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Fasting

Phases of (water) fasting (below). By the end of the 2nd week of fasting, the majority of energy is derived from the metabolism of ketones.

  • GastroIntestinal (to 6 hours)
  • Glycogenolysis (to 24-48 hours). Mobilizing glycogen stores. Marathoners "hit the wall" when they run out of glycogen stores.
  • Ketosis (from 72 hours on). Your brain changes from glucose to ketone (fat) burning.
  • Gluconeogenesis (14 days). When you begin to mobilize proteins and convert them to sugar.

Miscellaneous (notes)

Fasting (introduction)

  • Is Ketosis Dangerous? (Science of Fasting & Low Carb Keto). Posted 7/2/2017. Percentage-wise, newborn babies have 5 times higher levels of ketones than adults.
  • The Easiest Way to Get Into Ketosis and Lose Weight. Posted 8/17/2017. Brain will use 75% of ketones when in the 3rd or 4th day of fasting.
  • Endocrinology - Glucagon. Posted 12/1/2012. Both insulin and glucagon are produced in the Pancreas (among other things). Glucagon will stimulant breakdown of adipose tissue into Glycerol and Fatty Acids which are sent to the liver. The liver then promotes the fatty acids to ketone bodies. The liver will also perform gluconeogenesis from glycerol and produce glucose-6-phosphate which then becomes glucose and then sent from the liver to the body via the blood.
  • Difference Between Juice Fasting and Water Fasting #555. Posted 4/26/2010.
  • Fasting: A Modern Application of an Ancient Practice - Dr Alan Goldhamer. Posted 1/17/2016. Has a water-fasting clinic in Santa Rosa, California, TrueNorth Health Center.
  • Megahome Countertop Water Distiller Stainless, Glass Collection. I'm a chemist and I'll tell you a little secret about activated carbon sachets in the spout of water distillers: don't use them! Instead, I would recommend filtering the water first. In doing so, you will remove the odorants from the water which the carbon *attempts* to remove. This is the intrinsic flaw of the distiller -- it removes everything (even plutonium!) except for odors. Activated carbon does a so-so job of removing unpalatable odors, but pre-filtered water will have significantly less odors (if any at all) yielding much tastier water. If your water still tastes bad after pre-filtering, consider storing your water in a different container. Remember that distilled water is so pure that it will even pick up the plastic flavor from an all-glass container with a tiny plastic insert in the lid! The white exterior version here: Megahome Countertop Water Distiller, White, Glass Collection.
  • Day 10: Mari's First day on juice. Posted 10/18/2013. She describes the refeeding schedule after a long (10-day). Includes (1) juices, (2) steamed/raw, (3) grains, (4) seeds/nuts. For every week of fasting, the refeeding will be one day of each: juice, then steamed/raw, then grains, then seeds/nuts. Each subsequent day can include the prior items; thus, on the third day you can eat steamed and raw with the grains. On a 14-day fast, the first two days would be juices only, then two days of steamed/raw, etc. On juice day: 4 juices a day (9am, 12noon, 3pm, and 6pm). First juice is watermelon/celery, then a green juice (celery/cucumber/spinach/apple) at 12noon and 3pm, then at 6pm the green juice includes carrot instead of the apple. On raw day it's mostly fruits like melon, cantaloupe, mango, etc. to get sugar back in the blood.
  • Tanglewood water fasting risks - my story. Posted 1/5/2017. Patient was in danger of dying because of low Sodium and B1 and other minerals in the blood from too much drinking of water in the (21-day) fast.
  • Fasted State. Posted 5/5/2014. Reasonably accurate diagrammed discussion.
  • Fasting vs. Eating Less: What's the Difference? (Science of Fasting). Posted 6/21/2017. The phenomenon of calorie restriction versus fasting. Ghrelin levels normally increase to produce hunger prior to the schedule one eats. When fasting, ghrelin levels decrease each day of the fast.
  • Insulin and glucagon | Chemical Processes | MCAT | Khan Academy. Posted 4/16/2015. Glycolysis (to ATP), Glycogenesis (to glycogen), Lipogenesis (to lipids for storage), Glycogenolysis (glycogen to glucose), gluconeogenesis (amino acids to glucose). Fatty acids to ketone bodies (3 types) is ketogenesis.
  • Weight Loss & Liver: How Dehydration Slows Fat Loss- Thomas DeLauer. Posted 8/16/2017.

Fasting (general)

Intermittent Fasting

Fasting-alternatives

Brown and White Fat

  • Dr. Benjamin Bikman - 'Insulin vs. Ketones - The Battle for Brown Fat'. Posted 3/17/2017. The speaker is a low-carb, high-fat advocate which I disagree with, but the research findings is very revealing. Also see: Insulin, Brown Fat & Ketones w/ Benjamin Bikman, PhD. To create a fat cell (ie. adiposite) from a stem cell, you need insulin (i.e. adipogenesis). Also, you need insulin to store fat in the fat cells (i.e. lipogenesis). Insulin shuts down brown fat production or conversion from white fat. When ketones come to white fat, it makes white fat act more like brown fat (i.e. mitochondria decoupling occurs).
  • Boosting Brown Fat Through Diet. Posted 8/7/2015. Exposure to cold weather, eating spicy foods, and eating more soy foods, seeds, nuts and beans will increase the burning of brown fat.
  • Dr Paul Lee - Treating Diabetes and Obesity Through Brown Fat. Posted 6/9/2014.
  • What is the Difference Between Brown and White Fat? Posted 5/28/2013. Good brief presentation by an MD.
  • What Is Leptin?. Posted 1/24/2017. Leptin is the "satiety" hormone. It is released by fat cells to tell the brain that you should stop eating. High leptin levels does not necessarily cause one to stop eating, because there can be "leptin-resistance" (similar to insulin resistance). Thus, you might have high leptin levels but you are still hungry. A key to restore the leptin mechanism is to lower insulin levels.
  • What Causes Leptin Resistance? — Stephan Guyenet, Ph.D. (AHS14). Posted 8/11/2014. Damage to the hypothalamus creates obesity. Leptin is widely accepted as the most important known regulator of body fatness in mammals. Leptin is produced by fat cells which travel to the brain and used by the hypothalamus to regulate fat storage, food intake and energy expenditure. Potential causes of hypothalamic leptin resistance: (1) inflammatory signaling, (2) accumulation of lipid metabolites, and (3) excessive leptin exposure. Also see more recent interview here: Stephan Guyenet: The Hungry Brain, Why We Overeat, and How to Beat Food Cravings (posted 11/18/2016).
  • (1) inflammatory signaling: Inflammation is an immune response. If you increase gut dysfunction it increases visceral fat--example, colitis. When (fermentable) fiber was added to the diet, the gut inflammation was reduced, there was less leptin/insulin resistance and the rats became leaner. Conclusion is that gut bacteria need (fermentable) fiber to remain healthy. Also, more fat in the body results in more inflammatory factors to be released in the fat cells and increase fat-cell inflammation and leptin/insulin resistance. Also, refined foods increase (LPS) inflammation. Also, physical activity is anti-inflammatory.
  • (2) accumulation of lipid metabolites: How do you get cellular fatty acid overload? The more fat you have, the more fatty acids are released into the body. Also, the type of fat you consume is a factor. The more palmitic acid vs. oleic acid, the more leptin/insulin resistance.
  • (3) excessive leptin exposure: Artificially elevating leptin in the context of a fattening (unhealthy) diet paradoxically accelerates fat gain. How do you get elevated leptin? Answer: overeating--i.e. excess calories. Holiday weight gain in the U.S. Over the six-week holiday period, 52% percent of the annual weight gain occurs in this short (12%) period of the year.

Symptoms of Insulin Resistance

  • Belly fat - despite situps
  • Plateaued - despite eating healthy
  • Carbs reduce stress - less cranky
  • Crave sugars and carbs
  • Need a nap after eating
  • Brain fog
  • Worse eyesight
  • Not satisfied after eating
  • Need to urinate in the middle of the night. Wherever the sugar goes, water goes.
  • Swollen belly as day progresses.

Rice diet to lose weight

Problems with Paleo

Reference: What I Wish Someone Had Told Me In Medical School About Nutrition.

  • Chronic ketosis - after depleting all muscle glycogen
  • It's a constant acid load
  • Hard on the bones (osteoporosis + magnesium loss)
  • High uric acid production - leads to kidney stones, gout
  • High protein diets are toxic to kidneys
  • Carnitine in meat spawns plaque-promoting bacteria.

Fasting stories