i-Fast

I Fast.  Or should I say, I do Intermittent Fasting… 🙂

Before you read on… if you’re interested in one of the following topics, click the links directly below:

1. How to: Intermittent Fast.
2. What Intermittent Fasting: What it does for me
3. My 2:5 Intermittent Fasting

INTERMITTENT FASTING

I’d always heard of Fasting as a good way to be healthy and live longer.  It’s not something I’ve ever tought about doing, but after the Horizon programme: Eat, Fast and Live Longer… I’m giving it it a go. (watch the horizon programme on iPlayer here if it’s still available)

The Horizon programme suggests Alternate Day Fasting, or fasting 2 days eating normally the remaining 5 days of the week (2/5). Here are the benefits of IF.

I started off doing 1:6 days (fasting 1 out of 7 days), and I’ve now progressed to doing 2/5 – fasting for 2 days and eating normally for 5 days. 

CONDENSED EATING WINDOW IF METHOD
I’m doing the Condensed Eating Window method, where you eat within a set time period, then fast for the rest of the day.

See here for how I’m going to do my Intermittent Fasting 2:5.

8/16 is recommended, or 10/14 for women.  I’m doing 6 hours eating / 18 hours fasting one day, and 24 hours fasting another day

8am – 2pm: Protein shake at 8am & 11am then lunch of meat / protein / veggies at 1pm.
2pm – 8am: Fast, drinking water and green tea only.

Or there’s the option to do:

8pm – 2pm: Fast, drinking water and green tea only.
2pm – 8pm: Lunch and protein shake then dinner as normal.

The hunger comes in waves and goes away, but I’ve been finding it surprisingly easy.  I think I’ll be ok with it as long as I’m kept busy and try not to think about it.  🙂

ADDITIONAL POSTS ABOUT IF
Here are the posts I’ve done about my Fasting:
My attempt to: Eat, Fast and Live Longer
My first 6:18 1/6 Friday fasting 🙂
Tuesday Thoughts 28/08/12
Intermittent Fasting Week 3
Intermittent Fasting whilst on holiday
More about Intermittent Fasting.
Fast, Eat, Fast (don’t gorge!), Rest
Strange effects of Fasting: less hunger
Intermittent Fasting: What it does for me

ADDITIONAL INFO ABOUT IF
And here is some information about Fasting and Intermittent Fasting:

Horizon programme: Eat, Fast and Live Longer
More about Intermittent Fasting.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
How to: Intermittent Fasting

Why Fast? Part One – Weight Loss
Why Fast? Part Two – Cancer
Why Fast? Part Three – Longevity
Why Fast? Part Four – Brain Health
Why Fast? Part Five – Exercise
Why Fast? Part Six – Choosing a Method
Why Fast? Part Seven – Q&A

Lean Gains Guide to Intermittent Fasting

Weight Loss Plateau
Is intermittent fasting healthy?
Women and intermittent fasting

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
There are many benefits of intermittent fasting. Some of these include:

■ Stop Obsessing About Food –  Intermittent fasting acn put your food obsessions to rest. When you’re eating normally, you can eat when you feel like eating, and you can even skip meals if you’re not hungry or too busy. Just make sure that you get enough calories for the day, and you get enough protein and carbohydrates to rebuild muscle and fuel your workouts. Some essential fatty acids (EFAs) here and there, and you’re set.
■ Increased Time in Fat Burning Mode – By eating every few hours, you are keep your insulin levels elevated. While fat loss can still occur with elevated insulin levels, the higher they are, the less fatty acids can be mobilized. Going 16 hours without eating gives you a nice long window to burn fat in a favorable metabolic environment.
■ Increased Growth Hormone Levels – If you stop eating say at 6pm, your growth hormone (GH) can be released throughout the night in maximum amounts without interference from insulin production. Growth hormone is anabolic to muscle and catabolic to fat. In a study measuring the effects of fasting on growth hormone levels, fasting showed a marked increase in GH.
■ Improved Insulin Sensitivity – Going 16 hours without a meal increases my insulin sensitivity. Because of the diminished glycogen stores after the fast, my cells are primed and ready to absorb any glucose that enters my blood stream. It does this with less insulin, which means I’m more able to release fatty acids. A study comparing the effects of intermittent fasting (IF) with continuous energy restriction showed that IF lowered insulin resistance, as well as lowered leptin, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, IGF, and fasting insulin levels.
■Not as Hungry – Instead of eating 5 or 6 smaller 400-500 calorie meals spaced evenly throughout the day, you can combining 6 meals into 3. It can give you the added benefit of filling you up so that you’re not constantly hungry.

How to Implement Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss

So perhaps you’d like to give intermittent fasting for weight loss a try.

You can do 16/8, but you could also do 18/6, or even 20/4. You can eat them all in one meal, two meals, or more.  Just make sure you get in all your calories and you don’t go over. Go with how you feel. If you feel really hungry, have a bigger meal. Not so hungry? Wait a little longer and have a bigger meal later. Keep your foods coming from whole foods, stay consistent, and the weight will come off.  Experiment, and do what works for you.