I'm not sure intermittent fasting is really for me, but I am curious about it and some of the claims of energy levels. However, it's one of those health practices where there's a ton of discussion around the benefits, and then on closer look I realize 90% of them are talking about weight loss, which is not something I need or that interests me at all.
I find I run into this all the time. In nearly every online discussion weight loss is synonymous with health improvement - true for many people, but it makes navigating these topics in larger public spaces a minefield for someone on the lower end of what is traditionally considered a healthy range.
At the moment I just have to avoid any specific practices and stick to the basics: staying active, eating whole foods (:im-vegan:), getting enough sleep, breaks from sitting, refraining from too much alcohol, stretching, etc. Also the psychosocial side: maintaining community around me, getting enough nature, work-life balance, yada yada yada.
How do you parse this out? Can anyone speak to benefits from a practice like intermittent fasting (or anything else touted) if you're not trying to shed pounds? Does anyone else resonate with my position?
Not trying to whine as being thin comes with a lot of fucking privilege.
EDIT: I wasn't intended this post to be exclusively about intermittent fasting. I'm curious about it in particular, but I also wanted to speak to the general phenomenon that so much of the general health advice I see around is actually just weight loss advice. This is pervasive outside of discussions too - books and articles outside of strict academic work seem to conflate the two all the time because for a large portion of the audience that's really what they're after.
If you're not obese there are always other things you can do to help your health. Exercise more, strengthen your muscles, make sure you're eating enough fruits and veggies and not just junk so you aren't "skinny fat", drink enough water and especially get good sleep.,
Seriously, this is highly underrated. Get some blackout curtains, set a sleep schedule and try not to use your bed outside of sleep and your body will slowly begin to associate your bed and that time with going to sleep, and open a window for nice fresh cool air. You're effectively pavloving yourself into it but it helps. Even if you're insomniac, you can still better your chances with a sound strategy.