Dear Michael: Thanks for a wonderful article. I have proved every statement in your article by living it. I stop eating everyday by 4pm - no dinner. I do an omelet and an avocado for breakfast and a piece of fish and salad for lunch. I snack on nuts. I am 54, 5'10, and I way about 145. I weighed 220 at one point. I am like a teenager on Ritalin - I have almost freakish energy. My mind works like an advanced computer. At 30, I was a batshit crazy prosecutor, boozing it up and eating crappy carbs. I felt suicidal. My mother bugs the shit out of me about dinner because she is lonely and wants me to eat with her. She can't lose weight and my success irritates her. I do Orangetheory classes, Pilates, and ride my mountain bike. Michael, why do Americans eat so damn much? It is like people are trying to kill themselves with food. I love this quote:
"Our bodies need stress. Just like our immune and muscle systems, our gut needs stresses to help reset, recover, and relax. Our body is created to be Antifragile, that is a system that gets stronger under stress. Ironically, we are weakest and most fragile when we avoid stresses on our bodies."
I so get that. The people that I know who completely avoid stress are so miserable. Another thing..my diet has helped me avoid some of the pitfalls of peri-menopause. I am thinner and have more energy that I did at 20. My estrogen/progesterone levels are lower for sure. I am SO short tempered. I can access my existential anger much more easily. Sometimes I am a bitch. But I feel powerful. Isn't that strange?
Sep 13, 2023·edited Sep 13, 2023Liked by Michael Woudenberg
Something to think about. A diet that makes you loose body mass while eating to satiety would have lead to your death a few 100 years ago. (Keto not fasting)
Thank you for the detailed post and congratulations on the 10 days.
Fasting is my uber-practice, I find a quarterly extended fast not only brings the physical benefits, but for me it is also a reset that is great for my mental/emotional health. For the past 3 years if done 5 to 7 day fasts coinciding with the solstice and the equinox, to lend them a little more significance. My 7 day fast will begin around 20th September. I reflected on my midsummer fast and fasting as an uber-practice here: https://ordinarymastery.substack.com/p/uber-practice
Hello Michael - fascinating article, thanks for sharing. As I get older, I am 56 now, I feel a need to “simplify”. I have been thinking about fasting at least 1 day/week, but I just don’t know how to get started.
I am a runner, and I have consistently weighed 145-150 lbs most of my life. Right now I feel awful because I have not been running due to some personal issues. I felt really awesome when I did a 100 day streak of 10k daily runs. I lost weight, got down to about 127 without much change in my diet. I felt strong and energetic.
I long to return to that state once again. But this diet thing is very confusing. I know there is a lot of science behind it but I don’t know where to start.
Dear Michael: Thanks for a wonderful article. I have proved every statement in your article by living it. I stop eating everyday by 4pm - no dinner. I do an omelet and an avocado for breakfast and a piece of fish and salad for lunch. I snack on nuts. I am 54, 5'10, and I way about 145. I weighed 220 at one point. I am like a teenager on Ritalin - I have almost freakish energy. My mind works like an advanced computer. At 30, I was a batshit crazy prosecutor, boozing it up and eating crappy carbs. I felt suicidal. My mother bugs the shit out of me about dinner because she is lonely and wants me to eat with her. She can't lose weight and my success irritates her. I do Orangetheory classes, Pilates, and ride my mountain bike. Michael, why do Americans eat so damn much? It is like people are trying to kill themselves with food. I love this quote:
"Our bodies need stress. Just like our immune and muscle systems, our gut needs stresses to help reset, recover, and relax. Our body is created to be Antifragile, that is a system that gets stronger under stress. Ironically, we are weakest and most fragile when we avoid stresses on our bodies."
I so get that. The people that I know who completely avoid stress are so miserable. Another thing..my diet has helped me avoid some of the pitfalls of peri-menopause. I am thinner and have more energy that I did at 20. My estrogen/progesterone levels are lower for sure. I am SO short tempered. I can access my existential anger much more easily. Sometimes I am a bitch. But I feel powerful. Isn't that strange?
Something to think about. A diet that makes you loose body mass while eating to satiety would have lead to your death a few 100 years ago. (Keto not fasting)
Thank you for the detailed post and congratulations on the 10 days.
Fasting is my uber-practice, I find a quarterly extended fast not only brings the physical benefits, but for me it is also a reset that is great for my mental/emotional health. For the past 3 years if done 5 to 7 day fasts coinciding with the solstice and the equinox, to lend them a little more significance. My 7 day fast will begin around 20th September. I reflected on my midsummer fast and fasting as an uber-practice here: https://ordinarymastery.substack.com/p/uber-practice
Hello Michael - fascinating article, thanks for sharing. As I get older, I am 56 now, I feel a need to “simplify”. I have been thinking about fasting at least 1 day/week, but I just don’t know how to get started.
I am a runner, and I have consistently weighed 145-150 lbs most of my life. Right now I feel awful because I have not been running due to some personal issues. I felt really awesome when I did a 100 day streak of 10k daily runs. I lost weight, got down to about 127 without much change in my diet. I felt strong and energetic.
I long to return to that state once again. But this diet thing is very confusing. I know there is a lot of science behind it but I don’t know where to start.
Any thoughts?
Thanks.
I was with you right up until "caffeine fast."