The Intermittent Fasting Dilemma. By Ori Hofmekler. The intermittent fasting approach has been getting increased recognition these days. But 1. 0 years ago, it was a different story. When I introduced The Warrior Diet concept about 1. Telling people to skip breakfast and lunch was like committing dietary heresy. The Warrior Diet book was the first to offer a diet plan based on intermittent fasting. Yes, at that time, it felt like I was the only person in the world arguing for substituting the frequent feeding approach of several meals per day with one meal per day. Then, a few years later, studies on intermittent fasting (conducted by Dr. Marc Mattson/NIH) shocked the world with the news that this . Since then, a growing number of health and fitness gurus have been jumping on the intermittent fasting (IF) wagon. Just Google intermittent fasting and check for yourself. Multiple websites and many bloggers are now claiming credit for their IF plan. The variations include fasting all day, every other day, every third day, twice per week, once per week, or once every other week. Some recommend skipping breakfast or skipping dinner, whereas others advise . According to Weil, simply eating three meals per day with no snacks should be called in America . And there is always a reason to avoid fasting. Virtually all IF websites are happy to give you these reasons. Plenty of Reasons (or Perhaps Excuses) to Avoid Fasting They tell you: don't fast if you're hypoglycemic; don't fast if you're diabetic; don't skip meals if you suffer from heartburn, or don't get yourself overstressed with fasting if you're already overstressed. It is also very popular these days to say, . Nonetheless, even in these or similar cases, the exclusion of fasting is not necessarily wise, as fasting could be potentially useful as a therapeutic strategy. Fasting has shown to improve conditions of metabolic disorders, lower the need for insulin medication, and help relieve inflammation. So how can fasting benefit you? To figure that out, you need to take a look at the science behind fasting. You need to know how fasting induces its beneficial effects on your body, and what meal frequency allows you to take maximum advantage of that. How Fasting Benefits Your Body. Scientists acknowledged three major mechanisms by which fasting benefits your body, as it extends lifespan and protects against disease: Reduced oxidative stress – Fasting decreases the accumulation of oxidative radicals in the cell, and thereby prevents oxidative damage to cellular proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids associated with aging and disease. Increased insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial energy efficiency – Fasting increases insulin sensitivity along with mitochondrial energy efficiency, and thereby retards aging and disease, which are typically associated with loss of insulin sensitivity and declined mitochondrial energy. Increased capacity to resist stress, disease and aging – Fasting induces a cellular stress response (similar to that induced by exercise) in which cells up- regulate the expression of genes that increase the capacity to cope with stress and resist disease and aging. There is Only One Fasting Regimen that Makes Sense in Practice.. So given the above, what kind of fasting regimen will benefit you most? If you learn the facts behind human biology and how your body is programmed to thrive, you will realize that almost every popular IF program today, including alternate day fasting, once or twice a week fasting, and once every other week fasting are, in the best case, only partially beneficial. Most IF programs cannot and will not yield the results you're looking for. We started 2011 with a discussion of Experiences, Good and Bad, On the Diet; which led us into the issue of weight loss, especially for peri-menopausal and older women. To receive the latest news on nutrition, fitness, wellness and diet along with recipes and product info direct to your inbox, sign up for our FREE award winning. Your Health Care Team Fasting refers to a period of time where little to no food is consumed. It's been done for thousands of years, but a new form of fasting referred to as "intermittent. Are You Ready to Take the 21-Day Challenge? Click Here for All the Details and Rules Want to embed this infographic on your blog? Copy the following code. The Perfect Health Diet. Foreign translations of the original food plate. The reason: Your body operates around a 2. Most IF programs are not designed to accommodate that cycle. Most IF Programs Disregard Your Circadian Clock. Your innate clock is an essential factor in your life as it controls all your circadian rhythms. Called the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN), it is located in your hypothalamus, where it regulates how your autonomic nervous system operates along with your hormones, your wake and sleep pattern, your feeding behavior, and your capacity to digest food, assimilate nutrients, and eliminate toxins. What happens when you go against your innate clock? If you're routinely disregarding your innate clock – working during sleeping hours, or feeding at the wrong time – you'll sooner or later pay the consequences with symptoms that may include disrupted sleep, agitation, digestive disorders, constipation, chronic fatigue, chronic cravings for sweets and carbs, fat gain, and lower resistance to stress. Note that chronic disruptions in circadian rhythms have been linked with increased risk for chronic inflammatory disease and cancer. Most IF programs overlook this issue. Their timing of feeding is either random or wrong. But the timing of your feeding is not something you can afford overlooking. There is a dual relationship between your feeding and innate clock. And as much as your innate clock affects your feeding, your feeding can affect your innate clock. Routinely eating at the wrong time will disrupt your innate clock and devastate vital body functions; and you'll certainly feel the side effects as your whole metabolic system gets unsynchronized. Your Biological Feeding Time is at Night. So when is your right feeding time? Your body is programmed for nocturnal feeding. All your activities, including your feeding, are controlled by your autonomic nervous system which operates around the circadian clock. During the day, your sympathetic nervous system (SNS) puts your body in an energy spending active mode, whereas during the night your parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) puts your body in an energy replenishing relaxed and sleepy mode. These two parts of your autonomic nervous system complement each other like yin and yang. Your SNS, which is stimulated by fasting and exercise, keeps you alert and active with an increased capacity to resist stress and hunger throughout the day. And your PSNS, which is stimulated by your nightly feeding, makes you relaxed and sleepy, with a better capacity to digest and replenish nutrients throughout the night. This is how your autonomic nervous system operates under normal conditions. But that system is highly vulnerable to disruption. If you eat at the wrong time such as when having a large meal during the day, you will mess with your autonomic nervous system; you'll inhibit your SNS and instead turn on the PSNS which will make you sleepy and fatigued rather than alert and active during the working hours of the day. And instead of spending energy and burning fat, you'll store energy and gain fat. This is indeed a lose- lose situation. Unfortunately, most IF programs fail to recognize this. Most IF Programs Miss the Boat. Let's take a brief look at some of the most notable IF regimens. This program seems to be the most difficult to handle. Followers of this regimen have been complaining of a significant increase in hunger and a chronic excruciating desire to eat on their fasting day. But what makes this IF program even more problematic is the adaptability issue – as followers seem to be just as hungry on the last day of fasting as on their first day. There have also been reports of side effects such as sleeping disorders, constipation, and a persistent fatigue among the followers. The alternate day fasting has one major caveat: the 2. This regimen has been shown to cause sleeping issues due to the fact that night fasting turns on the SNS which keeps you alert and anxious rather than relaxed and sleepy during the night – thereby disrupting your sleep- wake cycle. Furthermore, based on epidemiological evidence, it seems that the human body is programmed for a daily cycle of 2. Anything beyond that may put your body in a starvation- catabolic mode which if done chronically, may lead to metabolic shutdown's symptoms such as underactive thyroid, decreased sex hormones, loss of muscle mass, and declined energy. Both once or twice a week seem to be easier to follow than the alternate day fasting, only that these regimens are less effective than the alternate day fasting. Eating 3- 4 square meals every day for most of the week is a serious compromise of the original IF concept, as it minimizes the weekly impact of fasting to merely 1- 2 days per week. These IF programs seem to target the typical American dieter who is constantly looking for an . The skipping dinner approach goes against your innate clock. This regimen may cause sleep disorders and similar side effects as the alternate day fasting diet, only that skipping dinner is less effective than the alternate day fasting due to its shorter fasting time. Nonetheless, the science clearly indicates the opposite – the typical breakfast antagonizes the SNS and disrupts healthy circadian rhythms. There is growing evidence that the typical breakfast is the most harmful meal of the day. A study by the Human Nutrition Research France. These included a strong inhibition of fat burning throughout the day, increase in serum triacylglycerol, decrease in HDL (good cholesterol), and over- glycemic reactions. The researchers concluded that high- energy breakfast does not appear to be favorable to health; they also indicated that the study's results do not support the current advice to consume more energy at breakfast. Note that the average consumption of energy at breakfast among breakfast eaters is between 1. The typical breakfast composition: 1. Other reports coming from epidemiological surveys have been indicating that the consumption of a high energy breakfast leads to a significant higher energy consumption for the whole day. Furthermore, a big breakfast has shown to yield only a limited satiety effect which lasts merely 2 hours after breakfast. Overall, science confirms that the typical high carbohydrate breakfast tends to increase fat storage, increase body weight, and increase the risk for cardiovascular disease and long term health. How Fasting Affects Your Metabolism. Fasting refers to a period of time where little to no food is consumed. It's been done for thousands of years, but a new form of fasting referred to as . Intermittent fasting centers around alternating between short periods of fasting and periods of regular food intake. Types of Intermittent Fasting. The 5: 2 and 1. 6: 8 approach are the most common types of intermittent fasting and differ in their daily approach. Fasting Method: Two non- consecutive days out of the week are considered . On the other five days, you eat at your normal calorie level. Some have taken this method one step further by doing a 4: 3 approach (also known as alternate day fasting) where a . People often skip breakfast and choose an 8- hour eating window like 1. Reports of weight loss of 3 to 8 percent of body weight lost in 3 to 2. For a 2. 00- pound person, this is approximately 6 to 1. While weight loss from fasting isn't debated, research studies vary as to whether intermittent fasting is an effective long- term dieting method. There are other health perks though that appear to come from intermittent fasting. When compared to traditional dieting, research suggests that intermittent fasting: Causes greater fat loss in abdominal area. Causes less loss of lean body mass. Improves cholesterol numbers and fasting insulin. Decreases inflammatory markers. Metabolism Perks. Surprisingly, research suggests that the effect of intermittent fasting has the same or less negative effects on metabolism compared to traditional dieting. The reason why many think intermittent fasting improves metabolism is due to less loss of lean body mass and greater fat burning. It's impossible to lose weight without losing a little lean body mass, but research suggests that a lower percentage of lean body mass is lost when losing weight with intermittent fasting than with traditional dieting. Preserving more lean body mass means the body's calorie- burning slows less. At the same time, short fasting periods cause the body to tap into fat stores and burn a greater percentage of fat mass for energy. The Keys to Making It Work. There are two major keys to intermittent fasting success: short fasting periods and . If fasting continued without a return to normal calorie intake, then the body's metabolism will slow down. But, short periods like the 5: 2 or 1. The constant flux of fasting and normal intake keeps the body on its toes, rather than allowing it to slow. The other key to success is not equating normal intake to binging or excessive intake. It doesn't mean taking in excessive calories or binging on favorite foods. Though you may be motivated after completing a fasting day to continue with very low calories, the body needs a . If extremely low calorie intake is continued day after day without break, then metabolism does appear to slow as the body eventually goes into . It's not for everyone though, so don't beat yourself up if the thought of 5. Long- term weight loss results from healthy intake that is sustained, so choose an eating plan that works for you. References: Intermittent Fasting and Human Metabolic Health. Alternate Day Fasting for Weight Loss - greater weight loss, preserves LBMAlternate- Day Fasting vs. Daily Energy Restriction - much greater fat loss, while preserving LBM. Perfect Health Diet: Weight Loss Version - Perfect Health Diet. We started 2. 01. Experiences, Good and Bad, On the Diet; which led us into the issue of weight loss, especially for peri- menopausal and older women. This is an especially poignant issue for erp, who is 7. This is the toughest possible scenario for weight loss: Whether for genetic (X vs Y chromosome) or hormonal reasons, women are more prone to putting on weight than men. Thus, the elderly have a smaller energy “sink” in which to dispose of excess fat. A teenager can eat like a horse and stay thin; not so an older person. An injury that prevents walking makes it even harder to burn off fat. Walking is a tremendous aid to fat loss. Designing a weight loss diet for someone like erp really forces a hard look at how to optimize a weight loss diet. Get it even a little bit wrong, and the diet either won’t work for weight loss, or will be malnourishing. The Three Keys for Weight Loss. The three keys for an effective and healthy weight loss diet, as I see it, are: Elimination of food toxins. Food toxins are the primary cause of obesity and you can’t expect to cure a condition by causing it! Perfect nourishment. The diet should be as nourishing as possible. The dieter should be in the “plateau range” of every nutrient – vitamins, minerals, organic molecules, carbs, protein, and fats. Calorie restriction. You have to be in energy deficit to lose weight. The main food toxins to avoid are fructose, polyunsaturated fat, and wheat (see Why We Get Fat: Food Toxins). In my advice to erp, I suggested replacing some of her fruit with “safe starches” like potatoes, and replacing her PUFA- containing nuts with low- PUFA macadamia nuts or other foods. But the harder part is achieving a calorie restricted diet when so few calories are being expended, and yet avoiding malnutrition. How may that be done? Eat Protein and Carbs; Reduce Fat. This may surprise many readers, since we’re fat- friendly, but there should be no reduction in carb or protein consumption on weight loss diets. Calorie restriction should come out of fat. The Perfect Health Diet “plateau range” for carbs and protein is 6. Eating less than 6. So if a typical daily intake is 4. Remember that the body doesn’t have a significant store of carbs; the body’s total glycogen supply amounts to about a day’s needs. Nor does it have a store of protein, apart from skeletal muscle; and you don’t want to lose your muscle. But it does have a large store of fat – those adipose cells that you want to shrink. So to conserve muscle and reduce fat tissue, you have to eat your normal allotment of protein and carbs while restricting fat intake. As long as there is no serious dysfunction of adipose cells, they will release fat as needed to meet the body’s fat needs. And that’s what you want – fat being moved out of adipose cells to be burned. So your calorie- restricted weight loss diet will be just as nourishing as your regular diet. Only the source of the nourishing fats – adipose cells instead of food – will be different. Eat Nourishing Fats. But not all fat can be removed from the diet. The reason is that not all nutrients found in fat- containing foods are stored in adipose cells. You see, fats are stored in adipose cells as triglycerides. But we need to get other lipid molecules, not just fatty acids, from food. We need to obtain these from our foods in order to be well nourished. Diets low in choline strongly promote obesity. Therefore, anyone seeking to lose weight should be sure to eat a choline- rich diet. The easiest way to do that is to eat 3 eggs a day and a . Balancing the omega- 6 to omega- 3 ratio is helpful against obesity, and most people are omega- 3 deficient. So eating up to 1 pound of salmon or sardines per week may assist weight loss. Beef and lamb – meats that are low in omega- 6 fats – would be good choices for any additional meat. Be Super- Nourished. The body’s appetite regulation mechanisms are highly attuned to your micronutrient needs. Micronutrient deficiencies will tend to induce a strong appetite for food, as your body tries to get you to obtain more nutrition. This could be a major reason why “empty calories” such as cotton candy are fattening. Our book has some examples of “micronutritious foods”: variety meats, bone soups, seaweed, shellfish, eggs, and vegetables. Nutritious, low- calorie foods like bone soups can be very helpful for weight loss. Soups can also be a good way for someone who doesn’t like vegetables to obtain them. In addition, I would recommend that every person on a weight- loss diet take our full supplement regimen: a daily multivitamin, D, K2, C, magnesium, copper, chromium, iodine, and selenium. Also, I would suggest taking our optional B vitamins: thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B6, vitamin B1. Keeping Calories Down. What is the minimum calorie intake that meets all these nutrient considerations? So it would seem to be impossible to go below about 1. The place to cut calories, then, is the extra fats. Perfect Health Diet favorites like butter, coconut oil, and cream are, sadly, top candidates for reduction. Of course, the more active you are, the more you can include those fats. For less active people, the Weight Loss Version of the Perfect Health Diet becomes similar to a lot of popular diets. Many diets recommend a roughly even calorie distribution, with 3. This is what a calorie- restricted version of the Perfect Health Diet should look like too. So, the perfect day in a weight loss diet: soup, potatoes or other safe starch, salmon, eggs, vegetables. Not too much fat in the sauces! A good meal might look like this: Mash the sweet potato with eggs instead of butter, and this would fit our weight loss recipe. Conclusion. It’s a little humbling that I’ve started 2. For instance: In the book we used the rubric “metabolic damage” to describe the biological dysfunction associated with obesity. But we never really chased the complex biology of exactly that damage consists of – and how it can best be healed. Today, I’ve presented what I believe is the best strategy for healthy weight loss. But other techniques – such as ketogenic dieting, intermittent fasting, exercise, and more – can contribute to healing the metabolic damage of obesity. As 2. 01. 1 goes on, I’ll return to this topic. I am intensely interested in the experiences of anyone trying to lose weight using our diet, and I hope that together, we can understand the disease of obesity better, and figure out good ways to achieve both healthy weight loss and a permanent recovery from metabolic damage of all kinds.
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