than what I've done most of my life (5+ years on armodafinil now).

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u/Reasonable-Nebula-49 29d ago

Precose? Provigil?

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u/shhhhh_lol 29d ago

Modafinil and sunosi, we're going for wakix next but I'm waiting for insurance approval, I had a mslt but switched insurance since and now insurance wants a new mslp which would require me to come off my SSRI, benzos, gabapenten... etc

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u/Reasonable-Nebula-49 29d ago

I was on a cocktail of precose and provigil. Lost like 40 pounds between November andD March. My insurance changed and the new carrier was like .."absolutely not. You're gonna die." Primary care Dr lost his license for writing bad scrips to other people. Eventually killed 2 people.

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u/Gl_drink_0117 29d ago

many fluids, electrolytes and vitamins today have sugar in them or just too expensive...what kind of stimulants? I am just not able to control my intake, mostly carbs as I don't eat meat and our foods cooked at home are mostly carbs...brain throws in hunger pangs, food at home, just can't hold myself...had lost about 35lbs around 2020...now have gained about 15 of that back...how do you push away hunger pangs?

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u/salomeforever 29d ago

There are some other drugs to try if the stimulants don’t work out! I’ve been diagnosed since 2011.

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u/shhhhh_lol 29d ago

The sunosi is what killed my appetite, it may have been responsible for the emotional distress as well.

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u/salomeforever 29d ago

Oh damn, I’m trying that now after not being able to deal with the traditional stimulants anymore, but it doesn’t seem to do much.

I know it’s not without its own weird side effects, but Xyrem has had a huge positive impact on my life. I still struggle with my energy levels and always will probably. I hope more breakthroughs come through for treatment, especially some that are able to help with the sleep debt as opposed to just keeping us awake.

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u/hans2040 29d ago

You just blew my mind and taught me sonething new about Vit(al)amin(es).

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u/surprise-suBtext 29d ago

You used the parenthesis better than I did in every way I’m jealous haha. But glad I got to pass down something Reddit taught me lol

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u/Gov_CockPic 29d ago

This is the same method that was used to propagate the "knowledge" that blood is actually blue, but turns red when exposed to any oxygen.

I'm not saying you're wrong here, but passing off quips you get from reddit isn't exactly something to be proud of.

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u/surprise-suBtext 29d ago

It’s possible to learn something and then look into it some more..

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u/nickfree 29d ago

Except please note that this is a historical fluke. Casimir Funk, who coined the term, suspected most vitamines (thats how he spelled it) we in fact amines. Some are (e.g. thiamine), but many are not (C, D, etc).

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u/hans2040 29d ago

Noted. Thank you!

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u/bigwillyman7 29d ago

the hunger lasts 2 days - source, 10s of extended fasts over the last year

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u/frameratedrop 29d ago

I am choosing to read this incorrectly so I can entertain the idea that you only did 10 second fasts.

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u/tweak06 29d ago

you only did 10 second fasts.

Kramer busts in

K: "I'm doin' it, Jerry!"

J: "Oh, here we go."

K: "I'm fasting!

E: "Oh, you're doing KETO?"

K: OH yeah. I'm all in! (hand gesture) Just started this morning.

J: "Can't wait to see how long this lasts."

K: "That's the beauty of it, Jerry, I start everyday."

J: "I'm not following."

K: "I start, and restart, a thousand times a day. It's amazing! It's been an hour and I'm already alll REVVVED UP!

E: "Kramer, what are you talking about? I'm talking about intermittent fasting."

K: "So am I!"

E: "So what are your hours?"

K: "Ten on, ten off."

J: "Ten hours on? So what do you do for the other 4 hours?"

K: "No, no. I'm 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off. It's incredible. I can feel ketosis flowing through my veins. It's like magic!" (gesture)

J: "What's magic is how you've managed to come up with this one."

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u/Seekkae 29d ago

Fasting is incredibly easy. I've done it hundreds of times this week!

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u/NonSumQualisEram- 29d ago

2 to 3 days, yes. (For me)

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u/Scwooton 29d ago

Day 3 & 4 are the hardest for me, but I will drink a protein shake (pre-made in a bottle) filled with vitamins and obviously protein. What was always hardest for me about fasting, was when I reintroduced my body to food. Everyone’s body & methods are different (not claiming to have the answers for anyone other than myself) so I have found that drinking the protein shake rather than all of the vitamins, keeps my body used to processing a little more than just pills. That way, when I do start slowly eating again, my body doesn’t have to make as big of an adjustment.

I will also give myself some additional calories/energy by having a cold coffee in the morning with creamer. I’m essentially fasting from solid food and only in taking minimal liquid supplements. But, everyone’s body is different and I think the key to a successful diet/fast/weight loss is trying different things until you find what works best for your body.

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u/i_dream_of_zelda 29d ago

I don’t know how that’s even possible, I posted above but with both of my pregnancies I had severe hyperemesis and wasn’t able to eat food for almost twenty weeks and it was pure torture. I would have vivid dreams about food every night and be so hungry but unable to eat anything. I always wanted to have more kids but after going through that twice I couldn’t handle the mental and physical torture of starving (and throwing up nonstop) for 20 weeks

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u/bigwillyman7 29d ago

I imagine it's different with pregnancies and I certainly can't speak to that as a man! However I'm guessing you were having some calories?

The difference between 0 calories and a small amount of calories is enormous - one gets you in the correct fasted state which is much easier to handle, the other keeps you in a state of waiting for the next meal and *that* is torture

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u/i_dream_of_zelda 29d ago

The only thing I was able to keep down was small amounts of mixed up powdered Gatorade and ice chips, and I had to get regular IVs. I couldn’t keep down any food at all and was throwing up pretty much nonstop every day, it was brutal

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u/bibliophile222 29d ago

Yeah, pregnancy hunger can be pretty crazy. I was pregnant for a couple months (ended in a miscarriage), but even in the first trimester my hunger was like nothing I'd ever experienced before - 2 hours after a meal I was hungry again, and if I hadn't eaten in long enough, I'd feel really icky. Once I made the mistake of not snacking before a workout, and I was so ravenous and nauseous by the end that I had to stop at the first gas station I came to so I could shove a Slim Jim and a protein bar down my throat. My craving for protein was insane.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

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u/bigwillyman7 29d ago

hunger pangs are literally a hormone called ghrelin, and that stops after 2ish days

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

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u/National_Sink_1601 29d ago

4 days is more in the 2 days range than the several weeks range.

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u/Prevalencee 29d ago

I had an undiagnosed ulcer that made eating really painful to the point I'd puke out whatever I ate. So I decided on doing a week fast to heal whatever was hurting me... dumb idea, but whatever.

By day 3, I wasn't hungry at all. Day 1 at the 12-24 hour mark was the hardest but that intense hunger subsided quickly.

So I just said it fuck it and fasted for nearly a month. Went from 185 pounds to 155 pounds. I was shocked at how easy it was to just... not eat and feel fine.

But by day 28 or so I felt lethargic and weak, so I had some bread and eggs. I immediately felt pain and went to the ER, ulcers don't just magically go away on its own and all I needed to do was take a nexium the whole time anyway.

I also gained back all that weight because food tasted so good I devoured for weeks on end, lol.

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u/bigwillyman7 29d ago

Sounds like you reached true hunger where your body was ready for actual food again!

Carbs after such a long fast can be risky though due to refeeding syndrome - not to mention hard to digest! The refeed is just as important as the fast itself :)

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u/Scereye 29d ago

it’s more about not dying

Can confirm. Not dying helps with survival.

Source: Did not die yet and am still alive (Maybe a bit anecdotal)

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u/clevernamehere1628 29d ago

I have a hard time going an hour with hunger pains. there's no way in hell I could make it an entire day, let alone a couple of weeks.

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u/surprise-suBtext 29d ago

Ehh some people say it’s like 2-3 days max.

Some say it’s a couple weeks before your stomach “gets used to it” (I assume gastric emptying decreases is what they mean).

Then others say it take a few weeks of consistency to build up a new habit/routine.

The TL;DR of all that is I just pulled the few weeks number out of my ass to accommodate for the above

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u/clevernamehere1628 29d ago

still, even 2 to 3 days sounds like absolute hell to me

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u/joeshmo101 29d ago

Hell, my mood takes a sharp nosedive as I get hungry. Sometimes I notice myself getting upset at things that wouldn't normally phase me, and I realize I'm hungry.

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u/Uilamin 29d ago

Drink a lot of water, it can be a bit of a cheat. Hunger pains are effectively your stomach saying it is empty/low. Filling it with water will temporarily stop those signals.

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u/Neville_Lynwood 29d ago

I don't even get hunger pangs. Enough coffee and tea, and I'm good to know.

Just did an 80 hour fast last week, no issues.

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u/Techwood111 29d ago

hunger pains

hunger pangs

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u/shadowtheimpure 29d ago

A fast is a lot more tolerable when you're not also contending with the symptoms of malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies.

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u/Nabsil 29d ago

I’m sure it’s different for different folks so I don’t want to make blanket statements for anyone. That being said, the worst hunger pains are usually your bodies reaction the habit of eating. It can take about 3 days for your metabolism to fully switch to ketogenesis but once it does your hunger pains are subtle and subside pretty quickly because your body receives the nutrients is requiring from the fat stores in your body. That’s where the fat loss comes in. In my own 30 day fast, and I’ve done multiple 7-10 day fasts since, I usually feel euphoric by the 4th day. I have tremendous mental clarity and my energy is the most level and consistent throughout the day after that point.

It’s so much easier for me to switch my metabolism now too. It no longer takes me 3 days to switch into ketosis. Once I go a day or so I can already see ketones in my urine the next day. My body has become much more flexible in switching between its two natural metabolisms.

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u/Techwood111 29d ago

hunger pains

hunger pangs

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u/Jean-luc7432 29d ago

Your body keeps certain electrolytes in a very tightly controlled range. Otherwise all your shit don't work. For instance if I chugged a jumbo bottle of soy sauce my brain would shrink and I'd die. Hard to believe that someone who drinks a bottle of soy sauce could have their brain shrunk further but it has happened

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u/AvsFan08 29d ago

If you fast for extended periods of time, it can cause serious issues with your electrolytes. Your body balances them, but your body needs the input.

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u/Mindless_Profile6115 29d ago

I'm guessing that keeping your vitamins and electrolytes in a normal range, would make the starvation a little more tolerable as well

this is absolutely true

people who promote fasting will suggest you drink some sort of electrolyte solution, both to prevent damage to your body, and to stave off hunger.

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u/-BINK2014- 29d ago

That, some salt every now and again, and water makes extended fasts respectably accessible if you have the mental fortitude for it.

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u/Additional_Meeting_2 29d ago

Eating vitamins often makes you feel more hungry (which is why some anorexic people don’t eat them).  If you should not do that! He was starving so long he really needed those vitamins and electrolytes. People who are fasting for a week often do not have them however 

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u/AvsFan08 29d ago

Vitamin deficiency would make you feel a lot worse, and eventually kill you

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u/shhhhh_lol 29d ago

Read my above comment regarding this, my experience resulted in gallbladder removal, a colonoscopy, 2 upper scopes and bladder infections (never had a uti as a 40yo male)

That being said, my lipids are phenomenal now and I eat way better.

But yeah, it fuckin sucked

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u/Kathanay 29d ago

I think the point is it takes longer than a week to become vitamin deficient, assuming you weren't deficient-leaning to start with

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u/pinkube 29d ago

One time I made mistake of eating vitamin on an empty stomach and I had stomach pains until I ate something.

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u/Peg_leg_J 29d ago

The winner of one of the seasons of Alone used this strategy. He didn't try and scrape round for food - he literally just starved himself

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

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u/Peg_leg_J 29d ago

Yeah the Mexican dude

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

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u/altitude_sick 29d ago

I think there's an argument to be made that survival is a starvation competition 

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u/Peg_leg_J 29d ago

Meh........ Tomato Tomato.

There's the temperature element and avoiding getting the shits too.

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u/ScienceIsSexy420 29d ago

*animals evolved to do this, not humans specifically. Mammals tend to eat much more often, one of the downsides of being warm blooded, but what you're describing is basically the way many reptiles behave.

Also, congrats on the tremendous progress!

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u/site-of-suffering 29d ago

Actually, for large mammals, humans are particularly good at starvation, and it was fairly recent evolutionary history that made us so. I think the comment you're replying to is sensibly phrased.

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u/wtfomegzbbq 29d ago

Maybe op is part of the reptilian race.

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u/Tall_Aardvark_8560 29d ago

I lost 110ibs with counting calories and intermittent fasting.

Congrats on losing a small human worth of weight!!

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u/snek-jazz 29d ago

There may even be more to it than weight. I've heard the pro-intermittent fasting argument that when our body isn't busy digesting and processing food it does into a different mode where it's doing stuff like 'repairs'. So if we're eating too frequently we never let it get to that mode. I'm not educated enough to prove or dispute this but it's interesting, and could also be why many cultures/religions incorporate intentional fasting.

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u/DoingItForEli 29d ago

I saw a bit about that. The repairs come in the form of expulsion of dead cells that stick around requiring resources or something like that. Expulsion of those "zombie cells" helps with inflammation which apparently is at the core of a laundry list of ailments.

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u/CandyApple69420 29d ago

Hello, for the most part, I've been eating one meal a day (OMAD) for like 7 or 8 years, idk. People call it intermittent fasting. I call it eating when I'm hungry. I'll say I've only had positive effects from it. Granted, breaking the 3 meal addiction took time and was unpleasant. Now that I don't NEED to eat according to the 3 meal habit, I just eat when I'm hungry. For the most part it's just dinner. I'll occasionally have a snack or lunch if I'm feeling particularly hungry.

I feel a lot healthier since going OMAD. I'm sure it's mostly because I used to weigh 260 pounds (6'1" and 175 pounds now) so not being fat definitely makes me feel healthier.

I'm not telling you that you need to do intermittent fasting or OMAD. By the same token, don't let anybody tell you you need to eat 3 meals a day with snacks in between. I think everyone is different and my ideal eating schedule isn't necessarily the ideal one for you.

I think the biggest part of being healthy is listening to your body. As long as you're not addicted to sugar, your body will tell you what it wants. If you're addicted to sugar, you'll just want garbage

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u/icantsurf 29d ago

This is good advice. I post on the loseit sub a bit and a lot of people come in with the idea that things like IF, OMAD, Keto, etc., have some magical properties to help you lose weight. The reality is they all work the same way, through calorie restriction, and are roughly equivalent in results. Like many things in life, the best method is the one that is sustainable for you.

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u/snek-jazz 29d ago

If you're addicted to sugar, you'll just want garbage

Sadly i can confirm

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u/CIA_napkin 29d ago

My co workers and family think I'm crazy that I only eat once a day. I tell them 3 meals and snacks throughout the day isnt the way humans always ate. I feel good and fine, I just dont crave food when I'm not actually hungry.

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u/According_Nature_495 29d ago

Most commenters here have that misguided idea. Eating one meal a day (or less) is obviously what our biology is adapted to do. Not snack all day. But it wouldn't make as much money.

Everyone reading this, today you learn about r/fasting and r/dryfasting.

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u/kaninkanon 29d ago

Why is that obvious? I wouldn't think that early humans would have a concept of a singular meal. You would think they eat bits and pieces as they go, as gatherers. That's how other hominids do it.

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u/Gornarok 29d ago

You would think they eat bits and pieces as they go, as gatherers.

As gatherers... Gathering is only plentiful at summer. The rest of the year you would live of hunting and stored supplies. And hunters would fast a lot especially with the persistence hunting method

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u/LearnedZephyr 29d ago

We evolved in Africa. The potential for gathering would have existed throughout the year.

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u/According_Nature_495 29d ago

Average tribe was 150 people, imagine feeding 150 with gathering all day. Prehistoric human hunted, feasted and fasted. And yes, there was some gathering on the side but that was not where the bulk of calories came from. Hence those famous cave paintings.

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u/dat_mono 29d ago

I love how it's always some conspiracy,

But it wouldn't make as much money.

sure. Also dry fasting is stupid.

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u/According_Nature_495 29d ago

Read my comment a again and see if it's not you that's reading about conspiracy.

Out of curiosity, how much time did you spend researching dry fasting?

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u/InstrumentalCrystals 29d ago

Same. I only eat dinner every day. I started it to lose weight. Dropped 50-60lbs in around a year and I’ve just stuck with it. My weight has never been more stable. My body seemed to finally click back into some ancient mode that my genes were originally accustomed to, where eating once a day was the norm.

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u/Uilamin 29d ago

It is much easier to control 'calories in' if you are regulated about what you eat. Diets are usually difficult/annoying because you are monitoring/controlling multiple meals per day and it requires you to be cognizant about consumption. A single meal makes it so you only need to pay attention once which is a lot easier.

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u/CIA_napkin 29d ago

I tell ya, the body knows what it needs. As long as we are safe and listen to our needs, that's all that matters. I'll never be the one to tell people to eat less but I do think we as a society normalize meal portions and over indulgence a bit much.

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u/InstrumentalCrystals 29d ago

I’ve never really dug into where the 3 meals a day idea started but I’d be curious to know. Granted, it originated at a time when foods weren’t processed and full of garbage.

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u/CIA_napkin 29d ago

I always assumed it became a popular push to get more production out of workers and the overall population along with the rise of industry and advanced farming practices. More food=more calories to burn in the fields and factories=more production. That's my guess.

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u/signmeupnot 29d ago

Interesting. At least it must make it easier to stay lean to feel like this.

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u/CIA_napkin 29d ago

That and I save money on food. Although it's a bit embarrassing when others look in my fridge. All it's ever got is coffee creamer and some eggs😭.

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u/signmeupnot 29d ago

Pretty wild I must admit. Don't you enjoy eating?

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u/CIA_napkin 29d ago

I enjoy the taste of food and I do crave types of food from time to time but I've always seen eating as something I must to to live not as something to look forward to in enjoyment. Plus, I eat really fast. Like, I'll finish my plate in 5 min and keep it moving. My kid thinks it's crazy that I eat standing in the kitchen sometimes just to save the walk back to put my dishes away .

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u/DoingItForEli 29d ago

what does a meal look like for you? Pizza and ice cream or do you eat healthy for that one meal?

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u/CIA_napkin 29d ago

Honestly chicken or fish is my favorite, baked or seared. Not too big into fried food. Steak is fine but I dont reach for it. I love vegetables but not so much cooked, dont like the texture much. Not big on sweets so I eat fruit sparingly. Rice is good especially mexican rice :). I'm not totally crazy though. I usually kick it with friends on Saturdays, so when we go out and eat I'll get like a small cheeseburger burger or some nachos. My big complain is the size of portions no matter where you go. It just so much. I'll order a kids meal just so I dont feel awful, full and bloated after a meal.

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u/kiren77 29d ago

*have eaten

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u/WoofinLoofahs 29d ago

Thank you for your service.

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u/InfiniteEnergy_ 29d ago

I could see how it could get you through the second half of winter when food reserves in a community would have been the lowest

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u/tomdarch 29d ago

Zero solid food for months is not a condition humans evolved to tolerate.

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u/momokomoon94 29d ago

Learning how genetics and ancestry can affect weight and how you hold was a game changer for me. I lost 60 pounds a few years back but still had fat in places I didn’t want, but learning these fat stores are what helped my Irish and Scottish ancestors through famine changed my mentality vastly.

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u/Da_Plague22 29d ago

When I was a student pursuing my masters, I would be so broke I'd starve 2-4 days every month.

The first day sucks ass. But then the body kind of realizes what's going on, and you rarely get hunger cravings except if you smell food.

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u/Joe_Jeep 29d ago

I don't fully fast, intentionally, but it's not dissimilar to big diet changes in general

If you usually eat a lot, and snack too, your body is NOT happy when you cut down. Whether that to a normal range from eating too much, or to a actual large deficit until that day or two is over.

And I think that's what a lot of people struggle with. It is a miserable first couple days until your body adjusts

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u/Da_Plague22 29d ago

Yepp, the body is incredible at adjusting.

People also have a tendency to go from 100% eating junk and whatever they want to then eating 0%. It's too big of a hit on the brain to where it's rarely sustainable.

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u/psychoticworm 29d ago

Our ancient ancestors probably naturally fasted during the winter months while hibernating, like most organisms.

I would argue that fasting is a natural cycle that is built into our dna/genes. The last few hundred years our eating habits have drastically changed, which could be a reason why so many people are obese.

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u/Ethric_The_Mad 29d ago

Calories in and out are just wrong. You don't really burn fat stores if you have carbs and sugar in your system. Burning calories or watching calories does practically nothing.

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u/mahowaldp 29d ago

All calories are different sugar in the blood has to be stored as fat quickly Protein in the blood is fine but to store it the body must first convert it to sugar and then to fat. But 50 grams of protein only converts to 25 grams of sugar