Why intermittent fasting works

Have you heard of intermittent fasting (also known by its acronym, IF)? I’ve been doing it for the last few months and I can attest to its effectiveness, hence my desire to share it with you.

What is intermittent fasting?

Simply put, intermittent fasting is a way of timing your meals for maximum health benefits.  You adjust WHEN you eat as opposed to WHAT you eat.  Because it involves bursts of fasting, intermittent fasting helps speed up your metabolism to help you burn calories and fat more efficiently.

Some people see intermittent fasting as a fad, but IF, like many other forms of fasting, has been around for a while. Many health fads ought to be outright ignored, but intermittent fasting can help people lose weight and fat while they maintain or increase lean muscle.  Bonus:  no need to resort to extreme, low-calorie diets or major behavioral or lifestyle changes!

How do you accomplish intermittent fasting?

There are several ways to intermittently fast.  In all cases, you do short-term fasts in which you eat fewer calories over a set period of time, and your body begins to burn fat instead of carbs for fuel, a process known as ketosis.  

The 16/8 Method is the most popular.  You eat within an 8-hour window each day and cease from eating for the other 16 hours of the day.  For example, I would have my first meal, usually a smoothie, at noon, and I’d have two other meals between then and 8:00 p.m.

Some people extend their intermittent fasting to 20 hours fasting and 4 hours eating daily.  For me, that’s a bit much, but many swear that it’s highly effective in helping them lose weight and remain trim.

The Eat-Stop-Eat Method, also known as the 5-2 Method (five days of the week normal eating, two days fasting) requires you to fast for 24 full hours twice a week.  Some people use the weekend days to do the 5-2, while others split it up so that they fast on two non-consecutive days each week. 

Regardless of the method you choose, during the feasting window (the set number of hours when you actually eat), you eat healthily.  Make sure that you have a good balance of PFF (protein, fat, and fiber), limited (preferably no) added sugar, green leafy vegetables, low-glycemic fruit, adequate water, and no overeating to compensate for the fasting hours. It’s recommended that you break your fast with a liquid meal, such as a smoothie or home-made blended juice, so that the body can slowly adjust to receiving nutrients.  Later in the eating hours you can eat solid food.

During the fasting window (those hours when you’re not eating), you can drink water, cran-water (one ounce of pure cranberry juice with eight or more ounces of water), coffee, and cleansing teas such as milk thistle, nettle leaf, and dandelion root. 

What are the benefits of intermittent fasting?

Weight loss.  I was able to lose 10-15 pounds over three months, without adding more exercise or drastically changing my diet.  I found that extra belly fat disappeared, my waistline shrank, and my metabolism was revved up.

Fat burning.  Intermittent fasting increases the body’s ability to mobilize fat, instead of glucose, so that it can be burned up efficiently, all the while maintaining and often increasing muscle mass.  Going without food for an extended period, especially  more than 12 hours, helps to increase lipolysis, which helps get fat out of cells and into the bloodstream. 

Insulin control.  Intermittent fasting can lower insulin and blood sugar levels. It can also help your hormones to burn up fat cells and, by extension, keep Type 2 diabetes at bay.

Human growth hormone (HGH) boosting.  Intermittent fasting exponentially increases human growth hormone, which is the most powerful fat burning hormone.  HGH protects against protein loss while fasting and assists the body in building muscle.  Dr. Eric Berg notes that intermittent fasting is the most potent stimulator of HGH and can boost HGH by up to 2000% (yes, you read it right:  two thousand percent).  Human growth hormone helps slow the aging process; assists in building stronger bones; reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease; and improves your sleep, mood, and cognitive function.

What should I keep in mind as I try intermittent fasting?

If you’re going to give intermittent fasting a shot, keep these tips in mind:

1. Go slowly.  Experiment with the different ways to practice intermittent fasting.  I suggest starting with the least intense version–perhaps 12 hours daily fasting/feasting.  Don’t overdo it!  Pay attention to how your body responds, and if you experience palpitations, dizziness, or weakness, scale back a bit.  However, do challenge yourself to find the intermittent fasting method that will fit your lifestyle best.

2. Keep eating well.  Intermittent fasting doesn’t mean you can go hog wild with junk food and sugary desserts during your feasting window. The quality of your food matters, as does the quality and quantity of calories you intake. Aim for foods that provide slow-burning nutrition that can extend into the fasting period. Remember to include good fats along with lean protein and complex carbs.  Eat healthily for optimum success!

3. Do strength training.  While cardio is a good workout choice, adding weighted exercises to your routine will give you even better results from intermittent fasting because you continue to burn calories long after your strength training session ends.

4.  Enlist the help of others.  Having friends and/or family on the intermittent fasting journey with you makes it more fun, and it provides accountability.  You can also find support groups online to keep you on track.

5.  Keep hydrated.  It’s vital to drink sufficient water as you do intermittent fasting.  Check your urine; if it’s too yellow, add more liquids, but especially water.

I encourage you to give intermittent fasting a try.  Who knows?  It might be the solution to your weight loss and fat burning goals! 

Have you ever tried intermittent fasting?  Which method do you think would work best for you?