I decided to make Intermittent Fasting (IF) my next 30-day challenge. You may think I’m a little crazy, especially since most clean eating programs advocate for eating smaller, more frequent meals during the day. Intermittent fasting goes against that. So, I feel like I need to explain what lead to this decision.
My Personal Reasons for Intermittent Fasting:
For the past year, I’ve struggled with losing the last five pounds and keeping them off. I’ve had more issues with hunger and keeping cravings in check. As I get older, I feel that it’s more of a struggle than when I was in my 30s. When I was in my 30s, I followed an IF method, although I didn’t call it that and didn’t even know I was doing it. I simply wasn’t a breakfast eater. I wasn’t hungry in the morning, and didn’t feel compelled to eat. So I didn’t. It wasn’t until the last few years that I have added that extra meal back into my day. Intermittent fasting gives your body more of a rest so it can heal itself and focus on digestion rather than being taxed for extra hours of the day.
I want to reduce body fat composition. When you’re fasting, you’re forcing your body to tap into your fat reserves to energy to the cells. By fasting for 16 hours, your body drains its glycogen stores and starts to burn fat.
I want to gain psychological control over my hunger. I want to become stronger than my cravings, and sometimes gaining control means experiencing hunger and working through it. Lately, I have not let myself really feel hungry.
I want to simplify my eating habits. Less cooking makes less work. It’s more convenient. It’s not something to do, it’s another task I can take off my list.
I was afraid that fasting would wreck my metabolism. The more research I did on the topic, the more evidence I found that fasting not only doesn’t have a negative effect on metabolism, it can actually IMPROVE it (more here). Calorie restriction can cause metabolic slowdown, but fasting does not. Instead of restricting calories, fasting simply means consuming them in a smaller window of time.
Another myth – I’ll be tired. When you fast, Vo2 levels go up. That actually can help improve exercise performance and energy.
Intermittent Fasting can foster longevity (more here).
Intermittent Fasting can improve levels of fat-burning hormones. Insulin promotes the storage of fat. Since fasting reduces levels of insulin, it also is less likely your food will be stored as fat in your body. Another fat-regulating hormone is norepinephine. It’s the stress hormone that Fasting can also help boost blood levels of HGH (human growth hormone – check out the link to find further information https://thestylishmagazine.com/2166/blood-boost-formula-review/) which
My Intermittent Fasting Plan:
I will be following a 16:8 plan. Basically, that means I will fast for 16 hours and once that fast is broken, I will eat my meals within that 8-hour time frame. During that time, I’ll have two meals and 1-2 snacks.
If you have underlying health issues, please consult your doctor before deciding whether or not IF is right for you. This is one of my favorite videos on Intermittent Fasting and does a great job of explaining the science and research behind it: