Is Intermittent Fasting Right for You?

There are many different weight-loss diets: low calorie, low fat, low carbohydrates; and now intermittent fasting has become popular. Many people are giving it a try. Is it right for you?

The first three diets all rely on tracking calories and/or macro nutrients; whereas, intermittent fasting takes a different approach. Instead of tracking calories and limiting what you eat, the focus is on when you eat. For some people this an appealing change. Tracking and measuring every morsel we eat can become time consuming and can grow old after a while. Focusing on when to eat can be more manageable for some people looking to lose weight.

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting restricts when or how much you eat-and sometimes both. There are several approaches.

• Time-restricted eating-16:8 approach: Each day is the same: you fast 16 hours in a row, then eat normally within an eight-hour period. For example, you could choose to only eat from 9:00am-5:00pm and fast the other 16 hours.

• In alternate-day fasting: you eat normally every other day. On the days in-between, only eat 25% of your normal daily calorie intake. For example, if you usually eat 1,800 calories per day, on your fasting days you would only eat 450 calories total.

• In the 5:2 approach: you eat normally for five days, then on two non-consecutive days, restrict your calories to only 400-500 calories per day.

Intermittent fasting can help with weight loss

When we eat, our food is broken down by enzymes and eventually ends up as molecules in our bloodstream. Carbohydrates, like sugar and refined grains (white flour and rice for example) are quickly broken down into sugar (glucose), which our cells use for energy. Sugar that isn’t used for energy is stored in our fat cells as fat. Insulin, produced in the pancreas, brings the sugar to our fat cells and keeps it there.

In between meals, if we avoid snacking, insulin levels will go down and our fat cells can release stored sugar to be used as energy. We lose weight if we let our insulin levels go down. The premise of intermittent fasting is to allow insulin levels to go down low enough and long enough so our body can work on burning off our fat reserves.

According to a 2019 review article in the journal Nutrients, intermittent fasting promotes weight loss and may reduce risk factors linked to heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and inflammation, although, there isn’t enough data to tell how this works long-term. Whereas, the Mediterranean and vegetarian diets are linked to a healthy heart and healthy body size.

Intermittent fasting can be a healthy option as long as you:

• Eat a balanced diet focusing on lean sources of protein, vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and healthy fats, especially on the non-fasting days.

• Don’t snack between meals. Let your body burn fat between meals.

• Avoid eating after dinner.

• Exercise on a regular basis and stay active.

• Rest and have sufficient, quality sleep.

• Manage stress and practice life-balance strategies.

• Consider a simple form of intermittent fasting. Limit the hours of the day when you eat, and for best effect, make it earlier in the day like 7:00am-3:00pm.

Before trying intermittent fasting

If you want to give intermittent fasting a try, discuss it with your doctor first. Skipping meals and severely limiting calories can be dangerous for people with certain conditions such as diabetes. Some people who take medications for blood pressure or heart disease also may be more prone to imbalance of sodium, potassium, and other minerals during longer than normal fasting.

For help with nutrition and weight loss, contact Wendy@fusionfitnessandnutrition.com