Blog

Intermittent Fasting, the old new?

By: Dr. Bhanu Abohari

Intermittent fasting, is it for you?

“Sooner or later, everything old is new again”— Stephen King

Intermittent fasting has quickly become one of the hottest new eating trends around. From weight loss to improving health, and even helping people build better relationships with food, intermittent fasting appears to have all bases covered.

Also Read: Walking Your Way To Fitness

But is this amazing new way of eating new, or has it simply been re-discovered?
Intermittent fasting is not new. In fact, it’s one of the oldest ancient secrets of health in existence.

Early philosophers, such as Plato and Hippocrates, long ago talked about abstaining from food to improve health.

“Our food should be our medicine or our medicine would be our food”—Hippocrates

Fasting has also long held a place in religious ceremonies, such as Navratris, Ramadan, and Lent.
“Although religious fasting is often a time of great spiritual growth, it can also be a time of great improvement to one’s physical health”.
As it seems there is quite a lot of support, and praise for the intermittent fasting diet.
In the rest of this article, I’m going to take you on a start to finish journey through the ancient and fascinating world of intermittent fasting; including the pros and cons.
Settle in, get comfortable, and enjoy the ride.

Intermittent Fasting, the old new?

Fasting: The willful refrainment from eating for a period of time.

Intermittent Fasting, the old new?

Is fasting different than starving?
Yes.
Fasting is voluntary.
Starving (or starvation) is an involuntary loss of food.

For the majority of people fasting is quite safe.
A lot of people say they’ve gotten healthier, leaner, and increased energy levels by deliberating skipping meals.

Wait, who should avoid fasting then?

Disclaimer: Don’t mistake this for medical advice. It’s not. If you have any concerns about fasting, consult with your physician first.

Now with that out of the way.

Also Read: Why Eating Seasonal Is Good For You?

People who shouldn’t fast include:

If you’re pregnant
Already underweight
Have low blood sugar
Trying to gain weight/bulk up
Have a history of disordered eating.

I’m intrigued. What are the benefits of intermittent fasting though?

Intermittent Fasting, the old new?

The benefits of the intermittent fasting diet are many. Below is a shortlist of the amazing benefits of IF(that’s short for Intermittent Fasting):

Simplifies eating
Promotes weight loss
Saves time and money
Helps build healthy habits
Increases energy throughout the day
May eliminate the need for insulin in diabetics
Teaches you how to manage short-term hunger

“I’ve been doing IF on and off now for about 5 months.

I’m not super strict with it so the weight is coming off a little more slowly but something it’s doing is teaching me better habits, like not eating anything when you get home at night.

Snacking late night has always been a huge vice of mine and I can now say that I have it completely under control.”

Also Read: Are you Failing Your Fitness Dreams

Does intermittent fasting work for weight loss?

Yes, but with one catch.

If you’re eating far more food than your body needs, you’ll store that food as body fat and gain weight.

With that being said, IF is a great way to help control calories, without doing anything crazy like calorie counting or weighing and measuring every ounce of food like a mad scientist in a lab.

See, fat is simply stored fuel which your body can use for energy during periods of no food. Hmmm, “periods of no food”–sounds a lot like fasting, right?

Anyway, the body evolved to store fat as a survival mechanism (aka, keep you alive when food is scarce).

Below is the non-science version of how this works, and how IF can certainly help you lose weight.

When you eat food your body breaks it down and converts it into usable “energy units”. Well, those energy units provide fuel for short term activity. However, if you take in more food than you need what do you think your body does with it?

The body breaks down that food and stores it as energy for future use, of course.

And, how does the body store energy for future use?

By creating body fat.
However, if you stop eating food for a while (ie…fasting) you’ve essentially cut off that supply of energy (food) which the body uses for fuel.
But, don’t worry. The body doesn’t panic here.
No, instead the body is calm and relaxed. It’s been storing all that extra energy (body fat) for times like this when there is no food coming in.
And this is why IF is great for weight loss. When you fast you’re cutting off the fuel source that powers your body; food.

By doing this you convince your body to start breaking down stored body fat to be used as energy. This is good for weight loss.

Also Read: Add Yoga To Your Workout

From a physiological standpoint, the whole aforementioned process is actually quite complicated. However, I like my simplified version better because well, it’s way easier to understand than any physiology textbook.

So yes, IF can help with weight loss.

There are quite a lot of different styles of intermittent fasting. Some are very practical, while others are a bit out there. We’ll take a look at all the different varieties in a second, but just know that THE BIG DIFFERENCE is the length of the fast. The rest of the details are up for grabs.

Intermittent Fasting, the old new?

Intermittent Fasting, the old new?

How do I manage my hunger during a fast?

First of all, take a deep breath. Listen to the soothing sounds of my voice.

Feeling hungry is not a stage-5 emergency. It’s not an emergency at all. Feeling hungry is a lot like an ocean wave. First, it builds up offshore, then it steadily rolls inward, until it finally breaks upon the rocks or shoreline.

Feeling hungry is the same way.

First, you feel hungry, then feeling eventually breaks up and vanishes.

Ok, now that you know feeling hungry isn’t an emergency, here’s a hunger emergency fall back plan you can use when you’re, well…hungry (just in case):

• Step 1 

Drink a big glass of water or a small amount of caffeine.

Hunger and thirst send the same signals to your brain. Sometimes you may just be thirsty, not hungry. If you’re still feeling ravenous after you drink the water, take in a small of caffeine in the form of coffee or tea.

Caffeine is an appetite suppressant and will help manage feelings of hunger until it passes altogether.

• Step 2 

Do something to distract your mind

Do any activity which gets you moving.

This could be as simple as going for a quick walk or blasting your favorite music.

My go-to hunger eliminator dance song is “What Is Love” by Haddaway.

What’s yours?

So, what can I drink during a fast?

Anything without calories is fine. The keywords here being “without” “calories”.

Great choices include:

Water

Coffee

Soda water

Tea (herbal, green, black…etc)

                    I drink cold green tea during my fasts. I like the taste and the herbs in the tea seem to help curb any hunger pangs I may be experiencing.

Also Read: Secrets To Fitness You Know

Now you may be wondering about diet colas. Can you drink them during a fast?

Technically…yes, but I don’t recommend it.

If you’re just chasing the fizz and carbonation, you’re better off sticking to normal soda water. Save the colas as a reward for completing your fast.

Can I exercise during a fast?

This question is being hotly debated right now.

Recent studies show there may be extra benefit from exercising in a fasted state—both for losing fat, and increasing lean muscle mass.

Army recruits often exercise daily; starting at 6 or 6:30 am, almost always starting these morning exercise sessions in at least a 10 hour fasted state.

Can you guess what happened to them?

They were actually able to put on a lot of functional muscle mass.

              I also know a lot of high-level fitness coaches who have successfully used fasted exercise with 100’s of their clients. They have amazing weight loss testimonials which help validate that fasted exercise works very well.

With all that being said fasted exercise is a potentially powerful weapon to have in your arsenal.

My suggestion is to try it for yourself and observe your own results.

What type of fasted exercise should you perform?

High-Intensity Exercise, lasting between 5-15 minutes, followed by a period of low-intensity exercise, lasting 20-40 minutes seems to be the sweet spot.

This could be as simple as a few rounds of sprints, followed by a 30-minute brisk walk.

However, it’s important to reiterate that just because fasted exercise is gaining popularity, is not a magic bullet or an excuse for you to eat irresponsibly.

If weight loss is your goal, you still need to control calories.

A study illustrates the point that when calories are accounted for, fasted and non-fasted exercise had similar effects on weight loss.

How do I come out of a fast?

Slowly.

A general rule of thumb is “the longer the fast, the slower you should come out of it.”

This may seem counter-intuitive, but it’s not.

       One way I’ve found that works well is to drink a protein shake as your first food after a long fast.

              A protein shake hits your body with a whack of easily digestible calories, which breaks the fast and prime it for real food.

                   I’m not saying you can’t eat real food after a fast though. You certainty can, but eating too much food right after a long fast can cause an upset stomach. So ‘easy’ is the call, coming out of an IF.

Also Read: Your Path To Fitness In 2020

                              In conclusion, Intermittent Fasting is old age, but a newly embraced ideology to eating, that not only is simple and safe but it also makes dieting enjoyable. Although it contradicts a lot of today’s views and ideas, there is science behind it. With all these new ideas and diets you would think the world would be getting more fit instead of the obesity rate coming to an all-time high. Through studies and science, it shows IF works and if the Army Recruits, the peak of fitness, use it to stay fit, why shouldn’t we.

Recommended Sites:

thenutritionhunt.com

playandshine.wordpress.com