Health and Wellbeing (1 Viewer)

[Huntn]

Yesterday the Missus and I stopped in at the grocery store for our fall vaccinations, 3 of them, flu, Pneumonia, and RSV. Today I have seriously sore arms, will most likely avoid my Wed workout. The word is that The new COVID booster will arrive in October.

 

[BarneyGumble]

Yesterday the Missus and I stopped in at the grocery store for our fall vaccinations, 3 of them, flu, Pneumonia, and RSV. Today I have seriously sore arms, will most likely avoid my Wed workout. The word is that The new COVID booster will arrive in October.

No need to take the vaccine for a disease that has negligible mortality rates for relatively healthy people.

 

[fooferdoggie]

No need to take the vaccine for a disease that has negligible mortality rates for relatively healthy people.

tell that to all the people that ended up with long covid.

 

[miketx]

Since covid was nothing but the flu that leftists and the media puppets blew out of proportion, get the vaccine or don't. You'll either get it or you wont. Just to put it in perspective, in 2018 I got sick with coughing, a fever, sore throat, aching all over and went to my doctor. They prescribed meds and told me I had the flu. it went away in about a week.

Then, in 2000, I came down with the same thing and went to the doctor. They told me I had covid and wanted to run all kinds of tests and crap on me. I declined and just got the same meds I was prescribed last time and it went away in about a week. IMO, it was all bullshirt.

 

[SamAndreas]

Since covid was nothing but the flu that leftists and the media puppets blew out of proportion, get the vaccine or don't. You'll either get it or you wont. Just to put it in perspective, in 2018 I got sick with coughing, a fever, sore throat, aching all over and went to my doctor. They prescribed meds and told me I had the flu. it went away in about a week.

Then, in 2000, I came down with the same thing and went to the doctor. They told me I had covid and wanted to run all kinds of tests and crap on me. I declined and just got the same meds I was prescribed last time and it went away in about a week. IMO, it was all bullshirt.

I learned a valuable lesson from Covid, I learned that if I wear a mask when in the supermarket and such, it averages to less than an hour a day in a mask, I don't get sick at all. No colds, no flu, no drizzling nose affairs.

Four years, I haven't been sick. Four years of my family members not getting sick. My 90 year old mother hasn't been sick for four years.

Covid is pretty much over, we're keeping the masks. We'll live longer as a result.

 

[miketx]

I learned a valuable lesson from Covid, I learned that if I wear a mask when in the supermarket and such, it averages to less than an hour a day in a mask, I don't get sick at all. No colds, no flu, no drizzling nose affairs.

Four years, I haven't been sick. Four years of my family members not getting sick. My 90 year old mother hasn't been sick for four years.

Covid is pretty much over, we're keeping the masks. We'll live longer as a result.

I remember a time that if you went in a bank wearing a mask you could get shot.

 

[SamAndreas]

I remember a time that if you went in a bank wearing a mask you could get shot.

I especially like to wear them in banks. All that dirty money being rifled around behind the counter.

I don't even want to talk about what's behind the counter at Burger King.

In my dentist's office when I go in wearing my mask they all notice it in the office and put on their masks, and then after I'm in the chair they ask me to take my mask off so they can see my teeth.

I haven't mentioned the best part of wearing a mask. When I'm in a store the young girls smile at me a lot more than they would if I weren't wearing a mask. A LOT MORE.

I like KN-95 black masks.

 

[Huntn]

Decades ago I dropped 20 lb on the Atkins diet, which relies on ketosis to burn your body’s fat as you deprive yourself of carbohydrates. It worked but it was a horrible diet, from a health standpoint, to be on full-time. So the idea was you use the diet to drop your weight and then figure out a way to introduce carbs into your diet without gaining it all back. That’s the hard part.

An aspect of intermittent fasting, is that by virtue of cutting cat calories you will lose weight, but it’s promoted as more benefits than just weight loss.

The first two weeks of fasting I was stating my hunger by sucking on maybe a total of two 15 cal lifesavers, and drinking chicken bouillon made from a single 5 cal cube. It’s debated whether the bouillon breaks your fast in other words, it causes an insulin spike. Now my guess is the lifesavers definitely break your fast even though you’ll still benefit from restricted calories. So in my mind if you’re going to go through the effort of fasting, you might as well get the full benefit, drink water, coffee, tea, without sweetners. There is some debate about herbal tea/coffee such as chickory. This time I start with black coffee, tea/green tea, water/carbonated water.

I started two weeks ago at 228 lbs and woke this morning at 221 lbs.
Disclaimer: I can’t verify any of the following. Spoilers are used to lessen the wall of text factor.
Of possible interest:

The 5 Stages of Fasting (And The Benefits of Each One)

Fasting sounds simple… You simply don’t eat and after a while, you begin to experience all the benefits. Not so fast... Fasting actually comes in 5 different stages, ranging from a 12-hour fast to 72 hours or more. Each stage of fasting comes with unique benefits, including fat loss...

perfectketo.com

​

The 5 Stages of Fasting (And The Benefits of Each One)​

Intermittent fasting is more than just a weight-loss strategy.

The health benefits extend far beyond simple weight loss. Fasting promotes mental clarity and mood[*], improves immune function[*], increases muscle growth[*], and more.
However, not all fasts provide the same benefits. There are multiple stages of fasting, and the benefits you get from fasting depend on the length of your fast.
Here’s a look at the five main stages of fasting, the specific benefits that come with each one, and a brief look at how to incorporate fasting into your life.

Stage 1 Fasting (8-12 Hours): Stable Blood Sugar​

Fasting begins about eight hours after your last meal. This stage is characterized by changes in your blood sugar levels.

Stable Blood Sugar​

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After about eight hours without food, your blood glucose begins to dip. You may experience hunger, fatigue, food cravings, and trouble concentrating.
However, if you can make it over this initial hurdle, these symptoms pass pretty quickly. By 12 hours, your body will begin to tap into your glycogen stores (sugar stores), and your blood glucose levels will stabilize[*].
At 12 hours, you’ll also start switching into the early stages of ketosis — your body stops relying on carbohydrates for fuel and begins burning your body fat stores instead[*].
Short-term fasting may also lower blood pressure and increase insulin sensitivity, making this type of fasting useful for people with type 2 diabetes or other blood sugar control issues[*].

Stage 2 Fasting (12-18 Hours): Ketosis, Fat Burning, and Mental Clarity​

After 16 to 18 hours of fasting, you should be in full ketosis[*]. Your liver begins converting your fat stores into ketone bodies — bundles of fuel that power your muscles, heart, and brain.
This stage of fasting has a few benefits:

Appetite suppression​

Fat Loss​

Mental clarity​

See more

Appetite Suppression​

Ketones suppress appetite, which means your hunger should actually start to subside during this fasting stage[*].

Paradoxically, fasting begins to get easier as you fast for a longer time. After the first stage of fasting, appetite generally declines.

Fat Loss​

Stage 2 fasting is ideal if you want to lose weight. Your body switches fully into fat-burning mode, and because you don’t have any food in your system, you begin to burn through body fat quickly.
In addition, this stage of fasting decreases ghrelin, the hormone that makes you want to eat a lot of food, and also stabilizes your insulin levels, which prevents food cravings[*].
These factors work together to prevent overeating. If you can do intermittent fasting for 16-18 hours a day, you’ll burn through body fat and fill up quickly when you break your fast, which makes it easy to stay in a calorie deficit and lose weight.

Mental Clarity​

At this stage of fasting, you may also enjoy a boost in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
BDNF is a protein that your brain makes to protect existing brain cells. BDNF also encourages the growth of new brain pathways. It also enhances learning[*] and boosts mood[*].
Fasting[*][*] and ketosis[*] both increase BDNF in animal studies, and researchers theorize that they do the same in humans[*] (although there haven’t been reliable human studies yet).

Stage 3 Fasting (24 hours): Autophagy and Anti-Aging​

After a full-day fast, your body goes into repair mode. It begins recycling old or damaged cells and reducing inflammation. If you’re looking for anti-aging or anti-inflammatory benefits, a 24-hour fast may help.

Autophagy​

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When your body is under mild stress (such as exercise or an extended fast), your cells respond by becoming more efficient.
One thing they do is turn on autophagy. The term is Greek for “self-eating,” and that’s exactly what happens. During autophagy, your cells check all their internal parts, find anything that’s old, damaged, or functioning poorly, and replace them with shiny new versions. The old parts are either recycled into new materials or destroyed.
Studies show that fasting-induced autophagy comes with a variety of benefits.

• Fasting triggered autophagy in the brain, clearing out misfolded proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease[*].
• Autophagy declines naturally as you age, which is connected to a variety of diseases. Fasting may be able to combat the age-related decline, keeping you biologically younger and protecting your cells from oxidative stress[*].
• Early research suggests that fasting-related autophagy may help kill cancer cells[*].
• Fasting reduces bodywide inflammation via autophagy[*].

Stage 4 Fasting (36-48 hours): Growth Hormone and Recovery​

At stage 4, you’re leaving intermittent fasting territory and entering a longer fast.
As you undertake multiple days of fasting, your growth hormone levels begin to shift, which provides you with a new set of benefits.

Muscle Growth and Repair​

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A study of healthy adults found that 48-hour fasting increased human growth hormone (HGH) secretion by up to 400%. It also increased the frequency of growth hormone bursts throughout the day[*].
HGH increases muscle mass[*] and stimulates faster muscle repair[*]. It may also speed up the healing process for wounds and more serious injuries[*]. HGH is so effective that taking it externally is banned in professional sports and is considered doping.
It seems counterintuitive, but occasionally going without food for two days may actually help you build muscle, not lose it.

Stage 5 Fasting (72+ hours): Stem Cells and Immune Function​

The final stage of fasting begins after a full three days without food.
Before you read about the benefits, note that a 72-hour fast is a serious undertaking. If you’re going to try it, make sure you drink plenty of water, get plenty of electrolyteslike sodium, magnesium, and potassium, and stop fasting if you feel lightheaded or otherwise unwell.

Immune System Regeneration​

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A 2014 study found that 72-hour fasting led to a near-complete rejuvenation of the immune system. Fasting triggered stem cell production, creating brand new immune cells to replace old ones[*].
The same study also had cancer patients fast throughout chemotherapy treatment. Normally, chemotherapy devastates the immune system, increasing the risk of infection and illness for cancer patients.
But when patients fasted during chemo, their immune system stayed strong throughout the process.

 

[bird]

I don’t know.

Personally, I think diets including various fasts as you mention should be studied in depth.

Since we live in a society that is toxic almost by design there is, imo, a tendency to grab onto the latest sure fire “solution” to medical issues. Btw, I am not pointing fingers at you. I am talking in generalities about society as a whole and the for-profit diet/supplements industry.

The situation is not helped by a healthcare system that is reactionary and disease/condition focused as opposed to striving for wellness. That being said wellness focus does not stop diseases generally. It likely reduces conditions but genetics plays a huge role in all of this.

 

[Huntn]

I don’t know.

Personally, I think diets including various fasts as you mention should be studied in depth.

Since we live in a society that is toxic almost by design there is, imo, a tendency to grab onto the latest sure fire “solution” to medical issues. Btw, I am not pointing fingers at you. I am talking in generalities about society as a whole and the for-profit diet/supplements industry.

The situation is not helped by a healthcare system that is reactionary and disease/condition focused as opposed to striving for wellness. That being said wellness focus does not stop diseases generally. It likely reduces conditions but genetics plays a huge role in all of this.

Fasting is not a new idea. That said, I’m not knowlegible enough to argue for fasting other than to say, I’ve been reading various sources and in none of them (I’ve seen) is there described a serious downside. I’m concluding my 5th fast today, (over the last 2.5 weeks) this one, 29 hrs long, and so far with consistent scheduled weight checks (mornings prior to breakfast), I’ve dropped 8 lb.

Most surprising is that I’m suffering no serious hunger pains, and much less so than when I dieted in the past and found myself pacing the kitchen at night looking for something suitable to eat. I imagine it sounds dreadful, but going cold turkey (with lots of water, coffee, tea) vs limiting consumption is easier for me, because on normal days you can eat normally, the caveat being don’t gorge to defeat the fast.

And the results have been so positive that it’s giving me incentive to really cutback sweets to minimal levels. A small cup of pudding/yogert, or a couple of small ginger snaps, or a single life saver (15 calories). Large deserts 300-500 calorie portions are banned. No more sugar on whole grain cereal, which I’ve also cut back from a large bowl of, to one cup, with sliced banana and some pecans sprinkled on top, when I’m not eating protein like eggs and bacon.