Intermittent Fasting 101
Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard of intermittent fasting (IF). IF has been being mentioned everywhere, from social media sites to health TV shows like Dr. Oz.
If you read a weight loss, fitness, or health blog, you will most likely see it mentioned often there as well.
Intermittent fasting is a way of eating that promotes weight loss, fat burning, muscle building, and many other health benefits through a very simple eating pattern.
Here is more information about intermittent fasting so that you can decide if it is a good option for you.
Intermittent Fasting is a Pattern of Eating
Many people call intermittent fasting a diet, but it is rather a pattern of eating or dieting for optimal success. It teaches you a lot, including how to listen to your body’s hunger signals, and to follow a more ancestral, but healthy pattern of eating.
You can set a specific pattern each day, where you only eat during a shorter block of time, fasting for the rest of the day, except for having coffee, tea, and water. This time-restricted eating pattern helps your body to burn food more quickly, so that there is more time for burning fat.
Intermittent Fasting is How Our Ancestors Ate
Our ancestors ate when food was available. They didn't eat (=fasted) when there was no food available.
The only difference is that in our time of food abundance, fasting needs to be voluntary to harness the same beneficial effects for health and well-being.
There are Different Protocols for IF
The next thing you will learn about intermittent fasting is that there isn’t just one way to do it, but several methods or protocols to choose from.
Click HERE to read about 4 Types of IF Protocols
It is really very flexible, so you can look at the different methods and choose which one works best for your schedule and your lifestyle - or make up your own, variable schedule (my favorite!).
It can be helpful to start with a protocol that is already well established and test the effects on you. This is treating your weight loss as a scientific project. Test different things and then do more of what works best!
Here are some popular IF protocols people like to turn to:
16:8/LeanGains – This is a popular option, allowing you to eat for 8 hours, then fast for 16 hours. You try to do it as often as possible. It can be done every day of the week.
5:2 – The 5:2 diet requires you to eat how you normally would 5 days out of the week, then have 2 alternating days of the week where you fast for 24 hours. You can sometimes have a low amount of calories on fasted days, up to 500-600 calories.
Warrior Diet – With the warrior diet, you go 24 hours between eating, having just one large meal at the end of every day.
Eat-Stop-Eat/24-Hour – This is similar to 5:2, except you may only go 24 hours once a week. You also don’t have the calories, but a full fasting day with only water, coffee, or tea.
Don't get hung up on selecting a suitable protocol. Start with one, try it, then try the others, and after a while, you will be the expert for your own body and how it wants to lose weight best.
Variation is always good to cheat the "weight thermostat" in your Brain.
Tips for Starting Intermittent Fasting
Here are a few quick tips that can make this transition easier for you:
Pick your protocol first, then do plenty of planning.
You want to make sure you know when you will eat, what to eat, and how much.
Don’t go extreme on the first day. It is best to start with the lesser protocols, like a 12-2 or 16-8 where you still have a pretty lengthy window of eating. You can even decide to just start by not eating for 3 hours before bed and then 4 hours and so on...
Wait a bit before you go to the 24-hour fasting protocols. Listen to your body.
Enlist support, if you get stuck. Book a free call with us.
The intermittent fasting method you are using might not work good for you, so if you notice bad side effects, go back to your normal way of eating.
Did You Know?
We are offering a Course where we teach how to do Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss safely and healthily*. It is meant to introduce you to this mode of healthy eating and give you tools and resources to implement it into your life. Periodically, we are doing a FREE 7 Day "Jump-Start Your Weight Loss" Group Program to help you get started on the "right" foot.... Watch for the Challenge announcements on this site and via email or follow us on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/brain-training-for-weight-loss-its-like-magic-1452409
Check out the Intermittent Fasting Course HERE or click the button below:
*Disclaimer: If you have health issues or take prescription medications, please consult your personal healthcare provider before you implement any lifestyle changes. If your individual healthcare provider has no objections, you can try Intermittent Fasting. Read my full Disclaimer here.
For individual questions regarding the course or challenge, please book a free Call with Dr. Christine to Break Through Your Weight Loss Barriers: https://calendly.com/docchristine/weight-gut-brain and experience for yourself the magic of great coaching!
