Intermittent Fasting

The INs and OUTs OF INTERMITTENT FASTING and how to attack it like a BOSS!

I have been Intermittent fasting for years and this is a great technique for those who look to slim down, while burning fat and not worry about the tedious task of counting calories. In the wise words of Shikumaru "What a drag".

"Skipping breakfast and pushing your eating window into the evening, greatly enhances your fat burning. Due to your body

being insulin dependent."

Intermittent

occurring at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady.

Fasting

abstain from all or some kinds of food or drink, especially as a religious observance.

So how do you attack this monster like a boss you say?

I start by skipping breakfast each day and eat either one big meal or split it into two smaller meals, I do not really set time frames, just eat when I feel like it. With this being said, I generally stop eating around 8 pm until the next day.

Since I began Intermittent Fasting, I have been able to increase my strength gains drastically in incline bench (150 to 215), Military Press (95 to 150), and Squat ( 215 to 280). Not to mention, I was able to obtain this, by staying lean at 195, while maintaining 9% body fat. All of which is due to the process of Intermittent Fasting at its finest. Lastly, I forgot to mention that I only go to the gym around 3 times a week, spending only an hour at most at a time.

How is this possible you say? Is not skipping breakfast bad for you? Why would you stop eating for an extended period of time? What will you do in the times that you hungry? Yes, I know, there are a thousand and one questions as to how and why this method is taken into account and how you can go about doing this. Fasten your seat belts guys and come along for the ride...

What Exactly is Intermittent Fasting?....

Lets first understand that IF is not a diet, it is a set eating pattern, like many of the trends i.e Atkins, Low Calorie, etc. The party will schedule their eating depending on what suits them best and center this around their eating window. There is not a set eating window and whichever one works best for you, is the one that you should partake. Not rocket science here guys, no need to over analyze this simple strategy.

Why would you want to partake?

How many people like counting calories and slobbing over foods they cannot have. Being someone who did this before, I first hand can say that it is not fun or easy. This method also takes away from the fun of working out to get in shape and look good while doing it. Can i get a "Yea Baby"! Anyone? Moving along, this method takes out the need to plan out 6 to 8 smalls meals a day, which not only limits your eating, but also does not allow you to indulge as much as you would like to.

All in all, intermittent fasting is one of the simplest tools for controlling your weight and obtaining your fitness goals because it does not require you to alter your habits as much as other "diets" do. Also, once you become adjusted to this, it will be easy, peasy , pumpkin queasy or something around those lines. I was never good with remembering those phrases.

What starts this process to work?....

There are two states when your partake in Intermittent Fasting called the Fast and Fed states.

Fasted state

Throughout the day you are eating, supposing you eat three meals a day, this is a normal state. With this being said, what happens when you go to sleep. Because you are not eating, you are fasting. Insulin levels fall. You now need to pull some of the food energy you’ve stored away to keep your vital organs running. This is the reason you do not die in your sleep every single night.

Fast with Black Coffee or Apple Cider

As your body begins to fast, insulin levels begin to decline. This is the signal to switch energy sources from food to stored food. You pull stored energy out from the liver (glycogen) and if that is not enough, body fat.

"The change in insulin levels is what signals our body to go into fat storing mode or fat burning mode."

"The post–absorptive state lasts until 8 to 12 hours after your last meal, which is when you enter the fasted state. It typically takes 12 hours after your last meal to fully enter the fasted state. When you're in the fasted state your body can burn fat that has been inaccessible during the fed state."

- burnfatnotsugar.com/assets/if.pdf

Fed State

Refers to the period following a meal and is characterized by high levels of nutrients in the blood. There are high circulating levels of a family of simple sugars, the most important being glucose.

In the fed state, when you are eating, insulin levels are high. During that time, it makes sense to derive your energy from the food that you are eating.

Bottom Line

The key to successful long term weight loss is not reducing calories. It’s reducing insulin. Because insulin is the switch that decides whether your body is burning food energy or stored food energy (body fat). If you are burning food, then you are not burning fat. It’s as simple as that. The key to accessing your body fat stores is to reduce insulin. You must let your body go into the ‘fasted’ state.

Different Methods to Try...

These are the most popular methods:

• The 16/8 Method: It involves skipping breakfast and restricting your daily eating period to 8 hours, for example from 1 pm to 9 pm. Then you "fast" for 16 hours in between.

• Eat-Stop-Eat: This involves fasting for 24 hours, once or twice a week, for example by not eating from dinner one day until dinner the next day.

• The 5:2 Diet: On two non-consecutive days of the week, only eat 500-600 calories. Eat normally the other 5 days.

Health Benefits You Say......

• Weight loss: As mentioned above, intermittent fasting can help you lose weight and belly fat, without having to consciously restrict calories

• Insulin resistance: Intermittent fasting can reduce insulin resistance, lowering blood sugar by 3-6% and fasting insulin levels by 20-31%. This should protect against type 2 diabetes.

• Inflammation: Some studies show reductions in markers of inflammation, a key driver of many chronic diseases

• Heart health: Intermittent fasting may reduce LDL cholesterol, blood triglycerides, inflammatory markers, blood sugar and insulin resistance. These are all risk factors for heart disease

• Cancer: Animal studies suggest that intermittent fasting may help prevent cancer

• Brain health: Intermittent fasting increases a brain hormone called BDNF, and may aid the growth of new nerve cells. It may also protect against Alzheimer's disease.

• Anti-aging: Intermittent fasting can extend lifespan in rats. Studies showed that fasted rats live as much as 36-83% longer.

Conclusion

Intermittent fasting may not be for everyone, but the results cannot be expelled for what they offer. These benefits vary from person to person and should be only utilized once you have thoroughly researched the avenues. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact me for fitness advice, meal plans, etc and I am more than willing to help.

"Always look to improve upon one's self"