What is autophagy?

I have been doing quite a bit of reading on this subject lately.

Does anyone happen to have any concrete data or perhaps some firsthand experience to share?

It’s been shown to work on mice—essentially extending their lifespan—and I believe a Nobel Prize was actually awarded for research in this area. People typically follow an 16:8 intermittent fasting schedule where they eat during an eight-hour window, but since those autophagy processes don't really kick in until you've gone about 12 to 14 hours without food, I suppose it might be more effective to push the fasting period as long as possible. I practiced this for a while, gradually increasing my fasting duration, and eventually, I managed to hit a fifty-hour stretch. It wasn't even the hunger that was the issue, per se, but rather a sense of lethargy, almost like a sudden drop in energy levels. I guess I'm wondering if anyone else here has experimented with this and dealt with similar bouts of weakness? Also, from what I understand, individuals living with diabetes shouldn't be attempting autophagy at all.

I personally experimented with an autophagy-focused fasting regimen for a while.
At least, I’m fairly certain that was my intention.

Essentially, I attempted to fast for about 13 to 14 hours at a time, and during that final hour of fasting, I would perform roughly 30 minutes of some form of HIIT. This usually involved hitting the stationary bike, though occasionally I’d switch things up with some weight training or similar exercises.

The end result? Over the course of two months, I managed to drop about 6 or 7 pounds.

I used to alternate between 20:4 fasting and 48-hour fasts. The result was losing 45 pounds in five months.

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