Day 10: The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Many in the mainstream hear the word “fast” and immediately think “starvation”. Heck, I used to think that way too until I started to dig deeper and understand more about how the body works (and was designed to survive all this time).
Nowadays we are sold on the idea that we need to eat more often in order to have a faster metabolism, but as disputed in the past articles we know that is not true. Sadly most mainstream diets sell best when they are complicated, because you have to buy a book (or additional supplements/bars/shakes) in order to make it work. Something simple will never make a ton of money in additional sales, because there will be nothing else to continually buy (except food).
But let’s take a quick overview of what scientists and researchers already know about the connection between eating and living longer/healthier.
Living Longer by Eating Less
Scientists have known since the 1930s there was only one real proven way in which you can extend the lifespan of an animal in laboratory conditions (up to 30-40% longer). That way was through reducing the daily calorie intake dramatically (up to 40%) compared to others fed at the normal calorie level. This is known as calorie restriction (or CR for short).
The CR groups were noted to have decreases in blood pressure, fasting insulin, inflammation, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and body mass. All markers to say that the aging process is slowed down including more protection at the cell level against diseases.
On the left is Canto (27) and on the right is Owen (29). Canto is fed with about 30% less calories than Owen (CR). Which one do you think looks more vibrant and younger?
Unfortunately there is also downsides to the CR approach including loss of lean muscle (and getting really skinny), loss of energy, being hungry, loss of mental focus and well-being, increases in anxiety/depression/irritability, and just nothing that any of us would really want to go through.
So it seems the old sarcastic line is true, “Calorie Restriction is a great way to live a long and miserable life!“. Luckily there does appear to be another option.
Intermittent Fasting and Feeding
Later on it was discovered that another protocol involving fasting/reduced calories every other day could be used to mimic the health benefits seen in a fulltime CR approach. There was also seen an added feature of lean body maintenance while lowered fat mass (vs more bodyweight reduction in CR). These alternating days of fasting is also known as “intermittent fasting” (or IF for short).
Since May 2003 we have experimented with alternate day calorie restriction, one day consuming 20-50% of estimated daily caloric requirement and the next day ad lib eating, and have observed health benefits starting in as little as two weeks, in insulin resistance, asthma, seasonal allergies, infectious diseases of viral, bacterial and fungal origin (viral URI, recurrent bacterial tonsillitis, chronic sinusitis, periodontal disease), autoimmune disorder (rheumatoid arthritis), osteoarthritis, symptoms due to CNS inflammatory lesions (Tourette’s, Meniere’s) cardiac arrhythmias (PVCs, atrial fibrillation), menopause related hot flashes. We hypothesize that other many conditions would be delayed, prevented or improved, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, brain injury due to thrombotic stroke atherosclerosis, NIDDM, congestive heart failure.
Source: The effect on health of alternate day calorie restriction: eating less and more than needed on alternate days prolongs life. Johnson JB, Laub DR, John S. Med Hypotheses. 2006;67(2):209-11.
The vulnerability of the nervous system to advancing age is all too often manifest in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. In this review article we describe evidence suggesting that two dietary interventions, caloric restriction (CR) and intermittent fasting (IF), can prolong the health-span of the nervous system by impinging upon fundamental metabolic and cellular signaling pathways that regulate life-span. CR and IF affect energy and oxygen radical metabolism, and cellular stress response systems, in ways that protect neurons against genetic and environmental factors to which they would otherwise succumb during aging.
Source: Caloric restriction and intermittent fasting: Two potential diets for successful brain aging, Bronwen Martin, Mark P. Mattson, and Stuart Maudsley, Ageing Res Rev. 2006 August; 5(3): 332–353.
The extent of how all the systems in CR and IF work is still a mystery to many researchers. It also appears that while they both seem to share health benefits, the way in which they are done and systems involved can vary (as seen with the big difference in body mass).
Using Intermittent Fasting in Your Lifestyle
In reality, IF can be applied in many different ways (as most of us are not going to want to fast that often). Using intermittent times of no food intake along with reduced calories on those days can give people many of the health/weight loss benefits without needing to give up food for a whole day. It also allows more flexibility into how it can be used depending on the person’s goals, activity levels, food choices and schedule. I mean who wouldn’t want to eat in a way that could potentially give you:
- Reduced blood glucose and insulin levels (markers of improved health)
- Increased fatty acid oxidation
- Maintenance of lean mass (muscle)
- Reduced inflammation
- Reduced oxidative damage
- Increased cellular stress resistance (esp of heart and brain)
- Decreased risks associated with degenerative diseases of aging (cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, Alzheimers)
Although the best part that myself and many others love about using an IF approach, is that the “freedom” you get from not being a slave to eating all the time. When I want to eat, I eat…and I eat well! I really don’t snack as my lifestyle is now about eating meals or not. I eat plenty of calories/nutrients and am not starving myself. Plus I don’t have to spend extra money on bars/shakes and other processed foods just to try and get something in me every couple of hours.
I enjoy the flavors and tastes of real food now more than ever. I have a better relationship with food/eating, don’t really deprive myself of anything, but also make better choices in the process. All in all, a lasting lifestyle change and not a diet.
Task for This Week: Pick a Day to Skip Breakfast (and maybe Lunch too)
OK, I have held off till now about talking about intermittent fasting during this challenge because I wanted your initial focus to be on eating a better quality of food first. Intermittent fasting is more a “tool” you can use in your healthy lifestyle whenever you see fit to improve your health/weight loss, it is not a set diet plan. It is also not to be used as a pass to just allow you to just eat more crap in the process (as I always say IFOC, intermittent fasting on crap, is not going to work).
So for this week pick a day (weekday or weekend) in which you will see how your body responds to skipping breakfast*. Have some water/tea/coffee (be warned: fasting can increase the sympathetic nervous system response which may amplify emotions such as anxiety, so having caffeine may not be ideal on an IF day for many). See how your energy and mental focus is as you go. If you feel good, try going without lunch. Eat a normal sized meal (not binge) whenever you feel you are ready or start to feel too fatigued/low blood sugar/anxious.
Remember the goal with IF is not about eating nothing (or as people would say “starving yourself” ) to lose weight. It is about just taking a short break in eating in order to elicit natural hormonal and evolutionary genetic responses at the cellular level for better health (and weight loss does happen in the process). You will still eat that day and you are not doing this every day.
*Disclaimer: IF is meant for healthy individuals and may not be suitable for everyone. If you have any concerns you should talk with your physician before attempting. Use at your own risk.
More Information on IF
For years I have been helping to spread the word on IF because I believed it to be such a simple approach for many to use. Not to mention all the health benefits people really need today (assuming you do want to try and live longer and healthier). Getting older does not have to mean getting sicker.
If you want even more information into how IF works for weight loss and ways to use it, then just click on the link here and I will send you the FREE intermittent fasting ebook I wrote for everyone available at the IF Life. Enjoy!
Table of contents for 30-Day Challenge
- Day 2: Planning Your Daily Meals
- Day 3: Managing Time for What is Important
- Day 4: Spicing It Up And Healthy Snacking
- Day 5: Bodyweight Exercises Workout Challenge
- Day 8: Get More Sleep
- Day 10: The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
- Day 12: Finding Quality Food
- Day 15 – Phase II – Reintroduce, Rotate and Reflect
- Day 17: Healthy Eating Out
- How to Set Up the Simple Home Gym Fitness Program
- Day 22: Healthy Dessert Recipes
- Day 24: Reduce Stress and Simplify Your Life
- Day 26: Personal Goal Setting
- Day 30: Phase III – Adjust and Maintain
30 Reader Comments
Feel free to leave a comment below... and as always please keep it in good taste. Comment spamming ONLY to promote your website is NOT allowed. So please use your real name in the field below otherwise it may be edited or removed. Constructive discussion is always welcome, personal attacks or useless bickering is not. Not all comments may be answered directly by editors/writers.
Very interesting to see today’s post is about IF. Just yesterday I was thinking about fasting for 1 day, so I had a question about it.
I have been following a strict no-carb diet since january 1st, and my fat loss has seemed to plateau so I was looking for a solution to jump start it again. I thought of 2 things, either a cheat meal or fasting. Right now I’m leaning towards fasting.
So my question is, will fasting help jump start fat loss again??
best regards,
Chris
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Mike OD Reply:
@Chris – A brief intermittent fast (in this case 24hours max, as we still want to eat during the day at some point) may help provide a hormonal boost to the fat “releasing”. But of course fasting is not to be used “excessively” just to try and burn more fat either (not how it works). There are always many factors involved such as your activity level/exercise and calorie intake overall, which can be adjusted. Give it a shot, see what happens, that’s pretty much how it works! If you are looking at more stubborn fat loss, then it might be time to up the intensity of your workouts (and even try fasted) with more slower activity afterwards (such as 10-15min of intervals followed by another 20-30+ min of brisk walking).
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Intermitten Fasting Success Reply:
Actually I went on fasting to overcome my digestive problem. I didn’t think of living longer and any other benefits at the beginning, but now I am seeing more and more. Once I finished my initial one-week juce fasting, I thought I really didn’t need that much food and started to target for one meal a day. At the time (back to 2006) I had no idea of what IF was. I come across the IF idea only recently and realized that I have been actually doing it in the past five years. I certainly will continue as I have been doing fine and feeling happier and healthier than before.
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I do want to try this, but next week, OK? I’m a planner and since last Sunday, my husband and I are “all planned out” until this coming Sunday
So perhaps Monday or Tuesday I’ll PLAN IF days. I’ve wanted to do this since I heard about it.
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Mike OD Reply:
@Sam – Pick your day when you feel you can best accomplish this and not be tempted to overeat later on (not on a day if you are going out to eat for example). Also picking a lower stress day (less things to do) will help as well. Plan accordingly and then see what happens.
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What are the effects of IF on thyroid? Many times I read that you can slow it down with very low carb, but dont know how about IF.
I do IF and Im very happy about it – I mean, when I recall how I freaked out when I skipped dinner or breakfast and thought my metabolism will slow /shut down..lol
but then, I also used to be a vegetarian, eating low fat and thought the more aerobic you do the better, so you get the picture.
IF helped me psychologically and it became just a very normal, natural part of my life – it is such a relieve I dont have to carry lunch boxes everywhere or worry what will I eat, will I actually be able to eat/buy something “healthy” and so on…
Big thanks to this blog, you helped me a lot. I literally spent hours here just reading the past posts and now I come here for the new ones
) you are doing a great job!
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Mike OD Reply:
@DS – IF done “correctly” should not hamper overall thyroid function. If it is done too often, used with too low in calories, or with a high stressed lifestyle (stress, lack of sleep, overactivity/overtraining) then yes it can be negatively effected. Best part is one can use IF as it bests fits their lifestyle…whether 1x a week or more.
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For the past few years, I was having problem and aches in my upper abdomen, blotting, pain…etc. I have been to many Drs and was told , to try divide my daily meals in 6 smaller ones and never let my stomach empty….long story!
Eliminating grains , improved it a lot and then with IF is history now, only when I have bad eating day. Another advantage was that I could differentiate what was craving and what was hunger, for me craving is intense but hunger is milder.
Took me some time to find out what works for me. I dont aim at a 15 , 19, or 24 hr ifast. Just eat when I am hungry which has turned out automatically to be skipping breakfast (approx 17 hrs/daily). At the beginning I used to set an aim of 24 hr or so, and had few strong pannics : extream weakness, heart bits, feeling that I will faint any minute but fortunately lasting 5-10 min, but enough to get me scared. So I am not forcing myself to a set number of hrs.
After a bad day of eating or a very high calorie day , I fast till the stomach discomfort goes away it usually turnes out about 21 hrs..
Day 9:
B- coffee
L- Home made hamburgers+tomato w olive oil & oregano+1/2 backed eggplant
D- squid tandoori+broccoli salad+greens
work out : None (fail)
Slept well.
Have a nice day all.
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Mike OD Reply:
@Thania – Great story! You did the most important thing any of us could do, in finding what works for you and listening to your body. Well done!
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An interesting article although I am not sold on the theory just yet.
Personally, I think that 90% of individuals could clean up their eating program, keeping carbs in line with energy expenditure and keeping away from processed rubbish while combining with healthy fats and lean protein.
I would love to see a study that compares a very healthy eating regime to IF and then comparing results.
Could it be that the benefits appear purely because of reducing intake of less healthy foods thus making the fasting element something of a red herring? I wonder.
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Mike OD Reply:
@Mindbody – Of course quality of foods is very important to a person’s eating lifestyle (hence why I waited till the 2nd week of the challenge to even mention IF). Many people can of course have vast improvements to their health just by cleaning up their foods. IF is not really a “diet”, as you still have to make smart choices eating later on. So while one person uses IF and eats more liberally, it’s not going to have the same effects of a person eating IF and eating clean. However for that reason, I think IF is a powerful tool for those that will not stick with a healthy eating plan full time in the mainstream. IF has other benefits for longevity and disease prevention such as more stress responses at the cellular level that are part of our natural survival mechanism (hormesis). I cover some of that in the free ebook in more depth if you are interested. In the end, IF is not a diet and just something people should know about. Whether to use it is of course a personal choice and one I recommend researching as much as possible for each to make their own informed decision on it.
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matt Reply:
Mike, about that free ebook, I signed up for a while back and only got the first installment. I tried to do it again the other day and it won’t let me go again because it recognizes my email address. Any way to get the other installments?
Another question, I tried the Warrior Diet sometime back and had some success (lost 17 lbs.) and then plateaued flat as a pancake. I went off it, gained the weight back, and haven’t been able to get the same success in trying it again. Do you think your style of IF will work for me?
thanks,
matt
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Mike OD Reply:
@Matt – I made it into one ebook now. If the ebook you have is not the 60+ page one, then email me at mike@theiflife.com and I’ll send you the updated version. As for “what will work” will depend also on how you eat and workout. Did you go back to old eating habits once off the Warrior Diet? Calories do matter after all. The most important thing is finding not a diet, but a real “sustainable” eating program that you will stick with. Great thing about IF is the flexibility to use however you see fit in your lifestyle (and make sure you enjoy doing it most of all!).
I don’t eat or not eat “theories or studies”, but rather food and works and doesn’t work. You want studies, good luck. On any day, I’ll find you “a study” that will no prove one thing.
Every consider just trying IF for a few months, see how you feel???
Good luck in life if you need a published report to move forward or act on something.
Scott/Mike-good stuff, but you’ve been touting IF for years now.
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Mike OD Reply:
@Jay – Yep, been pushing IF out there for a long while. Time flies when you are having fun afterall. Thanks for sticking around all that time and being a vital part to this community!
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IF has been working for me!! I love that I don’t have to carry food to work. I mainly eat all of my meals at home. I am not a slave to the notion that you have to eat breakfast and during the week I dont. I drink green tea until lunch and then I’ll have a salad and eat a meal when I get home after I exercise.
I have tried to recommend IF to members of my family but all they is fast which leads them to starvation and then they start saying that not eating breakfast is bad for you, yadda yadda yadda. I can’t be bothered. It works for me and I’m happy with that.
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Mike OD Reply:
@Tracy – I feel you. Many people hear the word “fast” and then forget it as their mind is thinking about some Hollywood star who is anorexic and talking about some miracle juice fast or some person not eating for 2 weeks and losing all their muscle in the process. IF is not that, however unfortunately just gets grouped in there for most. Nowadays I just point people to the [Reply]
@Chris – if you’ve been on a no-carb diet since 1/1/10 – it hasn’t really been long enough for a true “plateau”; more likely, your body is adjusting. As to whether you should have a cheat meal or fast, I think you can incorporate both. I personally would probably go with the cheat meal first, as I believe the carbs will trigger a leptin response? I’m sure someone far more knowledgeable will jump in and correct me or expand on why…
@Thania – I had great success in reducing bloat/intestinal discomfort by reducing/eliminating grains – and I have the same issues flare up when I’ve been eating “badly” – sure makes you think twice knowing the discomfort can last for days, doesn’t it? I had a spell just after Thanksgiving and again after Christmas…
I used to do IF (more of an eating window, but IF nonetheless) – I enjoyed it – but ran into some problems unique to me (serotonin production) – and am currently working on solutions to those problems. So I will have to pass on this challenge, but do hope to incorporate some type of IF in the future…good luck to everyone!
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Mike OD Reply:
@Jenn – You can of course pass if you feel that is best, as you know what is and is not working for you. Keep in mind that IF is just a “tool” to use whenever as well, not a strict set diet. You don’t have to do it daily (and I wouldn’t recommend that to many starting out anyways as it leaves it open for too many things to go wrong in the beginning) and can use it as infrequently as you like to give your body a little stress stimulus (once a week, once every couple weeks, once a month, etc). I personally went through MANY ways in which IF did NOT work in my life before coming to a way that did. Even nowadays I still go by “how I feel” and adjust my IF plan around it.
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@Jenn: Thanks for the answer, however I do think that I’ve plateaued because I am already pretty lean when I started (I was at 10-12% when I started), so there isn’t really much for me to lose, and could be why I’ve stalled so quickly.
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[...] Well, well, well. Intermittent fasting rears its head again. Glad to have it in the [...]
Having tried the IF plan, this is right up my alley!
After reading about your IF plan, I tried it couple of times skipping breakfast and dinner (not on a same day, of course). Taking a break from breakfast is the easiest because if you have something planned to do first thing in the morning, it is easy to skip the eating.
I like the new format of your replies. This is one of the reasons why I like this community because you give us feedback and I learn from reading other’s comments and your rebuttals. Thanks and keep up the great job!
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Mike OD Reply:
@lel – The reply is a new feature Scott put in today and I love it! Definitely makes it easy for all of us to communicate within our little community!
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Hi Mike!
Great ebook! I have been doing IF for 1.5 years now. I went from eating 6 times a day to eating 2-3x in an 8 hour window. I got second place in my last figure show using IF. It is now the only way I will eat, and I am not even competing right now. Thank you for making this information available to everyone! It is an easy, simple way to eat. I totally understand the freedom of not precooking and packing around food everywhere!
I have been reading your website for a while now and it is great information you pass along! Thanks for being so honest! I especially love your lists of things heard/learned. Very funny and very true (i.e Don’t be this guy/gal…please and Things your personal trainer won’t tell you)!
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Mike OD Reply:
@Mary – “I got second place in my last figure show using IF” Wow! That is great as I know how tough the competition can be for those shows. Well done!! Funny you bring up the “don’t be this guy/gal post” as I was thinking about that the other day with the new influx of people into the gym at New Years doing all the things I dread seeing (like walking around sweating up the place or leaving their clothes/weights laying around like they were living at home).
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Is it just me or is the picture description reversed? Great article!
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Mike OD Reply:
@Luptin – EDIT: Yes I had the pictures mixed up, will correct. Thanks!
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Around New Year’s this year, I suggested I might just skip lunch an wait for dinner (I’d woken at 10:00am) and my sister and friend looked at me like they were worried for my health. I tried pointing out that I’d had my weight in chips and cheese the night before, and that it doesn’t kill a person to skip a meal or two and they were clearly concerned for me. I decided they’d probably never heard of IF before…
I have a question – will any other foods be re-introduced by Saturday? I’m just asking because my roommate and I are having a dinner party and I’m cooking. The mail mean isn’t a problem and I was thinking fresh fruit for desert is always a hit, but whipped cream adds a nice touch.
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Mike OD Reply:
Most people are just convinced through mainstream media/news/doctors/diet books/talk shows to think eating 6x a day is healthier than 3x, breakfast is the most important meal of every day and skipping any meal at any time crashes your metabolism. Sadly this is the response I would of gave too if you told me to skip a meal 10 years ago. However little by little people may start seeing that they are not getting all the facts.
As for Sat, technically Phase II reintroductions start on Monday (after the official 2 weeks is up). You can adjust “responsibly” for whatever you have planned.
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“Mathias” and “Rudy”..?? Actually….that’s Canto on the left and Owen on the right.
And it’s Canto on the LEFT (NOT the monkey on the RIGHT) that appears to be aging gracefully.
You’re welcome. :0)
Sky
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Mike OD Reply:
Yes, you are correct. I put up the wrong monkey CR picture when also writing about Mathias and Rudy (2 other monkeys in a CR study). Will correct. Thanks.
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Great post!
It’s amazing (and sad) to see how many people follow the 6 meals a day lifestyle. I know people that can’t schedule anything that may put them out of reach of food and snacks for more then 2 hours.
Slave to food? No thanks. I completed my first intermittent fast last year and wrote about it here:
http://www.thefatlossauthority.com/fat_loss_tips/my-fasting-experience/
The benefits are echoed above and I haven’t looked back since.
Mike
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‘@DS – IF done “correctly” should not hamper overall thyroid function. If it is done too often, used with too low in calories, or with a high stressed lifestyle (stress, lack of sleep, overactivity/overtraining) then yes it can be negatively effected.’
Frequency is not the issue, the length of the fast is. Thyroid isn’t affected until >72 hrs.
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Mike OD Reply:
Good point Martin! My comment on frequency was meant when it is also accompanied with very low calories over time, as some people may not be big eaters on IF days (so hence doing too many IF days would be an issue in that case, as they need to find a way to eat more). Keep up the great work at your blog!
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Hi there,
day 10:
B- coffee
L-Almond coated fried fresh anchovies+cauliflower sushi+greens
D- Bacon and ham omelette + mixed salad ( craving badly something salty!)
Midnight snack: eating cahew nuts at 3:00 am !!
Work out:
The biggest loser beginners: Strenght & sculp DVD
I am in a miserable physical form Ugh!! Sore all over.
Half or more of the 9lbs lost is water, due to eliminating dairy and cold meats , drasrtic salt reduction, but I am hoping the rest is fat, not MUSCLE , I dont have any, and the little I have is located in my legs and thighs, cause I hike and walk a lot. Lol..
Have a nice day all.
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i like the idea of IF & have done it in the past, but 2 hours after waking i get hungry & not eating leaves me agitated, foggy & off centre. Also i went through a period of checking my B/Sugar & it seemed to increase rather than decrease during the IF (i guess the body is slightly stressed & generates glucose from the liver?). I was dissapointed that it went up, eating also seemed to bring it down? there is a theory that the liver will kick out glucose until some calories are taken in & the tap is then turned off (dawn phenonomen).
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What’s interesting is that I was already incorporating IF. Since switching to whole foods and eliminating processed food/grains/sugar my body has seemed to reset. I used to be hungry constantly and it was a grueling first week in which I had to snack very frequently on fruits, veges, and organic peanut butter. Today I woke at 9am and ended up waiting until noon before eating anything but I did have a glass of tea. I ate a pretty modest meal and am quite satisfied an hour later which is not usual for me; prior to this challenge I could easily put away double the amount of food. I’ve been one of the lucky ones not having to give up coffee because I rarely drink it (I like it with too much bad stuff in it, so I just don’t drink it).
From what I’ve read it would seem that IF is a plan you design yourself either giving yourself an eating window or reducing intake on certain days. How often can you integrate IF into your week before it starts harming your body ie. if you used the “eating window” technique could you do it every day or is that too often? I really haven’t been that hungry lately and just want to make sure that I don’t go too far with it.
I haven’t been as diligent as i should with the exercise routine and maybe this is why I’m not hungry because I’m really not burning many calories?? What is a good way to stay motivated about exercise because I’m one of those people that just shys away at the mention of its name. I don’t mind doing household chores that require physicality but I just can’t seem to muster doing an actual exercise routine. Any help in tricking my mind in this area?? Thanks so much and this is such a great site!
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i used to do seasonal fasting/cleansing (3, 5, 7 days) in the spring and fall. Recently, i have gotten into the concept of IF and trying it consistently. i have had terrible allergy/sinus issues and diet has been a huge part of getting that under control. i look forward to reading more in your book.
the one thing about fasting is the appreciation i have for food after a fast. even after just 24 hours i appreciate the tastes and textures of food so much more. i get into the terrible habit of just shoveling food into my mouth as quickly as possible and fasting seems to center me and allow me to really appreciate even small quantities of food.
how long is it before fasting affects metabolism/muscle? 24 hours? 48 hours? what is safe?
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Mike OD Reply:
@Alan – Most of the IF talk around here is about up to 24 hours max. Cleaning up the diet is also a big part in helping to control the other issues as well. Metabolism is really not an issue until well after 48 hours.
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alan Reply:
how did you come up with 24 hours instead of 48 or another number? is there significance to it or is it just easier or better for people to fast for a shorter period of time more regularly?
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Mike OD Reply:
@Alan – Just a safe number that also allows people to eat daily (for example you start a fast at 6pm Mon and eat 6pm Tues, you don’t skip a whole day). You could do less as well (like 16-18 hours) more often. Could you fast longer than 24 hours for added health benefits? Probably. But I still like to stress that eating is important, as IF is not about starving oneself in the process as well (like crash dieting). It’s more just condensed eating for calorie control and fasting for improvements to the glucose metabolism (like lowered serum insulin).
if how often you eat does not affect metabolism because it works on a longer time frame (days/weeks) why do people say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? i have heard that breakfast gets your metabolism going after having “fasted” for the night. any truth to this?
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Mike OD Reply:
@Alan – “i have heard that breakfast gets your metabolism going after having “fasted” for the night. any truth to this?” No…None…Zip. Just a wise tale people like to say that only gets perpetuated in mainstream “mis”information. In fact, fasts up to 48 hours actually have shown a slight increase in BMR! Having breakfast is a good thing for weight loss mainly if it prevents you from binge overeating later on (as it’s the total calories over time that matter), but that is the only real magic to it. Some may also have more insulin resistance/low blood sugar issues that could prevent them from functioning without additional glucose in the blood in the morning as well. Many individualistic factors.
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I dont think people should use IF for an excuse to pig out. I mean if by chance you have had a a heavy meal at a function or party or something then you can use IF to balance out the calorie intake. I have done this occasionally because its a great tool to keep you on track of your diet plan. I mean thanks to IF there is no more “falling off the wagon hard”! But it definately should not be used as an excuse to gorge on pizzas and burgers – I don’t know if i am being clear.
Ayurveda gives a lot of importance to fasting -its called “Langhana” and its a powerful way to get rid of toxins in the body. An Ayurvedic IF could be to include water boiled with some spices like cumin seeds, coriander seeds, a couple of cloves, couple of cardamoms, small piece of cinnamon etc. To do it by the book you would take a couple of litres and reduce it to one liter. Sort of like a spice tea! And sip it hot like tea through out the day i.e. dont drink it cold but warm it when drinking.
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Mike OD Reply:
@Sangita – You are correct, IF is not a free pass to binge or pig out.
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Good stuff, as usual. I always tell my clients, friends, family, and coworkers (and anyone else who will listen) that sensible eating is about quality and quantity. It’s that simple (I’m a big fan of simplicity). Fad diets, supplement manufacturers, general misinformation about food choices, even well-meaning friends/family have conspired to confuse many folks I talk to. They’re constantly bombarded with conflicting advice (which affects results), so many people just go back to what they know in the long run.
Whether it’s calorie restriction, intermittent fasting, meal frequency or the like, the focus should always be on quality and quantity. A little common sense and listening to your body goes a long way. It’s really just a matter of what your goals are and what fits into your daily lifestyle. Personally, I’m a big fan of IF because it’s a perfect fit for my daily grind. I’ll switch it up periodically for some variety, but IF is my go to.
Again, thanks for the great info, Mike.
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[...] that monkeys kept in captivity maintain better health when they are fed with less [...]
[...] Research – Intermittent Fasting, Free the Animal – Alternate Day Fasting, and of course Fitness Spotlight – The benefits of intermittent fasting. All are quality posts but the last link is probably the most important as it provides a free ebook [...]
Mike – do you know enough about diabetes to discuss it here in the IF article?
Dr Bernstein says to eat smaller, more frequent meals in order to keep blood sugars leveled.
I’m pre-D and have been enjoying BS levels in the low 100s and then managed to get them under 90 sometimes. But then I started weight training and it seems to have all gone out the window (the low BS and feeling satisfied on what i was eating which is low carb, high fat).
I’ve read your e-book, too. thanks!
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[...] also practice intermittent fasting, which I learn about over at Fitness Spotlight. I noticed that on days where I was too busy to eat until the evening (during midterms, finals, [...]
[...] Fitness Spotlight [...]
[...] Another great reciped from Sally – Please keep them coming. You can mail them to greg@crossfitinitiative.com. Please provide a picture, recipe and your name. I am thinking of putting together a gym paleo cookbook based on all of your entries. Grilled Thick Cut Pork Chops with Salad Thick cut Chops Fresh Herb Rub mixture rosemary, sage, thyme, pepper & sea salt Salad Mix Egg Blueberries Avocado Carrots Radishes Brush chops with Olive Oil Finely chop herbs mix well with salt and pepper Rub chops with herbs pat in well Preheat grill to about 500 degrees sear chops on both sides for about 3 minutes. Lower heat to about 350 degrees continue cooking til desired doneness about 15 minutes. Put salad mix in a bowl add blueberries shred eggs cut up avocado, carrots, radishes Mix well add favorite dressing, lemon juice or nothing at all. Enjoy Here is another intermittent fasting article: http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/2010/01/13/benefits-intermittent-fasting/ [...]