Fast-5 Summary

I apologize for not updating the blog in a while.  I’ve been very busy.  Here’s a summary of the data I collected:

Morning Blood Glucose:

6/13/11: 88 mg/dL

6/14/11: 84 mg/dL

6/15/11: 87 mg/dL

6/16/11: 90 mg/dL

6/17/11: 76mg/dL

6/20/11:  85mg/dL

6/21/11:  70mg/dL

6/22/11:  85mg/dL

6/23/11: No data

6/24/11:  No data

Afternoon Blood Glucose:

6/13/11: 83mg/dL

6/14/11: 69mg/dL

6/15/11: 84 mg/dL

6/16/11: No data

6/17/11: No data

6/20/11:  84 mg/dL

6/21/11:  87 mg/dL

6/22/11:  70 mg/dL

6/23/11: No data

6/24/11:  No data

Weight:

6/13/11: 157

6/14/11: 157

6/15/11: 156

6/16/11: 154

6/17/11: 153

6/20/11:  154

6/21/11:  153

6/22/11:  151

6/23/11: No data

6/24/11:  No data

Rating Scale Summary:

Hunger/Satiety

I Strongly Disagreed (Average Response >4.5) with the following:

• I never felt intense hunger (taking focus away from my normal activities) for most of my waking fasted hours. 
• I felt intense hunger once or twice during my fast.
• I felt mild hunger for most of my waking, fasted hours.
• I ate before the fast was supposed to be over. Average Response 5 (Strongly Disagree)

I Strongly Agreed (Average Response <1) with the following:

• I felt mild hunger once or twice during my fast.

Energy Levels

I Strongly Disagreed (Average Response >4.5) with the following:

• I felt weak/tired (experiencing difficulty performing my normal physical activities) for most of my waking fasted hours.
• I felt impaired cognition (experiencing difficulty performing my normal mental activities) for most of my waking fasted hours.
• I felt impaired cognition (experiencing difficulty performing my normal mental activities) for some of my waking fasted hours.

I Strongly Agreed (Average Response <1) with the following:

• I felt normal cognition (easily able to perform my normal mental activities) for most of my waking fasted hours.
• I felt energetic (easily able to perform my normal activities) for some of my waking fasted hours.
• I felt normal cognition (easily able to perform my normal mental activities) for some of my waking fasted hours.

I Agreed (Average Response >1 and <2.5) with the following:

• I felt energetic (easily able to perform my normal physical activities) for most of my waking fasted hours.

Mood

I Strongly Disagreed (Average Response >4.5) with the following:

• I felt happy during none of my waking fasted hours.
• I felt depressed/anxious during most of my waking fasted hours.
• I felt depressed/anxious during some of my waking fasted hours.
• I felt lethargic during most of my waking fasted hours.
• I felt lethargic during some of my waking fasted hours.
• I felt calm during none of my waking fasted hours.

I Disagreed (Average Response >3.5 and <4.5)

• I felt happy during most of my waking fasted hours.
• I felt happy during some of my waking fasted hours.
• I felt calm during some of my waking fasted hours.

I Strongly Agreed (Average Response <1) with the following:

• I felt no changes in my mood during my waking fasted hours.
• I felt depressed/anxious during none of my waking fasted hours.
• I felt lethargic during none of my waking fasted hours.
• I felt calm during most of my waking fasted hours.

Sleep

My average response was Neutral to the following:

• I slept better during the week.
• I slept worse during the week.

My week was typical; there were no significant changes in my normal work, sleep or activity routine.

Overall Impressions:

I really enjoy this method of fasting.  It’s easy to follow and I felt no ill effects to the regimen.  I lost some weight, which was part of my goal, and felt healthy during the week.  I didn’t need to change my workout routines or the types of food I was eating.  I would recommend this method to anyone who wants to try IF, without having to make too many changes to diet and lifestyle.  Given all of the health benefits of IF (linked in previous posts), I would recommend Fast-5 to anyone looking to improve their health or to lose weight.

Next Week:

I’m taking this week off, as things are still very busy.  I’ll be fasting here and there, as that is just part of my lifestyle, now, but I won’t be formally following any specific program.  Next week (starting on July 4), I will begin the Eat Stop Eat program.  I’ll put up a post explaining that IF regimen soon.  If you are interested, check out Brad Pilon’s (creator of Eat Stop Eat) website.

6/20/11: Fast-5 Day 6

Weight – 154

6:30am blood glucose – 85mg/dL

Update:  I did not fast this weekend (on purpose).  I used the weekend as a “re-feed.”  I ate eggs and bacon/sausage for breakfast both days.  The rest of the day, I ate as I normally do, with the addition of a sweet or two (macaroons, dark chocolate, organic ice cream).  Even with the extra sweets and the extra daily meal, I only gained back one of the pounds I lost.  Not bad.  This morning, I woke up a bit hungry, but I pushed through it.  My energy levels are fine.  I did a short, intense workout this morning (resistance exercises on our school’s playground for 10 minutes – assisted pull-ups, squats and the plank), and walked for about 20 minutes.

6/17/11: Fast-5 Day 5

Weight – 153

8:30am blood glucose – 76mg/dL

Update:  I lost another pound, and I feel like I’m fitting into my clothes better, as well.  This morning has been the easiest so far, regarding hunger.  I decided to check my blood glucose later in the day and found it to be lower than my usual early morning levels.  I have not noticed any dip in energy levels today either.  I even went for a walk this morning, and felt great.  Tomorrow, I plan on not fasting.  It will be a “re-feeding day.”  As is a concern with calorie restriction, I don’t want my body to adjust too much to this caloric intake by slowing down my metabolic rate.  I’ll probably see a bit of a rebound in my weight, which is okay.  I’ll post a summary of the weekend on Monday.

6/16/11: Fast-5 Day 4

Weight – 154

6:00am blood glucose – 90mg/dL

Update:  Yet again, I’ve been experiencing hunger in the morning.  It’s not been too distracting, but definitely noticeable.  I’ve been doing IF for a while, but this is the most days in a row that I’ve fasted for extended periods of time.  I have lost a couple more pounds.  We’ll see if that continues.

TMI Warning – I’ve noticed that since starting this fasting regimen that my bowels have been moving faster and more regular.  Prior to this, I’d have movements once, maybe twice per day.  This week, it’s been more like 2-3 times per day.  Interesting.

I broke today’s fast a little early, as we were having a luncheon at work (Chipotle – yummy!).  My approach to my diet (and fasting) is to not be too stringent about it.  I am passionate about my way of eating, but not obsessive.  I run my life.  So, I wanted to have lunch with my work friends, and that’s what I did, at about 1pm (an hour before my fast should have been completed).  I forgot to take my blood glucose prior to the meal.  I’ll be sure to do so tomorrow.

6/15/11: Fast-5 Day 3

Weight – 156

6:30am blood glucose – 87 mg/dL

Morning Update: Again, I have been experiencing some hunger pangs this morning, but nothing that I can’t handle, or that doesn’t pass quickly.  I’ve been trying to drink water when I feel that sensation, which helps (and keeps my hydrated).  I dropped one pound from my starting weight, which is nice to see (no the be all and end all, though).  My “break-fast” today will be a raw tomato (with Himalayan salt), sausage with tomato sauce, 2 hard-boiled eggs and come cherries and strawberries.  Not sure about dinner tonight, as my mother is coming and said she wants to treat us.  It’s nice that I don’t have to be too careful eating out, as I know my calorie intake for today has been low (that said, I should mention that I rarely eat out, mostly because I have a hard time finding healthy foods at most restaurants – food just isn’t as rewarding or tasty when I know it is unhealthy).  One more observation, I love not having to spend time eating breakfast in the mornings, during the workweek.  It makes my mornings run smoothly and gives me time to prep for the evening’s meal.

1:30pm blood glucose – 84 mg/dL

6/14/11: Fast-5 Day 2

Weight – 157

6:30am blood glucose – 84 mg/dL

Morning Update:  I found it interesting that my weight stayed stable and my blood sugar went down a few points.  I’ll be closely monitoring my glucose levels, to make sure they don’t drop too much, as I continue fasting.  I have basically normal energy levels this morning.  I felt hungry when I first woke up, but that sensation passed quickly. 

1:45pm blood glucose – 69mg/dL

Afternoon Update:  I had no problem fasting this morning.  Very few hunger pangs.  My energy was a little low in the morning, but that’s probably normal for me.  Sometimes I need a little caffeine in the morning and I haven’t been having my morning tea.  The lull in energy faded and I went through the morning energized and focused.  The time went quickly, too, as I’m very busy at work at the moment.  The most surprising thing was that my blood glucose number dropped from 84 to 69.  I checked with the nurse (I work for a school) and she said that this was not a cause for concern.  I’ll continue to closely monitor this, though, just in case.  If we drop down to 60mg/dL, or lower, I may decide to alter what I’m doing.  For lunch today, I ate a salad (with bacon, cranberries, olive oil and apple cider vinegar), 2 hard boiled eggs, a slice of meatloaf (with organic ketchup), and leftover fruit (local cherries and strawberries) from yesterday’s lunch.

Fast-5 Briefly Explained

The Fast-5 protocol is quite simple.  You fast every day for 19 hours that leaves a 5-hour window within which you can eat.  Fast-5 does not specify any type of diet or eating program.  It centers mainly on meal timing.

The Fast-5 book does a good job describing the two major forms of hunger and how they relate to this style of eating.  Limbic hunger is related to overeating.  The limbic system is the primitive part of the brain, driving emotion and memory.  The book states that limbic hunger is the drive that ancient humans (hunter-gatherers) felt that drove them to eat as much as possible while food was available (to store as fat for times of scarcity).  Limbic hunger would have been a useful survival tool in times when food was more difficult to come by.  Now, however, that food is abundant, we need to watch out for limbic hunger.   When fasting, we are not engaging our limbic hunger system,

Instead, we feel somatic hunger.  The book defines this hunger as the “sensation of discomfort in the stomach that is commonly called hunger or hunger pangs” (page 21).  This sensation is the result of many, complicated hormonal interactions.  It can be unpleasant, but hardly debilitating (which doesn’t make evolutionary sense – if hunger knocked you out, you would surely die of it).  The book emphasizes, and I agree, that as you continue to practice fasting, somatic hunger sensations become less and less intense/distracting.

For more information on this approach (and to download the free ebook), check out the Fast-5 website.

6/13/11: Fast-5 Day 1

6/13/11:  Fast-5 Day 1

Weight – 157

5:30am blood glucose – 88 mg/dL

Morning Update:  The morning is going by just fine.  I’ve had a few hunger pangs, but nothing major.  When I do feel hungry, I usually have a bit of water, and the sensation goes away.  The only other observation of note is that I feel colder this morning than I do on most mornings.  My plan is to walk at lunchtime and break my fast at 2pm (my daily eating window will be from 2pm to 7pm).  I’ll be checking my blood glucose levels again before I break the fast, and I’ll also be completing the rating scales at that time. 

2:00pm blood glucose – 83mg/dL

Afternoon Update:  I just took my walk (30 minutes at moderate pace) with a friend.  When we got back, I tested my blood sugar (see above).  I dropped 5mg/dL versus my morning fasted number.  I’m not sure what that means, if anything.  We’ll see if there is a similar pattern tomorrow.  Okay, now I’m going to get my “break-fast” together, consisting of chicken broth, a salad, 2 hard-boiled eggs and some cherries/berries.

 

Rating Scale Update:  I rated my hunger, energy and mood yesterday.  Here are the statements that I strongly agreed with:

• I felt mild hunger once or twice during my fast.
• I felt energetic (easily able to perform my normal physical activities) for most of my waking fasted hours.
• I felt normal cognition (easily able to perform my normal mental activities) for most of my waking fasted hours. 
• I felt no changes in my mood during my waking fasted hours.
• My week was typical; there were no significant changes in my normal work, sleep or activity routine.

Podcast Round-up 6/10/11

 

There have been LOTS of great podcast episodes that were released in the past couple of weeks.  Allow me to share some of my favorites with you:

First off, Jimmy Moore had a great interview with Art Ayers of the Cooling Inflammation blog.  As you know, inflammation is at the heart of a great deal of diseases.  Jimmy and Art had a fascinating conversation about Art’s anti-inflammatory diet recommendations, the over-medicating of America and gut health, among other things.  The interview can be found here.

Secondly, the Paleo Soluton Podcast recently featured Chris Kresser to discuss dietary recommendations for healthy pregnancy and breastfeeding.  This is a must-listen for those who are considering conceiving, are pregnant or nursing.  It can be found here.

Lastly, the Carbohydrates Can Kill podcast had a great “Listener’s Roundtable,” featuring Dr. John Briffa (one of my favorite bloggers and podcasters).  The listener comes up with some wonderful questions.  You can listen to this podcast here.

All three of these podcasts can also be listened to in iTunes, for those who prefer that format.

Happy Listening!

Update on Experiment:  Bought the glucometer, lancets and test strips.  Gonna practice taking blood glucose readings over the weekend and will begin the n=1 fasting experiment on Monday.  Also look for a description of the Fast-5 regimine on Monday, as that will be the first one I experiment with.  Are you excited?  I am!!!

Intermittent Fasting Experiment: Rating Scales

Here are the rating scales I developed to collect data on several aspects of my health/well-being during my fasting sessions.  I plan to complete the scales each day and compile the information, to compare and contrast my response to each type of fasting regimen:

Rating Scales

1 – Strongly Agree; 2 – Agree; 3 – Neutral; 4 – Disagree; 5 – Strongly Disagree

Hunger/Satiety

1)      I felt intense hunger (taking focus away from my normal activities) for most of my waking fasted hours.

2)      I felt intense hunger once or twice during my fast.

3)      I felt mild hunger for most of my waking, fasted hours.

4)      I felt mild hunger once or twice during my fast.

5)      I felt the desire to eat before my fast was over.

6)      I ate before the fast was supposed to be over.

Energy Levels

1)      I felt energetic (easily able to perform my normal physical activities) for most of my waking fasted hours.

2)      I felt normal cognition (easily able to perform my normal mental activities) for most of my waking fasted hours.

3)      I felt energetic (easily able to perform my normal activities) for some of my waking fasted hours.

4)      I felt normal cognition (easily able to perform my normal mental activities) for some of my waking fasted hours.

5)      I felt weak/tired (experiencing difficulty performing my normal physical activities) for most of my waking fasted hours.

6)      I felt impaired cognition (experiencing difficulty performing my normal mental activities) for most of my waking fasted hours.

7)      I felt weak/tired (experiencing difficulty performing my normal activities) for some of my waking fasted hours.

8)      I felt impaired cognition (experiencing difficulty performing my normal mental activities) for some of my waking fasted hours.

Mood

1)      I felt no changes in my mood during my waking fasted hours.

2)      I felt happy during most of my waking fasted hours.

3)      I felt happy during some of my waking fasted hours.

4)      I felt happy during none of my waking fasted hours.

5)      I felt depressed/anxious during most of my waking fasted hours.

6)      I felt depressed/anxious during some of my waking fasted hours.

7)      I felt depressed/anxious during none of my waking fasted hours.

8)      I felt lethargic during most of my waking fasted hours.

9)      I felt lethargic during some of my waking fasted hours.

10)  I felt lethargic during none of my waking fasted hours.

11)  I felt calm during most of my waking fasted hours.

12)  I felt calm during some of my waking fasted hours.

13)  I felt calm during none of my waking fasted hours.

Sleep

1)      I slept better during the week.

2)      I slept worse during the week.

My week was typical – there were no significant changes in my normal work, sleep or activity routine.

N=1 To Do List

Okay, I didn't get to everything I wanted to this weekend to start this experiment, so I'm going to delay until next Monday.

Here's what I want to accomplish in preparation:

-Buy glucometer and practice using it (this will also give me a rough baseline)

-Create rating scales for hunger/satiety, energy levels, and mood

-Read the entire eBook on Fast-5, and write a post defining the practice

Update on My Eating:

Though I really want to make it through a weekend gluten-free, this was not the weekend.  I had a cookie at a graduation party (it wasn't that good and my stomach was cramping for a bit afterwards), and I had pizza following for dinner (I ate very little crust, but since I was away from home, I didn't have as much choice in the food).  Going by Mark Sisson's 80/20 rule, I was still on track.  My eating the rest of the weekend was good, with minimal cheese and rice consumption.

Today, I'm fasting this morning.  Later, I'll have sausage, hard boiled eggs, salad and broth for lunch.  Dinner is going be be baked chicken in reduction sauce with broccoli.

N = 1; Take 2

My New N=1 Adventure:

Since, I'm not going to do the strict Paleo challenge as my n=1 experiment, I want to do something else.  I'd like to experiment with a few different forms of Intermittent Fasting (IF).  Here's my plan- practice several different forms of fasting for two week intervals and see how my body responds.  The markers will be blood sugar, hunger/satiety, weight, energy levels, and mood.  Blood sugar will be measured by a glucose monitor; weight by scale; and the other perimeters will be measured using rating scales (that I'll develop).

I will experiment with each of the following forms of IF while keeping my diet (Paleo 2.0/Primal) and also controlling for activity levels;

• Fast-5 (for 5 days per week)
• ESE (3-4 times in two weeks)
• Deconditioning Diet (as per Todd Becker)
• Leangains - IF and regimented, fasted training
• Random IF - as per Art DeVany
• Control - no IF

That's 6 categories, so were looking at 12 weeks to complete the experiments.  I'll begin next week.  Stay tuned!

I should give a shout out to Jimmy Moore.  His n=1 experiments are very motivating.

Update on My Eating:  Now that I have relaxed a bit on the scrict Paleo rules, I feel better about what I'm eating, and have been more compliant.  I've decided to try limiting dairy and white rice to one meal per day.

Here's what I've been eating:

6/1

Breakfast - Eggs, bacon, sausage

Lunch - Chicken broth, salad w cheese, leftover chicken in sauce

Dinner - meatballs, asparagus, tomatoes

6/2

Breakfast - none

Lunch- same as 6/1 w/o cheese, and strawberries

Dinner - meatballs, tomatoes, sweet potato

Desert - 1 cup of organic rice cereal

6/3

Breakfast - none

Snack - 2 hard-boiled eggs

Lunch - Chicken broth, meatballs with sauce, strawberries

Dinner - Chicken with reduction sauce, buttered carrots, maybe a salad