Intermittent Fasting 101
Intermittent Fasting - the what, why and how.
Ah, fasting - sounds awful doesn’t it? But when it is done while we sleep, do we even really notice we’re doing it?
Intermittent fasting is a practice I’ve been doing for some time now - years, really - without even knowing I was doing it and reaping a boat load of benefits from it. After doing some research lately, I learned exactly what those benefits are and how to intermittent fast effectively.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a practice that involves eating within a specified timeframe each day. The rest of the day (or night) you fast. In is a cycle of eating and not eating.
The standard method of intermittent fasting includes a 6-8 hour feeding window and a 16-18 hour fast, the “16:8” method. However, there are several different ways to intermittent fast depending on your own personal needs.
Why Intermittent Fast?
The benefits of intermittent fasting include: weight loss, protection against chronic disease, improved brain function, and increased longevity.
As noted by Bulletproof “fasting gets you into ketosis quicker — it drains your glucose reserves, forcing your body to reach into its fat stores for energy.” Therefore, burning through your caloric reserves and increasing weight loss/fat burn.
How exactly does it impact fat loss? For one, when your body is depleted of food, it converts from burning sugar to burning fat. Second, it curbs sugar cravings.
But it does WAY more than increase fat lost in some, and the long term health benefits outweigh the immediate potential fat loss benefit in my honest opinion.
Additionally, people can potentially boost their metabolism, kickstart healthy weight loss, and see other intermittent fasting benefits like enhanced cognition and improved energy and mood. (wellandgood.com)
Increases energy
Promotes cellular repair and autophagy (when your body consumes defective tissue in order to produce new parts)
Reduces insulin resistance and protects against type 2 diabetes
Lowers bad cholesterol
Promotes longevity
Protects against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Improves memory and boosts brain function
Makes cells more resilient
How to Intermittent Fast
There are several different ways to do this:
A full, true intermittent fasting practice involves fasting daily for 16-18 hours straight, with about a 6-8 hour window during the day to eat. (18:6 method)
You can also intermittent fast by having one meal a day, fasting the rest of the day.
Or, fasting every other day. I recommend beginning with this method and progressing toward fasting daily, increasing the time you fast as the days go by.
An example of this progression:
Fast once or twice a week for a few weeks.
Then, fast every other day for 1 week.
Next step: Fast daily beginning with an 8 hours fast, fasting for 10 hours three days later and so on until you hit a comfortable fasting timetable. Depending on the person, that may be 10 hours or fasting or 18 hours.
*It is important to keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all way of intermittent fasting. Each person is an individual with individual needs and reactions to lifestyle changes. Fasting should not leave you feeling fatigued, depressed, achey.etc. If these negative effects occur, back off of fasting and try only doing it every few days or even once a week. You’ll still reap the benefits of Intermittent Fasting even just by incorporating one or two days of it into your week.
Tips to Help you through a fast:
Drink LOTS of water. I’ve mentioned before that our bodies confuse thirst for hunger a lot of the time. Keep the liquid intake high.
Eat fiber-rich, satiating foods during feeding periods. These include nuts, veggies, legumes and fruit.
Eat high-protein foods such as meats and fish during feeding periods.
Coffee and tea are your BFFs. These drinks curb cravings and contain zero calories while giving you a little bit of flavor to tie you over.
Keep yourself busy and occupied. Laziness breeds boredom breeds random snacking.Keep your mind and body busy and active to keep your mind from focusing on the act of fasting.
How to Break the Fast
The foods you choose to consume when breaking your fast matter. Fasting for an extended period of time only to consume high carb, high sugar, processed foods at the break of the fast completely negates the positive benefits of fasting.
Think about it: the same goes for working out - getting a killer HIIT workout in and stuffing your face with fast food right after completely defeats the purpose of working out. You just burned calories only to consume twice as many calories burned. That, my friends, equals weight gain, not weight loss.
So, when breaking the fast, choose low calorie foods to begin with. My preferred choice is a cup of coffee with collagen peptides and a splash of oat milk. Not only is this drink low carb/calorie, but it is satisfying and curbs my hunger so that when I do eat whole foods I’m not grabbing for something sweet and carby. Our bodies crave carbs and sugar when depleted - those are natural immediate energy sources that give us a spike of energy, but only momentarily. Outsmart your body’s cravings by eating nutrient-dense, whole foods.
What does this look like?
Healthy proteins, vegetables and fats
Ex: Eggs with spinach and avocado.
Ex: Whole grain toast with smoked salmon and pesto
Ex: Nut-butter protein smoothie.
Check out the sources below for a more in-depth look into intermittent fasting, real-life experiences and more .
xoxo, Rachel
Sources:
https://blog.bulletproof.com/intermittent-fasting-weight-loss/
https://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/intermittent-fasting-benefits/
https://www.today.com/health/how-lose-weight-intermittent-fasting-16-8-diet-t132608
https://blog.bulletproof.com/intermittent-fasting-guide/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325517.php - this is a phenomenal, real first-time fasting experience. The author details the highs and lows of each week and what to expect.