The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need For Fasting

Fasting.

 

A dieting method only for the brave.

 

But you’ve landed on my page, so this includes you!

 

Fasting can be a very effective method in helping you reduce your calorie intake, boost your metabolism, and help train your body to get used to a period of discomfort.

 

Implementing it into your lifestyle is a lot easier said than done, though, and requires a lot of information, tips, and tricks to get you fasting safely and effectively.

 

Luckily, in this article, I’m going to provide everything you need to know and help you decide if intermittent fasting is truly the best method for you.

Let’s get into it.

What Is Fasting?

On paper, fasting is simply not eating for a prolonged period of time.

This can be for the 8 hours while you sleep, hence why the first meal when you wake up is breakfast.

However, people tend to use the word fast to describe a weight loss technique, in which you actively stop yourself from eating for hours, or even days at a time.

Many people head towards using intermittent fasting so they can focus on when they eat, rather than what they eat on a diet.

There are a variety of schedules to choose from, with some people eating 1 or 2 meals in a specified 8 hours of the day, or others only eating 1 or 2 meals a week.

As long as it is done properly, and you do not splurge on cheeseburgers and chocolate in the times between fasting, it can be a very effective method for reducing your calorie intake and burning body fat.

But fasting may not be for everyone, with some people falling ill because of the lack of nutrients being provided to the body.

Let’s look at the reasons why you should fast, and the people who should avoid fasting for safety…

Why Is Fasting A Good Idea?

I think fasting is best known for its ability to help with weight loss – if you are eating less, you are going to be burning fat. 

But that isn’t the only benefit that intermittent fasting has on the body according to scientific research, with plenty of studies proving that fasting has a positive effect on your health.

Research on animals and a variety of human clinical trials have found that fasting can lead to an improvement in certain health conditions, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

With intermittent fasting, we are going through periods without the intake of food. This helps our body to enhance our blood sugar control and thus reduce the resistance to insulin, helping to reduce the effects of Type 2 diabetes.

The same goes for cardiovascular disease.

As we are reducing the amount of bad cholesterol entering the body, we can reduce the effects or even help prevent the likelihood of fat blocking the arteries around our heart and causing health dilemmas.

Finally, reducing your calorie intake isn’t the main reason fasting is used for weight loss.

By starting an intermittent fast, you can boost your metabolism greatly, meaning more of the food you consume is used as energy, rather than being stored as fat.

When Is Fasting A Bad Idea?

Limiting the amount of energy and macronutrients entering your body may seem like a good idea, but it will leave most of us hungry and feeling under the weather.

For some, the risks can be a lot more serious than that, with the lack of nourishment becoming fatal.

If you fall under the category of any of the people below, then it is wise for you to avoid fasting or at least consult a medical professional first.

The Elderly

In most cases, the elderly have weaker immune systems.

Having a less than adequate calorie intake can result in the quality of this immune system dropping even further and makes catching an illness a lot more dangerous.

Diabetic

While intermittent fasting can help reduce the effects of type 2 diabetes.

A type 1 diabetic on the other hand may succumb to fatal blood sugar levels when mixing the lack of food with insulin injections.

Pregnant

Intermittent fasting will reduce your calorie intake, and the nourishment entering your body.

This can drastically affect the growth of your child.

Fasting Makes You Ill

If you begin fasting, and start to feel nauseous or faint, stop immediately.

Eating Disorder

If you have had a history of eating disorders, then it is recommended that you avoid intermittent fasting as irregular eating patterns can result in eating disorders reappearing.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

If you have a history of digestive issues, such as IBS or constipation, then avoid fasting.

Reducing your food intake can result in symptoms being worsened.

Any Type Of Medication

Finally, if you are on any medication, big or small, consult your Doctor or a dietician first.

Stopping the intake of food can reduce the effectiveness of the medication, or worsen the side effects, resulting in an unpleasant experience.

Check out this video of the time I tried a 48-hour water fast.

That’s right only water for 48 hours!

4 Different Methods Of Fasting

The 16:8 Diet

Kicking off this list is probably the most common of the time-restricted fasting methods.

With this diet, you abstain from food throughout 16 hours of the day, with most people usually aiming for 8 hours of this to be done while they sleep.

During these 16 hours, they can consume water and unsweetened beverages such as tea and coffee to remain hydrated.

Then, for the remaining 8 hours of the day, they can eat.

In this window, you should intake your usual amount of calories through food and high-calorie beverages. 

While no foods are off limit during the window, a lot of people tend to follow other diet methods or make sure they are eating highly nutritious meals to ensure they are reaching all of their macro goals.

Pros 

1. Helps to lose weight and boosts metabolism.
2. Decreases inflammation and risks of chronic diseases.
3. Easier than some fasting methods that require days at a time without eating.
4. You can fast during periods you would sleep.
5. Great for those who have trouble sticking to restrictive diets.

Cons

1. Jumping straight into a 16-hour fasting period can cause illness.
2. Arguably no difference between fasting and reducing calories.
3. Cannot eat at times you are hungry.
4. People tend to binge eat after this type of fasting, reversing the effects.

5:2 Diet

Are you someone who would rather go a couple of days a week fasting, so you can spend the rest of the week eating how you usually would?

Well, with a 5:2 diet, you can restrict yourself to 500 calories (or 0 calories if you can do so safely) on 2 non-consecutive days, and go back to eating normally for the rest of the week.

This means, if you are currently training in the gym, or tend to do a lot of sports during the week, you can eat normally on those days so you are not feeling fatigued or ill during your workouts.

Then, on days you would usually rest, or sleep a bit longer, you can fast, meaning your overall calorie intake is lowered and you are in a calorie deficit.

A lot of people do tend to find this diet harder to stick to than the 16:8, as you could be going up to 32 hours without food, rather than the ordinary 16. 

But, if you are hardcore and find this diet is pretty easy to stick to and want to see even better progress, then you can try its sister diet plan, the alternate day fasting.

With this method, for every day you eat, you must fast the next. Therefore, each week you could be going 3 or 4 days with very limited calories.

Pros

1. You don’t have to calorie count.
2. Eating normally is great for the 5 days you work out.
3. Helps to lose weight and boosts metabolism over the course of the week.
4. Better for those who see less progress with time-restricted diets.
5. Helps reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

Cons

1. A lot harder to stick to than time-restricted diets.
2. Not for those of us who require a lot of energy consumption each day.
3. If you binge on the days you can eat, you are not likely to see much progress.
4. On days you can’t eat, you are likely to feel nauseous and faint.

Juice Fast

One of the more controversial options on this list is the Juice Fast.

First deemed a little bit of a fad, this method requires consuming nothing but smoothies and shakes throughout the day.

If these shakes are not made with foods that can provide proper nutrition across the board, this diet can make you extremely ill.

However, combining the juice fast with other fasting methods, such as the 5:2 method, can make the 2 days of fasting a lot easier, and make this method a little bit more viable.

Overall, though, going on a juice cleanse for prolonged periods should be avoided.

While they can show weight loss over a short time, this is usually lean body mass, and you can end up piling the pounds back on when you realize a juice cleanse is not at all sustainable for health and nourishment.

Pros 

1. Will show weight loss over a short period of time.
2. Can be a tasty and interesting change to your usual diet.
3. Having a juice cleanse with lots of fruit and veg will provide your body with a ton of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

Cons

1. Not a sustainable dieting method.
2. Lack of balance nourishment will mean you lose lean body mass.
3. You will feel hungry and tired consistently.
4. You may experience a spike in blood sugar levels.
5. Cannot eat food at all.
6. Will not experience the added health benefits of a normal fast.

One-Meal-A-Day Diet

One of the toughest diets anyone can face, it is known as the Warrior Diet for a reason.

A person who has been fasting for a long time will start to get used to going intervals without food and begin to see a decline in progress.

They may then swing toward this diet, in which they will go the whole day without food, usually 20-21 hours, and then eat their one meal a day in this small break.

With this diet, they are experiencing a major calorie deficit and thus will see a greater amount of progress. 

Do not let seeing that lure you into jumping straight into this method.

Anyone without experience in fasting will not be able to stick to this diet, as it requires you to live off very little energy and experience tiredness and hunger.

Pros

1. Lose weight and boost metabolism quickly.
2. Helps to reduce cholesterol and the likelihood of chronic diseases.
3. Sticking to this will improve your mental toughness.
4. Bragging rights.
5. Shopping for food will be cheaper.

Cons

1. Very hard to stick to.
2. Likely to invoke periods of illness and tiredness.
3. Not an option for those with very active lifestyles.
4. Will not provide you with a lot of nourishment, so weight loss will be a high percentage of lean body mass.
5. You will be hungry constantly.

7 Simple Tips To Ensure You Fast Safely

Any type of intermittent fasting will come with its risks, and so you must ensure that you are prepared, and plan your days of fasting carefully, as well as the food you will eat during intervals of break.

1. Ensure you drink enough fluids during the fast as this can decrease the likelihood of illness due to dehydration.
2. Plan the meals between fasts carefully, to provide you with enough nutrition and protein to last through periods of fasting.
3. At times of temptation to break the fast, try to meditate or listen to music to take your mind off food. Consistency is key.
4. But remember, if you are feeling unwell, then do not carry on with the diet. Risking your health to lose weight is not worth it.
5. If you are highly active or want to go to the gym, make sure you do so after you have eaten, not when you are fasting with low energy levels.
6. Try to build up gradually. Do not start with the warrior diet or long periods of fasting. Start with 14 hours and slowly build up.
7. Try to keep yourself under control when you breakfast. Do not eat everything you see or massive meals as this could reverse any progress.

Conclusion

Well, that’s everything.

A complete guide to fasting.

Hopefully, now you have managed to get a better understanding of what fasting is, whether you are medically capable of starting a fast, and the dieting method you are going to go for.

A little hint from me – go for the 16:8 one to start with!

So, what are your opinions on fasting?

Are there any methods you prefer, or tips you would add to my list to help fasting novices?

Let me know in the comments below.