INTERMITTENT FASTING

Intermittent fasting refers to fasting for a set duration daily, followed by a set 'feeding window' to consume all your meals for the day.

There are several methods to do it, with different time-frames, but they all share that common ground in that you fast for a set period, consuming only water , black coffee or plain tea.

You then break your fast at a set time daily, feed for a set duration, then start your fast again after your designated 'feeding window'.

SHOULD I FAST?

Fasting is beneficial for you, if you can do it.

The primary benefit of intermittent fasting is that it is good for helping you maintain a healthy weight. Restricting your meals to a specific 'feeding window' also makes it more difficult to overeat, since you can only eat so much food in a single sitting. This helps you lose the extra fat you may be carrying, and maintain a trim and healthy weight. People who lose weight on intermittent fasting find it a lot easier to maintain their healthy weight.

Intermittent fasting is also supposed to help you focus better during your 'fasting window', because the lack of spikes in your blood sugar levels is supposed to help you avoid the little bursts of energy followed by a period of lethargy you get from consuming a meal. Many people who fast regularly swear by the increased mental focus they feel when they are in a fasted state.

However, do be warned, in the first few days of fasting, you may actually find it more difficult to focus because you'll be thinking about your hunger and the foods you want to eat a lot during this initial period.

There have been some medical studies that do indicate that your blood cholesterol and sugar levels are also better controlled when you fast. Fasting also improves your Insulin Sensitivity, reducing your risk of developing Diabetes or becoming obese.

This review article looked at other studies on the topic, and found intermittent fasting to be beneficial in helping you control blood cholesterol levels, blood pressure levels, and Diabetes, and also minimise the risk of getting a heart attack by reducing the build-up of cholesterol plugs in the walls of your arteries.

There's been a lot of interest in intermittent fasting in recent years because of the possible benefits of 'autophagy' being in a fasted state is supposed to illicit.

Autophagy refers to the body breaking down its own tissue, and of interest to intermittent fasting, it's supposed to help with clearing damaged tissue from your body, and reducing your fat levels.

There's been some research in animal models that indicate that caloric restriction prolongs lifespan. This is certainly exciting news, but before you get too excited about a 'miracle diet' that may help you live longer, do bear in mind that the studies available which suggest this are actually in animal models. However, it does stand to reason that just by going on the health benefits regular fasting provides, it is logical that you'd be able to live a longer and healthier life.

There is even some suggestion that intermittent fasting can help your mind stay sharp and healthy as you age, and improve your cognitive function, hopefully helping delay the onset of dementia.

Intermittent fasting has a ton of benefits - you should give it a try if you are able! Not all these benefits have been proven to be 100% correct, but if you are able to tolerate this dieting plan without causing gastric or low blood sugar episodes, it's certainly worth a try to see if it improves your health.

IS IT SAFE TO FAST?

Fasting is safe for most healthy adults, but there are a few things that may indicate you should not be fasting.

If you are underweight, or have a nutritional deficiency, you should not be fasting.

Fasting can exacerbate this problem, since it may be difficult for you to get enough calories in your feeding window to maintain a healthy weight.

If you have gastric problems, like recurrent gastric pains or a stomach ulcer, it would be best to try another diet rather than intermittent fasting. The fasting period can trigger off hunger pangs, and cause flares of your gastric issue.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, intermittent fasting is not for you either. Your body will have a much higher metabolic demand than a normal person's, and restricting your caloric intake can lead to serious nutritional deficiencies.

Lastly, it is fairly safe for people with Diabetes to fast. The worry is that if you are Diabetic, your body's sugar metabolism is already abnormal, and fasting could cause you to have a low-sugar episode and faint. Most Diabetics should be able to fast, unless their disease is very advanced, or they are on certain types of medications. We'll look at the safety of intermittent fasting in people with Diabetes in another article.

WHAT IS CONSIDERED

A FAST?

You'll decide your fasting period, and try to stick to it daily. A fast is just that - a fast. You can have plain water, or simple drinks without any calories - like black coffee or plain tea, but nothing else. Taking in any foods or drinks with calories will cause a release of the hormone Insulin into your bloodstream, and break your fast. There are some proponents of fasting who feel that a low-calorie snack will not break a fast, but most people who practise regular fasting do actually avoid all calories during their 'fasting window'.

There are zero-calorie soft drink options available, but I'd recommend against taking these drinks whilst fasting. There isn't enough research to show if the artificial sweeteners used in these drinks will break your fast.

HOW LONG SHOULD I

FAST FOR?

There are several different ways to plan your fast.

A beginner fasting split that's worth trying is to fast for 12 to 14 hours, then continue on with your meals at your regular meal timings through the day. This fast is easy because it just entails you not snacking after dinner, all the way up until breakfast the next morning.

The most common fasting plan is a 16:8 split - meaning that you fast for 16 hours, then feed for 8 hours. You are already fasting once you sleep, so a 16:8 split usually just involves skipping a meal in the morning or evening. This fasting routine tends to be the more common ones that most people follow.

There's one that's a bit longer, with a 18:6 split. You can progress up to this if you have been following a 16:8 split for some time and feel comfortable with it.

Finally, there is a pretty extreme fasting routine that follows a 20:4 split, where you only eat for 4 hours every day. This routine is very effective for losing fat and maintaining a healthy weight, but is also a very challenging fasting routine to follow because a lot of people find the long duration without food very difficult to adhere to.

HOW DO I BREAK MY FAST?

Try to make your first meal of the day an especially light and healthy one. Have a large helping of boiled or steamed vegetables, or a salad with raw vegetables. You can have some nuts (like almonds or walnuts) to provide a bit of protein and healthy fats with your meal. Make sure you drink plenty of water to aid digestion as well.

It'd be best to avoid having a very heavy or fatty meal, since that could cause some bloating and stomach discomfort. Avoid fatty meals, and adding too much oil to your meal.

I personally prefer having a serving of boiled vegetables with some lean meat, like chicken breast. Alternatively, If I have just finished a workout and feel that I need more carbohydrates, I may have a bowl of oatmeal with some protein powder.

WHAT SHOULD I EAT?

Even after you break your fast, you shouldn't be eating unhealthy foods. Eating an unhealthy meal is counterproductive, and can actually reverse some of the health and weight-loss benefits you'd get from your fast.

Remember, you're fasting to get healthy, and stay healthy. Fasting isn't an excuse to eat whatever you want. There isn't any substitute for a healthy diet. Intermittent fasting is simply a way to time your meals to help you get healthier and fitter.

Stick with healthy choices for food, like complex carbohydrates, only healthy fats, lean sources of protein, and lots of vegetables. Read some of our Healthy Diet articles to understand a bit more about how you can build a healthy meal plan for yourself.

GETTING STARTED

Getting started with intermittent fasting requires some planning. It isn't something you should jump into without adequate preparation, because you can actually fail in your attempt if you do not get ready to address the usual little pitfalls you may encounter with a new diet.

The first thing you need to do is to decide if you feel you are fit to fast regularly. If you have any medical conditions that may flare up when you go for prolonged periods without a meal, you should not be trying intermittent fasting. Just check with your doctor if you are unsure!

Next, decide on when your 'feeding' and 'fasting' windows will be. Once you get started with intermittent fasting, you should continue with it daily. Jumping around and fasting on a few random days in the week isn't going to help you enjoy much of the health benefits fasting has to offer.

Most people tend to fast during the day and have their 'feeding' window at night since they can have their evening meals with their families, but this is a very individualised plan, that should work for YOU. You can plan your fasting window around your daily schedule or when you exercise.

We've written an article specifically related to starting with intermittent fasting, give that a read here.

For example, I work out in the afternoons, so I'll plan to fast through the morning, and eat in the evening.

If you need a bit of help tracking your fasts, you should try the 'Zero' app out. The free version works great, and it helps you keep track of your fasting hours. As a plus point, there's even a little widget that you can use on your Apple watch - this makes it more convenient to start and end your fast timings.

Once you plan a schedule for yourself, try and stick to it. The best diet plan in the world isn't going to work if you follow it only half the time.

Make sure you actually fast during your 'fasting window'. You can have plain water, or black coffee without milk or sugar. The caffeine in the plain black coffee will also speed up your metabolism a bit and help you burn a bit more fat while fasting. It'll also keep you alert.

Try to avoid all snacks, even the sugar-free ones since most of them do contain artificial sweeteners, and it isn't well known if these sweeteners will affect your fast.

Be prepared to be uncomfortable! The first week of fasting is the hardest - during your 'fasting window', you'll feel hungry a lot of the time, and want to stop your diet. You'll also think a lot about food whilst fasting, so it's better not to go grocery shopping when you're fasting initially - you may tend to buy a lot of unhealthy junk food because of your food cravings whilst you're hungry.

Just stay disciplined, pull through your fast, and it'll all become a lot easier after that initial adjustment period.

Remember to follow the above tips on how to break your fast - there isn't much point in fasting, then eating a big, juicy, fatty hamburger.

HYDRATION

It's easy to become dehydrated when you're fasting, since a lot of people may not take in as much fluids when they are not eating a meal.

Staying hydrated keeps you healthy, and also helps you maintain a healthy metabolism - so you can continue to burn fat efficiently while fasting.

Try to take in 1.5-2 L of water a day, maybe a bit more if you're exercising on that day. However, if you have a medical problem like kidney or heart disease, you will need to follow the fluid volume guidelines set for you by your doctor instead.

ROME WASN'T

BUILT IN A DAY

Any diet and exercise plan takes time before you start seeing a significant change in yourself. You can expect to diet for a good 2 to 3 months before you realise that you feel a lot fitter and look a lot better than you did when you first started out. The change won't come very quickly - but if you stay disciplined, you'll be very happy with how you look and feel months from now.

Don't jump into the hardest fast you can (like a 20:4 fasting routine), because you're in a hurry to lose as much fat as you can. If you give in to the hunger pangs and give up on your fasting routine, you won't get anywhere with your diet. Start slow (maybe with a 12 or 14 hour fast), then progress with your fasting duration over weeks and months.

The hard part isn't doing it for a day. The hard part is doing it every day.

WRAP IT UP!

Intermittent fasting has a lot of health benefits, if you are fit to do it and are able to stick through with this diet plan. Just remember to plan ahead - failing to plan is planning to fail!