Incorporate regular periods of fasting and feeding into your lifestyle to promote longevity by cycling autophagy, anabolism, and catabolism, as well as mTOR activity.
Continue your regular exercise routine, especially weight training, during fasting periods to help preserve muscle mass and send a signal to the muscle to prevent shrinking. While strength may be preserved, high-cadence cardio might be more difficult.
Enter a fasting period from a state of nutritional ketosis to ease the transition and reduce discomfort, as the body will have already ramped up ketone production.
Exit a prolonged fast by re-entering a ketogenic diet to guard against overeating junk food and maintain reasonable eating habits during the refeeding period.
Be cautious with the volume of food consumed immediately after a fast to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort, such as hiccups, due to the stomach being decompressed. Start with small, light meals.
Consistently practice time-restricted feeding, aiming for a daily eating window of 2-10 hours (14-22 hours of restriction), most days of the week.
Limit or avoid abject junk food, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, and processed carbohydrates like potato chips to maintain a healthier diet.
Recognize that supplement needs are highly individual; consult with a professional to determine a personalized regimen rather than blindly following what others take.
If in a metabolically poor state (e.g., diabetic, hyperinsulinemic, metabolic syndrome), consider increasing the frequency of fasting periods like Fasting Mimicking Diets (FMDs), and potentially reduce frequency as metabolic health improves.
Tailor your fasting frequency to your regular dietary habits; if you tend to eat less healthily, more frequent fasting may be necessary to mitigate damage, whereas a consistently clean diet might require less frequent fasting.
Maintain a regular routine of mindfulness meditation, as it can foster a unique sense of calmness and presence, especially during periods like fasting.
Use a wearable device like an Oura ring to consistently track sleep duration, efficiency, and sleep stages (light, deep, REM) to gain insights into sleep quality.
Supplement with increased magnesium and sodium (e.g., via bouillon) during ketosis and fasting periods to counteract electrolyte wasting by the kidneys, which can prevent lightheadedness and cramping.
Clearly understand your specific reasons for fasting (e.g., weight loss, autophagy, metabolic health) to guide decisions about what, if anything, you consume during the fast.
Refrain from consuming artificial sweeteners or chewing gum during a fast, as they can potentially stimulate appetite and disrupt the benefits of the fasted state.
Experiment with shifting your largest meal to the morning and tapering food intake throughout the day to align with circadian rhythm and potentially optimize glucose disposal and insulin sensitivity.
Utilize DEXA scans to track body composition changes, ideally using the same machine and operator for consistent and accurate results over time.
When following a Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD), consume all allowed calories in a single meal, preferably dinner, to satisfy social needs and potentially enhance the feeling of satiety.
For Fasting Mimicking Diets, a high-carb, low-protein, low-fat approach (e.g., salad and rice) can offer greater volumetric satisfaction compared to a low-carb, high-fat FMD.
Use a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) like the Dexcom G6 for highly accurate and continuous tracking of blood glucose levels, which is more insightful than finger sticks and doesn’t require calibration.
Strive for an average blood glucose level between 85-90 mg/dL for optimal metabolic health.
Target specific lipid markers for cardiovascular health: LDL-P below 800 nanomole/liter, C-reactive protein below 1 mg/L (ideally below 0.5 mg/L), oxidized LDL below 40 U/L, uric acid below 5 mg/dL, and homocysteine below 9 µmol/L.
Monitor thyroid function by aiming for TSH below 2 µIU/mL and a free T3 to reverse T3 ratio above 0.2, as these indicate healthy thyroid activity.
Use a Dutch test (dried urine test) to measure cortisol and cortisol metabolites, providing a comprehensive assessment of total adrenal output and free cortisol levels, which are more indicative than plasma cortisol.
Take sequential photos (e.g., seven days apart) as a simple, zeroth-order method to visually assess changes in muscle mass during dietary experiments.
During prolonged fasting, increase dental hygiene (e.g., brushing teeth multiple times a day and savoring the toothpaste) to combat taste monotony and enjoy the sensation.
Always review the show notes for podcasts, especially those discussing experiments or data, as they often contain detailed information and metrics not fully covered in the audio.
Utilize the upcoming AMA page on the website to submit questions, allowing for more efficient aggregation and tabulation of popular topics.