“Diet” in December?
You might think that December is a crazy time to consider any kind of “diet”. But when it comes to intermittent fasting in fact December might be the ideal time. If you’re struggling to stick to a sensible diet, if you want to lose some extra weight, or if you want to live longer, be healthier, and experience more feel-good hormones and energy—intermittent fasting is definitely worth a try.
During December we tend to:
• Eat & drink more and make worse food choices
• Spend more time at social events
• Spend time doing Christmas activities and shopping
All this “extra time” has to come from somewhere from our little spare leisure time we have within our hectic lives. This “extra time” often comes out of our “activity” time so we are actually keeping ourselves less active.
To lose weight, improve your health, and increase your lifespan, you know that you need to reduce your calorie intake. But you already know what happens when you go on a diet -mood swings, irritability, even depression. Research proves that intermittent fasting has ALL the benefits of dieting—but you still get to eat – which is great news for the Christmas party season!
What is Intermittent fasting?
The principle is very easy to understand. We have a good understanding of how our metabolism works, how our body makes use of the food we eat, what it does with it, and how it chooses to burn stored fat vs. immediately available glycogen. Because of this you can essentially schedule your food intake to put your body’s natural metabolic processes “on your side.” This “bio-hacking” principle (as some people term it) is very easy to understand.
You only eat for a few hours a day.
The rest of the day, you “fast” and avoid calories.
And this creates an entire host of beneficial metabolic responses that speed up your metabolism and trigger fat burning.
Champions of intermittent fasting including researchers, doctors, and scientists, say that when you go without food during certain, extended hours, you also benefit beyond burning fat. There’s plenty of proof to demonstrate:
Fasting prompts a detoxification process within your body
Fasting increases endorphin levels
Fasting boosts your immune system
Fasting can increase your life span
Fasting promotes cell repair
Fasting reduces cancer risks
What does a typical day look like?
There are many different ways people choose to do intermittent fasting depending on their lifestyle. A common approach however, is to choose 6-8 hours a day to eat. The other hours, you don’t eat or you sleep:
Sleeping from 11 PM to 7 AM (Not Eating)
Fasting from 7 AM to 12 PM
You Can Eat from 12 PM to 6 PM
Fasting from 6 PM to 11 PM
Repeat Every Day
There are no special calorie considerations although a sensible approach is advised. You should pay attention to what you eat (as always eating a nutritionally balanced diet without added sugars and saturated fats), but the primary consideration is WHEN you eat.
Here are the basic ideas behind why fasting works:
Your body ALWAYS needs energy (calories) – To support body function (the energy to move, to keep blood pumping, to keep your liver working, to fuel workouts, and for going to work.
Food is one way to get energy –When you eat food (calories), insulin levels go up and your body uses energy from the food you are eating.
Stored calories (fat or glycogen) is another – When insulin levels fall (when you are not eating) your body uses glycogen (calories stored in your liver) and fat (calories stored in adipose tissue) as energy sources.
You can’t get energy (calories) from both at the same time! Your body can’t simultaneously get energy from food you are eating and stored calories (fat or glycogen).
The reality of your energy metabolism is that there are TWO places you can draw from: Food or Stored Energy or as people term it, the “Fed” vs. “Fasted State” - your body can’t be in both at the same time.
The “Fed State” (Right After You Eat)
For somewhere between 3-5 hours after you eat, your body burns up and uses the calories you consumed to give your body the energy it needs to function. During this state, your body is absorbing the food you just ate.
The “Fasted State”
You enter this state about 8-12 hours after the last food you eat. During the fasted state, your body burns stored energy (fat, glycogen in your liver) to create the energy you need.
So if you want to try to maintain a healthier approach to the festive season with long term benefits too, then why not give intermittent fasting a try!