Intermittent fasting basics

Weight loss

Intermittent fasting basics

written by Dr. Basudev Tewari | February 13, 2019

In this post we shall discuss how intermittent fasting helps in weight loss and the science behind this.

Intermittent fasting or I. F. is the new kid on the block in the fitness world. Along with keto diet, intermittent fasting is being used smartly to lose fat. But for ages, we have learnt that frequent small feed is the way to go for healthy fat loss. How does I. F. fit in for the purpose?

Let us start from history of mankind:

Let us begin from the hunting era, at the initial days of mankind. Life was not that easy and cozy at that time. People did lots of hard work including hunting and procuring food. This could never be very frequent.

Remember, hunting, killing and preparing food (even getting food from plant source) was no easy task and food came very less frequently. The food those days were real food (protein, healthy fat as well as complex carb based – think of whole fruits and veggies). Simple carbs and sugars were unknown and and food habit was entirely different.

People used to hunt, feast and socialize over it for few hours with family and friends. After that, they managed to rest or stay active with long hours of fasting! Fasting for different intervals were easy and common practice for almost all.

Things have changed with time and the advent of civilization has changed things a lot. We prefer several smaller meals (I am not saying it’s bad, but it’s different practice). Food has changed to lots of sugars, simple carbs, processed food and lots of harmful chemicals and pollutants. There is also huge rise of lifestyle diseases, starting from metabolic syndrome to full fledged diabetes. Obesity and heart disease is on the rise.

So how can we deal with the obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular menace?

Lifestyle modification has a huge role besides proper nutrition and exercise. Regarding proper nutrition, several dietary patterns have shown promising results. Low carb or keto diet has shown amazing results and we, at FitNet, are getting amazing results, when coupled with resistance training with proper intensity and progressive overload.

Now, if you want to on step further, you may go for intermittent fasting. This is not a new practice. Several religions and cultures have advised doing this to cleanse body, mind and soul. In Islam, Ramzan for one whole month, is a typical example of IF. In Hinduism, Upavas is commonly done for worship of many gods and goddesses. The value of I. F. has been well known from time immemorial!

This can be done in several ways. The popular ways are as follows:

The 16/8 Method:

Fasting or 16 hours each day, is the most popular and frequently practised way. . That simply means eating in the window period of 8 hours and staying on glass during remaining 16 hours.

But this does not mean you start eating dirty in the feeding window. You need to be in the target calories per day (but only in that specific time period). Also try to be on the lower carbs, healthy fat and higher protein side for best results. Avoid gulping in junk food, processed foods etc to get best results. Even I. F. with ketosis have shown extremely positive way to lose fat.

In the fasting period, water and coffee (without sugar and milk, though) is allowed. Coffee reduces appetite and keeps you fresh throughout the day. But just avoid coffee at night to ensure proper sleep.

But don’t take any food in the 16 hours window period. You can include the night sleeping period during the fasting just miss the dinner or breakfast to increase the fasting duration to stretch it to 16 hours duration. Or you can miss both and keep the feeding period anytime during the day.

In the 8 hours period, don’t go overboard. Just eat whatever you need to eat over a whole day. Eating lots of sugars, sweets and simple/processed carbs will destroy the whole spirit of intermittent fasting.

A few examples of intermittent fasting can be this way:

Start eating at: 7AM, stop eating and start fasting at 3 pm.
Start eating at: 11AM, stop eating and start fasting at 7pm.
Start eating at: 2PM, stop eating and start fasting at 10pm.

These are just random examples which can be convenient for many. Follow these if possible or change as per your need keeping the basic idea same.

Other common ways to do intermittent fasting :

5:2 eating pattern: This makes you eat normally five days a week. The other two days are your semi fasting days. But don’t stay without food for 2 days. Eat in controlled, small amounts. Just keep it between 500 to 600 calories over the 2 days.

24 hour method or Eat-stop-eat: With this one, you stop food intake, totally for 24 hours, once or twice a week. This may be a bit harsh but can be done after starting with the previous way. Normally this is modified by taking 500 to 600 kcal on the days of fast.

Alternate-Day fasting: This means fasting every alternate days. So frequent fasting episodes of 24 hours might be too harsh for the people new in intermittent fasting.

There are several different versions of this. 300 to 500 kcal food is normally allowed on fasting days. But sugar and simple carbs are strictly no no for any type of intermittent fasting.

How does intermittent fasting work?

It increases insulin sensitivity as the glycogen is depleted and the body turns to fat stores for burning during the fasting periods. Doing ketosis accelerates fat burning even more. Try it if you are in real hurry, but really be careful. Read my post on insulin fat and insulin resistance.
The insulin hormone, being on the lower side, helps in unlocking the fat burning pathway. Read fat loss secrets you never knew.
The fasting periods activate growth hormone secretion which helps in fat loss and muscle gain (if the strength training stimulus is present).
It psychologically helps you to keep calories under control. It’s difficult to overeat and exceed your calorie limits within this fasting window period. The lower cost for preparing food is an added advantage!
It helps in few brain disorders like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson to control symptoms. This is not about fat loss but IF can prime brain in a different way too.

And the problem with intermittent fasting are :

The major problem, at least for the beginners are:

To move away from the age old concept of ‘have breakfast like a King’ and ‘frequent small feeds per day’! These concepts have been ingrained in the minds of many dieters and difficult to get away from brain. Don’t worry, studies are coming up against those concepts.
Feeling hungry like shit during the fasting period. This may lead to dizziness, lethargicness and brain fogging for some. But you will get used to soon. Our bodies have amazing capacities to adjust over time.
Intermittent fasting and ketosis together can do wonders and lead to very quick fat loss. But doing this randomly by your own, without proper guidance, can be similar to playing with fire.
Binge eating problem! The intense hunger pangs and psychological issues may lead to uncontrolled binge eating in the eating window. Having lots of sugars and simple carbs can destroy the spirit of intermittent fasting completely.

So, should you start intermittent fasting?

This is the million dollar question that have to be answered by you only. Remember, intermittent fasting is not for everybody. Check if you really want the results very fast. Ask yourself if you are stuck by dieting plateau and can’t overcome it even by trying a lot. See, if you really want to go to those very low body fat levels (don’t try it with a balanced diet and sedentary lifestyle).

Do you want to push more? Is conventional diet and exercise is not enough for you? Are you going for the contest lean body of your dreams? Is low carb and low calorie diet not showing results?

Well, intermittent fasting, in the above cases, is definitely a safe, scientific and practical approach for you!