The Truth And Science About Intermittent Fasting
Lets turn to science for the truth behind intermittent fasting benefits and if it actually works. Jeff Nippard is one of my favorite fitness YouTubers because of all the research he uses to back up his claims and debunk myths. Plus, I just love how he edits his videos. Hes influencing how I make my videos. He made a video addressing intermittent fasting:
His conclusion is that fasting, in rats, decrease cancer risks and improve fat loss. Intermittent fasting is a valid way of dieting to reduce hunger, but it has scientifically not been proven to be a better way to improve body composition than other types of dieting, such as controlling for the calories intake.
A study by Betts, Chowdhury, Gonzalez & Richardson found that morning fasting reduced energy expenditure in lean and obese adults compared to those who ate a prescribed breakfast. Therefore, the expected fat loss benefits of intermittent fasting may not be as great as reported given that the body is compensating from the fasting.
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What Fasting Does To The Body
Essentially, fasting cleanses our body of toxins and forces cells into processes that are not usually stimulated when a steady stream of fuel from food is always present. When we fast, the body does not have its usual access to glucose, forcing the cells to resort to other means and materials to produce energy.
Seventh Expect A Change In You
If you sincerely humble yourself before the Lord in repentance, intercession, and worship, and consistently meditate on His Word, you will experience a greater awareness of His presence. Your confidence and faith in God will be strengthened. And you will feel mentally, spiritually, and physically refreshed. My fast proved to be the greatest prolonged spiritual blessing of my life.
But just as we need fresh infillings of the Spirit daily, we also need new times of fasting before God. I encourage you to join me in fasting and prayer again and again and again until we truly experience revival in our homes, our churches, our beloved nation, and in every country in the world.
Copyright 1995 by Campus Crusade for Christ, NewLife Publications. All rights reserved. Used by permission. For more information checkout our web site at www. newlifepubs.com
NOTICE : This web page is a summary of Bill Bright’s teaching on the practical aspects of the long fast taken from chapters six through ten of his book THE COMING REVIVAL. This material was originally compiled by Robert Fitts especially for the worldwide call to fasting for 40 days by Christians in every country in 2000. You are invited to translate it and reproduce it for distribution into any and all languages.
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Average Weight Loss After One Month Doing Intermittent Fasting
For our Intermittent Fasting survey, we started with a question: How much weight can you lose in 1 month with Intermittent fasting 16/8?.
Turns out over half of intermittent fasting beginners lost around at least 8 pounds after 1 month of intermittent fasting and 30% reached at least 12 pounds weight loss.
Please Don’t Get This Wrong About Fasting
Because then Phase 4 comes along and if you GET THIS WRONG you can be in grave physical danger! And this is the part that most Christian teachers on fasting are completely WRONG about in fact, they are dangerously wrong!
If you believe what almost all Christians teach about fasting , you really could be putting your body in serious jeopardy. And I explain exactly why. Some of these teachers now I’m talking about bestselling Christian authors who I really respect can even do you tremendous spiritual and emotional harm, even though they don’t mean to.
And all because they don’t understand Phase 4 of the fast.
When I began fasting back in the 1980s, the only book I had on the topic got it totally wrong. So even though God used that author to inspire me to fasthis book gave terrible spiritual advice than really harmed my soul.
And speaking of being harmed and unpreparednothing prepared me for the fifth phase of fasting.
In fact, after decades of fasting, I have now read almost every book ever written on the subject! And I’ve listened to countless sermons and podcasts. Like I said, fasting is my passion!
Yet I have never once heard anyone mention anything at all about the 5th and final Phase of Fasting. No one. Ever.
I have now coached thousands of students through the fasting experience. And I have never met even one person who knew anything at all about the fifth phase of fasting.
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When Health Complications Affect Weight Loss
Hormone levels. Sigh.
I cant go into all the details on this here, first of all because Im really not educated enough to put it in book form, but also because it would take one fat book to contain it all!
However, I feel its so important to mention because I have seen first hand just how drastically our balance of hormones can affect both ability to lose weight and to maintain weight loss. There may indeed be times when it does appear that your body is not responding well to your responsible efforts.
What Id like to do is give you my absolute favorite online resources and current books to aid you in your personal research in finding answers to the conundrums in your own body.
These are some of the main hormones that have a huge bearing on weight and how your body utilizes calories:
- Adrenal hormones, specifically
- Bioidentical Hormones 101 Jeffrey Dach, M.D.
Eh, I already had lab tests done & everything was normal.
The two questions to ask here are
Before I leave this topic can I pretty please plead with you not to end your search without first making sure you have unturned multiple stones.
Just to give you an idea of what I mean, so many end up suffering for much longer than necessary because one unhelpful test was run that showed their thyroid levels were normal when in actuality, if the right testing had been done, a hypothyroid condition would have been uncovered.
Third Prepare Yourself Physically
Do not rush into fasting for 40 days. If you plan to go without food for several days, you will find it helpful to begin by eating smaller meals before you abstain altogether. This sends your mind a signal that you have entered the time of the fast, and it helps to shrink your stomach and appetite.
Some health professionals suggest eating only raw foods for two days before starting a fast. All this makes the drastic change in your eating routine a little easier.
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Choose Your Best Protocol
Krystal began her intermittent fasting journey about a year ago, and she experimented with various protocols until she found the right protocol.
I alternate what kind of fasting I do. Sometimes I stick with a traditional 16:8 fasting period, other times I will do a longer time frame, she says. My longest fast was five days.
Though five days might seem a bit overwhelming to a beginner, Krystal urges readers to find whats best for them. For her journey, Krystal admits, I read a lot about the health benefits of fasting, plus with following a ketogenic diet fasting came naturally as my hunger levels decreased.
Neurological Benefits Of Water Fasting And Fasting
Not only does fasting help our bodies it also benefits our brains. New studies show that fasting may actually ward off neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers and Parkinsons and even improve our memory and mood.
Dr. Longo cites a study showing that fasting contributes to stripping down and rebuilding the myelin sheath, an exciting possibility for multiple sclerosis patients.
Other studies reveal a correlation between fasting and improved neural connections in the hippocampus . It has also been shown to reduce the number of amyloid plaques, the proteins associated with Alzheimers.
Fasting has also been shown to increase the brain-derived neurotrophic factor that contributes to the growth and maintenance of the brains nerve cells and has an anti-depression effect.
Mark Mattson, a professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, explained in Johns Hopkins Health Review how fasting produces changes in the brain.
When you eat, glucose is stored in your liver as glycogen. Once the glycogen is used up, in about 11 hours, your body starts burning fats that are converted to ketone bodies.
It is these acidic chemicals that actually produce positive changes in the structure of synapses, or the gap that transmits information from one nerve cell to another. These cells have been shown to transmit signals to and from the brain at speeds of 200 mph.
Fasting can improve your neurological function and connection.
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How Much Weight Can You Lose In 40 Days Fasting
Typically it is said you will lose one pound a day, but for overweight people, some have lost 100 pounds or more in just forty days. To get the best advice on how to start water fasting and how to break your fast, read on.
How can I lose 50 pounds in one week?
For most people, a weight loss two to three pounds per week represents a healthy and sustainable approach to losing 50 pounds or more. You will need to cut 3,500 calories from your diet to lose one pound of fat so cutting back 1,000 calories a day will equal two pounds of weight loss per week.
How many calories should you eat to lose 5 pounds a week?
Losing 5 pounds a week comes to reducing your food intake by 3500 calories over seven days. The value that represents the decrease in calorie intake is known as the calorie deficit. If you want to lose 5 pounds in a week, you will need to reduce your food intake by 17,500 calories, which is a huge calorie deficit.
Fifth Limit Your Activity Level
Exercise only moderately. Rest as much as your schedule will permit. Short naps are very helpful. Resting is not a sin, Dr. Ruibal explains. Fasting in the strictest sense is physiological rest.
Your body rests from the processes involved in digestion and the assimilation of food to concentrate on excretion.
Many experience headaches, stomach aches, nausea, foul tastes in their mouth, or a pasty tongue. Their urine may become darker, and even their sweat may smell worse than usual. Vomiting may occur. This is normal. In a prolonged fast, it is not unusual to experience a fever. Basically, the body is taking advantage of the fast to clean and heal itself.
Dr. Ruibal
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Add Fiber To Your Diet
Fiber is a nutrient that moves through your body undigested, helping to stabilize blood sugar, slow stomach emptying, and keep you feeling full longer .
Multiple studies demonstrate that fiber has a powerful effect on weight loss.
To optimize your health and increase weight loss, aim for at least 2538 grams of fiber daily from foods like fruits, veggies, legumes, and whole grains (
13 ).
Oats, yogurt, eggs, cottage cheese, and peanut butter are a few staple foods you can enjoy as part of a healthy, high protein breakfast.
What To Eat With Fasting
Ive found most people who have trouble with their weight do better eating a lower amount of carbs. Im not saying you have to cut them out completely but you should focus on lowering them to boost weight loss. People who are naturally athletic and have more trouble putting on weight do better with lower fats and higher carbs and protein.
You should calculate your BMR to give you a ballpark picture of how many calories your body burns in a day. Then you should keep your calories under that number. You dont have to count your calories for the rest of your life but you should do so for at least for a little while so you can figure out what you should be eating in a day.
Focus on eating real whole foods. Higher protein diets have also been found to be beneficial for weight loss. Avoid starchy, sugary, and carb-rich foods especially those from refined grains and flour. Lastly, make sure youre avoiding bad vegetable oils that could also promote weight gain.
Should you exercise during fasting?
When it comes to exercise youll drop more poundage by working out along with your fasting . I prefer to do cardio in the mornings when Im fasting for an extra fat burn . Then doing a strength training workout later in the day can help to tone up and burn stubborn fat from your body.
Can you lose a pound a day fasting?
Will you lose weight if you fast for 24 hours?
The Last Word
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Is It Also Good For People Who Are Within A Normal Weight Range
ADF is not only beneficial for weight loss, but it can also offer health benefits for those who dont have obesity.
A 3-week study analyzed individuals with average weight following a strict ADF diet with zero calories on fasting days.
The researchers found that it resulted in increased fat burning, decreased fasting insulin, and a 4% decrease in fat mass .
However, hunger levels remained quite high throughout the study.
They speculated whether a modified ADF diet with one small meal on fasting days might be more tolerable for people who dont have obesity.
Another controlled study involved individuals with overweight and average weight.
It showed that following an ADF diet for 12 weeks reduced fat mass and produced favorable changes in risk factors for heart disease .
That said, ADF generally provides much fewer calories than you need to maintain weight, which is the reason you ultimately lose weight.
If youre not looking to lose weight or fat mass, or have average weight to begin with, other dietary methods will probably suit you better.
SUMMARY
Alternate-day fasting increases fat burning and reduces risk factors for heart disease in people with average weight.
Theres no general rule regarding what you should eat or drink on fasting days, except that your total calorie intake shouldnt exceed around 500 calories.
Its best to drink low calorie or calorie-free drinks on fasting days, such as:
Here are a few examples of meals that are suitable for fasting days:
What Are The Best Schedules For If
Intermittent fasting is a dieting technique where you focus on timing instead of counting calories. There are a few different timing schedules that you can try with IF.
This means that there could be slight differences in how much weight you lose depending on what technique you try. Luckily, the main techniques studied so far lead to consistent weight with loss.
An analysis of 40 different studies found an average loss of between seven and 11 pounds after 10 weeks of IF. Another analysis of 27 IF studies found an average weight loss of 0.8% to 13.0% of the participants starting weight within the relatively short time frames studied.
In general, intermittent fasting refers to dividing your days into times when you can eat and times when you cant, called a fasting interval. Since there are many different ways that you can do this, you should pick the schedule that works best for you.
Common examples include:
It can be difficult to adjust to IF so some doctors recommend slowly extending your fasting window over the course of a few weeks. For example, you could start by only fasting for 10 hours a day and then add one hour of fasting time a week until you reach 16 or 18 hours.
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Discovering The 5 Phases Of Fasting
Throughout this journey, I discovered something incredible. Every extended fast included five distinct phases. Each one presented its own unique set of challenges. And there was a clear strategy that worked to win the victory over each phase.
I want you to understand The 5 Phases of Fasting so youll know exactly what to expect every step of the way. I explain everything in detail in this valuable free guide, The Secrets to Extended Fasts: Understanding the 5 Phases of Fasting.
Intermittent Fasting Weight Loss Faqs
Now that you know what intermittent fasting is and how to get started, its time to answer your other questions.
Below are answers to the questions frequently asked about intermittent fasting. These answers should help you and make getting started a lot easier.
How Much Weight Will I Lose?
The amount of weight you lose with fasting is determined by how often and long your fasts are, what you eat afterward, and other factors.
One study published by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that average weight loss on an intermittent fasting diet was around 9lbs after 12 months, and weight loss was most successful in those who strictly adhered to their chosen diet.
Can I Work out While Fasting?
Yes, you can. In fact, doing the right type of workout while fasting will help you lose weight faster and even build muscle.
If you are a hardcore athlete who often exercises for an hour or more each day, intermittent fasting may not be the best choice for you as this amount of exercise requires fuel to keep you moving and build muscle. However, light to moderate intensity workouts 2 to 4 times a week should work with intermittent fasting.
The best workouts to do while fasting for weight loss are strength training workouts. This means anything from standard strength training to kettlebell or body weight workouts. Combine these with lighter forms of exercise like walking, jogging, or yoga.
Wont I Lose Muscle When I Fast?
Is Fasting Safe?
So almost three months, 20 pounds down!
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