Off hand I don’t know of a reputable source that has a list of many fasting related references so I thought I’d check out Brad Pilon. BTW I already bought his ebook several months ago so I might as well make the most of it.
BTW in the ebook he asserts that “There is no scientific evidence to prove that breakfast is any more important than lunch or dinner for adults. As a matter of fact, there is no scientific evidence proving three meals per day are better than one.”
It is faster to start from a source that I have (the shady one) compared to one I don’t currently have (a reputable one). And I used Google Scholar to verify his references and so far they have been 100% real.
Well my doctor did say something about intermittent fasting diets being helpful to some people when I was asking about the longest amount of time I could safely fast.
Well the references being a “lie” (like your said on this forum) wasn’t very accurate since it is untrue. Also I guess anything mentioned by me on these forums isn’t a “reputable source”.
I thought articles on Google Scholar would be more objective than people on this forum. The articles don’t claim to know the facts - just what seems to be the case within the studies.
You said “Since we already know it’s a lie, that’s just wasted processing time.” yet I was prepared to put in a couple of minutes of my time to double-check it. I object to doing unnecessary work… e.g. ignoring the references in the ebook and trying to find some for myself from scratch.
Let’s say that we could put everyone reputable - Albert Einstein, every practicing MD, every scientist, etc. - in a circle and every disreputable person - used car salesmen, con artists, yogis, mind readers, etc. - in another circle. And each of these two circles sent you a letter.
The first group’s letter says, “No, fasting is stupid. The best tip for how to do it safely is, ‘Don’t, you idiot.’”
The second group’s letter says, “Fasting is great! And we have lots of books to sell you and data to back it up!”
Is there anything anyone could ever say to convince you to go to group one?
Oh.My.God!! Just eat healthy, use portion control and exercise regularly!What in the hell is so difficult about that?!? You are a strange and obsessed, man. Relentless in such a ridiculous way it’s almost impossible to comprehend.
Perhaps he meant:
“the following four hours will require you to consume proteins that are easily digestible and fats that have limited amounts of carbs, [but] mainly fruits.”
Well technically that involves a logical fallacy called “argument from authority”
Though I would agree that it is extremely likely that in your example that the reputable group would be correct and the group of disreputable people would be incorrect.
In reality my GP said that a week of fasting is “fine”. Also I regularly have to fast for blood tests though that is only for about 12 hours.
I hope to see a dietitian one day. They would be more knowledgeable on the subject than someone like Einstein. BTW Brad Pilon apparently has the qualifications to be a dietitian. Google Scholar articles like those I linked to are a form of reputable evidence.
You said that only the second group claimed to have data to back up their position.
To go with group one someone would need to explain to me why articles found on Google Scholar don’t support the pro-fasting position.
That alone only shows that there is a lack of evidence that fasting is ok but that doesn’t prove that fasting is unsafe.
They should also produce data that shows that fasting is unsafe. e.g. it could involve studies that compare groups where one group fasted while the others didn’t. It already seems clear that 27 hour fasting is bad for endurance sports like marathons but that isn’t relevant to my personal situation.
It isn’t straight-forward to know what eating “healthy” means. Some would say that to eat healthy you need to only eat organic food and avoid artificial sweeteners, and worry about whether your meat is grass-fed, etc.
A lot of healthy people think that it is important to “detox” the body with special foods, etc, but according to some people: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17763728&postcount=18
“The alternative medical concept of “detox” is woo and nonsense”.
You might say that you could only eat organic foods just in case it makes a significant difference - but I am worried about my spending and I would only spend significant money on things that I think will make a real difference or I enjoy eating it.
As far as exercise goes I might do it more in the future if I feel like it and/or think it would make a significant difference.
I just saw my doctor. He said I had a BMI and waist in the lower range and he couldn’t justify giving me 5 free dietitian appointments. He said to just eat healthy and exercise. (Yeah I know :o) I remembered reading about estrogenic foods and asked him about that. He said that it has no relationship with stubborn belly fat. I asked him how he knows that and he said that soybeans are an estrogenic food and a lot of people on a diet containing them don’t have stubborn belly fat. I said that in a book it said something like excess estrogen makes the liver work harder and makes it harder for it to break down stored fat. I asked him if pesticides made a difference. He said to just eat healthy.
BTW he also said to get toned muscles and have a better posture when using a computer.
I bought his book and CD a few years ago but didn’t find it very convincing. But I want to check it out again. I guess I’m trying to find some short-cuts or how to exercise and eat healthy in the most effective ways. He does promote healthy eating and also “detox” foods.