Intermittent Fasting
Hey beauties! I wanted to talk about something that is a hot topic: intermittent fasting.
As you may know, there are many different ways to go about doing this.
I wanted to start by saying that I am NOT a doctor, nor am I recommending anyone to do anything that isn’t right for them. I’m just talking about MY journey and different methods out there.
So, what is intermittent fasting and what’s the hype all about really?
Well, for starters, intermittent fasting is when you don’t eat for certain periods of time. You eat your food intermittently.
The different types of fasting include:
16/8 Method- This has become to be one of the most popular choices to fast. It’s where you eat during an 8 hour window, and you fast for 16. I know this may seem like a long time, but you sleep for about 8 of those hours, supposedly. You can eat dinner at 8 pm and then have your next meal at 12 noon the next day. You can choose the hours that work for you, but that’s the gist of it.
Circadian Rhythm- This is the type of fasting that is the most lenient, I think. It’s where you only fast for 13 hours rather than 16.
OMAD- also known as “One Meal A Day”. This fast is a bit more intense since you are fasting for 23 hours and eating for 1 hour. It’s something to work up to, if you can. I prefer to do this type of fasting for me because I find it easier to just eat one big meal than to eat smaller meals. It all depends on you.
The 5:2 Fast- With this fast, you basically fast for 2 days a week, but instead of cutting out food completely, you keep your calorie intake to about 500-600, and then for 5 days you eat how you normally would.
Alternate Day Fasting- This type of fasting is where you fast every other day. You fast for about 36 hours and then eat normally. During the fast, however, you can either stay away from food completely or you can consume about 500 calories. Again, it’s up to you.
The Warrior Diet; 20:4- During this fast, you fast for 20 hours, and then have a four hour eating window. It’s similar to OMAD, but instead of having a one hour eating window, you have a bit more. Now, during the day, you ARE allowed to have small amounts of only raw fruits and vegetables, and then you ‘feast’ at night.
Skipping a meal here and there- This way of fasting is most flexible because you get to choose when you feel like giving your body a break from food. You can skip breakfast one day, then maybe skip lunch the next, whatever works for you. You get to create your own schedule.
Where did fasting come from? Why do we need to do this?
Fasting has been around for many centuries, and it’s become something that many people are more aware of. It gives you a chance to give your body a ‘break’. Fasting has played a role in many different religions and cultures. There wasn’t always access to food like there is today, so our ancestors are used to waiting long hours before they feast again.
Benefits of fasting include:
Weight loss- This one may seem a bit obvious, but it’s very true. By giving your body a break, you are contributing to losing weight because you allow your body to digest properly. What happens when you fast is there is less food to convert to energy, so that’s when your body starts going into stored fats. This does not effect the muscle tissue, it actually promotes muscle growth. It’s best to work out during the fasted state because then you are burning the most fat.
Longevity- When you fast, you allow your body to ‘recycle’ bad cells. Autophagy is what happens when there’s a deprivation of nutrients, which rejuvenates the mitochondria and allows for the cells to repair themselves. THIS is what slows down aging.
Detoxifying- One of the major benefits of fasting is the process of detoxifying the body internally. It takes about 12 hours for glycogen deposits to get depleted, meaning that the food you ate has been fully metabolized in the body. What happens here is the body starts to turn to various part of the body for fat to ‘feed’ off of, which is then used for energy and toxins are released with help from the liver, kidneys, and other organs.
Reducing insulin resistance- There have been studies that for those who have fasted with type 2 Diabetes, their blood sugar levels went down.
Fighting inflammation- Fasting has been found useful in treating inflammatory conditions, which has been the cause of chronic illnesses, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and tumors.
Improve brain health- Fasting has been linked to having a powerful effect on the brain and enhance cognitive function. { via }
Boosting metabolism- Along with weight loss, fasting has been shown to boost your metabolism. Since fasting decreases your calorie intake but not eating as often, it allows your body to increase levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which helps in promoting a faster metabolism.
Increases HGH (Human Growth Hormone)- “Fasting also stimulates the release of growth hormone, leading to increased bone strength, better protein synthesis and increased muscle mass.” { via } HGH is a type of protein hormone that has to do with muscle growth, muscle strength, metabolism, and weight loss.
As you can see, there are MANY benefits to fasting, which is why I felt the need to do a post about it. It’s something I incorporate into my life daily. I used to be big on counting calories, but since I started my fasting practice, I no longer have to. I find it WAY more effective to just give my digestive system a break, eat what I feel like eating, and going about my day. It seems much more concrete to just not eat for a certain amount of time than adding and subtracting how many calories are in something.
My body has not only FELT better since starting this lifestyle choice, but it LOOKS better. My muscles are much more defined, I have lost inches in my hips, so I feel good about it.
My fasting routine now is whatever I feel like doing. I like to do a 12 hour fast at a MINIMUM every single day, but some days I’ll go longer depending on my schedule.
REMEMBER: do your OWN research and do what feels right for you! Listen to your body.
I also want to share this YouTube channel with you, which has helped me during my fasting experience. Her name is Dr. Mindy Pelz, and she’s pretty amazing if you ask me. Check her out!
What to have DURING your fast:
Black coffee- feel free to add Stevia if you’d like
Unsweetened tea
Zero-calorie beverages
LOTS of water- feel free to add lemon or lime
Electrolytes
Salt water- add a tsp of Himalayan salt or baking soda
Who should NOT be fasting:
pregnant women
people with eating disorders
children under the age of 18
Have YOU tried fasting? What is your experience with it? Let me know! :)
Happy fasting!
MUCH love,
Ash x
