Intermittent Fasting

The term "intermittent fasting" is typically an intimidating one when you first hear it, and that's understandable. The concept of going long stretches of time without eating anything is counter intuitive, especially in western cultures where we've created the tradition of eating three meals a day. IF is not something I can claim to have any sort of expertise on, but it is something that I can at least help to demystify for those that are curious.

Basic Fasting Info & How This Correlates with Keto
The practice of "intermittent fasting" (we'll call it IF for short) is simply a strategic eating schedule where you abstain from food during a certain window, and only eat during a designated window. For example, many people will follow a "16:8" IF schedule where they eat for an eight hour window of the day, and don't eat for 16 hours. When people talk about weight loss, they will typically advise that you not eat after a certain time at night, and this practice follows along that same principle. However, today I am simply going to address IF as it pertains to a ketogenic diet.

Your body has an amazing ability to advocate for it's own health, optimal functioning and survival on it's own. If you were put in a situation where you did not have access to food, for whatever reason, your body would begin to create ketones. These ketones would not only enable your brain to keep running adequately, it would enable your body to begin to tap into it's fat supply for energy. This way, it can keep you alive for several days on end without being given any food. Now, I am not recommending that you starve yourself, however, it is important to realize what your body is capable of doing to keep you going. Your body has an innate capability to not only keep you surviving, but thriving. Now, let's talk about those ketones. Many people have a misunderstanding that ketosis is created from the things they eat. BUT - Ketosis is created by the things you DO NOT EAT. As it stands now, most of our bodies are conditioned to run off of glucose for energy and feed ourselves three meals a day with occasional snacks in between. This is an easy, cheap way for the body to keep going at it's normal pace. It doesn't require very much work for your metabolism or other systems to run off of glucose. However, with the unhealthy way that most people take in processed foods, our ability to appropriately process glucose has been damaged at it's core. The problem is two-fold; first, we are taking in carbs and sugar recommended for that of a marathon runner, while sitting at desk jobs most of the day. Our body has more than it knows what to do with, and it cannot thrive this way. Second, we are eating way too much processed food that our body is not designed to recognize. Again, it cannot thrive under these conditions. As a result, our blood sugar rises and falls and leaves us ravenous for the next meal. We can't lose weight this way, we can't really be happy and healthy this way, it's a bad cycle.

Fortunately, there is a better option. We can restore our bodies back to their factory settings by abstaining from carbs and sugar and allowing our bodies to learn to run on ketones. When we remove sugar and carbs from our diets, our bodies are, in a way, "starved" from glucose. What can they do? They can begin to create ketones. And they will, because your body wants to keep living and thriving.

Ketone production thrives in set periods of fasting. Intermittent fasting is a strategic method for increasing ketone production and fat burning. Then, when you feed your body a ketogenic diet after a set period of fasting, it only continues sending messages to your metabolism to run off fat, because you are feeding it a high fat diet. It's a harmonious cycle that we were created with the ability to harness, and it's kind of awesome when you think about it.

This method of strategic eating and not eating promotes fat loss because your metabolism begins to find spare fat in your body to burn for energy. If you still have body fat, which we all do, your tank is, in a way, never empty. That does not mean that you won't feel hungry, it just means that you won't starve. Hunger is your body's way of "turning the gas light on." It's simply a signal that it needs fuel. Many people experience a decreased appetite while eating a keto diet, and this is why. You don't need to eat because your body is burning fat for fuel. This is why I tell people who ask me for advice, if you're not hungry, don't eat. Your body is doing it's thing, don't get in it's way.

In Defense of Fasting
This challenges the traditional practice of three meals a day and for that reason, many would suggest that it's not healthy. I've even heard the argument that if you don't eat, you will gain weight because your body thinks it's starving. On the contrary, your body can't create fat out of nothing. What it might do, before ketones are created, is pull water into your fat cells to bulk them up. This is why I don't really recommend IF to those who aren't on a keto diet. It would, understandably, be confusing to your metabolism and maybe make you hold on to extra water to an uncomfortable extent. But since that's not my area of expertise, I'm moving on. IF has been observed as a cultural and religious practice for thousands of years. In the Old Testament, priests would fast before making important sacrifices or in period of mourning. It's discussed extensively in the Christian Bible as a means of becoming more focused, and that is because IF is good for your brain as well as your body. People who run on ketones are more mentally sharp and clear-headed, which makes it ideal for important decision making. In the Bible, fasting was traditionally practiced alongside period of prayer. It gives credence to the idea that people like me run on "grace and ketones," because it's pretty accurate. 😏

Other Benefits
In addition to mental benefits, IF has also been shown to increase insulin and leptin sensitivity, which reduces the risk of chronic disease such as diabetes, heart disease and even cancer. It also increases ghrelin levels, otherwise known as your "hunger hormones," and works to decrease over eating long term. In other words, it's easier to feel full during times of eating, because you have become conditioned to functioning on less. IF also increases energy, as ketones are better producers of physical energy than glucose or fructose.


Disclaimer for Women
As a disclaimer, women who have any sort of history with hormonal issues should ease in to IF, as it has been shown to affect female hormones negatively if jumped into too quickly. Basically, if your body is sent "starving" signals, it often will assume itself to be in crisis and halt ovulation cycles (think, you don't want to get pregnant if in a crisis situation, which is why high levels of stress can also affect fertility). So, if you have been known to have hormonal issues, or you're trying to get pregnant, IF may not be for you, at least not all at once. Women are recommended to start at a 14:10 type schedule and work up to 16:8 or higher.

Overcoming Obstacles & Starting Small
People who have become fat adapted for a longer period of time and are very comfortable with fasting will often practice longer fasts, such as 24-48 hour fasts, to increase ketone production. It can be unnerving to think about going this long without eating, but honestly, it's more of a mental game than a physical. If I'm speaking for myself, I know that I often feel a sense of mild anxiety when I think about missing a meal, even if I'm not truly hungry. It's taken me a while to get out of this pattern, but I can definitely understand the struggle. It wasn't the case for me, but often times, people who grew up in poor households where food was scarce often struggle with "scarcity thinking" in relation to food. It makes them feel extremely anxious and even depressed or angry to think about going a long stretch of time without eating. While this is understandable, scarcity thinking about food will not benefit your health in the long run and needs to be overcome. IF needs to be practiced in terms that you personally are comfortable with, so if you don't feel like you can pull off a long-term fast, don't. Start by limiting your meal times to 10 hours of the day, and don't eat after a certain time in the evening or before a certain time in the morning. Start listening closely to your body and what it's telling you it needs. Is it actually hungry, or are you just bored? Do you actually need fuel in the tank, or is this just the time of day you typically eat? Break out of the chains of habit-eating, and learn to listen to your body. Not hungry? Don't eat. Feeling full faster than expected? Stop eating. Listen, and obey what it tells you. Not only will your body thank you, but it will feel great to finally be living in harmony with your body's needs, instead of fighting and trying to control it.

Other Helpful Tips
While your body can go a pretty decent amount of time without food, it can't go without water. If you allow yourself to get dehydrated, not only will you feel awful, but you will stop your fat loss, as your body will pull water into it's fat cells to stay hydrated. Hydrate! You ought to be drinking half your body weight, in ounces, per day. For example, I weigh 198 lbs, but let's say 200 for easy math. I need to drink 100 oz of water per day to be adequately hydrated and to promote fat loss. Also, electrolytes are important. You can add electrolyte drink enhancers to your water for an easy fix, or drink some salted bone broth. Last, it is important to not get ahead of yourself, only ease into an IF schedule when you feel comfortably "fat adapted," ie., after you've been following a ketogenic way of eating for 6-7 weeks straight.

Have you tried intermittent fasting? How was your experience? What tips would you add to this list?