The secret to effective intermittent fasting
If you’re gonna do it, do it right. How your weight loss diet plan can detoxify the body
Text: Christian Barker
How does IF work?
In the simplest terms, while fasting, the stores of sugar that the body uses for energy run down and it begins burning fat. Conversely, if you’re constantly eating and not doing enough exercise to expend the calories you’ve consumed, your body will store the excess as fat.
Intermittent fasting is not only believed to help with weight loss; it has also been shown to improve the metabolism, lower blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation and detoxify the body. It can lead to “increased stress resistance, increased longevity, and a decreased incidence of diseases, including cancer and obesity,” according to a 2019 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Personal trainer, nutritionist and wellness coach Amanda Lim of Singapore-based fitness consulting firm, Peak Health, says those attempting to achieve maximum results should adhere to the 16/8 model, consuming only calorie-free beverages (water and black tea or coffee) within the 16-hour fasting window, and eating two balanced, protein-dominant meals during the eight feeding hours.
“However, if you're looking to try IF simply as an easy way to kickstart some moderate weight loss, you can take it a bit more flexibly,” Amanda says. “You could reduce the fasting hours to 14, allow yourself a bit of milk in your coffee during the fast, or only fast five or six times per week, with one or two days to eat on a more relaxed schedule.” It’s all about finding an approach that fits with your lifestyle, Lim says.
Life in the fast lane
While many on a 16/8 diet choose to skip breakfast and eat between 12 noon and 8pm, there’s a growing belief that feeding earlier in the day and eliminating eating at night may be more effective. Health, wellness and nutrition coach Elika Tasker points out that the body puts a lot of effort into digesting food. “In the evenings, the body may be better off using its energy to repair itself in sleep, rather than to digest a large meal,” she says.
“Fasting has fantastic benefits,” Elika says, “especially if applied in a more natural way — for example, adopting the time between sunrise and sunset as the eating window.” Though fasting is not recommended for those with diabetes, kidney and heart problems, eating disorders, children or the elderly, pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers, for others, Tasker says, “IF is a free, flexible and a very easy to apply strategy to improve mental clarity, get more energy and lose excess body fat.”
Amanda, who herself has been practicing intermittent fasting for several years, says in addition to the health benefits of IF, “the real advantage that I see with my clients is the simplicity of it.” Because IF doesn’t necessarily involve changing what you eat, just when you eat, “It appeals to those who aren't prepared to weigh food, keep food logs, or execute a pre-planned menu,” she says.
Though timing is more important than what you consume, laying about scoffing burgers, fries and between-meal munchies eight hours a day is unlikely to do you much good. Those who get regular exercise, cut the snacks and stick to a nutritious Mediterranean-style diet in conjunction with IF will enjoy far greater success than those who attempt to balance fasting with fast food feasting.
Whether you indulge in the Mediterranean-style siesta too, is optional.
Intermittent fasting is not recommended for everyone. If you’re considering embarking on an intermittent fasting diet it’s always a best to check with your doctor first.
