The Complete Guide To Fasting By Jason Fung
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Although thousands of books have been written about fasting as a great weight loss technique, Jason Fungs fasting books top most of the lists. Hes a world-leading expert on intermittent fasting and can put on paper the latest fasting science in an easy-to-read format.
In The Complete Guide to Fasting Dr. Fung fasting book, you will learn that intermittent fasting is not about starving yourself. You can lose weight by skipping meals, while still feeling full and well-nourished.
Fung used several protocols with more than 1000 patients, and the results were outstanding. Additionally, he teamed up with author and veteran health podcaster, Jimmy Moore, to explain why exactly fasting is good for your health.
The book is designed to back you up and give you the needed confidence, so you can stick to your weight loss plan as you achieve the desired results. You can also experiment with the books kick-start 7-day plan. It will teach you how to fight off the adverse side effects that a first-timer might experience with intermittent fasting.
Sticking to the tips discussed in The Complete Guide to Fasting will help you improve your overall life as you achieve your desired weight goal. Moreover, it will have a positive effect on your health as your body learns to react differently to food.
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Intermittent Fasting And Women
While intermittent fasting seems to benefit males, it can have a negative effect on hormones and metabolism in some females.
Turns out, the hormones regulating key functionslike ovulation, metabolism, and even moodare incredibly sensitive to your energy intake.
In fact, changing how muchand even whenyou eat can mess with reproductive hormones. This can lead to a far-reaching ripple effect, causing all sorts of health issues.
Intermittent Fasting May Affect Men And Women Differently
There is some evidence that intermittent fasting may not be as beneficial for some women as it is for men.
One study showed that blood sugar control actually worsened in women after three weeks of intermittent fasting, which was not the case in men .
There are also many anecdotal stories of women who have experienced changes to their menstrual cycles after starting intermittent fasting.
Such shifts occur because female bodies are extremely sensitive to calorie restriction.
When calorie intake is low such as from fasting for too long or too frequently a small part of the brain called the hypothalamus is affected.
This can disrupt the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone , a hormone that helps release two reproductive hormones: luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone (
10 ).
For these reasons, women should consider a modified approach to intermittent fasting, such as shorter fasting periods and fewer fasting days.
Summary
Intermittent fasting may not be as beneficial for women as it is for men. To reduce any adverse effects, women should take a mild approach to fasting: shorter fasts and fewer fasting days.
Intermittent fasting not only benefits your waistline but may also lower your risk of developing a number of chronic diseases.
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Males Intermittent Fasting Results After 1 Month
Ive noticed with men who use Intermittent Fasting for 30 days end up losing a little more weight than women. Of course, this is going to depend on how much weight they have to lose in the first place.
Most men result in losing 10-20+ pounds of weight and excess fat after their first month of Intermittent Fasting.
If youre watching your carb intake and keep track of your calories then your weight loss will most likely be on the farther end of the scale. Many men who use Intermittent Fasting says it helped to change their life for the better.
If youre a man then youll also notice less belly bloat and itll help to flatten out your belly in a few weeks. But make sure you also cut back on your alcohol consumption during your first month of fasting to maximize your results.
Just by cutting out breakfast youll be able to lose much more weight than you would counting calories throughout the day. But some men do find the hunger hard to fight off during their fasting window. This can be eased by drinking more water, a greens supplement, black coffee, and green tea.
Intermittent Fasting Results After 3 Months
Now if youve been fasting for a month or more but havent seen any results then youre most likely eating too much during your feeding window. Start tracking your calories and carbs in combination with Intermittent Fasting. This will help you break through your weight loss plateau.
How much weight can you lose in a month with intermittent fasting?
The Last Word
Watch Out For The Side Effects Of Intermittent Fasting
Your sex, stress level, and age can increase the chances of IF side effects like insomnia, fatigue, and poor recovery. This is especially true for intense fasting schedules like alternate day fasting.
Side effect #1: Intense fasting can disrupt sex hormones.
If estrogen is your dominant sex hormone , you may be more sensitive to energy intake than someone who has testosterone as their dominant sex hormone . Piling on too many stressorsextreme exercise coupled with extreme dieting, for examplecan lead to a cascade of problems, including:
- mood disorders and mental health problems
- thinking and memory problems
In Dr. Scott-Dixons case, too-frequent fasting combined with too-heavy training as well as general life stress and an anxious temperament resulted in estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, LH, FSH, and cortisol levels that were effectively zero. I was in my mid-30s and menopausal, she says. Ive seen this situation in many of my female clientssome as young as their mid-20s.
As a result, most women will want to gravitate toward the gentler forms of IF and be careful about how they pair those options with a fitness program.
Side effect #2: IF is a stressor, which can make you feel run down.
If someones under a lot of pressure, a gentler form of fasting is probably best. If you attempt an advanced fasting schedule such as ADF, youll want to give your body plenty of TLC on your fasting daysand schedule exercise for your eating days.
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What The Studies Show
Intermittent fasting has been shown, in many short-term research studies, that it can help you lose weight, improve your health and potentially protect you from developing certain diseases. And whats most appealing, is that it doesnt restrict you daily, like conversional dieting.
Studies have also shown that intermittent fasting may help prevent or even reverse diabetes. This is because it helps to control and reduce insulin and glucose concentrations in your blood.
Intermittent fasting may improve your sleep and gut health. It can also improve measures associated with cardiovascular disease and cancer, and possibly reduce inflammation.
However, theres still not enough studies to show how safe intermittent fasting is if you do it for a long time. But in general, most research highlights that its safe in otherwise healthy adults.
Intermittent Fasting 16 8 #
The 16:8 split is the most popular intermittent fasting method primarily becauseits the simplest to follow. If youre sleeping enough, you already fast atleast 8 hours each day. With the 16:8, you simply extend this overnight fast to16 hours by eliminating late night and early morning meals. Most people usingthe 16:8 method eat their meals between 11 AM and 7 PM.
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Fasting May Improve Brain Health
The Warrior Diet is promoted as a way to improve brain health.
There may be some truth to that based on scientific studies on intermittent fasting.
Intermittent fasting has been found to benefit the regulation of inflammatory pathways that affect your brain function.
For example, animal studies have shown that intermittent fasting reduced inflammatory markers like interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha , which may negatively impact memory and learning (
5 ).
However, research in this area is ongoing and more human studies are needed to determine the benefits of intermittent fasting on brain health.
Schedule #: 1: : 4 Omad And Other Types Of Time Restricted Feeding
Popularized and researched by Satchidananda Panda, PhD, time-restricted feeding combines a fasting window with a feeding window. During the fasting window, people either dont eat at all or eat much less than usual. During the feeding window, people may either eat normally or more than normal.
In theory, this protocol takes advantage of our natural circadian rhythm to optimize metabolic health.
What it involves
Three of the more popular types of time-restricted eating include:
- 16:8, which calls for a 16-hour fast followed by an 8-hour eating window.
- 20:4, which entails fasting for the first 20 hours of each day, and then eating only during a 4-hour overfeeding window. Generally, most people put their 4-hour overfeeding window at the end of the day, as its more convenient for family dinners and after-work training sessions.
- OMAD, or one meal a day, which involves consuming all of your calories within 1 hour and nothing for the other 23 hours.
In each approach, some people focus on including highly-satiating foods such as colorful veggies and lean protein. These foods can help to dampen hunger during the fasting window.
For someone following 16:8, it might look like this:
Monday, 8pm: Finish your last meal of the day.
Tuesday, 11am: Work out.
Tuesday, 12pm: Eat your first meal, ideally the biggest one of the day.
Tuesday, 12-8pm: Feeding window during which you eat your daily energy intake.
Tuesday, 8pm: Last meal of the day ends, and the fasting period starts.
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How Can I Suppress Hunger During Intermittent Fasting
Eat high-fiber foods, such as nuts, beans, fruits and vegetables, and high protein foods, including meat, fish, tofu, or nuts, during your eating window, Varady advised. Chewing high-fiber gummies can also help.
Drink lots of water. People tend to think they’re hungry, when they are really just thirsty, she said.
Go for black coffee or tea, or cinnamon or licorice herbal teas. These beverages may have appetite-suppressing effects, Varady noted.
Watch less TV: I know this sounds strange, but while you are watching TV, you are bombarded with dozens of ads for food. This can make you feel hungry, when in actuality, you are not hungry at all, she said.
Remember, being “a little hungry” is the best thing that can happen to you, wrote Madelyn Fernstrom, health and nutrition editor at NBC News, calling it a “true mind-body connection” that helps you recognize fullness.
Best Intermittent Fasting Books For You To Read
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The complete guide to Fasting | Beyond Body | Delay, Dont Deny | The fast Diet | Life in the fasting Lane | Eat Stop Eat | The Longevity Diet | Intermittent Fasting For Women | The Switch
Whether youre just curious about intermittent fasting or already an avid fasting follower, sometimes online information can seem overwhelming. So many experts, blogs and opinions everywhere you click.
Ive always been a fan of a nice cup of tea and a good book. If youre like me, a book on intermittent fasting can be the perfect choice to go more in-depth into the world of fasting.
As you may already know, intermittent fasting doesnt necessarily change the kind of food you eat. Its more about your relationship with food and hunger. As with any relationship, the more you work on it, the better it gets. Thats where fasting books can come in handy. Reading is a great way to learn more about this trendy lifestyle that has led to sustainable weight-loss for thousands of people.
Here at 21 Day Hero we work to offer fasting beginners and enthusiasts easy to follow intermittent fasting meal plans and 21-day fasting challenges. Therefore weve been big fans of intermittent fasting books to get the best insights and knowledge on all things intermittent fasting.
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Intermittent Fasting: Surprising Update
- By Monique Tello, MD, MPH, Contributor
Theres a ton of incredibly promising intermittent fasting research done on fat rats. They lose weight, their blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugars improve but theyre rats. Studies in humans, almost across the board, have shown that IF is safe and incredibly effective, but really no more effective than any other diet. In addition, many people find it difficult to fast.
But a growing body of research suggests that the timing of the fast is key, and can make IF a more realistic, sustainable, and effective approach for weight loss, as well as for diabetes prevention.
Start Your Fast After Dinner
Where youre doing daily or weekly fasts, one of the best tips I can give you is to start your fast after dinner. Doing this means youll spend a big chunk of your fasting period asleep. Particularly when using a daily fasting setup like 16:8 if you start fasting after dinner and then
- Spend 1 3 hours watching tv or other evening activities
- Spend 6 9 hours asleep
Youve already fasted for anywhere from 7 to 12 hours, making a 16 hour much more manageable. This means
- Increased dietary adherence
Related: Is Skipping Breakfast Bad For You?
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Safety And Side Effects
Modified versions of intermittent fasting appear to be safe for most women.
That being said, a number of studies have reported some side effects including hunger, mood swings, lack of concentration, reduced energy, headaches and bad breath on fasting days .
There are also some stories online of women who report that their menstrual cycle stopped while following an intermittent fasting diet.
If you have a medical condition, you should consult with your doctor before trying intermittent fasting.
Medical consultation is particularly important for women who:
- Have a history of eating disorders.
- Have diabetes or regularly experience low blood sugar levels.
- Are underweight, malnourished or have nutritional deficiencies.
- Are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive.
- Have fertility problems or a history of amenorrhea .
At the end of the day, intermittent fasting appears to have a good safety profile. Yet, if you experience any problems such loss of your menstrual cycle stop immediately.
Summary
Intermittent fasting may cause hunger, low energy levels, headaches and bad breath. Women who are pregnant, trying to conceive or who have a history of eating disorders should seek medical advice prior to starting an intermittent fasting regimen.
For Coaches: Find The Best Intermittent Fasting Schedule For Your Clients
The topic of IF poses quite a few challenges for nutrition coaches. First, some clients really shouldnt be fasting at all. Others might do okay with some fasting approaches, but miserably on others.
And still other clients might come to you convinced that the most extreme fasting method is right for them, even though theyve never fasted before.
How do you navigate these turbulent waters? In this section, youll find advice from Robin Beier, PN2, a German nutrition coach we mentioned earlier in this chapter.
To match clients with an intermittent fasting schedule, consider these questions.
Factor #1: Have they practiced the fundamentals?
A number of fundamental nutrition strategies form the underpinning of all successful IF schedules. Your client will want to have these down before trying any fasting style. Is your client usually
- eating only when physically hungry?
- eating slowly until satisfied?
- consuming minimally-processed whole foods?
- eating balanced meals that include lean protein, healthy fats, smart carbs and colorful veggies?
If possible, try to spend some time on these practices before diving into any of the fasting schedules mentioned in this chapter.
Factor #2: Have they fasted before? If so, how did it go?
Consider asking: What experiences have you had with fasting schedules or meal skipping?
Factor #3: What kind of exercise are they doing? And how often are they doing it?
Factor #4: Whats their lifestyle like?
Two words that can reign in overzealous clients
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How Do I Manage Hunger
The most important thing to realize is that hunger usually passes like a wave. Many people worry that hunger during intermittent fasting will continue to build until it is intolerable, but this does not normally happen.46 Instead, hunger comes in a wave. If you simply ignore it and drink a cup of tea or coffee, it will often pass.47
During extended fasts, hunger will often increase into the second day. After that, it gradually recedes, and many people report a complete loss of hunger sensation by day 3 or 4.48 Your body is now being powered by fat. In essence, your body is eating its own fat for breakfast, lunch and dinner and therefore is no longer hungry. Learn more
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However, more recent research reveals the exact opposite that there are several benefits of intermittent fasting, which is the practice of going extended periods without food. A fasting diet may boost metabolism, improve insulin sensitivity, and help transition your body into a fat-burning state.
Intermittent fasting works similar to a ketogenic diet, depriving your body of glucose to transition to a fat-burning state. Fasting has many health benefits, including weight loss, fat loss, and balanced blood sugar and insulin levels. It might also prevent Alzheimers and chronic diseases, reverse insulin resistance, and lead to a longer lifespan.
Many proponents of fasting say that mentally, fasting is easier to handle than calorie restriction or calorie counting. Intermittent fasting is extremely popular among those following low-carb diets like keto because it helps generate ketones and induce a state of ketosis, which can help you burn fat.
There are multiple approaches to fasting. Youll learn how to do intermittent fasting several different ways, and how it can benefit you based on your goals, lifestyle, and activity level.
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