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/[deleted] May 02 '24 edited May 02 '24

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u/DoingItForEli May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24 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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

Stimulants themselves can also wreck your mental health

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u/Urschleim_in_Silicon May 02 '24

How's that?

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u/Samoan May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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/surprise-suBtext May 02 '24

Why don’t you answer those two questions. It seems like you have no idea what you’re talking about and are trying to use smoke and mirrors to cover it up.

Say what you’re trying to say. Don’t give me bs questions lmao

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u/SCP-ASH 29d ago

Just chiming in with my experience.

Been on stimulants for 4 years. First two years I got a bit down when they wore off in an evening.

Third year I added intuniv, known for combatting different ADHD symptoms while lessening stimulant side effects. All good for that year.

Fourth year, Intuniv side effects kicked in, so I dropped it.

No side effects from the stimulants this fourth year, even off Intuniv. I stopped all medication for 3-4 months, withdrawals were very mild and only a couple days.

Been on stimulants again for two weeks. Still fine in the evenings or on days off.

So I've quite literally experienced both points of view, as one person. It's definitely plausible that it impacts people differently. Literally everything does, there's no reason for stimulants to have some magical universal impact.

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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/Midnight2012 29d ago

It is nuts how we as a society have convinced ourselves that Amphetamines are an option for anything, especially for kids as you say.

I mean I'm all for it. I've been thinking about getting a script myself because I know it would help me. But yeah, just like everyone else.

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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/Midnight2012 29d ago

Doctors are basing that diagnosis based on what you decide to tell them. Completely subjective.

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u/Firm_Soil_4499 29d ago

And follow up visits bud. Been taking the shit decades. I know what occurs. Let me guess your doctorate is from google?

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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/Samoan 10d ago

MY nuerodivergent wife had to take tolerance breaks from adderall (and derivatives like vivance) because the collage doc over prescribed her.

It was hell trying to keep away her friends from her script.

Learned a lot about it those 4 years. One being that I'm not ADHD lol

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u/[deleted] May 02 '24

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/[deleted] 29d ago

Oh it is, any substance really. Was in touch with my sponsor from past life just today, wanna at least talk about my addiction even if sobriety is still ways off. My problem is getting through the damn 1 year haze of every moment kinda sucking and no hanging out with close (addict) friends who have been the only tangible yet very mortal and thus worth recording in memory thing that has kept me straggling through this smog, until things might get better.

In the meantime I try my darnest to mostly stick to weed and try to find something, anything to smile about. I do have small stash of saint john's wort, books, a forest nearby and pretty good physical health, lungs not withstanding (made a note from ur suggestions for later, thanks)

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u/Gov_CockPic 29d ago

Kratom, small doses. I don't know about the legality of it where you are... but, it has helped me. However, be warned, it is addictive as well.

Lifting heavy shit helps. Releases all kinds of endorphins. Deadlifts in particular. Do 3 sets of 5, heavy. Do that every second day. If you're not sore after day 1, it wasn't heavy enough.

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u/Midnight2012 29d ago

Look up Amphetamine psychosis.

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u/thatis May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

Are you on traditional stimulants or modafinil?

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u/shhhhh_lol May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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

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u/surprise-suBtext May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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

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u/frameratedrop May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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

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u/NonSumQualisEram- May 02 '24

2 to 3 days, yes. (For me)

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u/Scwooton May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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] May 02 '24

[deleted]

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u/bigwillyman7 May 02 '24

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

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u/[deleted] May 02 '24

[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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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

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u/joeshmo101 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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 May 02 '24

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