Most of What You Thought About Fasting is a Myth

I’ve been a proponent of Intermittent Fasting for about 4 years now. Before that, I was practicing a form of it without even knowing it by working out on an empty stomach in the morning for decades. It just felt right. And there’s been science suggesting you tap into fat stores faster this way.

A lot of people are afraid of fasting. People seem to fear being hungry. You have to realize hunger is NOT an emergency ??. You can go for weeks without food if you had to. Even months. That’s what body fat is for. It stores energy for when food in scarce.

When you graze all day long (even if you’re not overeating calories), your body will burn the food coming in first, especially the foods containing carbohydrates, before it burns stored fat. It’s gets sciencey here, but has to do with insulin being present which blocks fat from burning.

Other than fat burning, there are other reasons why I like practicing IF:

1. It boosts energy ??

2. Improves body composition ????

3. Accelerates cellular repair and stem cell production (longer fasts are cool for us interested in anti aging practices)??

4. Reduces risk for metabolic disease ??

5. Improves mental clarity ??

6. Increases metabolism and HGH production ??

I know this is the opposite of what you have heard in the past, but new research has shown fasting can actually be better for sparing muscle tissue than a traditional low calorie diet.

When you fast for approximately 18-24 hours, the body gets all the energy it needs from stored glycogen (the stored form of carbohydrates), ketones, and body fat. It will not cannibalize its own muscle. Why would it? 

Instead, the body will increase its production of growth hormones to help maintain strength and lean mass during multi-day fasts.

It's a myth that metabolism slows down and muscle gets broken down during a fast.

There are also so many ways to do it.

? Water, tea, coffee only

? Time restricted eating windows (like 16:8 or OMAD one meal a day)

? And for people who’d rather eat some food, the Fasting Mimicking Diet was developed by researchers who found a way to get the benefits of a fast with food.

I recommend anyone wanting to try a longer fast to do the Prolon Fasting Mimicking Diet program first. It's a complete kit that comes with everything you need for a 5 day fast and has been clinically tested at the NIH and USC. My clients and even I, get amazing results from it with less hunger.

IF also aligns with any diet or lifestyle, whether you're following keto, paleo, vegan, FODMAP, etc.

If you need help navigating the world of IF, message me. I am an experienced nutrition coach with a credential in fasting education. IF is just one of the methods I use to help people improve their body composition, lose fat and feel better.