He documented the effects on YouTubeWarning: This is a discussion of one persons experience with fasting, and is not encouraging severe dieting or starvation.
When it comes to different fad diets, there is every possible permutation of one under the sun on the internet.
Whether it be eating like a caveman, eating nothing but potatoes, or simply – being a vegan – there are 100 different health diets you can do.
One man tried a totally different one, however, fasting.
A YouTuber decided to fast for five days (heymikehanna / YouTube)
Whilst fasting is incredibly common in certain cultures, whether it be for religious reasons such as Muslims during Ramadan or particularly devout Buddhists, the length of the fasts in these cases are normally over the course of a day.
One YouTuber, however, decided instead to eat nothing for a whole five days, and revealed the surprising impacts it had on his mind and body.
The YouTuber, Mike Hanna, posted the video ‘No Food for 5 Days… More Productive?’ on his channel two years ago.
Hanna presented the idea as a way of avoiding cravings, if you’re not eating at all – you aren’t forced to choose between unhealthy and healthy food.
Right towards the start of day one, Hanna says ‘how bad could it really be’, before towards the end of the day saying his stomach was ‘grumbling’ and confused.
At the start of the second day, he revealed he ‘couldn’t stop thinking about food’ and ‘his hunger couldn’t go away’.
Obviously, Hanna is not suggesting, however, people never eat or in any way starve themselves through this experiment.
He speaks in detail about the effect it had on his body (heymikehanna / YouTube)
He includes clips from an interview with Dr Jason Fung, a nephrologist and ‘functional medical advocate’ who he describes as the ‘go to’ for intermittent fasting.
Fung questions the logic of having three to six meals a day, with the YouTuber saying that instead, we should be doing ‘intermittent fasting’.
By day four he says he has ‘got over the hump’, however, by day five states that he is feeling light headed and ‘in pain’.
In the end, is he more productive? Well, Hanna annoyingly doesn’t really say, however, he does offer some interesting insights.
The YouTuber said that it gave him a good perspective on the other cravings in his life by choosing to go without an essential part of life.
When hinting that ‘intermittent fasting’ is the way to go, it should be stressed that outright fasting is discouraged by the NHS as being unhealthy and not solving poor relationships with food if struggling with obesity or body weight.
The benefits of intermittent fasting have long been debated, with neuroscientist and Professor at John Hopkins university, Mark Mattson, researching the topic for 25 years.
Mattson says the dieting technique may even have benefits to your brain, saying: “Neurons release a lot of proteins, and one idea is that intermittent fasting may be causing some kind of neuroplasticity (a change in structure) in neurons, causing the release of neurofilament proteins.”
Regardless, the most important thing on a diet is to make sure you feel happy and healthy, and consult a health professional before making any drastic decisions regarding your diet.
With a new year comes new year’s resolutions, and I challenge you to find someone who doesn’t start their list of goals with ‘be healthier.’
After a festive season full of drinking, many of us have said au revoir to alcohol as we embark on Dry January – a campaign started by Alcohol Change UK to encourage people to consider whether their relationship with booze is a healthy one.
Others have signed themselves up for a meat-free month in hopes of reaping in the benefits of a plant-based diet, also known as Veganuary.
Professor Natalia Lawrence says: “We know that reducing meat intake can have a number of benefits including on health, the environment, animal welfare, and on finances.”
To fully put the vegan lifestyle to the test and see if it actually has the health benefits that everybody claims, Matt from YouTube channel Yes Theory decided to take on a 30-day vegan challenge – and the results are pretty shocking.
Prior to starting the challenge, Matt had a full set of blood tests done so he could see what impacts the diet had and consulted with expert dieticians along the way.
He also discovered a lot of misconceptions relating to veganism, including concerns about it causing nutritional deficiencies.
Matt went on a vegan diet for 30 days to see what impacts it would have on his body (YouTube/Yes Theory)
Documentary-maker James Wilkes told him: “A lot of people that go vegan just aren’t educated on how to do it. You can’t just take your current diet, take meat off the plate and think you’re good to go.
“But, if you look at nutritional deficiencies, on average vegans are deficient in four nutrients. Meat-eaters are deficient in nine.”
But what changes did Matt see in his body after 30 days of veganism?
“I don’t feel worse. That’s the main thing,” he said.
And, his repeated blood tests showed some marked improvements.
Blood tests showed improvements to his vitamin B12, thyroid, iron and protein levels (YouTube/Yes Theory)
“We actually a pretty sharp increase in your testosterone,” his doctor told him. “Whether or not the vegan diet is right for you, this is a huge positive benefit.
They also saw improvements to his vitamin B12, thyroid, iron and protein levels.
Matt later admitted: “I did not expect the results to be that good. It’s actually quite shocking. I kind of feel like I don’t have a choice but to go majority plant-based now the results were better after and I was already eating so healthy before.
“I think I’ll still have some animal products once in a while but mostly plant-based.”
When you’re trying to lose weight, every diet seems to be filled with misery.
Whether it’s cutting out all sugar, consuming everything via soup, or constraining yourself to only eating at specific times, it seems like near every diet is purpose-built to make you sad.
Therefore, when someone comes out with the statement that a ‘potato only diet’ changed their life, you would be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t sit up and listen.
Imagine nothing but these bad boys for an entire year (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
The diet was one carried out by Andrew Taylor, known online as ‘Spudfit’, who switched to a potato-only diet to try lose weight.
Taylor said he ‘had issues with food addiction’ and was 151.7 kilograms when he started the diet.
When he says ‘potato-only’ Taylor really isn’t kidding, as he ate just that for an entire year.
While potatoes are arguably the most versatile ingredient around, and in theory I’m sure many of us (myself included) would say we’d love to do this, it takes a bonkers level of dedication to do so for an entire year.
So the real question is, what effect did it have on his body?
The diet had a drastic effect on his body (YouTube / Plant Based News)
Well, Taylor actually lost over 50 kilograms in the year he spent eating only spuds.
The man went from 151.7kg to just under 100 at 98.5 kilos.
Taylor said of the process that it had ‘totally changed’ his life ‘for the better’.
Speaking to The Independent at the start of his experiment, the potato-lover said: “I’m getting over 600% of my daily iron retirements and over 400% of vitamin c as well as heaps of fibre – all things that so-called experts have said I’d be low in today.
“The only thing of concern was calcium, potatoes have calcium but maybe not enough.
He mostly ate boiled potatoes ‘like an apple’ for the year (YouTube/9 News)
“To be sure I’m using a calcium fortified organic soy milk to make mashed potatoes.”
He also said that he would be taking regular blood tests, and would be taking fat if the blood tests gave any concerning results.
According to advice given by doctors, he is eating a mixture of white and sweet potato recipes.
Taylor also stated that, over the course of the year, his mental health improved greatly.
The spud-aficionado said that, prior to this experiment, he had been struggling with clinical depression as a result of his food addiction, and has revealed that the diet re-focused his relationship with food, and thus improved his mental health.
He also stated that it eased his feelings of anxiety.
Regarding the diet, an expert told the Daily Mail that, while he would be eating enough to keep up energy and lose weight, the diet is lacking in ‘essential nutrients like zinc, B12 and omega-3.’
.png)
An American man who made the decision to quit alcohol for 1,000 days has revealed the surprising things he discovered on his journey to sobriety.
There has been a rising interest in the sober curious movement over the past couple of years, with more and more people deciding to explore a life which doesn’t involve going heavy on the booze and spending the following day with your head in the toilet bowl, regretting all of your choices.
This trend is particularly popular among younger generations as well, with a recent study published by Drinkaware revealing that 28 percent of young adults weren’t drinking.
More and more people are exploring a life with less or no alcohol (Getty Stock Images)
However, if you’re considering taking the plunge and cutting out the drink, but you just need that final push, here is some advice shared by YouTuber and self-improvement coach Clark Kegley – who regularly shares motivational videos on his channel.
After spending 1,000 days – which is just over two and a half years – sober, Clark explained that he had felt a whole host of physical benefits, which included: better sleep, greater mental clarity, and no longer experiencing the dreaded ‘hangxiety’.
Clark’s experience isn’t unique either, with advice from the NHS revealing that increased energy, feeling better in the mornings, and saving money are short-term benefits to going cutting down on alcohol or going sober.
However, it was once Clark pushed into the later stages of sobriety that he started to experience more surprising changes to his life.
Guidance from the NHS and Drinkaware adds that long-term benefits of cutting back on booze include lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and hypertension, as well as a decreased risk of cancer and liver disease.
For Clark, the most unexpected changes to his life didn’t involve improvements to his physical health but instead focused around how he felt about himself.
The YouTuber went on to explain that he started to feel like he had more spare time after going sober, and that he was able to re-discover his hobbies as things now ‘became more enjoyable’ for him.
He also went on to add that drinking alcohol made him more ‘tolerant’ of his surroundings, and that going sober has helped him learn to be comfortable with confronting discomfort in his life.
YouTuber Clark Kegley opened up on the most surprising impacts of being 1000 days sober (YouTube/clarkkegley)
Cutting out booze also allowed Clark to reassess his goals in life. The content creator explained that he still hadn’t completed things his 18-year-old self wanted to do by the age of 30.
“I was able to reassess what actually mattered,” he explained.
He also noted feeling ‘jealousy’ towards his old self and people who were able to drink moderately, due to ‘the magic charisma’ that some people seem to gain after having a drink.
“I miss that two-drink feeling, yeah, I’m pissed I lost that ability to control, that but it’s so easy to see the positives of things and not the downsides,” he added.
“If you’re going to compare, you need the whole context.”
If you’re someone who is considering whether to jump on the Dry Jan bandwagon, this bloke might help you decide whether it’s worth the hype.
Millions of people take part in the annual challenge to go alcohol-free for the first month of the year to have a bit of a detox after a booze-fuelled festive season.
Let’s have it right, a lot of us have drank enough throughout December to last us an entire year – so the idea of going 31 days without liquor is quite enticing.
Experts insist you will notice a number of health benefits if you take part in Dry January, however, some people remain unconvinced by the point of it.
A few Brits think it’s counterproductive to cut out alcohol for just one month while continuing to get hammered for the other 11. And they have a point – but the purpose of the campaign which was first launched by Alcohol Change UK is to encourage people to simply reconsider their relationship with booze.
It prompts us to take stock of how much alcohol we are drinking and whether we might be teetering into dangerous territory with our drinking habits.
But you don’t just have to take my word for it, as this man revealed what results he had after putting himself on a booze ban for 30 days.
Many Brits will be opting to give up the booze for January (Getty Stock Image)
YouTuber Jordan LoNigro decided to document his challenge and share his results online in the hopes of inspiring others to take a leaf out of his book too.
In a video originally shared in May 2019, he explained that he was motivated to ditch drunken nights out after a booze-heavy few weeks, which resulted in some pretty grim hangovers.
The photographer and videographer, based in South Carolina, then revealed what changes he had noticed after not consuming any alcohol for more than four weeks, as well as the biggest realisation he had.
He excitedly announced that he had lost 10 pounds ‘just by simply cutting out alcohol for a month and eating a little bit healthier‘.
“So that’s pretty awesome,” Jordan said. “I feel like I have a bit more energy, I feel a lot less sluggish than I usually do. I’ve been more creative.
Jordan LoNigro noticed some surprising changes after giving up booze for 30 days (YouTube/@jordanlonigro)
“I haven’t been waking up with hangovers on the weekends, so I’ve been using my time to my advantage and just being more all-around productive, so that’s been great as well. And lastly, I saved money.”
The content creator explained that even if you are just grabbing one beer with a meal, these small purchases add up over the course of a month.
However, Jordan admitted it wasn’t all smooth sailing, even if the 30 day challenge did leave him feeling better mentally and physically.
“Now let’s talk about some cons – or to put it better, some realisations I’ve had doing this challenge,” he continued. “My relationship with alcohol…it was a bit more challenging than I thought it was gonna be.
“The area I live in, there’s just so many things that involve drinking, so many activities that involve drinking. When I cut that out, it was like, wow.”
He explained that he lost weight, had more energy and saved money (YouTube/@jordanlonigro)
The YouTuber explained it dawned on him that he would have probably drank on numerous occasions ‘without even thinking about it’, rather than for a special event – prompting him to realise the extent of his relationship with drinking.
“Moving forward, I’m just going to be a little bit more aware of when I drink and how much I am drinking,” Jordan went on, before discussing the ‘most challenging’ aspect he faced while giving up booze further.
He told how his social life had taken a hit as he realised that a lot of activities involve drinking, but when your teetotal, ‘you don’t want to go put yourself in those environments‘.
“So you just stay at home and chill,” he said. “And you don’t really hang out with people too much.”
He explained the cold weather also played a part in this, as he couldn’t preoccupy himself by heading outdoors.
As well as prompting him to overhaul his relationship with alcohol, Jordan says the challenge gave him new-found admiration for those who don’t drink.
“I just did this challenge for 30 days, but there’s a lot of people out there even people that are very close to me that live a sober lifestyle,” he added.
“That would be very hard to do.You would really have to reformat your whole life, really be aware of your surroundings and that would be very challenging – so to anyone out there that lives that kind of lifestyle, respect to you.”
