Intermittent Fasting (IF) is a safe, easy way to lose weight without counting calories.
You can use IF as an initial methodology for weight loss, or you can switch to it - if what you are doing does not work, or has stopped working.
With enough incentive or motivation (e.g. diabetes or cancer) you can go straight into Fasting (Dr Jason Fung puts some of his diabetic patients on an initial medically-supervised 14-day fast) but most of us transition into Intermittent Fasting over a few weeks... as our bodies get into "fat-burning mode".
Diabetes and obesity are, to a large extent, caused by excess (refined) carbohydrate. Depending on many things, the "usual low-carbohydrate advice" is:
No food (fasting)
No carbs (Keto is close to no carbs)
No refined carbs or sugar
Low carb or Low-Carbohydrate, High-Fat (LCHF)
Reduced Carbohydrates
No Grains
Whole grains only
I eat "no-grains" Buckwheat muesli for breakfast, and full-fat live set yoghurt, and an apple, orange and a banana. Keto - or a very low carbohydrate diet is good for acute diabetes, but carbohydrates are a cost-effective source of energy and fibre, and I personally have problems with a high-fat IF diet as I have no gall bladder. I still fast 14:00-10:00 nearly every day.
To lose weight we have to eat less and/or move more... and eating fewer meals – or eating in a window of fewer hours a day (or fewer days a week) is what we call Intermittent Fasting (IF).
This is from a conversation on the Health Unlocked LCHF forum:
Hi, Praveen55
Might Intermittent Fasting help overcome insulin resistance and initiate "fat-burning mode"?
“Indeed, Intermittent fasting is a very powerful tool for losing weight and improving insulin resistance. It becomes easier to follow intermittent fasting on Keto/LCHF diet. Most of the LCHF followers happen to be on two meals a day and therefore by default they are on 16:8 or 12:12 intermittent fasting.
It makes sense to use IF particularly when big weight loss is desired.”
I have been thinking that IF is the ideal "trick" to get off a weight-loss plateau.
“That is what experts in the field also say.”
If you are not very ill with diabetes or cancer, I recommend that you start getting into "fat-burning mode" by not eating after mid-evening (or missing breakfast) and then gradually narrow your eating window. You do not have to be too masochistic... see how you feel and change the plan accordingly.
Here is a brief video by Dr Berg, explaining the advantages of Intermittent Fasting over Low-calorie dieting. (IF stimulates your metabolism):
moreless found this video, by Dr Berg, which explains how you can gradually “get into Intermittent Fasting” (over weeks and months) without making any sudden changes:
Many members here do IF 16:8 (they eat in an eight-hour window).
I have been fasting 20:4 for over fourteen months (and I do not count anything): I started by not eating after 19:30, and I gradually narrowed the window until I was only eating between 10:00 and 14:00. It works for me – but you might eat with family in the evening? Dr Berg suggested missing breakfast on 20:4.
One Meal A Day (OMAD) is IF eating one meal a day... I use this occasionally when I know I am going to have a big “party” meal, and even before Christmas, when I had big meals four days running, it let me get down to my target weight. Years ago, when I was not used to fasting, if I ate a small lunch knowing that I was going to have a large dinner, when I got to eat in the evening, I was so hungry I wolfed the food down without really appreciating it: your body has to get into “fat-burning mode”.
5:2 fasting is "Intermittent Calorie Restriction" and not, I consider, IF. I do not recommend it. It is eating 500 or 600 calories two days a week - and some members here use it.
Here is a short video about a study comparing Alternate Day Fasting (ADF) to caloric restriction dieting:
Here is a long video about ADF... He is not qualified, but he talks a lot of sense. He “feasted” (ate as much as he wanted) on feast days, but, I think, he could have lost more by eating less or LCHF on “feast days”
70lb lost in 6 months:
The first 6½ minutes of this video are mostly about the "spiritual benefits" of fasting (and she wonders why some people think it is a fad)... but there is some good information:
This oversimplified video is about autophagy – how your body recycles cells, bacteria, and rubbish.
Autophagy does not occur much until you have been fasting over 24 hours, and, if you want autophagy for cancer, longer fasts work better.
A video by Dr Mindy Pelz, which explains how Intermittent Fasting and autophagy can “unstick your weight loss”
This is a long video by Dr Jason Fung, mostly about longer fasts for non-communicable diseases:
This is a video by Dr Berg about the side effects of Intermittent Fasting.
Non-diabetic Hypoglycemia is a possible side-effect of a low-carbohydrate or low-calorie diet – but when you use Intermittent Fasting and get your body into fat-burning mode, you should be unlikely to get it – I think I had it a bit once, but it might have been postural hypotension, see this video re Non-diabetic Hypoglycemia:
Water fasting is not eating, and drinking nothing but water (or e.g. green tea) (under medical supervision)... normally up to 21 days. Someone water-fasted for over a year, under medical supervision, and had mineral supplements.
If you are a young lady, this might be of interest:
healthunlocked.com/fasting-...
The global experts on Low-fat diet and fasting are: Jason Fung, Tim Noakes, Andreas Eefeldt, Sten Ekberg, Garry Fettke, Dominic D'Agostino and Mindy Pelz. Dr Mindy Pelz is the only female on this list... and she is the expert of fasting for ladies.
Contra-indications and cautions for longer fasts:
(Found by @MissisB on Dr, Mindy Pelz’s website):
“Before starting any diet, you should speak to your doctor. You must not rely on the information on this website as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. If you have any specific questions about any medical matter, you should consult your doctor or other professional healthcare provider.
If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition, you should seek immediate medical attention.
The diet is not recommended for the following:
People who are underweight or have an eating disorder
Type 1 diabetics and diabetics taking medication for their diabetes (other than Metformin)
Pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers
People recovering from surgery
Those who are frail or have a significant underlying medical condition should speak to their doctor first, as they would before embarking on any weight-loss regime.
Those who are not sure about whether it may affect their prescribed medications should speak to their doctor first.
People feeling unwell or have a fever
Those taking Warfarin should consult their doctor first as it may increase their INR.
People with a history of serious mental health problems.
You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website.”
It seems strange that she does not mention adolescents.
My INR decreased, and I was taking 1mg/day more Warfarin - now I am on Eliquis.
Why so many celebs are into Intermittent Fasting. 