intermittent fasting for weight loss and wellness | food can wait

Intermittent Fasting for Weight-Loss and Wellness Scheduled Eating as a Healthy, Sustainable and Free Solution

© 2015 FoodCanWait.com

About Me

Disclaimer

• I am not a health professional or nutrition expert.

• I am not offering medical advise.

• You should consult your doctor (I did).


About Me

Expertise:

I’ve been there…

• Struggled with weight most of my adult life

• Was an overeater and emotional eater

• Loved (and still really like) carbs


About Me

Expertise:

… I’ve done that.

• Tried traditional dieting and exercise

• Could never maintain any diet/exercise plan

• Tried several natural appetite suppressants


About Me

Expertise (Cont.):

I’m still “there”…

I began practicing daily intermittent fasting on July 1, 2014 at 237 lbs. and a BMI of 39. I’ve lost 67 lbs. to date.

Still working toward my goal of being with a “normal” weight range.

Before During


About Me

• Adopted intermittent fasting as a permanent lifestyle change

• Passionate about spreading the word about intermittent fasting

• Started FoodCanWait.com (formerly thedailyfastingblog.com) in September of 2014

• Nothing to sell you and no paid endorsements to promote


What is Intermittent Fasting?



Intermittent fasting (IF) is a term used to describe various eating patterns that cycle between scheduled periods of eating and not eating (fasting). Intermittent fasting is one form of caloric restriction (CR) - a dietary regimen that is based on low (or lower than previous) caloric intake.



Intermittent Fasting = “Scheduled Eating”

With intermittent fasting, the focus is on when and how often you eat (meal frequency), not on what you eat.


You are already fasting every single day! When we’re asleep, we’re fasting.



What Intermittent Fasting is Not

• Not a diet (in the traditional sense). No calorie-counting and no forbidden foods)

• Not “starvation”

• Not a quick fix

• Not right for everyone - nothing is

• Not without side-effects

• Not a fad




I fast for greater physical and mental efficiency. ~Plato

To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals. ~Benjamin Franklin

The best of all medicines are rest and fasting. ~Benjamin Franklin

Fasting is the greatest remedy, the physician within. ~Paracelsus



There are three intermittent fasting protocols:

• Daily Fasting: Eating only within certain hours of the day, everyday

• Alternate-Day Fasting (ADF): Fasting for a few times per week, on non-consecutive days, and eating “normally” on the other days

• Random: Fasting every now and then (e.g., once per month, or once a year)


The Science of IF


Questions to Explore

What happens when we fast?

How can fasting help us lose weight?

The Science of IF


How do we gain weight?

How does the food we eat become body Fat?


The Science of IF


• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

• You should eat several small meals a day to rev up metabolism.

• Skipping meals is counterproductive to weight-loss.

• IF is dangerous and/or ineffective, especially for women, the elderly, etc.

Common Beliefs: Nutrition Fact or Fiction?

The Science of IF


How does the food we eat become body fat?


The Science of IF


In order to understand how intermittent fasting works, one of the most fundamental concepts we need to grasp is metabolism – how the body converts food we eat into the energy it needs.

The Science of IF


The Science of IF

They are three of human body's primary sources of fuel.

Answer: What are carbohydrates, fat and protein?


What happens when we eat...

The Science of IF

PIZZA?!


How Food Becomes Body Fat*

What Happens to the Carbohydrates (Sugar)?...

• It goes directly into the blood stream, and several different organs take the sugar they need as it passes by.

• Some is stored in the liver as glycogen.

• Whatever is left is converted to fat and stored in fat cells.

*Source: “How Food Becomes Body Fat” by Maia Appleby for Bodybuilding.com


What Happens to the Fat?...

• First, it goes into the blood stream and travels to the liver.

• The liver burns some of the fat, converts some to other substances (such as cholesterol) and sends the rest to fat cells, where they wait until they are needed.

How Food Becomes Body Fat (Cont.)


What Happens to the Protein?...

• It is broken down into building blocks known as peptides, then further broken down to become amino acids.

• The amino acids are absorbed through the small intestine's lining and enter the blood stream.



What Happens to the Protein?... (Cont.)

• From there, some of the amino acids build the body's protein stores.

• Excess amino acids are excreted, and any protein that it built in excess is stored as body fat.



Bottom Line

Consuming more food than what the body needs will cause it to store body fat.



Fat cells are like the body’s refrigerator. Your body takes whatever it can't use - carbohydrates, fat or protein - and sends it to fat cells for later use.


“The Body’s Refrigerator”



How does fasting help

you lose weight?


The Science of IF

A key component of weight loss is creating a…

C _ _ _ _ _ _ D_ _ _ _ _ _

Answer: Caloric Deficit


Typical Eating Schedule vs. IF

Breakfast 400 cal.

Lunch 600 cal.

Dinner 1000 cal.

Typical Schedule

Total = 2,350

Snack 150 cal.

Dessert 200 cal.


Typical Eating Schedule vs. IF

Breakfast 5 cal.

Lunch 0 cal.

Dinner 1450 cal.

IF Schedule

Previous = 2,350 New = 1,805 Deficit = 545

Snack 150 cal.

Dessert 200 cal.


Theoretically*, in order to lose one pound of fat per week , you should create a 3,500 weekly calorie deficit.

545 daily caloric deficit x 7 days = 3,815 weekly deficit. 1 lb. per week weight loss = 52 lbs. lost per year (theoretically).

*Other factors include: Insulin levels, body composition, activity level, age, hormones, chronic diseases, medication, quality of diet, etc.

Caloric Deficit (Cont.)


Bottom Line

Intermittent fasting enables us to create a caloric deficit without “dieting” or calorie-counting.

However, even without restricting calories, IF is beneficial for weight loss, according to some studies.

The Beauty of IF


The Beauty of IF


In addition to it’s weight-loss benefits, IF has numerous other health benefits.*

The Science of IF

*Source: “10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting” Kris Gunnars, AuthorityNutrition.com


• Inflammation: Some studies have shown a reduction in inflammation– a condition linked to several chronic diseases including asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

• Insulin resistance: IF may reduce insulin resistance thus lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Health Benefits of IF


• Brain Health: Intermittent fasting increases BDNF. High BDNF is tied to lower Alzheimer's risk.

• Cancer: Some animal studies suggest that intermittent fasting may help prevent cancer.

• Anti-aging: Intermittent fasting has been shown to extend the lifespan of rats by as much as 83%.



• Heart Health: By reducing LDL (“lousy”) cholesterol, triglycerides, inflammation, and lowering insulin resistance, intermittent fasting can reduce the risk factors for heart disease.



The Science of IF

The condition produced when the body doesn't have enough carbohydrates from food for cells to burn for energy, so it burns fat instead.

Answer: What is ketosis?


When your body becomes efficient at switching from mostly burning glucose to mostly burning stored fat as fuel you have become “fat-adapted.”

Some people experience side-effects while becoming fat-adapted including dizziness, “brain fog,” and, of course, hunger.

The Science of IF


The Science of IF

Derived from the Greek word “phagein, "to eat“; It’s the body’s catabolic cellular clean-up mechanism.

Answer: What is autophagy?


IF triggers autophagy – recognized as a crucial defense mechanism against malignancy, infection and neurodegenerative diseases.

The Science of IF


Autophagy is a process of cellular self-digestion. Through autophagy, starving cells degrade materials within their own cells to provide necessary nutrients for more essential processes. Autophagy is the way our cells “clean house” and “recycle the trash”.

The Science of IF

*Source: “Autophagy – The Housekeeper in Every Cell that Fights Aging” James P Watson and Vince Giuliano


In Summary… “…beneficial effects of fasting are supported by observational data and abundant evidence from experimental research which found caloric restriction and intermittent fasting being associated with deceleration or prevention of most chronic degenerative and chronic inflammatory diseases." –Andreas Michalsen

The Science of IF


Intermittent Fasting sounds great, but…

There is NO WAY I can go that long without eating.

The Beauty of IF


Remember, you are already practicing daily intermittent fasting!

The Beauty of IF


Intermittent Fasting can normalize appetite!

After becoming accustomed to IF, you are likely to experience “appetite correction”:

• Less of an urge to eat all day

• Lessened (or eliminated) cravings

• Less tendency to overeat within your window

• Tendency to eat healthier

• More refined palette

The Beauty of IF


Four Steps to Get Started

Learn the science of IF

2. Choose the type of IF that’s right for you

3. Choose your eating window

4. Tweak your diet if needed

How to Get Started?



What constitutes a fast varies by the fasting protocol. Examples include:

• No food or water (dry fast)

• Zero-calorie beverages, but no food

• Less than 40 calories total (e.g., a teaspoon of lemon in tea is permitted)

• Foods that do not trigger a significant insulin response (e.g., whey protein, berries)

• Less than 500 calories



What method you succeed with may largely depend on what does or does not trigger “limbic hunger” for you, which varies by individual.

Limbic hunger is a combination of emotional, hormonal and psychological factors that cause craving for food despite not being in a state of true hunger.



Chewing gum

Cream in coffee

Lemon in tea

Drinking water

Consuming 10 calories

Time of day

Cooking for others

Boredom

Common Limbic Hunger Triggers


How to Get Started?

There are several different “fasting protocols” or ways of practicing intermittent fasting either daily or on alternate days of the week.

The most popular methods have a significant online community available for information and support.


Popular intermittent fasting protocols include:

Lean Gains: A 16:8 daily fast during which you skip breakfast and eat only within an eight hour window

Martin Berkhan

How to Get Started?


Popular intermittent fasting protocols (cont.):

The Warrior Diet: Fasting daily consuming only one meal at the end of the day

Ori Hoffmekler

How to Get Started?



The “Fast-5” method: Consuming all calories within a five-hour window daily

Dr. Bert Herring

How to Get Started?



“Eat-Stop-Eat”: Fasting for a full day (24 hours) once or twice a week

Brad Pilon

How to Get Started?



The “5:2” “Fast Diet”: An alternate day (every other day) fasting schedule that involves two days of intermittent fasting during the week

Dr. Michael Mosley

How to Get Started?


Sources and Further Reading

For more detailed information on the science of intermittent fasting you may want to visit…

BertHerringMD.com

AuthorityNutrition.com

Mercola.com


Contact Me

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Facebook Page: Food Can Wait

Twitter and Blab: @foodcanwait

YouTube and Google+: Food Can Wait

Email: [email protected]


Questions?

intermittent fasting for weight loss and wellness | food can wait

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