The Home of Steven Barnes
Author, Teacher, Screenwriter


Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Today is a fasting day...

Today is a fasting day...

Every other day. I was asked how I maintain focus despite the blood sugar crashes, and so forth. The answer is that I don't get them. Oh, it used to happen, but that was when my body was primarily a sugar-burning machine. Now it has been trained to burn fat, and the difference is wonderful.

Here are some points:

1) Ease into the I.F. slowly, if necessary. Speak to your doctor and/or health care support team.

2) Try the 101 if I.F. is too tough for you. That is: every other day, eat nothing but fresh fruit and vegetables. This change can save your life.

3) Aerobic exercise. Especially Tabata-protocol (twenty seconds of sprint work, ten seconds of rest) trains the body to burn fat efficiently. 15-20 minutes of this three-four times a week can change your life.

4) Visualize. Think of your body as an automobile. Food that is not burned as fuel is stored like gasoline-filled bladders hanging off your car. Imagine that. Now think of the absurdity of feeling that you need to fill up your tank when there are hundreds of gallons flopping around the outside!

You are fighting for your life, health, and happiness. It isn't easy...but there is nothing more worthwhile.

Steve

3 comments:

David Tanner said...

Somthing else that people might try on the fasting side of things, Steve, is Brad Fallon's Eat Stop Eat. Basically, they just pick a fast day or two some time in the week and go from there. It's a great way to ease into I.F. and less distracting. It's also a lot more flexible.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to interrupt, but what is I.F.?

Google:

No definitions of I.F. were found in English

Definitions of I.F. on the Web in Korean:

I.F.는 대한민국의 힙합 그룹이다. 기계치라는 4인조 팀의 형태로 클럽 마스터플랜에서 1999년 데뷔 후, 2001년 2인조의 형태로 굳어졌으며 2007년 4월 마지막 콘서트를 갖고 해체하였다. 해체 당시 멤버는 Bizniz(본명 하원택, 1982년 3월 16일 ~ ), 넋업샨(본명 배한준, 1979년 9월 20일 ~ )였다.
ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/I.F.

Unknown said...

Because I follow your blog, I tried Intermittent Fasting. It worked out well in the beginning. But, it was very difficult for me to maintain long term particularly the colder winter months. I'm on the East Coast. So, it was harder to maintain my body temperature when fasting in the winter months. Plus, I work in a office building that stays cold year-round. Hot herbals teas, warm water, etc. were only temporary fixes. Maintaining energy level was an issue too since I work a 9 to 5 everyday. Not to mention that on some fast days I was very irritable at the smallest things. And some times I would over eat after the fast.

After trying I.F. and reading about General Stanley McChrystal's one meal a day at the end of the day regimen, I tried the Fast-5 diet/lifestyle (www.fast-5.com) and had similar problems. Between I.F. and Fast-5, I lost 30 pounds before plateauing and then falling off the proverbial wagon.

So, I modified or combined Interment Fasting and the Fast-5 lifestyle for my needs.

Day 1: I eat Breakfast(BK) and Lunch (LN).

Day 2: LN and Dinner (DR).

Day 3: DR only.

Day 4: BK only

Then I repeat the 4 Day cycle.

I try to time the period or "fast" between meals so that it's a full 24 hours between the last meal eaten. No problems with my body regulating it's temperature. Little or no issue with energy level. No irritability. No going everyday without food. I'm getting at least 1 square a day. While I'm taking in more calories per week than an I.F. or Fast-5 plan, but I'm eating less than a normal 3 squares per day week.

I consider the period between Day 1 and Day 2 as truly a "fast" because I'm sleeping on an empty stomach and not eating until lunch the next day. The period between Day 2 and Day 3 is a partial fast. Day 4 to the cycle's repeat is also a true fast. I've been doing this for 2 weeks and I've lost 6 pounds already which I expect to taper off once my body adjusts.

I'll see how it works out in the long term. I just wanted to share my experience with the blog.

Steve, I would appreciate any feedback from you.