Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Let’s talk about IF! Some of you were practicing this prior to the Challenge and some of you were introduced to it during the challenge. This article will explore the whys behind it, what the different types of IF are and the benefits of keeping your eating windows small for the rest of your life.
WHY Intermittent Fasting?
There really are 2 main reasons- Ketosis and Autophagy.
Ketosis is your body’s ability to burn fat for fuel in the absence of carbohydrates. One of the main principles of the Stride x MCFIT Challenge is based on this. Fasting for a minimum of 12 hours and then keeping your carbohydrates low for the first half of the day keeps your blood sugars low and teaches your body to burn fat as it’s main source of fuel. If you want proof, just take a look at your latest In Body Measurements- you all lost a significant amount of fat mass!
According to a study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, subjects who ate the same number of calories as they would in a normal day—but in a smaller window of time—had a “significant modification of body composition, including reductions in fat mass.” Pretty amazing, right??
Autophagy literally means “self eating”. This is your body’s ability to rid itself of damaged, older cells and regenerate new ones. IF is the most effective way to accelerate this process. One of the reasons is because digestion takes up about 80% of our body’s energy. When we are constantly eating it diverts our energy to the digestion and not to other essential functions like generating new brain cells, muscle recovery and growth, ridding our bodies of environmental toxins and destroying unhealthy cancerous cells (like cancerous). Numerous studies show that intermittent fasting results in improved energy, cognitive function, reduced risks of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, alzheimers and diabetes. In fact, Dr. Amy Shah one of the authorities on fasting (follow her in IG @thefastingmd) says that if you could bottle IF and make it a drug it would be a blockbuster billion dollar pharmaceutical. That is so powerful.
READY TAKE YOUR FASTING TO THE NEXT LEVEL?
You all know by now that intermittent fasting is basically choosing to fast for set periods of time. That set period of time can vary and depends on what works best for you and your lifestyle.
INCREASING YOUR FASTING WINDOW:
It is widely agreed upon that IF is most beneficial when fasting for 14 hours. If you a have adpated to the 12 hour fast, consider increasing it gradually until you can reach 14. If it is uncomfortable at first, increase by 30 min per day until you can reach 14. 14 hours works best for me, but there are some that are successful at 16. Below are the many different types of fasts out there. Some are pretty drastic, so be sure to discuss with your doctor before trying the longer, multiple day fasts.
TYPES OF FASTING
1. Alternate Day
36 Fast/12 Hr eat.
For example: Eat Mon 8am-8pm, then fast overnight all day Tues. Eat again Wed 8am-8pm Repeat. You eat what you want when eating.
2. Spontaneous Meal Skipping. Skipping meals randomly. Popular with the Paleo Diet. Belief that our ancestors exercised and ate “randomly”.
3. Eat Stop Eat: Fasting for 24 hour periods 1-2x per week. High protein, minimally processed foods
4. Leangains: 16/8. Cycling carbs and exercising within the 16 hour fast period. Fast 9pm to 1pm next day. Biggest meal after exercise.
5. Warrior Diet: 20 hour fast/4 hour feed
FASTED WORKOUTS
Working out on a fasted state can have same physiological effects as longer fasts. It can actually accelerate ketosis and autophagy. If you are used to working out in a fasted state, continue to do so, but pay attention to your body’s cues. Especially if you are having trouble recovering and are hitting wall during your workout. If you haven’t tried it, try going for a walk first thing in the morning to start or try lower impact activities.
A word of caution. Women can be extra sensitive to the stress that IF creates on the body, particularly if calories are too low. If you are trying to get pregnant, are pregnant, have low body fat levels (below 15%) , low or high BP, have low or high blood sugar or thyroid issues- extending your fasting period past 12 hours is not recommended. Please check with your doctor.
Finally, paying attention to your cycle may also help you better manage IF. Typically one week before your period, when your estrogen drops and you may experience a decrease in energy levels. During this time you may want to consider shortening the fasting window.
I would love to chat more with you about how IF is going for you and if you are ready to take it to the next step. Also, If you have questions or any topics you want to see covered please let me know.
Please click the link in the menu to schedule your check in call.
