Reminiscing About the Salad Days and Confabulating About Fasting with Mike Helwig

My guest for this episode is my friend and former coworker, Mike Helwig.  I met Mike in 1996 when we worked for a company named AMP.  As long as I’ve known Mike, he has been in a continual up and down struggle to achieve and maintain an ideal weight.  He was the classic yo-yo dieter.   Initially, he had a great deal of success, but eventually, he was unable to maintain the weight loss.

Starting in 2020 Mike started using fasting along with Keto to lose weight.  He’s lost 100 pounds from about 250 to 150.  The difference this time, so far, is that he’s been able to keep the weight off.   I’ve had several guests on the show talking about their experience with Keto, but none to date have talked about fasting.  So we focus on fasting in this episode.  He’s done some pretty extended fasts which can have health consequences so check with your doctor if you really determined to try an extended fast. 

On a related note, golfer Phil Mickelson at just a month shy of his 51st birthday recently became the oldest player ever to win a major tournament, the 2021 PGA Championship.  A lot of the players he was competing against were half his age.  He attributes a lot of physical stamina to fasting.  Every week he fasts for 36 hours and every few months he does a six-day fast.  The before and after pictures of Phil are amazing.  I think it’s just another example of the potential of fasting. 

Dr. Rhonda Patrick on fasting:
https://www.foundmyfitness.com/topics/fasting

Phil Mickelson coffee & fasting combo:
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/phil-mickelson-coffee-fasting

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