ChristyLA's Journal, 19 July 2014

Don't you just love this site? The diversity and the freedom to express our personal preferences and thoughts. And to elaborate on Bill just said, which applies to everyone. We all have find what works for each of us individually. I have no idea what my diet is caller other then "Kathy's diet" because I follow no plan. Tried. Failed. The one I'm on now sort of works or I should say, it's worked wonders and worth 80lbs. So... Try it and if it doesn't work, look at alternatives. There is no such thing as one size fits all.  

That's interesting, Draglist (about using the fat reserves for energy while fasting). I didn't realize that and it makes sense. I still think, however, that fasting, even for a short time, isn't sustainable long-term, which is the way weight loss is maintained. To me, maintaining weight loss is the most important thing, because what's the point of losing weight only to gain it back? If you have knowledge about how someone could fast and maintain their weight loss, please let us know. I appreciate your comment and everyone must find what works for them. 

That's great that you find it sustainable. I, personally, have a hard time feeling hungry for long, which, I'm hungry when I first wake up. I do believe eating is an integral part of stimulating the metabolism. Although, I have not read the studies that you have mentioned that exist that prove this to be untrue. However, I do believe that not all studies will reflect that same truth. Do what works for you and I will do the same. For me, deprivation is a cause for me to binge, so fasting would not work for me. Just not having a nightly snack causes me to binge before I go to bed, because I cannot fall asleep hungry - due to the deprivation factor. I find this is true when I simply wait too long after I become hungry to eat, not even trying to fast. Not eating when I'm hungry messes with me psychologically, so I could never sustain it for life. However, I suppose it's possible that if you're used to fasting and fast at the same time of the day, you eventually might not feel hungry at those times. I can see where fasting would be effective for weight loss, but not for weight maintenance. Maybe you can begin eating more regularly after you've lost the weight, since theoretically, if we are reducing our calories by 500 to lose 1 lb a week, we should be able to increase our calories by 500 to maintain. I have found that to be true for myself. 

Boudreaux, I've decided to try the non-dairy approach to see if you're right. I decided this after not feeling like having my daily Greek yogurt last night :) Maybe I do have a daily allergy, and if I have a positive result by going off the dairy, I will find out. I did have a dairy allergy as a young kid (milk made me sick), but I'm not sure if I still do. Maybe my body just learned to adapt. Either way, it's worth a try and I think I can go without dairy. I really do not eat much of it anyway and I can find substitutions (like dairy-free creamer). I looked at a couple of lists of dairy foods and ingredients in order to avoid them, and I hope I'm successful at doing so. I will need to take a calcium supplement for my bones, since osteoporosis would be a possibility, and it runs in my family. If you have any other references that you could suggest for going dairy-free, I would really appreciate them. Thanks for your suggestion :) I will give it a try.