Fasting 101: a guide for men and women.
Fasting gained popularity after research came out hailing intermittent fasting as the new best thing for population health. Perceived benefits include weight loss, improved energy, reversal of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, anti ageing and even cancer.
There are different methods of fasting so let’s break it down:
— The 5:2 method coined by Dr Michael Mosley, is done by eating “normally” not in calorie restriction for 5 days of the week, and the other 2 days of the week are restricted to 500 calories daily for women, and 600 calories a day for men.
— Alternate day fasting which requires you to fast every other day.
— 16:8 intermittent fasting where you have a 16hr fasting window and an 8hr eating window.
The benefits are found in all 3 methods of fasting so if you are interested in trying fasting, see what works best for you to regularly and consistently keep up with it, and do that - you might see benefits from each method so do it in a way that means you’ll stick to it.
It seems a lot of the benefits from weight loss to improved insulin sensitivity are in men and unfortunately, the results just aren’t the same for women so ladies, this may not be for you.
Some of the negative impacts of fasting for women have been an increase in body weight, low energy levels and a loss of a menstrual cycle which has negative effects on hormonal health in general not to mention fertility.
From what I can read, a lot of the studies are done on animals - we are humans so while they can be helpful in understanding up and coming research, rats aren’t really applicable to human health. The studies done on humans are small, they have between 8-100 participants, that is too small to suggest overall benefits to general population. The studies are also done short term - 22 days, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, is not for life. There aren’t long term studies for this kind of intervention and i’m an in-it-for-the-long-haul kinda gal — when the research shows long term benefits, I will reassess when the research is in long term studies, but right now fasting for weight loss and longevity is not convincing the way it is being sold now.
From a personal clinical perspective, i’ve seen intermittent fasting work short term as in 4-6 weeks, then it gets hard to maintain, results aren’t there and it’s just not sustainable.
The benefits seen from having a fasting window can be seen by simply finishing eating after dinner, and not eating again until breakfast. So simple huh?!
Giving your digestive system a break between meals is essential, and just like you can’t keep working day and night, neither should your digestive system, so giving it a break for 12 hrs isn’t harmful. If you are a regular snacker, you might not be eating enough at your main meals so my suggestion would be to include more satiating macronutrients to your plate - fats, protein and complex carbs! Some simple suggestions:
1 teaspoon almond butter
1/2 an avocado
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs
a handful of nuts and seeds
Starchy vegetables like roast pumpkin, cold potatoes and sweet potato
Whole grains like brown rice, oats, quinoa and ancient grains of wheat like wholewheat spelt and khorasan
Tune in to how you are feeling when you feel hungry: are you really hungry or are you needing a warm hug? Are you bored or fed up? Maybe stressed out, thirsty, or maybe you are just damn hungry! Taking a minute to figure it out is honouring your body and listening to it in a way that is going to be much more helpful than fearing you are “breaking your fasting window”.
Fasted exercise is an interesting area that is gaining traction, with benefits seen including improvements in anti ageing markers. We already know exercise is excellent for longevity so my advice would be if you feel good doing fasting exercise, fantastic, if you get light headed and faint, don’t do it. It might also be that you can do a fasted brisk walk in the morning before starting breakfast but not necessarily a weights session - we don’t need to take things to extremes, just listen to your body and see what works best for you.
Take aways:
Fasting has benefits that research suggests work more for men then women.
Giving yourself even a 12hr break from eating between dinner and breakfast is natural, and beneficial for your digestive system.
If you are snacking in between meals you might not be eating enough - try adding more protein and fat to your plate to help you feel fuller for longer.
Tune into your body cues and pay attention when you feel hungry if you are really wanting something to eat, or something else?
If you would like know more about honouring your body and finding what works for you, book in a consultation with Ellie by clicking here to see what you can expect when working with a nutritionist.