Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting
The chatter surrounding intermittent fasting has increased signifi-
cantly in the past few years. Not surprisingly, much of the recent
research around fasting and weight loss needs to be more conclu-
sive. What we do know is that long-term studies of intermittent
fasting show links to increased longevity and chronic disease
prevention, but no link to sustainable, long-term weight loss.
Given the benefits, the many options for fasting, and my propen-
sity to experiment on myself, I decided to try a few options to see
the effects.
24-Hour Weekly Fast
I started with a 24-hour fast one time per week for seven weeks.
Difficulty Level:
Very difficult at first to moderate at the end. I fasted from
Wednesday after dinner to Thursday evening, my lighter training
day. My first couple weeks were challenging: low energy on fasting
days, moody and hungry. By the third or fourth week, it got much
easier, and by the end, I could have kept doing it week after week.
It seemed manageable in terms of difficulty.
The Positives:
I learned how to manage hunger. The fasting taught me that it was
okay to be hungry and that I would be okay without having to eat
every two to three hours.
The Negatives:
I didn’t like missing meal times with my family. Sometimes, my 24
hours would fall later than our normal dinner time, and I would
have to just sit at the table without eating. Family meals are big
in our house, and I don’t want to change that part of my lifestyle.
Because my fast days were planned, I also tended to overeat before
and after, and it didn’t feel great to feel stuffed on Wednesday and
Thursday evenings.
12-Hour Daily Fast
For my second experiment, I moved to a 12-hour fast every day
of the week for eight weeks, basically from 8:00 pm after dinner to
8:00 am the next day.
Difficulty Level:
Super easy. I never felt hungry and got into a simple habit of eating
a quick snack at 8:00 am even if I wasn’t hungry, otherwise, I felt
like my training sessions would have been low energy.
The Positives:
I felt great because I never felt hungry. It was easy to manage this
type of fasting and not overeating because I didn’t feel like I was
ever fasting.
The Negatives:
Again, lifestyle! I was missing out on early morning family breakfast
on weekends. We usually wake up and make some kind of banana
bread, muffins, eggs, and turkey bacon. I missed out on that.
16–18-Hour Random Fast
My third experiment was a 16–18 hour fast randomly 3–5 times
per week for four weeks.
Difficulty Level:
Moderately difficult at first, but after about two weeks, I was in a
routine that worked. I would sometimes feel hungry, but not the
kind of hungry that all I could do was think about food.
The Positives:
This fit into my lifestyle. I had the freedom to fast after the last meal
of the day, and the next day, I had a late lunch and that worked well
for me. I never had to miss a family meal, and I had my weekend
early family breakfasts back.
The Negatives:
Some days were tough for me, and when I first started, I tried doing
Monday through Friday fasting for 16–18 hours. Toward the end
of the week, I would get tired or cranky. Also, I didn’t like fasting
on Fridays because we celebrate Shabbat most Fridays, so I do a
lot of cooking during the day, and I don’t like fasting while cooking
all day. Once I adjusted to 3–5 times a week, I had the freedom to
pick my fasting days and make them totally random. This helped
because I didn’t feel like I had to stick to a schedule and it gave me
more freedom.
Now, I follow something close to 3–5 times weekly for 12–18
hours. I like to let it go with where my day is taking me. Since I
have learned to control hunger from the 24-hour fast, I’m okay
with being hungry for a bit. I work best with doing it all randomly.
Big Picture
Fasting can be used for longevity and chronic disease prevention.
Personally, I feel better fasting because it keeps me from being a
late-night snacker. I slept better not going to bed feeling full and
I liked waking up feeling lighter and more energetic. But the jury
is still out on intermittent fasting. There is not a lot of conclusive
science that backs up any method in terms of longevity and weight
loss. However, I have seen intermittent fasting used very success-
fully as a tool to create some boundaries and guidelines for people
who are trying to create better nutrition habits around things
like eating later or snacking while watching TV late at night. The
no-eating time creates some clarity and sets clear boundaries on
exactly when you can and can’t eat. But no one method works for
everyone.
If you are interested, experiment with several methods to see
what works best for you. Women who are over 40 may want to
be more strategic about intermittent fasting. Restricting calories
when training can affect energy levels and performance during
training, especially when trying to build lean muscle and increase
hormones. Some women who have practiced intermittent fasting
have noticed an increase in metabolism and a decrease in body
fat. It all depends on genetics, fitness level, health, lifestyle, etc.
As always, if you experience any abnormal symptoms like depres-
sion, nausea, dizziness, or, even in some cases, body swelling, you
should stop fasting and consult a doctor.
See you in the gym,
Aaron Leventhal CSCS, PN1, ACSM Cancer Specialist