Intermittent Fasting

If I had to lose weight with maximum speed and I had minimum time (either daily or time to weight loss target…say, a wedding) I would do four things:

1) Intermittent Fasting

2) Tabata whole-body sprints: Kettlebells, Club-bells, or Bodyweight (say, Burpees) four times a week, 20 seconds work/10 seconds rest, for 20 minutes.

3) Drink a gallon of water a day.

4) Journal my dreams, thoughts, emotions, and actions.

About five years ago, I started Intermittent fasting, after accidentally encountering the topic while researching caloric restriction.  It is the easiest, simplest, most effective means of weight control I’ve ever heard of.  It has the advantage of being a life-time regime with the effectiveness of a temporary crash diet, of requiring infinitely less thought that eating “six times a day” and instantly giving you up to ten extra hours a week.

It turns out that many of the health, longevity, and weight management effects are reaped not only by people who restrict calories overall but for those who “wave” the number of calories they take in on a daily basis.  Here are some thoughts on the subject.

1)   The list of positive effects for Intermittent Fasting is so wide that I must suggest that you do your own reading, and then discuss them with your doctor. Some are controversial, but they include positive effects on insulin sensitivity, cancer, obesity, sleep disorders, cognitive function,  growth hormone release, and more.

2) There are numerous ways to approach it: eating only after 6pm, eating only between 7-9pm, eating only fresh fruits and vegetables every other day, eating every other day, taking three days a week off (I generally do Monday, Wednesday, and Friday or Saturday), etc.

3) It is not a religious observance, but does have a fabulous reputation in spiritual circles, referred to as “The Fast of David” in Biblical times, and thought to be one of the very highest practices.  

4) You will DEFINITELY make contact with the “voices in your head” that try to tell you who you are and what is true.    They will lie like you won’t believe.

5) Hunger is an odd duck.  If you eat NOTHING it is a low-level growl.  But the instant you eat something, it seems to “wake up” fully and start to devil you.  This is referred to as “limbic hunger.”

6) You will save both money and time.  It will also sharpen your taste on the days you DO eat.  Food tastes amazing.

7)Here are a couple of links to get you started researching: 

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/08/06/a-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting

http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/what-the-science-says-about-intermittent-fasting/

Please take a look, discuss with your health professional, and ask anything you want.  This is real, and it works.

Namaste,

Steve