Intermittent Fasting - Get Lean
Fasting is a method that has been practiced since the earliest days of mankind and is still extremely effective today. Fasting can mean anything from total abstinence from food to restricting only specific foods. The earliest men were hunters and gatherers, and they would go 24 hours or more without eating until a source of food would come along. Even though their fasting wasn’t always intentional, their bodies had to adjust to their eating patterns to keep them in top shape to perform when food came along to kill. In today’s world, intermittent fasting involves the act of purposely depriving the body of food for a certain period. There are many different wants to do so but it is important to understand why intermittent fasting (IM) can help aid in weight loss. Is it proven to be effective? Absolutely. Here is some information from recent studies on IM and some of its health benefits.
Intermittent fasting is a diet schedule that is planned and designed to accelerate fat loss. Being able to control how your body builds and utilize its energy reserves to ensure healthier living is very important. If you exercise regularly and restrict the amount of food you eat by fasting while also nourishing your body with lean foods, minerals, and vitamins, you will not only lose fat but also build lean body mass more quickly in comparison to many other dieting plans. Intermittent fasting and daily caloric restriction are very effective at promoting weight loss. However, not just weight loss. Researchers say that intermittent fasting — short periods of eating little to no energy-containing food and drink, will not only boost your metabolism but could also help fight many diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s!
SCIENCE AND METHODOLOGY
The science behind this practice is simple, yet tricky. In the fasting state, the biochemical pathways of catabolism take over and the body starts to break down deposits of fat stored in adipose tissues around the body to provide energy— a process often called ‘fat burning’. During this state, the body starts to generate energy from non-carbohydrate metabolites leading to a general loss of weight in people suffering from obesity. Fasting also increases insulin sensitivity, which generally helps you store less fat and glucagon synthesis is increased. Many of the diseases that plague mankind today results from our poor diet. If you look at the diet of an average American, eating an assortment of processed foods along with a high consumption of trans fat and carbohydrates, over time destroys our metabolism leading to a whole mess of health problems and issues.
So, how do you practice intermittent fasting? First you need to understand a few common methods and choose the best one for you. Personally I recommend Peak Fasting for everyone who want to fast and experience the benefits but also need to maintain and gain lean muscle mass on their exercise program! Below are some of the intermittent fasting methods:
1. ‘Eat Stop Eat’ or The Periodic Fast
In this funny sounding method, you’ll go a complete 24 hours without food, and you’ll do this once or twice every week. However, you can drink calorie-free beverages. The good thing about this method is that you can go back to eating normally after the 24 hours. This method is beneficial because it reduces your overall calorie intake without limiting what you can eat. This is a great method for beginners to try as it is much easier to manage. However, if you are resistance training often, you will want to decrease you workout intensity on your complete fasting days.
*Personally, I am not a fan of this. Especially if you are resistance training 5-6 times a week.
2. Alternate-Day Fasting
In this Intermittent fasting method, you eat very little amount of calories on one day and eat just like you would normally eat on the next. This is more of diet restriction than full-fledged fasting. According to the Johnson UpDayDownDay Diet website, those who cut down the amount of calories they consume by 20 to 35 percent see a loss of about two and a half pounds per week. This method is similar to the Carb Cycling Method just instead of carbs you are cycling calories. Here is an easy example:
Day 1: Eat 600 Calories
Day 2: Eat 1600 Calories
Day 3: Eat 800 Calories
Day 4: Eat 1800 Calories
then you would cycle back through to 600 calories.
This is a simple concept and one often used when restricting calories alone. (reduce you total food intake but do not starve yourself)
*Personally not a fan of this method. Especially when you are trying to build lean body mass,
3. Peak Fasting
This is my number ONE method and the one I generally recommend to those who are starting an intermittent fasting regimen. In this method of intermittent fasting, you stay without food for about 6 hours each day, and then “feed” for the remaining 8 hours. During this fasting period, you’re not supposed to take any calories. This method allows you to eat whenever you want to as long as it’s within the eight-hour period for feeding. However, in order to be successful with this program, it is important to have a set meal plan for the foods you will eat during those eight hours. It may seem a little difficult but the 16 hours of fasting also includes the time you sleep. Here is an easy example of the functionality of this method.:
Fasting hours from 8:00PM-12PM.
Feeding hours from 12:01PM-7:59PM.
As you can see, this isn’t too far off from your normal eating patterns. Basically you would be skipping breakfast.
WHY INTERMITTENT FASTING WORKS
According to Kate Morin from DailyBurn, studies have shown that fasting alone is actually very powerful in helping to prevent disease and promote a healthy metabolism. During the period of caloric restriction, the body responds better to stress that might otherwise damage it. Intermittent fasting changes the function of cells, genes, and hormones in the body. It has become a proven method to help lose weight and belly fat especially when coupled with a good exercise regimen. It also reduces the risk of Type 2 Diabetes by reducing insulin resistance!
Remember with all of this being said, it is extremely important to couple a method like intermittent fasting with a solid exercise program, meal plan, and nutrition strategy. We do not want to starve ourselves, but we also do not want to over indulge during our 8 hour eating window. Once you have your meal plan strategy in place it is important to remember one thing… INTERMITTENT FASTING DOESN’T CHANGE WHAT YOU EAT, IT CHANGES WHEN YOU EAT! Thank you for reading guys and if you have an specific questions I would love to help! Comment below!
REFERENCES
Charles Q. Choi (2014, Nov 25). Does Intermittent Fasting Have Benefits? Science Suggests Yes [Web blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/48888-intermittent-fasting-benefits-weight-loss.html
Roger Collier (2013, June 11). Intermittent fasting: the science of going without [Web blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3680567/
Amber Simmons (2010, May 3). The Scientific Evidence Surrounding Intermittent Fasting [Web blog post]. Retrieved from http://easacademy.org/trainer-resources/article/intermittent-fasting
Kate Morin (2017, July). 5 Intermittent Fasting Methods: Which One Is Right for You? [Web blog post]. Retrieved from http://dailyburn.com/life/health/intermittent-fasting-methods/amp
Julian Reiche (2014, June 13). The Science Behind Intermittent Fasting: Fad or Fact [Web blog post]. Retrieved from https://medium.com/the-trainersvault-blog/the-science-behind-intermittent-fasting-fad-or-fact-db50d36737ff