Intermittent fasting? There’s been a lot of talk about it in recent times, thanks above all to the discovery of the important benefits it has on our well-being. But not only. Intermittent fasting is a simple method to implement and follow. The equation is easy: you eat or you don’t eat. There is no need to count calories or percentage of nutrients, just the time in which you can consume the food. In other words, it is a regime that is based on “when” you eat, not on “what” or “how much” you eat.
1. Is it a method for losing weight?
The truth is that intermittent fasting is something that goes beyond losing weight: it is a method that serves to carry out a kind of cleansing of the cells, a real decluttering, which eliminates all those substances that intoxicate them, leading to malfunctioning and premature cellular aging. Intermittent fasting is, therefore, something deeper: its adoption cannot be limited to a period of “remise en forms” after the holidays.
2. So it’s not useful for losing weight?
It must be clear: intermittent fasting is not a weight loss diet. We could define it as a “purification” plan for the organism. It is true, however, that when intermittent fasting is adopted methodically and in the long term it can promote weight loss over time which is greater the more overweight you are. This is because it seems to act positively on some situations of discomfort characterized in particular by high levels of fat in the blood, as in the case, for example, of high cholesterol or triglycerides. By reducing these, in the long term, you can also achieve a loss of fat accumulated in the body. Do you want some numbers? Studies talk about a >5% weight loss in overweight individuals.
3. How does intermittent fasting work?
There are different methods of intermittent fasting, some more extreme, others softer. The most popular one is 16:8. In practice, you fast for 16 hours and eat in a window of 8. There is also the 5:2 model, which refers not to hours but to days: you eat for five consecutive days and fast for two. There is alternate day fasting (ADF), which speaks for itself. And then there is the warrior diet, and the name already says it all: it is the hardest approach, because you eat in a window of only 4 hours. And then there are my two favorites, the ones that, I won’t deny you, I would like to try. The first is called THREE, basically we start from breakfast time and have dinner after 8 or 10 or 12 hours (I go for 12!). The other is the “cancelling dinner” which, as the name itself suggests, 1 or 2 times a week on non-consecutive days you skip dinner, that is, you stop eating from 4pm and continue until breakfast the next day.
4. But don’t you feel hungry during the fasting phase?
Depends. The first few times it is probable, particularly in those who adopt the most extreme methods, such as that of the warrior, but also more simply the first days of 16:8. Then the organism adapts. In fact, one of the benefits that has been scientifically observed is the regularization of the circadian rhythm. It is as if we domesticated or rather re-domesticated our organs to work at the right times during the day. The digestive ones in particular don’t clock in at night, they are in recovery, “out of office”.
5. Can I drink during the fasting phase?
During fasting you can drink water. Anything different breaks the fast. Although for the more extreme forms some studies suggest bulletproof as a food to continue enjoying the benefits of fasting by enhancing ketosis and buffering hunger by activating satiety. It is a drink prepared with 250 ml of coffee – it must be freshly brewed -, 150 ml of oil, such as coconut oil, and 15 ml of clarified butter. According to some recent studies, bulletproof seems to increase satiety compared to plain coffee and leads to a reduction in food intake in the following 3 hours. Some also describe increased mental energy.
6. Does fasting for several hours impact the body’s immune efficiency?
Some studies actually demonstrate precisely this, in particular for the more “challenging” methods or even for the most used one, 16:8. To tell you in a few words, in the hours in which you don’t eat, particularly after waking up, there is a reduction in white blood cells which on the one hand could also be a good thing. Yes, on the one hand, because on the other, when you go back to eating, some white blood cells (monocytes) return en masse to the blood, an event that is interpreted by the body as a real inflammation. In this regard, I also tell you that in my practical experience, people who underwent periods of prolonged fasting had a higher incidence of infections. I don’t think this is a coincidence since the first studies on this matter also emerge in scientific literature. Read HERE if you want to learn more.
7. How to choose the most suitable formula?
Let’s start from a very simple assumption: the most suitable intermittent fasting formula is the one that best suits our social life and that we believe can be prolonged for ourselves over time. As we have already learned, with this method the reasoning cannot be valid: I hold on for two to three weeks until I reach my goal weight and then I go back to doing as before. Don’t forget, intermittent fasting must be a constant workout to enjoy the benefits and for this reason it is perhaps worth adopting a softer method.
8. And who does sports?
There are several studies about it. Among these, one states that intermittent fasting can be adopted by cyclists, athletes on whom the study was conducted (but in reality it applies to all athletes), precisely to lose weight by losing only the excess accumulated fat without affecting the muscles. There is another one carried out on martial arts which shows how intermittent fasting adopted in the week before a competition can instead worsen performance. It is therefore clear that for athletes who want to adopt it, it is advisable to do so in a period distant from the competitive one, such as during the construction period.
9. What happens if I fast when I train?
There is no rule that applies to everyone. For example, many who follow the 16:8 model prefer to train towards the end of the fast and eat a large meal at the end. This also allows on the one hand to enhance the effects on fats and on the other to promote recovery and activate training. On the contrary, for those who follow the alternating fasting or 5:2 model it may be more advantageous to plan workouts on non-fasting days. The advice is to rely on a nutrition professional, especially for the more extreme models or even just in case of pathologies, to understand the most effective method for yourself. For DIY, however, the TRE method or the canceling dinner method do not seem to show any contraindications.
Yes to intermittent fasting, as long as…
Intermittent fasting should not be understood as a methodology for losing weight but as a habit for being and staying healthy. It can offer numerous benefits to the metabolism. In doubt today are the most extreme forms of fasting. The advice is to contact a specialist to better understand the most suitable method for you.
Bibliography
Crampton et al. Investigating the effects of a hoght-fat coffee beverage containing medium-chain triglyceride oil and ghee on cognitive function and measures of satiety. Curr Dev Nutr, 5(Suppl 2):902, 2021.
Moro T. et al. Time-retricted eating effects on performance, immune function and body composition in élite cyclists. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 11;17(1):65, 2020.
Patterson R.E. et Sears D.D. Metabolic effect of intermittent fasting. Annu Rev Nutr. 21:371-393, 2017
Varady K.A. et al. Cardiometabolic benefits of intermittent fasting. Annu Rev Nutr. 11:41:333-361, 2021
Moro T. et al. Time-retricted eating effects on performance, immune function and body composition in élite cyclists. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 11;17(1):65, 2020.
Photo: Marta Baffi and Valentina Celeste
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