If you’re struggling to lose weight, improve your energy, lower your blood pressure and blood sugar without radically changing what you’re eating, then it’s time to learn about intermittent fasting.

Intermittent Fasting (IF), also known as Time-Restricted Eating (TRE), is more about when you eat than what you eat. It’s a pattern of eating in a shorter window of time and extending your natural, overnight fast.

This pattern of eating is proving to be particularly effective in fighting the chronic diseases that plague Americans. According to the National Library of Medicine, over 6,000 studies and reviews have been conducted on intermittent fasting since 2015, with strong indications that intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, and caloric reduction can help:

• Promote weight loss by activating ketosis to burn (belly) fat instead of glucose or muscle 

• Lower inflammation and resulting blood markers of inflammation (hsCRP, Interleukin-6, etc.)

• Improve insulin sensitivity leading to lower blood sugar, insulin, HbA1c and risk of diabetes

• Lower blood pressure and lipids, thus improving cardiovascular function 

• Stimulate autophagy or “self-eating” in which the immune system clears damaged cells and stimulates “stem cells” to regenerate, resulting in increased longevity

• Reduce the risk of a range of chronic degenerative diseases 

And we need some serious help in doing that! Recent work from the Rand Corporation suggests “that nearly 150 million Americans are living with at least one chronic condition; around 100 million of them have more than one. And nearly 30 million are living, day in and day out, with five chronic conditions or more. Those at the highest end of the scale, with five or more conditions, represent about 12 percent of the U.S. adult population, but account for more than 40 percent of U.S. health spending, the RAND study showed.” https://www.rand.org/blog/rand-review/2017/07/chronic-conditions-in-america-price-and-prevalence.html

It’s Time to Eat in Alignment with the Rhythm of Nature

Around 8 PM, the production of insulin and digestive enzymes begins to decline as the pancreas moves into its “rest and regeneration” phase. This awareness has been reinforced with the discovery of “clock genes”, which regulate the biochemical function of organs like the pancreas and digestive tract.

Our “body clocks” sense the first rays of morning light, turning down melatonin production and signaling the HPA (Hypothalamic Pituitary Axis) to stimulate an array of hormones to wake the body up and get moving. 

And we had to get a move on because our prime directive was to secure food. Our ancestors hunted, cooked, and ate in the safety of the light of day. They feasted one day, then semi-fasted until another big meal was secured. Our metabolism still runs on this cycle, yet we live in a culture with 24/7 access to stores filled floor to ceiling with sugary snacks and processed “food” products.

This whole idea of eating 3 meals a day is a modern social construct, designed around the 9-5 workday. In our current “built environment”, we work inside all day, skip lunch and then feast at night, when our (blue) LED lights to come on, inhibiting melatonin production and interfering with these body clocks.

This throws our body out of sync with the rhythm of Nature and hinders its ability to fully rest and rejuvenate overnight. The result: an epidemic of chronic degenerative disease.

PICK YOUR PLAN

To remedy this situation, just pick your plan and work up to the one that works best for you. 

12/12: If you’ve never fasted before, start by eliminating nighttime snacking and allow at least a 3 hour fast before bedtime. Simply begin your fast after dinner and eat breakfast the next morning, about 12 hours later. This sets the stage for you to move into intermittent fasting.

16/8: Once you’ve mastered the 12/12 plan, push out your protein-powered breakfast until later the next morning, thus extending your overnight fast to 16 hours and eating in an 8-hour window (for example, between 10 - 6 PM). 

20/4: At this point, your body is really reaping the benefits of fasting by burning fat, lowering inflammation, regulating blood sugar, and stimulating autophagy. 

OMAD or One Meal A Day: this is perfect for those with a strong metabolism and a super busy schedule who want to make the most of this process by eating one fabulous meal mid-day.

5/2: This choice takes more discipline but allows you to eat “normally” 5 days a week, and fast 2 (non-consecutive) days. Obviously, eating a high-quality meal instead of a sugar-laden, highly processed meal will yield even better results!

ADF or Alternate Day Fasting: this plan focuses on eating one day and fasting (or reducing caloric intake to less than 500 calories) the next day. This approach appears to also promotes ketosis and autophagy and lowers inflammation and blood sugar levels.

Time-restricted eating is safe, but it is not for everyone. Talk with your doctor before starting this process if you have:

• Diabetes and are on medication to control blood sugar, as your medication dose will need to be monitored along with your blood sugar

• Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar

• Hypotension or low blood pressure

• A history of an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia

• Pregnant or breastfeeding

What I love about adding intermittent fasting to my patient protocols is that it is flexible! It can be used with any diet, whether it is the Mediterranean, keto, vegan or paleo plan. Plus, there is no counting calories, and it is FREE! 

To get a jump start on a leaner body this summer, I invite you to work with me in my Spring Clean Your Body online course, where we’ll be using Intermittent Fasting as a tool. It is the perfect accompaniment to the coaching, recipes, and cooking videos I’ll share in the course. 

I hope you’ll join me; your waistline, energy, and digestion will thank you!