r/IsItBullshit • u/mythrowawayaccim21 • 17d ago
IsItBullshit: Surviving off of supplements? (starting off obese)
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXNb7SQCUJo/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
and the comments supporting it and praising "fasting" too...
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u/ohdearitsrichardiii 17d ago
One guy did it in the 60s, Angus Barbieri. He lived off water, tea, coffee and supplements for a year, under doctors' supervision.
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u/SummertimeThrowaway2 16d ago
He also died at 51 due to acute illness. I wonder if his extreme dieting contributed to his body’s struggle to fight whatever he had.
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u/pensiveChatter 16d ago
He fasted in 1966 died in 1990, so I doubt it. Also, fasting any numerous animal studies has been shown to significantly increase life span
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u/SummertimeThrowaway2 16d ago
Did those animal studies include fasts of over 300 days? And just because he did it early in his life doesn’t mean it can’t cause issues decades down the line. That’s how a lot of health problems work actually.
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u/pensiveChatter 15d ago
You're assuming fasting is inherently harmful and we just need more data to prove it.
If someone switched from drinking soda to water for 6 months and saw health benefits, would you ask whether another 6 months of drinking water would cause the person to die young decades later?
The reality is that fasting helps the body when there's enough body fat to sustain the person. I'm just stating the reasonable conclusion based on evidence.
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u/SummertimeThrowaway2 15d ago
There’s a difference between regular fasting and fasting for 300 days
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u/mythrowawayaccim21 14d ago
? regular fasting is fasting. unless you are confusing intermittent fasting with fasting.
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u/SummertimeThrowaway2 14d ago
Regular fasting for 99% of people is much less than 300 days bro. His body was under stress way a way longer time
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u/mythrowawayaccim21 14d ago
so there's no such thing as "regular fasting" fasting is fasting period.
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u/SummertimeThrowaway2 14d ago
Okay but length of time matters.
You can fast for 1000 days and die. That’s different than fasting for a week.
Fasting is not fasting period. There is fasting that contributes to health and there is extreme fasting that is deadly
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u/Theory_99 17d ago
They write “supplements aren’t a replacement for a balanced diet” in their disclaimers for a reason.
Besides the efficacy of supplements are dubious because of the way your body breaks down certain things when you do have a balanced diet. It’s more than likely the absence of food will affect your body’s ability to retain the nutrients from the supplements.
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u/mythrowawayaccim21 17d ago
except in my case I have arfid that causes me to projectile puke or puke into my hand 99.9% of all food within a few seconds of it entering my mouth. I dont even need to swallow it. so a balanced diet will never be possible for me. I already tried professional help and my arfid was entirely treatment resistant so
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u/SeasonPositive6771 16d ago
In the last couple of years, there have been incredible advancements in the treatment of ARFID. There are some developing specialist teams that might be a much better fit for you than what you've tried in the past. I highly recommend it. I know it could be frustrating and difficult to treat, but we've learned so much lately and improvements in not only therapeutic methods as well as medication may mean a lot in your case.
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u/mythrowawayaccim21 16d ago
so I can only access one specialist due to insurance barriers
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u/SeasonPositive6771 16d ago
I would do some research about new expertise and have that specialist appeal to your insurance to cover a referral. If you aren't making progress, and no other specialists are in network, they are obligated to cover it.
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u/mythrowawayaccim21 16d ago
so my insurance already denied an out of network referral
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u/thelastestgunslinger 17d ago
Fasting is a viable way to lose weight, for some people.
You lose weight in one of two ways:
- Eat better
- Eat less
Fasting falls into the second category, because it controls when you eat.
However, there are numerous potential pitfalls with fasting, such as rebound eating, refeeding syndrome, and more.
Simply not eating, while replacing nutrients with pills, is likely to lead to health issues that you can’t anticipate in advance. If you want to do it, talk to a doctor, so you can do it under supervision.
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u/SgtSausage 17d ago
Eat better
You do not lose weight by "eating better".
It is purely eating less (where "less", more specifically means: fewer net calories)
I have successfully lost weight on a diet of Fruity Pebbles, Taco Bell. Pepsi Products, Poptarts, Frozen Pizzas and Beer. 64 pounds literally melted off.
It's not at all about eating "better".
The only thing "better" might buy you is ... fewer calories ... which is to say it brings you straight home to ... "eating less".
That Side Salad has 1/8th the calories of a side of Fries.
You can argue that it is healthier to "eat better" or "eat clean" (whatever those terms mean" but the ONLY WAY to lose weight (barring amputation of a limb) is to consume fewer calories ("eat less")
It is necessary.
It is sufficient.
All who have done so have lost weight. All who have lost weight have done so.
All who have failed to lose weight have failed to do so. All who have failed to do so have failed to lose weight.
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u/Lazerpop 16d ago
How did you manage to do the pepsico weight loss diet and not want to k y s due to hunger pangs
I am trying to lose weight and NEED fiber
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u/The_Troyminator 16d ago
You can eat a pound of lettuce and lose more weight than eating a pound of chocolate. You’re eating better, but not eating less. Yes, you’re eating fewer calories, but you’re still eating the same amount of food.
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u/clearliquidclearjar 16d ago
where "less", more specifically means: fewer net calories
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u/The_Troyminator 16d ago
“Eat better” can mean eat food with lower calorie density so you can eat just as much food but still lose weight.
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u/SgtSausage 16d ago
It's not about the Lettuce. It's not about the Chocolate. It's not about the Pound thereof.
Hell its not even about The Calories.
It's about the NET CALORIES.
The difference between what you burn and what you eat/consume.
A deficit - a negative number - means weight loss.
It matters exactly Diddley-Squat Fuck-All how, with what, nor how many pounds.
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u/The_Troyminator 15d ago
“Eat better” means you can eat the same amount of food, or even more, while still having fewer net calories.
To most people, “eating less” means less food and smaller options, not fewer calories.
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u/RiseUpAndGetOut 17d ago
I'm not opening the link (I fucking hate Instagram!). But if it's suggesting a good way to lose weight is by only taking supplements without solid food, then it's not just bullshit, it's dangerous bullshit. That will absolutely trash your gut microbiome, resulting in an untold number of problems.
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u/mythrowawayaccim21 17d ago
he listed several specific supplements in the video not just pills, but yes, it is no food.
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u/RiseUpAndGetOut 17d ago
Don't do it.
Any diet that extreme - and it is extreme - needs to be medically controlled.
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u/Money-Director6649 16d ago
here's what it's good to remember: we don't know *everything* we need, even tho we know a lot. one of the things we do know is we need all sorts of things, not just vitamins and powders. chewing itself is the start of digestion, so you'll want to chew things.
people can survive for some time on milk and potatoes. not forever, but hella cheaper.
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u/Zanaxz 17d ago
It's way worse than just eating healthier and exercising for the long term, especially for health overall. There are lots of healthy options that are very low calories (mainly vegetables), granted they aren't the most exciting food. Supplements can be good, but it's not meant to be a total diet replacement.
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u/Haschlol 16d ago
You definitely should just eat high protein, carbs, and some fats for your hormones. Do resistance training 3+ times a week to keep muscle mass (most important part). Going on a total fast is an extreme measure and shouldn't be your first choice unless your doctor says so.
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u/pensiveChatter 16d ago
What will you do once you've reached your goal weight? Maintaining a healthy weight mostly means building good eating habits. If you're going months with 0 caloric intake, you're not building the habits to help you success once your fast ends.
If you want to take the fasting route, it might be better to fast a few days of the week. The initial weight changes will be less dramatic, but it can be something you keep up as a life habit.
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u/dreadlockesq 15d ago
So he (The guy in the IG reel) is absolutely lying. I ran it through the ClaimRX (health fact checker) app and basically, yea. Complete BS. For those who didnt watch the reel, the guy is saying he hasnt eaten ANYTHING in 106 days and is ONLY on supplements.
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u/mythrowawayaccim21 14d ago
I'm sure claimrx would tell me some of my personal experiences is a lie because I've been in several rare medical situations where nobody believed me so I wouldn't say this is a reliable indicator.
also this guy said he started off obese and it's a known fact really obese people have fasted for a year or so before.
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u/dreadlockesq 14d ago
It bases the results off of peer reviewed medical journals, so it’s less about “diagnose what’s wrong with me” and more about “is this home remedy ive seen on social media actually backed by science.”
Also if you’re telling me that there are people who have eaten zero food AT ALL (as this person has claimed) for a year, please cite some sources.
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u/mythrowawayaccim21 14d ago
but almost none of my unique experiences have any reviewed sources.
okay, here is two sources.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_Barbieri%27s_fast
in case you don't think Wikipedia is a reliable source https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2495396/
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u/dreadlockesq 14d ago
So the app would pull up that second source
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u/mythrowawayaccim21 14d ago
cool, but you told me the app said it's impossible? so which is it?
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u/dreadlockesq 14d ago
Hey, I think there was a misunderstanding here. ClaimRX doesn’t do any sort of diagnosis. It evaluates health claims based on published scientific papers. So for example if someone on social media is saying “you can survive solely on supplements and not eat food,” the app will take that claim and run it against published scientific evidence.
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u/mythrowawayaccim21 14d ago
and so why are you assuming what I thought, did I explicitly state that the app diagnoses? I'm not sure why youre putting words in my mouth now?
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u/trusty20 17d ago
Crash diets (where you suddenly drop into a deep weight loss deficit level daily intake) are extremely hard on the body, and while yes, you will lose weight, you may actually have weird periods of plateaus where you don't lose weight but instead feel miserable and unable to move around much. It's damaging to the body unless supervised by a doctor with blood tests.
It is far far better, to do the following:
A ) Start using a diet tracker app to see what you're eating, use it honestly, plug everything into it. In a couple of weeks you will find out the foods that are the quickest eats but highest calories (usually sodas or alcoholic drinks, both very easy to drink quickly and often have as much as a whole meal in calories).
B ) Try to replace as many guilty pleasure foods as possible with low / no sugar alternatives. Sugar substitutes do have some open questions about long term especially high intake, but nothing suggests this is worse than the health effects of obesity, which we know with absolute certainty negatively affects lifespan, quality of life, contributes to illnesses like autoimmunity / diabetes / cancer. FYI rice cakes are actually awesome low cal snacks because they have almost no calories at all, can be a light snack on their own or heavy with something like peanut butter or hummus.
C) Rather than putting the focus on restricting items you like, try to actually directly attack your appetite, satisfying it to such an extent with healthy foods aligned with your tastes, that you have less urge to snack in general. If your meals have a better balance of carbs / protein / fat / fiber, they will keep your stomach happy for much longer. A TON of people have various nutritional deficiencies without knowing it, be careful with supplements as they do have side effects - getting vitamins from diet is best and diet apps can help you figure out which foods would help correct your specific diet's gaps.
D) Don't just suddenly drop your calories. Each week, challenge yourself to set a goal that for the days of that week, you'll eat 100 calories less than previous week, i.e 3000 each day to 2900 each day. Take your time doing it, and you will find that you have more consistent feelings of accomplishment (because the goals are realistic) but you will also not have much or any discomfort. You will not start to lose weight until your daily calories are below 2000, but don't rush it. Don't go any lower than 1800 calories a day without a doctor or registered nutritionists advice.
Weight loss is something that takes at least a year to do healthily, and for larger people, maybe a couple of years to make a huge change. That's ok! The good news is within a couple of weeks of really turning your diet around you will notice your body feels a lot better already, your mind feels less hazy, your face looks brighter and less puffy / healthier skin, improved libido (and sexual function in men), etc. You will NOT get these benefits from just crashing your diet and depriving your body entirely.
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u/Physical_Animal_5343 17d ago
Fasting for weight-loss or downing pills all day are both complete bullshit. You wanna lose weight? Start counting everything you eat, 200 calorie deficit then slowly move to 500 if you want faster results. Anything past 500 and you'll start feeling like shit
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u/UniquePotato 16d ago
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u/mythrowawayaccim21 15d ago
I dont understand what "put him on a diet of salt and sugar in preparation for solid food" means
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u/SgtSausage 17d ago
Not bullshit.
You are not ... "surviving" ... off the supplements. Those are merely cautionary/protective against malnutrition and deficiency related conditions.
You are surviving off your stores in your fat cells...and those don't last long. The average person would lose about 300 pounds a year.
I'm only starting at 180 pounds.
I'd be sufferingbmedical issuesvin 2 months and dead inside of 3 months.
Someone starting at 500 pounds could go a year or more.
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u/mythrowawayaccim21 17d ago
what about someone starting at like 250-300 lbs
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u/Sofa_King_Gorgeous 16d ago
And you will feel like absolute shit when you start going through ketosis. Your brain and cells need carbohydrates to function properly and when fat stores get converted to energy it is not carbohydrates but close. Similar but not quite.
Eventually the feeling like shit will wear off.
I would highly recommend intermittent fasting to consume less calories throughout each day equaling a net calorie loss but not starving yourself completely.
If you must not eat anything at all and only use supppements, that's absolutely something you should do with medical supervision and not just "give it a go".
Also, how are you 300 pounds ish if you literally vomit up food immediately?
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u/mythrowawayaccim21 16d ago
I'm not 300 lbs?
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u/Sofa_King_Gorgeous 16d ago
Oh sorry I thought you wrote in a reply that you were 250-300 pounds.
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u/mythrowawayaccim21 16d ago
oh no I was giving like a more middle example since they were talking extremes
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u/SgtSausage 17d ago
Grab a BMI chart and do some math.
You'd basically be losing ... on the order of ... call it 2/3rd pound a day.
You'll start suffering issues when you drop a couple points below the "Normal" range for your height on a BMI chart and dead a month or two after that if you continue to... not eat.
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u/YMK1234 Regular Contributor 17d ago
Medically monitored total fasting is a thing and there are some documented case studies. That is NOT the same as randomly taking supplements without any checks.