Intermittent fasting is the world’s fastest growing “diet” tweak going, as if we didn’t have enough theories and confusion already about what and how to eat for optimum health. Actually, intermittent fasting is not really a diet, rather a particular pattern of eating. People usually get into it for weight loss, and it does show some positive results, but it’s trickier than that. You still have to eat sensibly, as with anything.
Fasting is not new. It goes way back to ancestral times when food was scarce, and it’s deeply rooted in spirituality across many forms of religion. In my own religion in which I was raised, we fast during lent and on certain holy days. And other religions in addition to Christianity, including Buddhism and Judaism have similar practices in order to be more mindful, lighter, focused, and for some reason or another to experience “lack of”. This goes way back to those ancestral times when food was scarce. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger?
Just this past weekend as I was reading the Sunday papers, I noticed articles in two major newspapers about intermittent fasting. Wow, I thought, this has really become mainstream! I enjoyed reading about the history, benefits, latest research, and of course the caution and warnings, and the way these fad diets just take off and are often times misunderstood and misused.
Here we go again.
Someone tells us about intermittent fasting at a social event, or we read about it in the paper, and we want to try it. Why not?
You can read all you wish on the internet and diet books, and now newspaper articles, about intermittent fasting, how to do it, the benefits, the warnings (who should not do it – pregnant women or those who are breastfeeding, women trying to get pregnant, those with diabetes, children and teens, those with low blood pressure or other serious health conditions, those who are underweight or have a history of eating disorders), but here I’ll just give you my thoughts as an experienced health coach with first hand knowledge dealing with clients (and myself as experimentation) with diets, and our relationship with food.
But before I get into that, what actually is intermittent fasting? It’s a period of not eating, and is done in a few different ways. During fasting, water, plain, herbal tea, broth, are all okay, and hydration is important during this time and recommended.
Here are a few different types of intermittent fasting:
16/8 – Eat during an 8 hour window, say 11:00 am to 7:00 pm and fast the rest of the 24 hour period, much of which is sleep time. This is the simplest, and easiest to stick to without too much difficulty or danger of getting over hungry.
5:2 – Take two consecutive days each week where only 500-600 calories are consumed. Generally people have a difficult time with this on the weekends if they are social, so perhaps a Monday and Tuesday can be planned, or any two consecutive days that are right for your lifestyle, and it can change each week too.
24-hour fast – Choose one to two 24-hour periods each week in which no food is eaten, so perhaps Saturday night at 7:00 pm until Sunday night at 7:00 pm.
What do you think?
Sounds a bit crazy given all of the healthy eating pattern advice we’ve been taught about not skipping breakfast, or any meal for that matter, or eating 5-6 mini meals a day for blood sugar control, avoiding getting over hungry and over eating, and energy balance.
So why fast?
The research shows there are real benefits to intermittent fasting such as lower inflammation, improved insulin sensitivity making stored fat accessible for fuel, improved cellular repair, and efficient and effective gene expression to promote longevity and protection against disease. Studies have also shown improvements in heart health by reducing LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, better brain health, and an increase in nerve health. But be warned, many of these studies are just performed with rat subjects so far. And I hope if you are reading this, you are not a rat.
So, where do I stand on skipping breakfast, limiting calories, and balancing blood sugar? I’ve done intermittent fasting and have felt great having experienced less bloating, more focus and clarity, and improved mood. I generally do the easy 16/8 after a weekend where my diet is not always as stellar as during the week, not as a form of punishment, but just as a mindful, listen to my body kind of thing.
As far as skipping breakfast, if I’m not hungry, I do not feel the need to eat right away after I wake up. I will always have something healthy planned, but will drink water or herbal tea and wait until I feel hungry. I generally don’t wait past 11:00 am, because if I wait too long, when I do eat, I am over hungry and may over eat. Just practice being mindful, and listen to your body. Also, whenever I see a client drinking cups of coffee until 2:00 in the afternoon – no, no, this is not how you do intermittent fasting!
I’d love to hear from you and what you think. Have you tried intermittent fasting? What’s been your experience? Let me know what you think or if you have any questions.