I was under the impression that this was really unhealthy though. My BMI is 19 so I'm close to being underweight. Isn't this unhealthy? Do people fast and not lose weight?
The underlying psychological issues and associated stresses is what IMO qualifies as “unhealthy”, in which case corresponding under- or over-eating could result in malnourishment or excess weight[0]. However, in absence of these issues or other factors suppressing your body’s hunger/satiety messaging, not eating some “standard amount” shouldn’t be an issue on its own[1].
I happen to know a person who fasts routinely. In case of that person it doesn’t seem to be motivated by hidden psychological issues (he does not strike me as a person who could be suffering from body dysmorphia/anorexia) but by a conscious health choice. As an example of his logic, recently he got COVID and from his words he “simply” didn’t eat for two days and was right back on his feet feeling great. It’s not my place to question his choices, and I myself try to space meals to spend 14–16 hours without food every day since it seems to leave me feeling better, so it was surprising to hear but not too outlandish. He is not bulky but not skinnier than me either[2].
(I’m not a doctor, but from a cursory check medicine does seem to classify eating disorders as “expressive”, i.e. indicative of underlying issues. I don’t know how medicine treats under-eating without a cause, I certainly hope they don’t try to force-“treat” someone to make them eat at a level medicine considers “normal”.)
[0] For the record, I don’t think one can truly address those root causes just by eating less or more.
[1] In fact IIRC lower metabolic rates have been correlated with longer lifespans, at least in mice and in snails if not in humans.
[2] I’m slightly underweight, and can eat quite a bit without gaining much weight. My sister is similar, and she quickly gets low blood sugar shakes if she doesn’t eat enough. I guess it’s a sign of fast metabolism.
Interesting! Here's a challenge for you: could you buy — and eat — 5000 calories of chips/candy/soda per day for the next 90 days. You may not walk/run more than 5km/day, nor engage in other exercise for more than 30m/day.
Please weigh yourself before & after this experiment.
It's probably also better to ease into it. So start with an 8 hour eating window and slowly decrease the window.
Getting enough calories and nutrients can be a challenge and is far from easy with the "standard western diet". I would really recommend seeking advice from a professional.
Have you been to a grocery store in the last 100 years? Getting enough calories and nutrients is dead simple, our stores are overflowing with fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and meat. What is the "standard western diet"?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_pattern_diet, also referred to throughout the article as "The Standard American Diet".
I meant the combination can be a challenge if your on a narrow time feeding window.
