Intermittent Fasting, the old new? Nutrition Weight-Loss FITrebel

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?

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?