INTERMITTENT FASTING (Part 1)

I personally have been doing Intermittent Fasting for the last 1.5 years and it works very well for my body. My fasting window is between 15:9 and 16:8 (eating from 1pm to 9or10pm).

Let's dive right in with part 1...

Intermittent fasting (IF) has become one of the most talked about modern?protocols over the last number of years and rightfully so, it breaks the rules.?For decades we have been told to eat every 2-3 hours and to eat breakfast upon?waking; to kick start our metabolism for optimal body composition and health.?

IF goes against this and many protocols suggest reducing your meals and?delaying breakfast. Also, many protocols suggest eating less during the day and?feasting at night, again going against the saying ‘eat breakfast like a king,?lunch as a prince, and dinner as a pauper’.

IF therefore goes against many of the typical recommendations from fitness?professionals and has grasped the attention of many people.

WHAT IS INTERMITTENT FASTING?

In its most basic form, IF is essentially the practice of occasionally (or at certain times) going for periods of time without food.

That’s right, you don’t eat anything. This typically raises two key questions:

1. Don't I do this when I'm sleeping?

2. Surely you will lose weight by not eating?

The answer is yes to both of these questions, but we must look at the facts in more detail to better explain this modern protocol.

Everybody fasts, whether it’s from an overnight fast (when sleeping), during periods of food scarcity or perhaps even for religious reasons.

IF is not a "diet", but rather an eating pattern. Essentially, it is making a conscious decision to skip certain meals. You are, therefore, deciding on a specific time period to consume your daily calories, while forgoing food at other times of the day.

Over the last few years this has become increasingly popular with the health and fitness conscious as a further means to manipulate their eating habits for increased results.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Looking at what IF is, it appears to be a rather simple protocol on the whole, however, there are a variety of other protocols that follow this general ideology, but are very different in practice.

There are a number of popular IF protocols that are worth knowing about and understanding.

Unlike some of the modern nutrition protocols, the lack of scientific basis behind IF has left it open to manipulation by many users and proponents.

The current research on fasting is still relatively new and it wasn’t until its increased popularity that we have been able to get a true reflection of the benefits and negatives it has on a large population.

Existing "lab" research is minimal on humans and many studies are of poor quality. Furthermore, it appears that many of the benefits of IF were noted when compared to "normal" diets i.e. western type diets. Therefore, results from a scientific standpoint appear positive but could be disputed regarding accuracy and scale.

Many of the various IF protocols have, therefore, been based on other scientific studies along with strong support from anecdotal evidence. It appears that many people have had great success with various IF protocols and it really does seem like a case of "test it yourself and see if it fits".

? THE BENEFITS OF IF

So, when it comes to the benefits of fasting, there is something we need to consider. We have mentioned a range of different approaches, which should not be all grouped as "fasting". The 16:8 method, is now referred to as time-restricted feeding, as while technically it is fasting, our body does not activate the same metabolic responses as it would to a 24 or 48 hour fast.

If you have heard of fasting, you have no doubt heard of the magical benefits that it can have on dead cell turnover and regeneration (autophagy) which may help to reduce the risk of disease. However, what they don’t say here is that this process occurs after a 16-hour fast only in rodents, for whom 16 hours is a much greater portion of their lifespan than it is for us humans.

It is, therefore, not yet agreed that short-term fasting can provide the host of benefits that it is often touted for in online blog articles that you might have come across.

Here are some of the more proven benefits of fasting...

ENHANCED FAT LOSS AND MUSCLE RETENTION

Short-term fasting may help to enhance important hormones that play a role in muscle growth e.g. growth hormone. In addition, there have been some studies showing that time-restricted feeding matched to a traditional restricted-calorie diet may help to preserve muscle mass while losing weight.

REDUCED HUNGER LEVELS

When we fast and deprive the body of a source of carbohydrate for an extended period of time, it will switch to burning fat as the primary fuel. This results in a reduced hunger or need for carbohydrate and many people report feeling less hungry after a short couple of days following this way of eating.

MORE STABLE ENERGY LEVELS AND IMPROVED MOOD

Fewer meals usually means more stable blood sugar levels, leading to more stable energy and improved mood. Also, being liberated from eating 6+ meals compared to traditional "diets", brings a sense of relief and reduced irritability.

INCREASED MENTAL FOCUS AND CONCENTRATION

For the reasons above, many people also report having more focus and mental clarity during their fasting windows. This may be in part due to some hormonal changes, but most likely due to the stable blood sugar levels i.e. no spikes and dips in energy levels.

THE NEGATIVES OF IF

Overall, there are very few negative side effects with Intermittent Fasting.

The biggest drawback for many is transitioning onto such a protocol. Moving from eating 6 meals a day to 3, all by delaying breakfast and incorporating fasted weight training can be a difficult task.

This can be a lot to throw at a body in one go, so taking it easy and introducing various components at a time can improve compliance.

IF can be complex for people who have issues with blood sugar regulation, suffer from hypoglycemia, have diabetes etc. It should only be considered in healthy individuals without health conditions or have a discussion with your medical professional.

Aside from avoiding this protocol with certain clinical populations, there is evidence that IF affects men and women differently.

A study examined the effect of alternate-day fasting on blood lipids. Women’s HDL improved and their triglycerides remained stable. For men, HDL remained stable and their triglycerides decreased.

It’s therefore clear that due to the metabolic and hormonal differences in males and females, this might determine how we respond to a stressor like Intermittent Fasting.

More to come with Part 2 on the different fasting options. In the meantime, if you would like to download a free guide on Intermittent Fasting click here. I am always happy to have a conversation as well via DM.

To your health,

Pam Lehr

Healthy Food & Habits Are Wealth