I have been curious about Intermittent Fasting and never thought to try it until my sister decided to do it.

What is Intermittent Fasting

From Wikipedia

Intermittent fasting, or intermittent calorie restriction, is an umbrella term for various diets that cycle between a period of fasting and non-fasting during a defined period

Intermittent Fasting takes on different forms whether it is eating during specific hours, fasting totally from food one day a week, or for the Keto diet you fast to get the body into ketosis.

I tried the specific version of eating during specific hours: I chose the hours of 12p – 8p

How did it go?

For the first week I wasn’t working out because I was on a rest for my workout cycle.  The second week I worried about how I would perform during my early morning workouts with no food before 12 p.m.

I did fine even with the early morning workouts. I didn’t faint, feel slow, or black out.

For the first few days I had a terrible headache.  As time went on the headache went away and I eventually adjusted.

The benefits

According to Diet Doctor and other sources the benefits of intermittent fasting include:

  • Longevity
  • Improved mental clarity and concentration.
  • Weight and body fat loss.
  • Lowered blood insulin and sugar levels.
  • Reversal of type 2 diabetes.
  • Increased energy.
  • Improved fat burning.
  • Improved Blood Cholesterol

What Benefits did I notice?

l I can’t say that I noticed any benefits.  I didn’t feel like I had improved mental clarity and concentration.  I wasn’t doing a lot of snacking or bingeing either which I was worried about because of my past with restriction.

My biggest Takeaway

I like Not Eating past 8 p.m. and this will become Standard Operating Procedure.  I didn’t really feel any different…although perhaps my cravings went away.

Who will Intermittent Fasting benefit?

I think this may work for people who are constant snackers.  I think that having a specific time frame to eat will motivate people to eat nutrient dense food.  Eating empty calories and pointless carbs just doesn’t feel good after fasting.

I have heard from people who work in jobs where they are constantly snacking (Think Tech Companies with free food) that they have seen tremendous results.  I am sure of it because due to the constant eating and subsequent high blood sugar levels that Intermittent Fasting will cut all of that out.

Holidays and Post Holidays

I think post Holidays would be a great time to use the tool of Intermittent Fasting   All that heavy food needs to digest and we tend to eat more sugary foods so to avoid blood sugar spikes and crashes, this could be helpful.

Bottom Line

We had a discussion in my cycle class about Intermittent Fasting and I remarked “This is just another mode of restriction for the majority of people.”  That’s what it comes down to.  Yet another diet and another magic bean for quick weight loss.

If this isn’t a lifestyle approach, then I think people should pass.

Well isn’t that just semantics?

No because people who look at these nutrition methods as diets give up as soon as they don’t lose 50 pounds in 50 minutes and they aren’t looking to make lifestyle upgrades and lasting changes.

People who look at nutrition methods as lifestyle upgrades know it’s an experiment and are seeking what works for them.

This is what I do in my own life and what I encourage my own clients to do.