The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Intermittent Fasting
You already fast every day, at least a little. Each morning when you wake up, your body is in a fasted state and the closest it will be to burning fat for energy.
It turns out, extending your morning fast by a few hours can have some significant benefits.
I can hear some asking, “But isn’t breakfast the most important meal of the day?” We’ve always heard it is, but let’s re-evaluate that idea. I want to look at the merits of what is called intermittent fasting.
I have been intermittent fasting for a couple years and find it an effortless way to control hunger and body fat. If that sounds good to you, here’s the ultimate beginners guide to intermittent fasting!
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a pattern of eating where you cycle between eating and fasting. The term doesn’t offer much about which foods you eat, but rather when you should eat.
It is common to abbreviate Intermittent Fasting as ‘IF‘.
There are a variety of methods for IF. Some of the most popular are:
- The 16/8 Method: Fast for 16 hours each day. A typical way to implement would be to skip breakfast and only eat between Noon and 8 pm.
- Eat-Stop-Eat: Fast once or twice a week by not eating anything from dinner one day, until dinner the next day; a 24 hour fast.
- The 5:2 Diet: Eat normal for 5 days per week. But only eat about 500-600 calories two days per week.
Guidelines common to all the methods of IF
No food is allowed during the fast window except water, coffee and tea. Drinking the allowed beverages will help blunt appetite and is advised. I drink coffee in the morning hours. The benefits of IF are enhanced by adding grass fed butter and pure C8 MCT oil (up to 18x more powerful than coconut oil for cognitive function) to my first cup. Check out my other post called Why I Drink Bulletproof Coffee.
You can make the “feeding window” a little wider or narrower to suit your preferences and lifestyle.
It’s ideal to save supplements for the time of day when you are eating. If that’s not possible for whatever reason, try to find supplements that don’t contain ingredients that are carbs because they can trigger insulin release and break your fast. Of course, artificial sweeteners, while carb-free, are terribly harmful and should not be part of any diet.
It is very important to eat mostly healthy foods during your eating window. Effectiveness is greatly reduced if you eat lots of junk food.
I use the 16/8 Method
My preference is the 16/8 method, popularized by Martin Berkhan of LeanGains. It ended up being much easier to follow than I would have guessed.
I implement the 16/8 method by simply skipping breakfast and eating between noon and 8 pm. You can also limit a bit more and have a six hour eating window.
Within the eating window, try to space meals by 4-5 hours and avoid snacking in between. Aim for healthy proteins and fats for lunch and limit yourself to one carb at dinner. Calories become irrelevant as long as you are sticking to nutrient-dense real food and not consuming chemicals, pesticides, hydrogenated oils or GMOs. Eat clean food until you are full and don’t feel like eating any more.
For women, it is generally recommended to only fast 14-15 hours. Research indicates women seem to do better with slightly shorter fasts.
The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
There are many studies showing the health benefits of IF. Benefits include:
- Makes calorie restriction easier. Many say they find it effortless. This results in weight loss and waist size reduction.
- Increases insulin and leptin sensitivity
- Drastically increases human growth hormone due to increased ghrelin levels. Muscle gain is one benefit. Ghrelin is the hunger hormone and also can have positive effects on learning and memory. Another potential benefit of Ghrelin is its ability to defend against symptoms related to anxiety and depression brought on by stress.
- Body fat is broken down into free fatty acids that can be burned for energy. This happens when the nervous system sends norepinephrine to the fat cells.
- Decreases inflammation and free radical damage
- Associated with low oxidative stress – That means IF 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.
- Can help protect against diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and others
- Decreases triglyceride levels, decreasing the risk of heart disease
- Reduces LDL and total cholesterol levels
- Reduces blood pressure
- Reproduces some of the cardiovascular benefits associated with physical exercise. Cells up-regulate the expression of genes that increase the capacity to cope with stress and resist disease and aging.
- Help slow the progression of or reverse type 2 diabetes
- Helps reduce blood sugar and insulin levels
- Improves pancreatic function
- Modulates levels of dangerous visceral fat
- Increases mental clarity and overall energy levels
- Can help you live longer
I listed links to the studies at the bottom of the post.
Not only does IF offer most people a health benefit, there is also a tremendous convenience factor. Not having to prepare and eat meals several times per week saves a lot of time.
What to expect from Intermittent Fasting
It may not seem intuitive, but IF is easier than you might think. Many people report feeling better and having more energy during a fast.
Hunger can be a problem in the beginning, while your body is getting used to not eating for extended periods of time. But that subsides after a few days.
Combining IF with a low carb ketogenic diet is the fastest way I know of to lose body fat. It can take a couple weeks to get used to the reduced carb intake, but then your body will burn fat for energy all day
IF is not for everyone – Some should be cautious about intermittent fasting.
Chris Kresser mentions these cautions:
- If there is hormone imbalance
- If a woman is trying to maximize fertility, unless that woman is really overweight and has blood sugar issues, in which case intermittent fasting may actually move the needle in the positive direction.
- If someone has pretty significant HPA axis dysregulation or adrenal fatigue — would manifest as feeling tired when you wake up in the morning even if you get enough sleep, having afternoon energy crashes, not being able to fall asleep or stay asleep, your quality of sleep is poor, you have poor stress tolerance, poor exercise recovery or exercise tolerance
Some also believe that it may not be as beneficial for women as men, and it may also be a poor choice for people who are prone to eating disorders.
If you decide to try intermittent fasting, please keep in mind that the effects are greatly enhanced when you simultaneously eat a diet of food that produces health. Food quality is still crucial. If you need some help selecting the optimum healthy food, take a look at my Wellness Repair Food Facts. It’s a great resource to pull up every time you go to the grocery store.
If you found this helpful and would like to see more, be sure to subscribe to my email list. I’ll even send you a great checklist called: Day 1 Checklist For Wellness Repair
Have you had any success with intermittent fasting? If so, please leave a comment below.
Additional Resources
This is a podcast with Chris Kresser called: RHR: Is Intermittent Fasting Good For You
This video features Prof. Satchin Panda, Amandine Chaix, and Amir Zarrinpar of the Regulatory Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute.
Mark Mattson is the current Chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging. He gave a TEDx talk called Why Fasting Bolsters Brain Power.
Will IF cause me to lose muscle? Abel James from Fat Burning Man and bio-hacker Dave Asprey from Bulletproof Exec say no.
This info-graphic is put out by Dr. Mercola and he encourages sharing it.
Studies
http://www.translationalres.com/article/S1931-5244(14)00200-X/abstract
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0104423013000213
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC329619/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1548337
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/81/1/69.short
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/90/5/1138
http://www.jdmdonline.com/content/12/1/4
http://www.ibimapublishing.com/journals/ENDO/2014/459119/459119.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2622429/
http://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/212538
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/86/1/7.full
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17306982
http://dvd.sagepub.com/content/13/2/68.long
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22425331
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18805103
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21410865?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15699226
One of the problems is that I don’t like the taste of vegetables. Sure I can choke down a piece of broccoli, but it’s not likely that I’ll force myself to eat many helpings each day. Are there veggie substitutes–fruits, for instance, that are equally as good? I don’t like coffee either, though I haven’t tried it with YAK BUTTER. Maybe that’s why I haven’t liked it. 🙂
I can definitely relate! I had no taste for veggies whatsoever until just the past few years. I was very surprised to learn that taste buds can be reprogrammed and rather quickly.
There are three secrets I can think of to get the veggie magic happening. First, sugar hijacks taste buds. When folks eliminate sugar, it takes about a week and then veggies taste good. Second, coat the veggies in grass-fed butter. Third, add pink Himalayan sea salt to taste.
Instead of coffee, some go with green tea. Have to say, you’ve got me curious to know what yak butter tastes like.
You mention you do IF between 12 pm to 8 pm, but you also say you take MCT Oil in the morning with black coffee. Does taking the MCT Oil in the morning interferes with IF? I would have thought that the MCT oil in the morning, while fasting, would interrupt the fasting. Presently, I follow a similar IF schedule to what you describe, but only have black coffee. I’d like to add the MCT Oil, however, if it doesn’t affect my fasting. Curious as to your thoughts.
Howdy Raymond!
I’m delighted to meet you! I wanted to clarify that I fast from 8pm (after dinner) until about Noon the next day. Another way to say it would be that I skip breakfast, but eat lunch and dinner.
Taking MCT Oil in the morning does NOT interfere with IF. Combined with grass-fed butter, and blended in black coffee, there’s no insulin release. At the same time, the C8 raises blood ketone levels much more quickly than fasting can by itself (within minutes instead of hours or days). C8 and butter mimics fasting, but I can go about 3-5 hours longer without being hungry, compared to just black coffee.
Here’s more info on why the MCT oil works, in case it would help: https://wellnessrepair.com/why-i-drink-bulletproof-coffee/
And the oil I use: http://amzn.to/2c0dHL9
Thanks for the question!
Jeff, I ended up at this article because I was searching for an answer to the same question as the previous commenter (Raymond). I saw your comment in another article where you stated that Bulletproof Coffee enhanced the benefits of IF, and it seemed to me like it would kill the Fast. Thanks for the answer!
I have been doing IF since around the beginning of this year. I think I was doing a few things wrong initially, but did manage to get on track fairly quickly. I didn’t consider myself to be overweight. However, my weight has gone from 175-180 down to 150-155 typically. I never thought I would be able to go 18 hours w/o eating! But now, it’s almost effortless to do it. I would have to say that I feel really good in the mornings and am not hungry at all (I do all my eating between noon and 7pm usually). Some days I don’t eat anything until 1 or 1:30pm. I initially got interested in IF from Dr. Mercola’s website and book.
Thanks for all your information. I just joined your email list a few days ago.
Welcome aboard, Ray and thanks so much for the very kind note! Sounds like you’re getting some excellent results. Way to go!
Hi Jeff, sorry if this gets posted twice. I thought I posted it yesterday, but I don’t see it today.
It seems intuitive to me that the C8 MCT Oil would not interrupt the fast. However, it’s not so intuitive to me that the butter doesn’t interrupt it. Can you explain a little more as to why the butter doesn’t interrupt the fast? Thanks!
BTW, I use the 16/8 method. However, most days it ends up being more like an 18/6.
Hi Ray,
I absolutely see your point. Let me get some research backed info together for you. There’s a doctor that talks about this and I need to look it up. I’ll get back to you soon.
Hi again Ray,
So why butter doesn’t interrupt a fast… If I could rephrase as a question, it would be, “Since butter *technically* contains some protein and carbs, why would it not trigger inulin and break a fasting state?”
Dr. Peter Attia, M.D. is one of the foremost experts on insulin and ketosis. He verifies the presence of protein and carb, and also gives a hint of the answer: “Pure cream has a tiny bit of lactose (a carb) and protein, too. As you’ve noted, protein does illicit an insulin response (though much smaller than carbs).” http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/the-insulin-response-video
I believe the answer is in the dose. The amount of protein and carb in butter is miniscule. I looked up the amounts in the Authority Nutrition database here: https://authoritynutrition.com/foods/butter/
For 100g of butter (7.05 tbsp according to Google), there’s 0.9g of protein and 0.1g of carb in the form of sugar. Of course, we don’t typically consume 7 tbsp of butter in one sitting, so the trace amount you would get from Bulletproof coffee is much less. Insulin may be triggered, but only very briefly as a blip, compared to pumping for hours after high glycemic carbs are consumed.
However, since the C8 MCT oil increases blood ketone levels within minutes, the minuscule effect of the butter on insulin is negated for practical purposes.
But if you’re concerned about it, ghee may be a more comfortable choice. A cup of regular grass fed butter has virtually undetectable lactose. Ghee has even less.
Does that answer your question, Ray?
Hi Jeff, thanks for the detailed answer. I’ll check out those links; they look interesting! I appreciate you finding an answer for me!