It warms my heart when clients tell me they are using intermittent fasting to regain their health. It is an easy plan to adapt to many routines.
Prolonging the length of time between feedings gives the proper cues of going through and recycling macronutrients no longer useful. This results in proper energy balance, making it a successful option for losing weight.
The common strategy with intermittent fasting is to forgo the morning meal and eat in the afternoon. This can result in a 20-40% decrease in daily caloric intake.
As we strive to be healthier in this high energy, fast action, charged up world, most of us cannot make three meals per day feasible. It’s a lot easier to snack all day long, but this throws off the energy balance, which keeps us in a fed state storing fats instead of using them.
Eliminating the snacking or day-grazing and eating one or two balanced and nourishing meals in a relaxed setting will do wonders to shrink the caloric intake, waistline and grocery bill.
The other major perk of intermittent fasting is that it’s free. It also serves the potential of saving money by eliminating one meal and all snacks.
Weight loss is not the only benefit, we tend to improve cardiovascular health, energy and endurance, the immune response, sleep, and mental clarity. There’s a lot of money to be saved by not relying on medications or supplements for those improvements.
This is a basic, flexible way to regain control of our health. I suggest a 16-hour fasting period with an 8-hour window to eat. Some people will omit the early meal, some the dinner, but either way one or two meals is preferred over three.
Intermittent fasting is beneficial and easy if you are relatively well. There are a few groups who should talk with a health-care provider before attempting — the very aged or young people, pregnant women, and anyone with disordered eating.
Make this journey successful through simplicity, flexibility and fun!