thejash comments on Life Extension through Diet Modification - Less Wrong
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I too have (accidentally) consumed less than 800 calories in a day (got caught up in something and lost track of time). I felt noticeably worse.
Does anyone know if/how much people can get used to such a diet? For people that fasted regularly (more than one day), is it always like that, or do you sort of get used to it? Being distracted by being hungry is a pretty big downside for me since I spend a lot of time programming, and distractions make me considerably less productive.
I fast once a month (sometimes more), generally the first sunday of the month. One does get used to doing that.
I have also fasted for a week at a time, being one small meal each day. It isn't so bad especially if one is used to fasting for a day time period previously.
The feeling of hunger never disappeared, but it got easier to accept.
Some days that were really busy at work flew by without a problem at all. It was easier for me when I was engaged in a task that demanded most of my concentration.
One day is not enough time to adapt to a major dietary modification. I'd suggest giving any change at least a week or two, but preferably a month, before deciding if you can tolerate it or not.
And try out CR and IF independently, don't jump into both at the same time.
ETA: If you go more than a week on IF and you still feel terrible, you (like most people, sadly) have larger metabolic issues to resolve first. So switching to a Weston A. Price traditional/paleo-ish or Perfect Health Diet setup, getting your health up a few levels, and then trying IF after that.
Anecdotally, I found it fairly easy when younger to do an IF diet. The first few times fasting for a day, the waves of craving/hunger could be fairly bad, and fasting for a second or third day was pushing it much too far, but overall it wasn't so bad. And it was fun eating double on the non-fasting days.