Intermittent fasting also known as time restricted feeding: intentionally going for particular period(s) of time without food or eating within a very specific time frame each day has gained much popular attention as of late. In this blog I will outline how you can effectively fast and some different things to consider before fasting and during a fast. BUT… before we go any further please check out PART 1 on intermittent fasting, I will be writing this assuming that we have that base level of knowledge established, which will make this blog much more applicable than the first, because it was mostly knowledge based.

I get that there are lots of different humans reading this, so if you are lazy and just want to know how to intermittent fast, I will recap blog one now.

Most people plan to fast or are told to fast for these reasons:

Lose weight (probably the most common)
Restore their gut
Lower inflammation
Reduce oxidation and free radical build up in the body
Have a black and white picture of what they can and cannot do for their “diet”
Regulate blood sugar
Reduce brain fog, drowsiness and overall fatigue
Regulate their circadian rhythm (to sleep better)

Fasting has shown through scientific reasons to help with all of the above things, but it also DOES FAR MORE:

Increases cognitive function and performance
Breakdown and target visceral fat and general adipose tissue
Upregulates things such as mitochondrial growth, human growth hormone, and neuroprotective factors
Heals the gut giving it time off from digesting, therefore, lowering inflammation throughout the body
Regulates blood sugar, increasing insulin sensitivity and increasing someones ability to utilize sugar
Increases cellular clean up throughout the body, therefore lowering toxicity and inflammation
Improves overall health markers such as heart rate, blood pressure and heart rate variability
Allows the body to be more metabolically flexible meaning it can utilize different fuel sources and adapt more easily
Upregulates genes that protect and maintain muscle mass while in a deficit
Upregulates the breakdown and utilization of adipose tissue, lipids and excess carbohydrates found in the liver and muscle cells

So if you ask me… fasting is pretty darn magical and if you are looking for any of the above benefits or dropping over 25 pounds I highly recommend trying it out.

On the flip side if any of these statements describe you, you might want to rethink fasting or switch up your routine to fit it in:

I train at high intensity/volume multiple days each week
I am a dedicated or full-time athlete with a very demanding and high training/stress load
I live a high-stress lifestyle with many demands and obligations
I have a hard time eating enough as it is, and a history of restriction
I’m working on improving my hormonal imbalances
I like to eat balanced meals throughout the day and feel off when I skip meals

Fasting, like many other things, is a STRESS on the body, depending on how much stress you already have, it may not be a good option.

Stress is everywhere and it is hard to mange. Truthfully we act as if we have far less stress than we actually do, if you are considering fasting now is not the time to be superhero. Fasting is very stressful and can bring out the WORST in you, trust me.

So really consider if fasting is right for you, never jump on the band wagon because sally lost 30 pounds fasting so you should definitely do it. It doesn’t really work that way. Maybe Sally likes skipping meals and eating bigger meals, maybe she has ZERO stress and sleeps like a baby at night, heck maybe she is terrible at tracking food and this is the only way she is able to control her eating. Sally is not you, you are YOU and need to decide what works best for your life, schedule and interests. The best nutrition plans are unique to the person, YOU, and it allows you to STICK TO IT.

How to safely begin fasting.

First thing is first, before you begin even thinking about fasting you need to get these PILLARS of health in check.

Prioritize your sleep —> Use this FREE PDF to get your sleep in check
Get outside for AT LEAST 20 minutes a day and for heaven’s sake let the sun touch your skin
Move for at least 30 minutes a day
Eat like an adult. Clean up your diet and focus on adequate protein, healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds etc.) and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, but mostly vegetables

None of these fasting protocols will do ANYTHING for you if you are still eating like a child, sleeping 2 hours a night, and never being active. Dont even waste your time if these 4 pillars are not in order.

Start with Time Restricted Feeding.

Assuming you have the above in check you can begin to experiment with fasting. I recommend starting with time-restricted eating, which is a great tool to heal the gut, enhance our sleep, and increase your vitality and energy. The most basic protocols are as follows:

Fast for 16 hours and eat for 8
Fast for 18 hours and eat for 6
Fast for 20 hours which is basically one meal a day (I don’t really recommend this one, research is not overly supportive)
Mimic Fasting: Eating anywhere from 500-1,000 calories a day

Before deciding which protocols to go with you need to examine your current day and answer this question:

When do I start eating and stop eating each day, do not forget late night snacks or beverages
1. If you currently eat from 6AM to 10PM you can reduce that by 2 hours and eat from 6AM-8PM, that is a start!
2. If you currently eat for 10 hours, you can reduce that to 8 hours
3. If you currently eat for 12 hours a day, DO NOT JUMP TO 6 hours, we need to ease into this

Some Quick Rules on Fasting…

Question Lauren, can I eat while fasting? I am asking for a friend.

I really shouldn’t need this section, but I do, unfortunately. I get asked ALL THE TIME, can I eat X or drink X on a fast? What do you think my answer will be? A fast is a FAST, which means abstaining from food, or nutrients for that matter. So my easy answer is NO. Anything you want, you probably should not and cannot have during fasting. Some quick exceptions that I will make for you:

Teas of any kind (unflavored or unsweetened)
WATER, ALOT OF IT
Electrolytes ( which I highly recommend LMNT is a great brand or you can see Snake Juice Recipe below)
If you want the full benefits ditch the coffee, the crap is toxic when you are trying to fast and detox the body, if you must do decaf or better yet choose a YOGI tea
Soda? NO! Don’t ask, 0 calories does not mean zero artificial blah blah blahs and manmade chemicals that do crap-all for your body

A nice recipe you can make yourself for keeping your electrolytes in check can be found from a crazy guy that invented the snake diet, I warn you his stuff is rated R but he knows what he is talking about. Here is the recipe you can drink while fasting to stay alert, energized and safe:

https://www.facebook.com/snakediet/videos/564187800635236/

Progressing Time-Restricted Feeding.

Phase 1: Reduce your current eating window by 2 hours 3x a week and note how you feel on those days, do this for at least two weeks

If you are not deeply affected by the scale I recommend weighing yourself the morning after you use TRF, 3 x a week, and keeping them logged for data.

Do you have better energy?, Sleep better?, Do you get any odd symptoms like headache or fatigue?

Phase 2: If all goes well, progress those three days to a further restricted window of an additional hour or two, do this for 1-2 weeks

If you are already down to 8 hours, I would keep it there for the 2 weeks

Phase 3: By now, you have had 4 weeks of easing into TRF, and you can attempt YOUR smallest window of eating, I would encourage everyone to try 16:8 at the minimum, 18:6 might not be for everyone, but it will not hurt you to try it ONCE.

At this point assess your progress, assess how you have been feeling and if TRF has been hindering your daily life, workouts or sleeping. If you notice no negative side effects I say you are ready for one of two things:

For one week eat within the 18:6 window two times
OR
Perform one 20 hour fast eating one meal, and only do this once during that week

*IMPORTANT NOTES: While fasting it is imperative that you regulate how you are feeling and LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, if you feel like crap do not, I repeat do not workout or perform other strenuous activities. Drink PLENTY of fluids while fasting and always have NUTRIENT DENSE, whole food options ready for you post fast.

Moving On with Prolonged Fasts.

If the above phases went well for you then you are ready to implement a prolonged fast. Before any fasting period, again, it is imperative that the body is prepped and ready to fast effectively, this means lower inflammation from processed foods, sugars, caffeine and stress.

** WARNING** NEVER PERFORM A PROLONGED FAST WITHOUT THE SUPERVISION OF A PROFESSIONAL.

If you do plan to try a 24 hour fast, plan to utilize ONE 24 hour fast on a day where you can stay busy, get outside a lot, do not have to work or perform highly demanding tasks and can nap a lot if you feel the need. This will set you up for success. You can choose three different options when it comes to 24 hour fasts:

Breakfast to Breakfast
Lunch to Lunch
Dinner to Dinner

I will say the last is most common. Most people enjoy eating a big dinner, getting to bed, fasting the entire next day looking forward to dinner to then knock out again the next night after a nice big meal. I personally prefer a lunch to lunch option, I get to go to bed a little hungry the first day and can even manage to workout if I feel like it, then I wake up the next day obviously hungry but only have a few hours to wait for my meal instead of all the way to dinner.

Things to expect on a prolonged fast:

headache
sluggishness
slight muscle cramp if not taking snake juice or other supplement
slower thinking
moodiness
agitation
irritability
energy swings, drops in energy especially if you drink a lot of caffeine and eat tons of sugar normally
heart palpitations or pulse changes

Everyone is different and some respond very negatively to fasts, one hour can make a huge difference, you might feel fine with 18 hours but 20 puts you over the edge. I will say that once you try a 24 hour fast, it is all kind of downhill from there. Around 24 hours, hunger greatly decreases, headaches cease, your energy levels out and the body realizes okay we aren’t getting food lets find another way to survive here, it is honestly pretty amazing when that metabolic switch occurs. Once you have achieved this milestone, the world is your oyster and 24 can quickly become 30 or 36 but I caution you with anything over 24 hours, you need a coach or someone to work with you to ensure the fast is done properly and no negative side effects occur.

My Experience with Fasting and Closing Thoughts

I will be honest, I am terrible at fasting. The first time I really fasted I jumped right into 48 hours. Stupid I know, that is why I am so passionate about taking your time and easing into it. I experienced splitting headaches (from caffeine withdrawal), I could literally feel my heart beating out of my chest, I could barely think or function, my muscles cramped, my head was foggy, sleeping was nearly impossible from hunger pains and stomach cramps. Sounds great right? Aren’t you ready to jump right in.

Don’t make my mistake.

I went from 0-100, real quick and stupidly.

I am stubborn as all get out so I kept going, I didn’t die so that’s good, but I also did not use any supplements and drank strictly water.

There is hope though, I went on after that 48 hour fast to implement an 18:6 protocol most days, threw in a few 24 and 20 hour fasts and eventually ended with a 72 hour fast. During which I lightly trained, supplemented with electrolytes, was smart about my pre-fast food and caffeine and finished that one feeling like a million bucks. Was it hard?

Uh, Yes, 72 hours is 3 days which is basically FOREVER.

But it was worth it, and my body adapted and since that fast I have kept off the 5-6 pounds that I lost during it. I retained all of my muscle mass during these fasting periods (checked with InBody scanner) and shed adipose tissue (fat) like it was nobodies business. Am I saying fasting is magic?

Nope.

I am saying it worked for me. I tend to make bad choices when I have options. I tend to over train, so fasting was a wonderful solution, it gave me a specific protocol that was super easy to follow and FORCED me to take some time to CARE for my body with light movements and stretching. If you are going to play around with prolonged fasts, prepare your body the right way, ease into them and definitely supplement with snake juice or some other electrolyte solution. After the fast eat slowly, eat foods that are easy to digest like a smoothie or simple fruits and small portions of meat and fat. Do not binge and ruin everything that you worked so hard for!

Now, with all of this information and insight you are ready to begin your journey with IF, but only if it fits your PLAN, GOALS and SPECIFIC LIFESTYLE.

P.S. If you are serious about this fasting thing you must use this app —> ZERO

It tracks your fast
It allows you to track how you feel during it
It rewards you
It is epic, just use it!

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Intermittent Fasting (How to Implement it Properly)