All About Intermittent Fasting

Whether you realize it or not, you do some form of intermittent fasting naturally. However, the trend has been gaining attention lately and many people are increasing their fasting periods to see some incredible results. 

So what does intermittent fasting mean anyways?

Intermittent fasting (IF) is the practice of going periods of time without eating. This can be as simple as fasting for an entire 24 hours, or it can be done on a daily basis. For instance, if you eat dinner at 8pm and don't eat again until 7am, you're fasting! Any time that you aren't eating between meals is considered a fast. Obviously, the longer the period of the time, the more substantial the fast. Some people even past for up to 28 days. 

Where this becomes a conscious decision is typically by increasing that period of time fasting between meals to something like 16 to 20 hours - for example, you could stop eating by 8pm and not have your next meal until 12pm for a 16-hour fasted period. This is done to maximize the body's ability to use what it currently has stored as energy rather than utilize new fuel (food) sources. 

Here's the quick and dirty pro's and con's from IF:

Benefits

• Decreases blood lipids, including triglycerides and LBL (bad) cholesterol

• Decreases markers of inflammation in the body

• Lowers blood pressure

• Decreases the risk of cancer

• Increased fat burning (through increased fatty acid oxidation which happens the longer you fast for)

• Increased growth-hormone release (also released more the longer you fast for)

• Increases metabolic rate

• Better appetite control

• Improved blood-sugar control (through lowering blood glucose levels and thus the incidence of insulin sensitivity)

• Better cardiovascular function

• Improved physique

It may not be for you if:

• You are new to diet and exercise. IF tends to work best for those who are familiar with monitoring their food intake, especially when it comes to timing. There are other, much more beneficial things to focus on when you're beginning your nutrition transformation.

• You have children. Fasting can be difficult, but not impossible, if children who needs food regularly are involved in your life.

• You have a performance or client-related profession. You can experience periods of low performance and mood when first beginning IF.

• You compete in sports/athletics and train daily or multiple times per day. You may need to eat outside of the allotted window to not only perform well, but recover well from your training.

• You have a history of eating disorders or feel that this may be an unhealthy outlook for your overall lifestyle.

If you think experimenting with IF might be beneficial for you, give it a go. You might experience some hunger and moodiness at first, but it can make create substantial psychical changes in your body.

Courtesy of Dr. John Berardi. Intermittent fasted helped Berardi go from 10% body fat (top) to 4% body fat (bottom).

If you're not sure how to get started with IF or any nutrition program, I'm now offering a 30-minute consultation via phone or Skype to discuss your needs and provide as much support and guidance as possible.