Intermittent Fasting - Why You Should Give Your Digestion a Break
The trend that’s hit the health scene full speed recently, but has actually been practiced for centuries, is the concept of fasting. Various forms of fasting have been used throughout time as spiritual rituals and health practices, but the form I’m focusing on (the form everyone wants to know about) is intermittent fasting. Is it genuinely good for my health? Is it going to be a sustainable way to lose excess body fat? Lets dive deeper into the concept and see if it’s something you want to try on for size!
Let's start with the basics. Intermittent fasting is a daily consecutive fasting of 12 hours or more. The longer the fasting window, the smaller the eating window. Many of us fast unintentionally by just sleeping, but if we are low-key doing this already why are we not all achieving our optimum health and ripped af? It's a little more complicated than that, sadly.
The key is to have a longer fasting window than eating window. With a 12 hour fast, that leaves 12 hours to eat, which does not bring about the benefits of intermittent fasting. The longer you fast, the longer you give your body the ability to do functions it can only do when insulin isn't being produced and digestion isn't being activated.
Insulin is a hormone that's produced every time we eat, which helps us store the calories we consume in a bodily “bank account”. We can access that bank account when the funds are running low, and the body maintains homeostasis. If you're eating constantly, you're constantly producing insulin, which means you're constantly putting into the bank account and not taking much out. For money that sounds dope, but for calories…not so much. Our body is expected to store calories for a rainy day, as evolution has made it that way to avoid starvation. When you give your body that longer fasting window, it can tap into that bank account and use those stored calories, helping lower body fat percentage.
When your insulin levels are high, your body is unable to access that body fat to be used as energy. It’ll keep chilling there, waiting for that rainy day. Your body is either in a fat storing state or a fasting state. If you're looking to lose body fat, you must give your body time in the fasted state to pull its energy from that body fat.
Losing body fat is one of the main benefits from intermittent fasting, but it's also beneficial for those looking to maintain their current weight. Allowing your body to take time in the fasted state helps regulate hormone production, deep REM sleep, and so much more. The benefits are endless, but what about the window of eating? I mean, a girls gotta eat…
Everyone is beautifully bioindividual, meaning there's never just one rule that is universal for everyone. Some believe it’s better to eat in the morning and mid day, fasting in the evening, some say the complete opposite. In our society it’s hard to fast during dinner, as dinner can be such a social experience, which is also key to health and longevity. The one rule that does stand is avoiding consumption at least 2-3 hours before bed. Insulin production and digestion halt the release of melatonin. So make your eating window whenever works best for your life, just ensure to give yourself time between eating and sleeping.
Interested in learning more and seeing if this is for you? Don’t hesitate to connect with me here! Accountability buddies help consistency and willpower, after all.