Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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Okay so I fell off the band wagon pretty bad this last week and I really need to re-establish my relationship with food. I've been strict Paleo for six months but I'm kind of an all or nothing person so when I mess up one day, I binge, and it's hard to get back on track. Once I do though, I'm fine for months. I know by just eating strict Paleo again that I would be able to lose the 5 pounds I gained, but that would probably take me a month. And the thought of having to wait a month or longer to get these so-easily gained 5 lbs off really frusterates/stresses me out. I think I might gain more weight just from the stress if I don't do this fast haha. I just want to jumpstart the whole thing so I can clear my mind of the SAD. I've done 7 day water fasts before, but I'm just wondering if anyone has done a 10-14 day water fast and what their fat loss results were? I'm not really worried about muscle loss because that's easily regainable. It's FAT that's hard to lose, specifically around my lower stomach. This article has me excited about the whole thing:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting-weight-loss/#ixzz21yP8lp4c

But I'm just curious of other people's fat loss experiences/encouragment? I have a solid maintenance Paleo plan all worked out for after too :)

edited Jul 29 at 16:04

asked Jul 29 at 5:42

Amber
1,273●7●18

	how was your experience with your first 7 day water fast? – mzrdnan Jul 29 at 12:38
	my expearience was that it went really really well actually! I was tired throughout, but it did help me with my relationship to food AND weight loss. Also I have nothing planned for the next two weeks so I think it will be even easier than last time becausue I can rest if I want. (I was on a camping trip the last one haha) I seemed to lose some fat, not as much as I wanted, but I'm thinking if I would've done just a LITTLE longer that I would've seen the results I was looking for. – Amber Jul 29 at 13:26

paleoguy11 · Accepted Answer · 2012-07-30 01:45:23Z UTC

1

no doubt you will lose fat, and the more you move during the fast the more you lose

go for it, experiment!

I personally have done an 8day and a 9day fast and it is difficult. I do one day fasts but not long fasts anymore.

answered Jul 30 at 1:45

paleoguy11
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	Yay thank you for this!! sometimes its good to hear someone else reinforce you. and yah I think I'm just going to this extended fast and then switch to 24 hour fasts once a week. Curious do you think a 24 hour juice fast would be better once a week than a water fast to avoid muscle loss(since I've read muscle is mostly lost first 1-3 days of a fast) or do you just do water fasts? – Amber Jul 30 at 4:49
	do it, see for yourself :) I personally haven`t done any juice fasts so I can`t comment. I also have heard that the most muscle loss is during the first few days but i would think that that shouldn`t be a problem if you regularly work out which is also a very good idea in addition to eating paleo. You just feel amazing after a session. – paleoguy11 Aug 7 at 2:31

Crowbar · Answer 2 · 2012-07-29 06:03:55Z UTC

This seems like just another extreme, and not good for your body. I suggest that an all-or-nothing approach either way is detrimental in the long run. What's five pounds? What's a month? Neither of those things is worth hurting yourself. What if the five pounds is water? What if you lose five pounds of muscle instead of fat? Will you be better off?

Learning to moderate extreme behaviour will help you when you fall off the paleo-wagon again. I know you asked for experience, and my personal experience is that extended fasts are harmful to your body and your relationship with your body, which whether you're five pounds overweight, or fifty pounds overweight, or on hundred pounds overweight, deserves your kindness.

I want to add that Mark's example in that article is extreme. I do do small IFs, but would never do a two week one. Also, the man in that article was under direct medical supervision. While MDA does recommend fasts, they are of short duration, not extended.

Team Oberg · Answer 3 · 2012-07-29 12:33:14Z UTC

I know that it can be hard to get back on track because you body craves that junk food. If you like sweet foods eat fruit when you get cravings, until they pass. Also, don't limit your caloric intake your first week of eating strict paleo again, your hunger signals will be out of whack for a while because of falling off the wagon, it's OK to eat a little(or a lot) more than usual until your body can re-adapt. Once you feel like you have a good handle on this paleo thing again you can work on losing that 5 pounds, which shouldnt take you more than a month of eating clean. Fasting has helped me and many others get a grasp on hunger signals and lose weight, but the fasts are kept in a certain time window. Read "Eat Stop Eat" or "Leangains" website if you are confused about this. Seriously though, 5 pounds is not that much, once your body gets fat-adapted again you will be fine.

Thommo · Answer 4 · 2012-07-30 07:12:24Z UTC

Bullet Proof Exec has an interesting article titled the Bulletproof Rapid Fat Loss Protocol: How to Lose Fat Way Faster Than You Should.

It's basically a five or six day fast then a one day carb re-feed. He even says in the article that it's better to perform 18 hour fasts instead, but that if you're desperate for fast results then to try that instead. It has a strict supplement regime though, and this is necessary due to the harsh nature of the fast.

One of his client's lost 75lb in 75 days. Impressive numbers.

However, he also says it should not be tried by people who only need to lose ten pounds, so my advice would be to follow his 18 hour fasting strategy instead. If you like coffee, then you should be able to stick to his diet pretty easily because it revolves around his "bulletproof coffee recipe and paleo eating.

It's an interesting site. But the rapid fat loss protocol is a bit too scary for me.

Extended Water Fast & Fat loss

4 Answers