Nutrition Nugget: Not So Fast(ing)
Bite-Size Reads for Your Health & Your Waistline
A while back, a friend told me he was trying intermittent fasting and that it worked like a magic pill; he was losing weight and feeling awesome…so I gave it a try. I was feeling lightheaded and hangry within an hour. Where were all these “healing properties” I’d read about?! UGH! Is there any validity to all the hype?
Some may think that fasting is the most efficient way to remove fat. Others, especially those who subscribe to the calories in, calories out theory, find fasting to be an easy way to cut-off their calorie intake. Others believe that not eating and drinking can help clean out the system and heal certain ailments, not to mention the mental fortitude badge of depriving ourselves of food.
The truth is, our bodies are machines that need fuel to survive.
When we don’t eat, our bodies go into survival mode and activate the starvation response. While we may lose weight initially following this plan of going long periods of time without food or drastically cutting calories, the number on the scale is going down because we are often losing that weight as water and muscle. But muscle is metabolically active…losing that muscle is the opposite of what we want. When our systems aren’t sure where the next meal is coming from, they retain everything we eat. That means, even if you’re having steamed fish and veggies, it’s getting stored in the body as fat. This is why it’s especially important to measure body composition, specifically body fat percentage, rather than only going by the number on the scale.
Some people claim they achieve a higher level of energy and alertness when they fast. This response is likely from the body entering fight or flight mode due to the body experiencing starvation. Your brain is trying to make sure you can outrun the saber tooth tiger it thinks is chasing you. Technically, people rarely operate at their best when they fast. Food provides vital nutrients for a variety of functions, and failing to fuel ourselves makes it more difficult to accomplish our daily tasks, especially the ones we don’t think about, like producing immune cells, healthy cell duplication, our heart beating…you know the things.
Others believe fasting expedites the healing process. While this may be true in certain cases, it’s generally not applicable to the majority of the population. I would recommend you consult with your doctor before utilizing this method.
The above notwithstanding, there’s one type of fasting I do promote to my clients: that which occurs between dinner and breakfast the following morning. After all, the name of that first meal is break…fast (whoa!). If someone is experiencing dramatic sleep difficulties, it might be worth avoiding late-night snacks and eating only during daylight hours to help reset the circadian rhythm.
Next time you see your friends passing on breakfast and wonder if you should join in, just know that you’re doing your best to give your body the optimal energy and sustenance it needs by eating throughout the day!
