Epola
Intelligent Mogger
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- May 8, 2021
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Why starvemax:
Let's say we want to lose ten pounds of fat. There are approximately 3,500kcal in one pound of fat, therefore we need to burn an additional 35,000kcal to reach our goal. A standard diet plan may require a 500kcal deficit per day, which would result in weight loss of 1lb of bodyfat per week, +/- fluctuating water weight, and we would reach our goal in 10 weeks. A more ambitious plan might require a 1000kcal deficit, resulting in a weight loss of 2lbs per week, and having us reach our goal twice as fast, in 5 weeks. Or we could just stop eating, and we could reach our goal in about two weeks or significantly less.
Explaining hunger:
It is not as simple as "body doesn't have food, feel hungry"; hunger is a hormonal signal which wanes and waxes based on various stimuli. The primary stimulus we'll discuss is the absorption of carbohydrates, which is the primary culprit behind the feelings of hunger we're used to. When we eat carbohydrates, our bodies reduce them to their most readily available form, which is sugar (although we refer to it as glucose). Our bodies quickly store unused glucose by converting it to glycogen, which is bound to water and held primarily in muscle tissue. Carbohydrates (including the glycogen we hold in our bodies) spike insulin, which in turn spikes our hunger hormones (ghrelin). As glycogen is the most readily available energy source our bodies store, our bodies will prefer to consume glycogen before they begin consuming our stores of fat, meaning that the first several days of a fast will typically be the most difficult, as we fight through frequent spikes of ghrelin. But this isn't how things need to be.
How to prepare for a fast:
Of course we could simply divebomb straight from an ordinary diet into a fast, or we could try and be a little less retarded. In the days leading up to a fast, I recommend:
-Intermittent fasting with gradually increasing windows to prepare for the psychological effect of not eating for long periods of time.
-Slowly reducing calories to attune your body to burning bodyfat instead of food, and also to ease the adjustment of your digestive system.
-Reducing the amount of carbohydrates in our diet and increasing the amount of quality proteins and fats; not only will this further deplete glycogen reserves going in to ensure a smoother transition, but it will also give our bodies increased resources to draw from while not eating.
Fasting itself:
Regardless of how you do a fast, it's unlikely to be easy. That's okay. Suck it up bitch. But also here are some tips:
-Consumption of electrolytes during a fast is not strictly necessary. However, if you feel faint or nauseous, eat some salt. If you want to go above and beyond you can even get an electrolyte mix, although first ensure it's 0 calories.
-Light endurance exercise can burn fat even faster, so this is something to consider if you really want to Jordan Barrett yourself. However, your body will be less efficient at deriving its energy from bodyfat than it was from food, so strenuous activity may result in lightheadedness at least and greater consequences of bodily stress at worse. If you're exercising at all, I'd recommend at least supplementing salt.
-Some of you may be inclined to continue gymmaxxing while fasting. I wouldn't recommend it. You may be afraid that you'll lose muscle from not working out while in a calorie deficit, however I can assure you that you will lose more muscle mass by training in a prolonged fast. Protein required to repair muscles after a workout must come from somewhere, after all. Take a break. The gains will come back fast.
How to artificially extend fast:
During a fast your body will slowly become more adept at utilizing fat for energy. This is a process known as ketosis, during which fatty acids will be broken down into ketones, which are used as your body's fuel source. This happens in every weight loss diet, though because we are using them as our sole fuel source, the efficiency of ketosis is significantly increased, and therefore so is the decomposition of fat. It is possible to break your fast while maintaining this hyper ketogenic, low ghrelin state simply by eating pure dietary fats. Eating carbohydrates would convert our bodies systems to again burning glucose instead of ketones, and eating protein would do the same; protein can convert to glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis (at a poor exchange rate, but a relevant one). If a fast has grown difficult enough that you can't continue any longer, there is a way to break the fast while still maintaining your fasted state, though to do this we must eat nothing but fats. Butter or olive oil might not be what you dreamed about while fasting, but it will give your body enough satiety to continue through hard days. Even pure fats, however, should be kept to a minimum as we are trying to burn bodyfat, not dietary fat.
Ending a fast:
People will say it matters a lot what you eat after coming off a several day or several week fast. Tbh the most important thing is that the portion sizes should be small. A small snack will taste like a feast. Several hours later, you could eat a small meal. Several hours later, you could be eating normally again, according to how your digestive system handles the incremental increases. It is important not to rush.
After the fast you may be tempted to engage in a period of indulgence. If you do this you're retarded. Don't undo your progress.
That's it everyone. We can all look like skeletons in a matter of days or weeks, we just need to put our minds to it
Let's say we want to lose ten pounds of fat. There are approximately 3,500kcal in one pound of fat, therefore we need to burn an additional 35,000kcal to reach our goal. A standard diet plan may require a 500kcal deficit per day, which would result in weight loss of 1lb of bodyfat per week, +/- fluctuating water weight, and we would reach our goal in 10 weeks. A more ambitious plan might require a 1000kcal deficit, resulting in a weight loss of 2lbs per week, and having us reach our goal twice as fast, in 5 weeks. Or we could just stop eating, and we could reach our goal in about two weeks or significantly less.
Explaining hunger:
It is not as simple as "body doesn't have food, feel hungry"; hunger is a hormonal signal which wanes and waxes based on various stimuli. The primary stimulus we'll discuss is the absorption of carbohydrates, which is the primary culprit behind the feelings of hunger we're used to. When we eat carbohydrates, our bodies reduce them to their most readily available form, which is sugar (although we refer to it as glucose). Our bodies quickly store unused glucose by converting it to glycogen, which is bound to water and held primarily in muscle tissue. Carbohydrates (including the glycogen we hold in our bodies) spike insulin, which in turn spikes our hunger hormones (ghrelin). As glycogen is the most readily available energy source our bodies store, our bodies will prefer to consume glycogen before they begin consuming our stores of fat, meaning that the first several days of a fast will typically be the most difficult, as we fight through frequent spikes of ghrelin. But this isn't how things need to be.
How to prepare for a fast:
Of course we could simply divebomb straight from an ordinary diet into a fast, or we could try and be a little less retarded. In the days leading up to a fast, I recommend:
-Intermittent fasting with gradually increasing windows to prepare for the psychological effect of not eating for long periods of time.
-Slowly reducing calories to attune your body to burning bodyfat instead of food, and also to ease the adjustment of your digestive system.
-Reducing the amount of carbohydrates in our diet and increasing the amount of quality proteins and fats; not only will this further deplete glycogen reserves going in to ensure a smoother transition, but it will also give our bodies increased resources to draw from while not eating.
Fasting itself:
Regardless of how you do a fast, it's unlikely to be easy. That's okay. Suck it up bitch. But also here are some tips:
-Consumption of electrolytes during a fast is not strictly necessary. However, if you feel faint or nauseous, eat some salt. If you want to go above and beyond you can even get an electrolyte mix, although first ensure it's 0 calories.
-Light endurance exercise can burn fat even faster, so this is something to consider if you really want to Jordan Barrett yourself. However, your body will be less efficient at deriving its energy from bodyfat than it was from food, so strenuous activity may result in lightheadedness at least and greater consequences of bodily stress at worse. If you're exercising at all, I'd recommend at least supplementing salt.
-Some of you may be inclined to continue gymmaxxing while fasting. I wouldn't recommend it. You may be afraid that you'll lose muscle from not working out while in a calorie deficit, however I can assure you that you will lose more muscle mass by training in a prolonged fast. Protein required to repair muscles after a workout must come from somewhere, after all. Take a break. The gains will come back fast.
How to artificially extend fast:
During a fast your body will slowly become more adept at utilizing fat for energy. This is a process known as ketosis, during which fatty acids will be broken down into ketones, which are used as your body's fuel source. This happens in every weight loss diet, though because we are using them as our sole fuel source, the efficiency of ketosis is significantly increased, and therefore so is the decomposition of fat. It is possible to break your fast while maintaining this hyper ketogenic, low ghrelin state simply by eating pure dietary fats. Eating carbohydrates would convert our bodies systems to again burning glucose instead of ketones, and eating protein would do the same; protein can convert to glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis (at a poor exchange rate, but a relevant one). If a fast has grown difficult enough that you can't continue any longer, there is a way to break the fast while still maintaining your fasted state, though to do this we must eat nothing but fats. Butter or olive oil might not be what you dreamed about while fasting, but it will give your body enough satiety to continue through hard days. Even pure fats, however, should be kept to a minimum as we are trying to burn bodyfat, not dietary fat.
Ending a fast:
People will say it matters a lot what you eat after coming off a several day or several week fast. Tbh the most important thing is that the portion sizes should be small. A small snack will taste like a feast. Several hours later, you could eat a small meal. Several hours later, you could be eating normally again, according to how your digestive system handles the incremental increases. It is important not to rush.
After the fast you may be tempted to engage in a period of indulgence. If you do this you're retarded. Don't undo your progress.
That's it everyone. We can all look like skeletons in a matter of days or weeks, we just need to put our minds to it
