Read time: 1 minute (with update at bottom)
It is amazing how much we can get done without being preoccupied by the thought of eating every 3 hours. Like going out for a nice walk (yes, even on this cloudy morning).
I skipped breakfast this morning and went for a walk instead. Then I went to work. I had a hunger ping around 10:15 AM, but I ignored it and it went away 3 minutes later.
I came home at “lunch time” (weird how we call it a name based around food) and my wife and I shared a good espresso (with heavy cream!). Then I consulted with my stomach to see if it had hunger. It didn’t, so I decided not to eat and went back to work a little earlier to get some emailing done (instead of waiting until tonight).
I’m at work now and I feel great, liberated, and suddenly have so much more time.
AND, being in an unfed state, my body is enjoying more fat-burning hormones. A from a continuous flow of fuel from stored fat, I’m completely focused and clear-headed.
NIGHT UPDATE:
Tonight my wife and I had duck confit — it was marinaded over the weekend, cooked on Sunday, preserved in its fat until today, and heated skin-side down in a skillet tonight until crispy and heated through. (Incredible!) We had the duck confit with stir-fried leeks in butter and bacon (delicious). For dessert, we had fresh blueberries mixed in homemade whipped cream, along with an espresso (heaven!).
We truly enjoyed our dinner to complete gustatory satisfaction — and the best part was that we enjoyed it with each other while talking about our day.
The point of this post is that I don’t have to obsess over eating, yet still enjoy my food immensely… when it really counts.
The Simple Saloon 
My problem is not how much or when I eat. My problem is (when I try the paleo diet) that I can only eat fruit, veggies, and meat.
To me, that is being obsessive about food, and I wish that I did not have this problem. I wish I could eat just those big 3 food groups and not obsess over it.
I am beginning to think that grains and sugar are drugs. They are addicting. I think I see your point now.
Al, I also don’t believe we should be obsessive about food. However, I think it is important to be responsible about the food we chose to eat.
In the end, if we all ate less, no matter what the food, we’ll all be healthier. But being responsible about food choices as well as not being obsessive is simple for me: if it’s made out of something with a low nutrient-to-calorie ratio, like grains, then I’ll likely pass for something else.
It’s that simple for me.
Vegetable oils have an even worse calorie-nutrient ratio…also, I’m beginning to believe, with great influence from Matt Stone, that fructose sits alone as king of dietary evils, as many traditional cultures ate great amounts of grains and low-nutrient starches (potatoes) with superb health–their carbs come almost entirely as glucose polymers and glucose monosaccharides…However their civilized counterparts ate great amounts of sugar and their health declined proportional to this dietary addition. (weston price’s work). Nutrient-less white flour might be runner up.
Btw, I absolutely love this blog.
Thanks, Josh.
I agree with you 100% that there are a lot of cultures that consume grains and other carbohydrates and seem to do well and show no frank signs of deterioration like wide-spread heart disease and obesity.
If you look at these cultures, however, their stats for obesity and overweight, as well as their life expectancy, are not THAT much lower than ours. (The exclusions, paradoxically, are cultures like traditional Okinawan, Sardanian, and a couple others, who have the highest percentage of octogenarians — those living to be 100 or more.)
In the end, longevity is based on many factors, and stress is probably one of the major ones. I would just as well remove the stress of avoiding grains all together, and include some — if that makes life easier.
However, beyond the factor of stress or obsession, I truly believe that people can be healthier without grains, and fat loss and weight management can be much easier.
[And after a while of no grains, it gets easier because I believe that inside the body most carbohydrates become a sugar that continue to stimulate the reward center of the brain — or perpetuating an addiction.]
The Lean Saloon philosophy is that, for maximum health and manageable body weight (becoming and remaining lean) is best facilitated with minimal consumption of grains and grain-based products, and using regular intermittent fasting.
Best regards!
can’t argue with those results, man
Johnny,
Are there any negative sides to IFing every day for 24 hours? Like slowing down your metabolism…? I’ve been doing consecutive 24 hour IFs and wondering if I should be mindful to perform alternate day fasts instead… i’m just not really all that hungry and a 24 hour fast seems to be comfortable… I’m not really looking for major fat loss or anything, I just do it for convenience. I’ve been reading some mixed stuff on consistant IFs…and wanted your input as you seem pretty knowledgeable in this area.
Oh and on the fast days, I probably consume no more than 1000 cals.