Intermittent Fasting To Burn Fat & More

I was slow to the party on this fitness trend, but it made the biggest impact on my energy and health over the past year.
 
It’s become my #1 fat burning tool- it’s helped me lose inches significantly lowering my Waist To Hip Ratio AND blood pressure.
 
I don’t do diets or obsess about the scale.
 
I’m not into skipping meals on purpose.
 
But last Spring I made a change to my meal planning when my fat burning quest led me to trying out Intermittent Fasting as part of The Galveston Diet (by Dr. Mary Claire Haver). 
 
Intermittent Fasting is an Eating Pattern that rotates between periods of fasting and eating.
 
Studies show it can help with weight loss and decreasing abdominal fat, reducing inflammation and brain fog, improving insulin sensitivity, and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
 
>> Fat burning happens when you fast 12 hours or more as your body uses up its glucose stores and switches to fat burning for energy <<
 
During fasting, your body also has time for cellular repair processes like Autophagy which can help with disease prevention and supporting the immune system.
 
It can help with dementia prevention as it clears damaged cells and toxic proteins and increases BDNF production which supports the growth of nerve cells in the brain especially in the hippocampus (learning and memory center of the brain).

Reducing inflammation and your risk for obesity can also help with joint pain and cancer prevention particularly for breast, colorectal, lung, cervical, stomach cancers. 
 
If lowering your blood glucose 3-6% or reducing your waist circumference 4-7% sounds good to you, you may want to try it.

TYPES OF INTERMITTENT FASTING:

There are a variety of ways to intermittently fast. Most common methods include:

• 16/8 Method: Eat all your meals within an 8 hour window and fast for 16 hours.
• 5:2 Diet: Eat normally 5 days and restrict calorie intake to 500-600 calories on 2 non-consecutive days.
• Alternate-day fasting: Fast completely or significantly restrict calories every other day.
• Eat- Stop-Eat: Fasting for 24 hours 1-2 times a week.

 
Ender has been doing variations of intermittent fasting on and off for years using some of the more intense methods.
 
That’s probably why I was so resistant to learning more about it.
 
I’ve only done a variation of the 16/8 Method and the others don’t interest me.
 
My favorite thing is it gives me structure to my day.
 
Before I started Intermittent Fasting, I was frequently skipping lunch. 

A not so lovely habit I learned as a health care provider where we make no time for bathroom or meal breaks when working.

And my meals were frequently too spread out even though I know keeping my blood sugar stable is healthier for my body.
 
Intermittent Fasting helped me stop doing both of these unhealthy habits.

HOW TO GET STARTED WITH INTERMITTENT FASTING (16/8 Method):

1.  Pick your eating window. How many hours will it be- 6, 8, 10 hours? And what time will you target for it?  

​Most common is 8 hours which means you’ll be eating in an 8 hour window then fasting for 16 hours. If you delay your breakfast, you could do an eating window of 9-5pm (with a 5pm-9am fasting window), 10-6pm (with a 6pm-10am fasting window), or 12-8pm (with an 8pm-12pm fasting window).

• It needs to work for your activity and schedule otherwise you won’t stick to it. 
• An eating window of 10-12pm to 6-8pm will line up best with your metabolic rhythm. 
• Aim to hit your eating window at the same time each day or no more than an hour fluctuation for start or end times.

2. Go slow. Decrease your eating window 30 minutes at a time over time as you get to your goal eating times otherwise you’ll likely be hungry and irritable.

3. Get Protein. Make sure you are getting enough protein in your eating window so you don’t lose muscle mass.  

4. Hydrate well. Staying hydrated and getting enough electrolytes is essential especially when fasting.  

5. Keep up with Exercise. Avoid exercise while fasting. Make sure your eating window supports your exercise plan.  A 20 minute walk after meal can help with your glucose control.

6. Rest & Relax. Take rest & relaxation breaks during the day. Get plenty of sleep (at least 7-9 hours per night).

It doesn’t have to be perfect.

I average a 9 hour eating window but sometimes do 8 or 10.
 
I have to really be on my game with meal prep to do 8 hours.
 
I tried an 8 hour window consistently in the beginning and I found it stressful because I felt like all I was doing was eating.  
 
I had a hard time getting in all my protein as I wasn’t hungry, so I aim for 9 hours for now. Overtime I might try to get that down to 8 more consistently. We’ll see…
 
Healthy habits shouldn’t be stressful.

That defeats the purpose of them.
 
Who shouldn’t Intermittent Fast? Contraindications include:

• History of eating disorder or underweight
• Type 1 Diabetes
• Pregnant or breast feeding
• Children or Teens
• Recovering from surgery or recent illness
• Newly diagnosed chronic disease – get support from your physician 
    

OVER TO YOU:
 
Have you tried Intermittent Fasting before? 
 
If you’re finding the fat distribution is changing in your body as you age or you want to get your waist to hip ratio down, I highly recommend it.
 
I started it for the fat burning benefits and I stay with it for how it simplifies my life, has improved my energy, helps decrease inflammation and joint pain, and has the potential to reduce my breast cancer and dementia risk.
 
It’s part of my fitness plan that also includes clean eating, resistance training, and mind body exercise and recovery work. 

It was the first change I made last year and everything else has built on that.

It's your turn.
 
Pick an eating window and test it out!

P.S.  Need ideas for rest & movement breaks to manage your energy during the day? Download the FREE Daily Energy Planner here.