EAT, FAST, AND LIVE LONGER - How I began Intermittent Fasting

[14th August 2013 - discharged from the Lung Clinic.][Notes from a talk I gave to Taunton Humanists in March about Intermittent Fasting - including all I've learned over the past year.][Walking is no longer enough - my extra energy levels since fasting][Intermittent Fasting and the Hunger Switch] - why we feel more hunger on non-fasting days.]How it all started, for me:I began this eating programme (it's not a diet, it's a way of living - WOL) on the 27th Feb 2012. The story begins at the foot of the post if you want to read about my journey in chronological order. The links to the various research documents I've come across are posted as I found them.In early August 2012, Dr Michael Mosley presented a BBC Horizon programme on the subject of fasting, including Calorie Restriction (CR) and Intermittent Fasting (IF). This backed up everything I'd discovered  about the health benefits of fasting - and I switched from 50% of calories on two days a week to the full-blown 25% of calories (600 calories or less).

Intermittent Fasting and Cancer.

5:2 VEGAN COOKERY

Here are some of the 5:2 vegan dishes on my blog:

(My experiences with Intermittent Fasting over almost 2 years)

140 calorie veg curry

Homemade pasta and ragu sauce

Simple Thai red curry

Chilli non carne

Socca 'omelette'

Ratatouille pie made with a bread dough and a rich ragu sauce

Lasagne layered with cooked potato

'Cheese sauce'

Chelsea buns

Simple chocolate cake costing around 40p

Chocolate 'Cake in a mug' - adapted to fit a cereal bowl (it's easier to get to!)

Carrot cake

Trifle - yes, 5:2 calorie counted trifle. It's just gorgeous

Chocolate dipped strawberries

Here's a week's vegan menu - not calorie-counted

A VEGAN DIET AND FASTING - BOTH CAN HELP TREAT ARTHRITIS

(21/10/14)
Often, when there's not a lot on the box and I have time to kill, I google the word 'Fasting' or 'plant based diet', followed by a condition, or an activity or somesuch.

I saw my GP last week for something minor and I just happened to mention that my arthritis had been in abeyance for several years. It was just a throwaway remark along with all the other subjects we'd been discussing.

But later I began to think about this, and realised that my arthritis, which had steadily been getting ever so slightly (but significantly) worse - until I stopped eating meat and dairy foods and became a vegan. Since then, while there has been no real improvement in my condition (apart from the amelioration of pain I gained from acupuncture), it hasn't deteriorated in the slightest. In fact, apart from the swelling in most of the joints of my fingers, it would be difficult to tell I had arthritis at all!

So I searched for  'Plant-based diet and arthritis', and found this article which more or less explains why my arthritis has been stable for the past ten or so years. And why fasting, in conjunction with a plant-based diet is beneficial.

Here's the story of someone who has benefited from giving up meat, dairy and eggs.

It's well worth looking through all the success stories on the 'Forks over Knives' website. 

It seems to make perfect sense to me. Thoughts, anyone?

INTERMITTENT FASTING AND CANCER

One of the reasons I began intermittent fasting (IF) in February 2012 was evidence that fasting had some effect on cancer cells. It was the reference to prostate cancer cells being susceptible to fasting that provoked my initial interest!

The evidence suggested that, whilst fasting, the body’s cells go into repair mode – but invasive cells (cancers, tumours) are neglected and become easier to treat.

Since then evidence continues to accumulate that this is so – but in my experience, the research is disparate and scattered.

I wanted to bring any research that I have come across into one place; to which I can refer any friends and relatives who may know someone with cancer – unfortunately all too common an occurrence latterly, it seems to me.

FUNDRAISING FOR YMCA AND TAH (Taunton Association for the Homeless)

Wednesday 10th August 2016
Final total raised was £850 - meaning £425 went to support the homeless in Taunton, and £425 went to the YMCA roof fund in Taunton.

Wednesday 13th July 2016
This morning I was invited in to BBC Radio Somerset, where I gave two interviews on the Breakfast Show. In the first (02:04 into the show), lasting about 5 minutes, I was given the opportunity to explain the background to my challenge - and I was also given the chance to outline the part Intermittent Fasting (5:2 diet) had played in my overall fitness.

Then, later on (at 2:25 on that link), I was brought back on to show the announcer, Claire Carter, how to do a proper press up - by lying on the floor and pushing yourself up. As you'll hear, under my guidance, she managed her first ever!

Press ups on the radio - it doesn't get any more rock and roll than that! :)

Shortly after this I went over the road to the lawn in front of County Hall where they filmed me in action.

Previously... [I've done it! Just completed 1175 press ups in one hour. Update at foot of post.]
On Friday the 1st of July I shall attempt to complete 1000 press ups in under one hour. I'm asking for sponsors to contribute 1 penny per press up - but, of course, I'll accept any contribution, no matter how small.

Here's my Just Giving page, where anyone interested can donate.

Initially my goal was to raise £300, but I feel I can do better than that, so I've increased my target to £600. 

Here's the story of how all this came about.

Just over 4 years ago I started Intermittent Fasting (IF) after reading about it helping to keep prostate cancer at bay. I joined a forum on Mumsnet devoted to IF and I’ve been practicing 5:2 ever since, losing 24lbs in the process. I’m now doing 6:1 for maintenance.

http://nobreadisanisland.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/eat-less-live-longer.html

Two and a half years ago, I was encouraged, on an associated Mumsnet thread, to take up home-based exercises - and learned how to do a proper pushup. The ethos of the thread is that you should keep pushing yourself to see what you can accomplish.

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/fasting_diet/2369081-5-2-IF-Exercise-Fitness-Thread-Number-3-Advice-and-information-for-those-following-Intermittent-Fasting-and-anyone-else-too

This is a post from the thread last November:

Someone, can't think where, recently mentioned 1000 press ups in a day. I was idly musing on this with the YMCA manager, Keith, saying that it was an achievable goal for sometime in the future. He perked up his ears and said that could be a fundraiser - "78-year-old bloke does 1000 press ups in a day.”

So that’s where the challenge came from.

TBH, I’m amazed at how quick my progress has been. If it tells me anything, it tells me we’re all capable of doing more than we think.

I put my fitness down to three things - first of all, the amount of extra energy I get from regularly practicing Intermittent Fasting - IF; secondly, body weight exercises and HIIT; and thirdly, the fact that I’ve been a vegan for the past 13 or so years.  

I'm actually well on course to beat my target with just under three weeks to go. 1000 press ups in an hour requires an average of 17 every minute. And initially I thought I'd go for 20 every minute for the first 300 or so, then drop down to 17 a minute, finishing on 14 a minute. But, the more I trained, the more I realised that I can manage 20 a minute for the full hour. And to make sure I'm really comfortable with 20 a minute, I'm currently doing 25 a minute. Yesterday I did 500 in under 20 minutes.

Tuesday 14th June 
Tonight I had a full dress rehearsal - I completed 1200 press ups in 59mins 20 seconds. I did this in sets of 20 every minute - and I felt fine, but the last 3 or 4 of each set, once I'd reached 1000, were hard. But I know that those are the ones which will improve my performance, so I didn't mind too much. From now on until the day of the challenge, I intend to train on every 3rd day, doing 25 every minute - probably up to 200 or so - but I'll see how I go.

Friday 1st July
Well, I did it! 1175 pushups in one hour - witnessed by YMCA staff and a Somerset County Gazette reporter!

I intended to do sets of 20 pushups every minute, on the minute, aiming for 1200 - but there was a bit of slippage somewhere, since I ran out of time. :(

I can't deny I found the last couple of press ups of each set were getting tougher as I neared my goal; but still, each set averaged out at around 16-17 seconds. 

And I can't deny that I got my body lower at the beginning of the exercise than I managed towards the end!

But, all in all, I'm very happy! :)


If anyone wishes to help me celebrate my achievement, my Just Giving page link is towards the top of this post.

5:2 DIET - MY VERY FILLING VEG CURRY, DOWN TO 75 CALORIES

In my quest to find the lowest calorie dinner for a fasting day (FD), I've managed to push the calorie count down to 75! :)

5g each cumin seeds and curry powder, dry fried, 10 cals
65g onion 21
325g celery 26
150g dark green cabbage - cut in strips with the spine still intact 20
125g mushrooms 17
1/2 tin tomatoes 41

Plus: 1 teaspoon each, mushroom ketchup, soy sauce and (vegan) Worcs sauce 15

Total 150

This makes 8 large serving spoons - four of which fill a decent-sized side plate.

So, 75 cals! :)

There are a couple of reasons I like to drive my calories as low as possible on a FD:

The health benefits of intermittent fasting (IF) are backed by hard science.

And by varying the calorie intake on FDs (and feast days*) every now and again keeps the body's cells on their toes - they have to prepare for any eventuality.

*I also think that, just as our ancestors would feast when they made a kill, so should we. So once a week or so I'll have a bit of a blowout! :)

MUSINGS OF AN AGING*, HEALTH CONSCIOUS, INTERMITTENT FASTING VEGAN!

(*Aged 77 and counting!)

Put simply, my goal is to live healthily into old age. If that leads to greater longevity, well, that would be a bonus, but it's not my main concern.

So I am health conscious, and, since I began intermittent fasting (IF) in Feb 2012, I've become more and more aware of how we can take control of our own health.

Intermittent fasting plays an integral part in this, of course, its benefits are legion. (Just off the top of my head I can think of half a dozen health conditions that are countered by IF.) But there are other interventions that are necessary in order to maximise one's health - in my opinion.

Exercise and IF complement each other perfectly - but there are, of course several types of exercise which are covered in depth here by my guest blogger, GymBoffin. Last November I began a home-based exercise routine and in December I began using a kettlebell. Later I added High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to my routine.

A plant-based diet. I've been a vegan now for around 10 years, and I'm more and more convinced that this contributes greatly to my all-round good health and sense of well-being.

INTERMITTENT FASTING (IF) AND EXERCISE

28th September 2014

Here's an interesting website on the subject of slow weight training - which I've begun to add into my fitness regime.

On a lighter note, a couple of days ago I was doing my weighted press ups and I threw in an extra set of 20 - showing off to my daughter. Then I finished off with a set of 10 slow press ups, a PB for me.

The following morning the muscles of my upper body ached like billy-o all day! Lesson for me there.

I'm unsure ATM whether to go fully for the slow weight training - which replaces a several sets of fast reps with 1 set of very slow reps. So I'm doing half of my original exercises, plus one of the slow variety.

Here are a couple of links I found interesting:
Sitting too long isn't good for you - we know that now - but here's a study showing how this can be overcome.

And:
I'm just a kid next to this guy!

22nd August 2014
My progress continues: 

Yesterday I did 3 sets of 20 weighted press ups, and found them so easy, I just continued with my last set - and got up to 35 before my arms gave out.

This morning, for my four chin up sets, I did 7, 8.99 (I just couldn't lift my chin up that last millimetre!), 7 and 7.

And, two days ago, I completed 96% of my planned kettlebell routine. 

18th August 
About time I updated this post - a lot has happened in the last 3 months:

Firstly, I broke the ring finger on my right hand. The accident - a 'texting accident' - was caused by a moment of stupidity on my part - in that I tripped over whilst walking (fairly briskly) and texting. Not good :(

So my finger had to be in a splint for 9 weeks! Which meant I was unable to do certain of my exercises. For a month I did no press ups - I did nothing right-handed with my kettlebell, and, for 9 weeks I couldn't do chin-ups.

HIIT:
I've changed my HIIT routine - instead of swimming back and forth across the pool, for a while I was running round it. First I'd jog around for a minute or so, then I'd do 3 sets of 30 seconds flat out with 30 second pauses in between. In the last fortnight, however, I've changed this to running on the spot in the water. Both these leave me pretty exhausted - but they're getting easier!

There's no reason why someone who's major exercise is swimming shouldn't do this in 4ft of water in the corner of a pool. They might get some strange looks, but, since they'd have a pretty high pulse rate and be very breathless, it'd be worth it!

Kettlebell(s)
Whilst wearing the splint, I continued with the double-handed and left-handed kettlebell exercises, improving to such an extent that last week I upgraded to a 9kg kettlebell. And my progress continues apace - in the four kb routines I've done so far with my new 9kg kb, I've completed 81%, 82%, 90% and 94% of the programme I've set myself. In fact the only exercise where I'm not reaching 20 reps is the Sumo Dead Lift - left-handed (I'm still not supposed to do this exercise with my right hand - nor the Swing). Mind you, I'm leaving fairly lengthy gaps between certain sets. Once I can do these sets continuously, I'll think about upgrading again. 

Press ups
For about a month, I couldn't do any press ups. Then I figured I could do knuckle press ups which kept my finger out of the way - I began with 15 each set, rapidly increasing these to 20. Then I was given the all clear to resume normal press ups and I was doing 20 x 4 sets of these quite quickly. Once I got my 9kg kb I put my 6kg kettlebell in a back pack - and I'm now doing 4 sets of 20 weighted press ups with 8kg on my back!

Chin-ups:
I had to lay off these for the 9 weeks I was wearing the splint. I've now had four sessions (on alternate days) and I'm surprised just how much muscle memory I have retained. On my first session I had four sets varying between 1 and 3 reps. For my fourth session, tonight, I did 3, 5 and a bit, 6 (a PB) and 5! So in only a week I had reached the level I had set before my 9 week layoff - actually I'd improved on that!

I'd been advised by GymBoffin to occasionally do a weighted press up with a really heavy weight on my back - just once every now and again. I haven't done that, but I wore my 8kg back pack to do a one-off chin-up - and managed a full one!

Handstands:
I was encouraged by (link to come) someone on line to have a go at handstands. I would love to surprise my grandchildren by spontaneously doing a handstand in front on them - so I'm on my way to accomplishing these.

I've been putting my feet on the stairs and holding myself on my outstretched arms for 4 x 1 minute every other day (instead of planking). I began with my feet on the third step, and after a fortnight or so, my feet are now on the 5th step - and tonight I extended two of those sets to 90 seconds instead of 60. My next goal is to place my feet high on a wall and gradually get my hands closer until I'm eventually doing a handstand. (After that it'll be a cartwheel! ;)) 

Reflections:
I'm frankly staggered by how quickly I've been able to progress. I couldn't do a single press up when I began my body weight exercises at the end of November last - and I got my first kettlebell (3kg) as a Christmas present a month later.

I have to ask myself, "Why did it take me to the age of 76 to realise that exercise was so beneficial? How come I never realised that I could put muscle on; that I could regain that inch I lost in middle age; that I could improve my posture such that friends began to comment?"

Before I began my weight-bearing exercises, after practicing Intermittent Fasting for 21 months, I was saying just how good I felt. I was fond of saying that I felt like a forty-year-old - a fit forty-year-old. And now I've put all this muscle on, I feel twice as good as before!

I've got no idea where this is going to end - but I now know I shall never stop trying to challenge myself. I shall never give up trying to improve!

12^th May 2014

I can now manage three proper chin-ups! Albeit I don’t quite straighten my arms between each one. But I’m happy with that. Only 17 to go!

HIIT. 2 PBs today. My record, set a month or so ago, was 30 seconds for my 10 widths of the small exercise pool I use. Today I did the first one in 29 seconds – and repeated that for the 2^nd stint! I then dropped to 33 seconds for the third run.

Saturday, 10^th May 2014

Kettlebell:

4 sets of 15-20 reps of my 9 exercises. I’m doing 20 reps of my two-handed exercises, and also left-handed and right-handed swings. I’m finding the lifts are still a bit of a struggle, although I hope to increase these to 20 by the end of this month.

Weight-bearing exercises:

4 sets 20 press-ups – as below

Chin-ups. Since I can now do one complete chin-up, GymBoffin has advised me to do one of these - slowly x 4, with 2 minute intervals in between – for the next couple of weeks. I’ll gradually try and up the number of these. (See 12^th May update! J )

Plank. 4 x 60 seconds.

I do the kettlebell and weight-bearing exercises on alternate days.

Thursday 3rd April 2014 
Two weeks or so ago, I graduated from 3 sets of daily exercise to 4 sets - both kettlebell and weight-bearing (on alternate days). And this morning I purchased the kb upgrade I've been promising myself for when I reached this level.

I did envisage going from a 3kg kb to a 5kg - only to discover that they were only sold in multiples of 3kg. So, to my surprise, I've come away with a 6kg kettlebell!

I've had a tentative go at swinging it around and manhandling it, and decided that, not wishing to strain anything, I'll drop down to half (ten) or even a quarter (five) of the number of times I carry out an exercise, and build up from there. 

I've been complimented on my improved physique in recent weeks, and, just this morning, I was told that my posture was much better nowadays!

Another change to my routine is that instead of carrying out 20 reps of my press ups - which, up to now have been xfit ones (where you lie on the floor and push yourself up - taking your hands off the floor each time) - I'll try and do several proper press ups, lowering myself down as far as I can, but not touching the floor, first. Then gradually increase those over the coming weeks. 

My long-term goal is to beat my very fit son in the number of press ups in a minute. I'm hoping that, since he doesn't know he's in a competition, I'll take him by surprise - and whop his arse!

Saturday 18th Jan 2014
I've just discovered I've grown back the inch I lost as I aged! I shall create a separate post to explain this - but I'm now back at 5' 7" (my younger height) after being 5'6" for many years. Purely as a result of starting pull-up exercises 7 weeks ago at the end of November. Look out for the link.

Thursday 16th Jan 2014

Here's my version of the kettlebell 2-handed swing. I shall ask Mumsnet's very own gym bunny, BCF, to critique my technique - and she's not known for pulling her punches, quite the reverse.

Not much change to my exercise routine - except that I now do 3 x 45second planks - and I can now lift myself about 15cm whilst doing my chin-ups.

Saturday 4th Jan 2014
When I first looked at IF, I came across several blogs which, whilst extolling the virtues of IF, also emphasised strength training - specifically weightlifting:

http://www.leangains.com/ Martin Berkham - IF and weight-lifting

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/welcome-to-marks-daily-apple/#axzz2pS7TUoOH Mark Sisson - The Primal Blueprint

http://www.eatstopeat.com/ Brad Pilon - blogging on IF since 2006

http://gettingstronger.org/ Todd Becker and Hormesis

All these blogs are well worth perusing - they contain a wealth of info, most of it freely offered.

I did nothing about this, rationalising that these blogs reflected the particular interests of the blogger. 

However, I've now been practicing IF for almost 2 years, and I've recently added strength building exercises to that regime - inspired, it has to be said, by the womenfolk on the Mumsnet 5:2 threads.


Here's my programme so far:
Back exercises: I had a problem with my back, many years ago, so, since then I’ve been doing two daily exercises to prevent a recurrence:
I lie on my back on the floor with my knees bent and do 100 curls while keeping my lower back on the floor – arms out in front
And then I do the reverse – I lie on my front and bring my head and shoulders up whilst keeping my hips on the floor.

Up until I retired – over 20 years ago, now – I cycled to work, in summer reaching about 120 miles a week – so I was pretty fit.

I joined a gym for a few years – mainly treadmill and cross-trainer.

Then I gained access to a small swimming pool – I spend about 30 minutes a day in there. Some swimming, but mainly I run (jog?) around the pool (in 1.25m of water) 100 times – took me 12 mins 52 seconds the other day, a PB. And I spend 5 minutes going back and forth the length (4 metres) of the pool – my PB with this one is 62 lengths.

At the end of November, I started to look at home-based strength building exercises and came across 5 exercises that can be done at home (4 if you ignore the lunges that are not recommended for anyone with knee problems.)

This was my programme for today:
30 secs plank          x 3 (PB 90secs – I could do more)
20 push ups         x 3
20 squats                  x 3
10 Pull-ups – about 3-4cm         x 3 
(I do these on the stairs overhang. When I began, it was all I could do to hang there for about 5 seconds)

I’d only been doing these exercises for a couple of weeks when I began to notice a difference – I have a heavy portable oven, which I’ve always needed help to move. Not any more, I can handle it myself, now!

Then, once again inspired by Mumsnet, I asked for and received a 3KG kettlebell for Christmas, and I’m building up an exercise routine with this.

This is where I am, ATM:
20 ‘steering wheel’ reps        x 2
2 handed swing x 20 x 2
Sumo deadlift x 20         x 2
Swing x 20 L        x 2
Swing x 20 R         x 2
Clean and jerk L x 20 x 2
Clean and jerk R x 20        x 2

I keep a record of all this on a Word file - and I’m building up to 4 sets of each. Time of day, apart from my morning swim, is variable, whenever I can fit it all in! 

As well as all this, I’ve been looking at the health benefits of cold showers and, after a very tentative beginning, I can now manage over 3 minutes under cold water. Not sure if it’s making any difference, but apparently it takes several weeks before you feel the benefits.

One last thing – I try and do 20 minutes a day bladder muscle exercise. I soon know if I’ve let this one slip – I find myself getting up for the loo in the middle of the night!

I have to say that I’m as fit now as I’ve ever been – I feel like a 40-year-old, a fit 40-year-old. But, since I've only been weight training for a few weeks, I put that down mainly to fasting. 

And confirmation of this is that my age is apparently 47 according to AgeFit, and my Vo2Max is 45! So that’s about 30 years I’ve got in hand.

I haven’t got into HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) yet – tried it with running on the spot, but my knee joints protested – just as they did 30-odd years ago (which is why I got the bike in the first place). 

INTERMITTENT FASTING AND CALORIE RESTRICTION - WHAT I'VE LEARNED

(Read about my 12 month's experience of IF here. Which caused my excellent blood results here!) 

Last week I was invited to address my local Humanist group (Taunton Humanists) on the subject of Intermittent Fasting (IF) - here are my notes for the talk I gave:

In the 1930s, studies on mice discovered that calorie restriction (CR) resulted in longer-living, thinner, healthier mice

( http://tpx.sagepub.com/content/37/1/47.full.pdf )

…and many studies since have confirmed this finding with a variety of animals – rats, rhesus monkeys, worms – and even yeast!

Around the middle of the last decade several scientist/researchers in the US and in Manchester here, revisited this research and began their own studies.

In August 2012 Dr Mike Mosley’s Horizon programme ,which investigated current US research into longevity, Calorie Restriction (CR) and Intermittent Fasting (IF), was broadcast.

(Here’s a review by Brad Pilon, author of Eat, Stop, Eat, who has been practicing IF since 2006. His is a website well worth browsing!

5:2 DIET - HOMEMADE PASTA AND RAGU SAUCE

(Some info on my experience of the 5:2 way of eating.)

Thursday 24th April 2014
Made a variation on the pasta side of this dish by adding a teaspoon of smoked paprika along with the flour - it just lifts it out of the ordinary!

Ragu sauce made pretty much as below

5:2, or INTERMITTENT FASTING - some hints and tips

5:2: if you’re doing it for weight loss means no snacking – ever!

If you want a treat – and who doesn’t, now and again – incorporate it into your meal. If you do have to have something, a biscuit, say, then look at it before each mouthful and make a conscious decision whether or not you need it. 

(BTW, the only safe way I’ve found to eat a biscuit is to take one (that’s 1!) out of the packet on your way out of the house. Then don’t start eating it until you’re halfway down the road.)

Other techniques I’ve found useful:

Use smaller plates for your evening meal

Put less on your fork and eat each mouthful slowly, savouring the flavours.

It takes roughly 20 minutes for your body to recognise that it has eaten – so, if you feel like a second helping, put a timer on for 20 minutes. If you still want something, then go ahead, but at least you’ve thought about it.

After the evening meal, announce in a loud voice that, ”The kitchen is closed!” And mean it!

If you do succumb to the lure of the leftover curry on the hob late in the evening, tell yourself, “Ah, well, that’s breakfast sorted! I’ve just had it a bit early.”

But before you get to that stage, set the kitchen timer for 20 minutes – or drink a pint of water – or go and do some exercise.

Wine. I’ve reduced the amount of wine I drink by about a half. I only know this because, whereas I used to make 20gals of wine a year, now I only make 10 gallons.

I used to drink half a tumbler of red with my evening meals, but noticed on a couple of occasions that the wine was disappearing without me even noticing! J So I reduced the amount I put in the glass and tried to appreciate every mouthful. It didn’t happen overnight, but eventually I found I could enjoy as little as 50ml with dinner. Not every night, sometimes I have double that, but often, when I do, I still have a centimetre or so of wine left after I’ve finished eating.

On FDs I don’t have any alcohol, instead, with my meal I have the same tumbler filled with iced water. The ritual and the unfamiliarity of the iced water seems to satisfy the need for a drink whilst I’m eating. I’ve tried this on ‘normal’ days – with limited success, I have to say!

Mumsnet has had a thread, 'Tips and links for those practicing IF'. Well worth a look!