The Truth about Intermittent Fasting
How many times have you heard a co-worker or family member tell you that they are doing the “Intermittent Fasting” diet.
Man, being in the gym for as long as I have, I’ve heard this way more times than I want!
There are way too many books written on this subject and way too many influencers telling people they can fast and “Eat whatever they want to still lose weight.”
Intermittent Fasting (IF) not actually a diet, but simply an adjustment of your meal times. This is a popular thing to do for people who are trying to lose weight and it has shown to be effective for some people.
In this short article, I want to break down some of the science of why Intermittent Fasting can work, and why in some ways that it is BS and not really all that magical. We will talk about what it is, some of the pros and cons, and how it can apply to you.
HOW DOES INTERMITTENT FASTING WORK?
IF is essentially cutting down the times you are able to eat so you can only eat within a particular window of time. Most people will do some variation of a 16:8 or a 14:10 type of fast where you are only eating in an 8-10 hour window (10a-6p, 12p-8p, 9a-5p) and fasting for the rest of the time in the day.
The idea is that if you prolong the period in which you are fasting, then your body will have more time to digest the foods and burn them more efficiently as energy.
There are also claims that prolonged fasting periods will give you more energy and help you lose weight because of the increased digestion time.
One glaring thing I want to point out is that EVERYONE ALREADY DOES IF.
Every time you go to sleep, you are fasting from the time you sleep until you wake up and eat… BREAK-FAST. (Ever wonder why we call it break-fast?)
So unless you are an insomniac (or a parent :[ ), you probably sleep 6-8 hours a night and already achieve a fasted state nightly.
With that said, all someone is doing with IF is increasing the time that they are fasted, (Which again, everyone all already does to a small degree) not creating something new and magical.
At the end of the day, people still overeat in eating windows and it’s not a magical diet, just constraining the times you eat.
SO WHY CAN IT BE SO DANG EFFECTIVE AND POPULAR?
That depends how you define effective, which we will get into more later. IF can be successful in the short term and it seems to be a protocol that objectively helps people lose weight. Here are some reasons why people tend to see progress in the short term:
CUTTING OUT CALORIES DURING THE LATER HOURS
This is THE BIGGEST FACTOR to why people find any success with IF and why it is so popular. Put simply, people do not make the best meal choices after 8-9pm anyway. Most of the time, people are snacking on all sorts of crazy snacks and have no need to be eating at that time.
I have had my share of late-night grilled cheeses, chips, cereal, yogurt and for some reason a whole shredded chicken quesadilla with veggies? Ahh, the good old stoner days…
ANYWAYS If average person is cutting out any late night snacking as a result of IF, that alone cuts out a portion of calories that they otherwise would have eaten and puts them into a calorie deficit, causing weight loss.
Also, what times do people tend to drink alcohol or smoke or have social occasions? And do we tend to make the best food decisions during those times?
Likely, not!
BEING ON A “DIET” MAKES YOU MORE INTENTIONAL
No one is going to start a dietary change if they don’t want to get results. Simply because they say they are trying this, most people tend to also add some exercise and healthy foods in general to an IF protocol.
So you then have someone who likely wasn’t doing anything who then switches to a fasting protocol, likely choosing healthier foods, and exercising a bit more. These things combined create the calorie deficit and cause weight loss.
LESS MENTAL EFFORT
It is so mentally easy to simply adhere to fasting windows for the average person. There are no calculators or apps or thought really needed. You just stop eating at a certain time and start eating at another time. Adhering to this simple protocol, alone, cuts out calories for most people.
LONGEVITY
There are plenty of claims that IF and prolonged fasts will increase Longevity and lifespan due to cellular autophagy. This gets a bit out of the nutrition realm and into the research/study realm.
Studies are still in it’s earlier stages and there are so many other factors that affect longevity over an entire lifespan that it is tough to attribute the additional longevity to Fasting alone.
WITH THAT SAID, I am sure that fasting has a positive affect. Many different religions have some type of fasting as a part of their lifestyles. Fasting is prevalent in many cultures and it does cultivate discipline which carries over into many other parts of their lives.
I think people should be careful when distinguishing between discipline and eating disorders when implementing an IF protocol, but there are certainly benefits.
Chicken Breast Gyro + Hummus and Spring greens
SO DOES THAT MAKE THIS THE PERFECT DIET?
HOLD your horses there, friend. We aren’t done yet!
There is a reason why I said it CAN be successful in the SHORT TERM earlier. I choose my words carefully.
There are definitely some positives for IF, but it is not an end-all be-all protocol. Here are some reasons why I would reconsider it.
LIFE JUST HAPPENS
IF can be tough to adhere to over a long period of time because life just happens. You will sometimes get out of work late, you will have a family gathering that you want to enjoy, you might be super hungry and in the morning and there is absolutely nothing wrong with eating a high protein, healthy meal when you are hungry.
EXERCISE PERFORMANCE
IF also can affect workout performance if your workouts are in a fasted state OR if you had to cram in your food before a workout to stick to an eating window. Low energy workouts tend to be less effective and create less of a muscle building stimulus due to lacking intensity.
SPECIAL POPULATIONS
Fasting can be negative for certain populations such as people with a history of disordered eating patterns,, mental health conditions, breastfeeding women, or people with certain medical conditions. All of these types of situations, and many others require a medical professional or Registered Dietician to monitor.
PEOPLE STILL OVEREAT IN AN EATING WINDOW.
If someone is eating too many calories in a feeding window, they will not lose weight. Fasting will not help you escape the Law of Thermodynamics/Energy Balance. You still ultimately have to be in a calorie deficit (Explained more in my Fat Loss Tips Article!) in order to lose weight. You can change your engine oil every 3000 miles like they recommend, but if you use cooking oil instead of high-quality motor oil, or if your under or overfill it, then your engine will still explode.
Beef Stew + Rice and Basic Chicken Salad
THEN, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
At the end of the day, the most important factor for weight changes is calories in vs calories out. Calories are Calories. 2500 calories consumed between 8am-4pm are the same exact 2500 calories consumed between 6am and 10pm.
The name of the game is ADHERENCE AND CONSISTENCY. The more that you can stick to something and adhere to a protocol, then the more that you will reap the results of it.
For MOST PEOPLE looking to shed a few founds as the summer draws near, my greatest advice would be to implement the tips in my Fat Loss Tips Article (noted below), and then simply cut off eating at around 7:30-8:30pm if you struggle with late night eating.
As I say in my Fat Loss Guide, Aim for DAILY PROTEIN GOALS, HYDRATION GOALS and DAILY STEP GOALS along with adhering to cutting off late-night eating and you should be on your way to a much Healthier lifestyle!
This alone will make your experience with weight changes much easier and less stressful. Remember, in order to make weight loss progress, we need Protein to be high to build muscle and tone and we have to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight.
The step goal will help you keep activity high and burning more calories so you do not have to cut down on your meals too much. And finally, having a hydration goal of half your bodyweight in ounces will help curb unnecessary cravings, keep energy high and avoid any sugar containing drinks.
Give this a try for a month and let me know how your progress!
If you have made it this far, Thank you for checking out some of my writing! I hope you enjoyed some of my random meals pictured throughout!
I hope you find it useful and have some takeaways!
If you are STRUGGLING with constantly being in and out of a fitness routine or Nutrition plan, you aren’t alone. The information is out there. We know what we need to do (for the most part). But still most people struggle and cannot keep it up for a long-period of time.
If this sounds familiar, let me help you create a long-term relationship with fitness with my Online Coaching or In-Person Coaching. Fill out a Contact Form and I will get right to you!
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