You have probably heard the term "intermittent fasting" bandied about lately and may have thought it was just yet another temporary weight loss fad. It seems however, that there is medical evidence to show that there are indeed health benefits to this eating regime that can even improve your longevity!
There was an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine written by a couple of savvy neuroscientists from Johns Hopkins Medicine that finds there are two particular forms of intermittent fasting that can have very beneficial effects on your body's overall ability to function and help you to live longer.
To break it down into a nutshell, the fact of eating all your food with a short time period and fasting for the much longer time period forces your body to switch from glucose-based energy to ketone-based energy. This makes perfect sense to me because if you don't provide glucose from eating regularly throughout the day, your body will have to use its stored sources for energy.
It's already been shown that fasting can improve blood pressure and your resting heart rate, which is good for your overall cardiovascular health. And if you are using this method for weight loss, it's common knowledge that excess weight (obesity) leads to a number of health issues and a predisposition for diabetes.
This 2018 study published by the National Institute on Aging conducted on mice showed that the test animals who only ate one meal a day (which means a much longer fasting period) had longer lives and much less risk for age-related problems like liver disease and metabolic disorders.
In addition to lowering your blood pressure, fasting improves your blood sugar regulation. This is turn lowers inflammation and increases stress resistance. All of that contributes to a longer, healthier life.
As I mentioned in the beginning, the recent study indicated that two forms of intermittent fasting are the most effective for health benefits.
The first one is simply restricting your eating time to a limited window each day in the six to eight-hour range. For instance, all your food for the day needs to be consumed from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm for an eight-hour range. You would need to eat nothing before or after those hours. The window and time period are entirely up to you and what works with your schedule.
The second method is called 5:2. Basically you can eat normally for five days during the week and on the other two days, you eat only one moderate-sized meal.
Both methods are flexible and the trick is to make them work for you. There are pitfalls along the way, such as eating too much food (especially unhealthy "junk food") during your window, not getting exercise, and trying to make too many drastic changes at once.
If you decide to try this method remember to look it at as a long term change and concentrate on what makes it work for you. What worked for your best friend or sister-in-law may not suit you.
Remember that intermittent fasting itself doesn't involve eating or not eating specific foods, but instead restricting your eating to within that window and fasting the remaining time. But with that thought in mind, it's also a great time to turn toward more healthy food choices. This regimen also can fit right in with other popular plans such as Paleo, low-carb, or keto diets.
For even more benefits, going to bed with a relatively empty stomach has been shown to improve both sleep and digestion.
If you decide to give this a try you should give it about a week or so and give your body time to adjust. After that, if you want to experiment with changing the window times or length, or varying a 5:2 eating pattern you should give yourself a few days on the new regimen before deciding if it's an improvement.
You may find that intermittent fasting just isn't right for you, and that's fine. But you also may have learned some things about your eating habits that will help to keep you healthier in the long run.
No investment in your health is ever wasted!
I've heard a lot about this and many people find it works.
I think the main thing is everyone on this diet tends to eat less which helps with weight loss as that is purely an energy equation.
I do think the intermediate part may help with stabilizing digestion and glucose levels which would lead to a longer life expectancy amd less diseases above and beyond what weight loss in general will achieve.
Overall a good combination.
It does lend itself to further speculation - and it's not like it can hurt you (like taking medication) - so I'm giving it a try.
#posh
Intermittent fasting works great! I have been a fan of it for a long time. I actually wandered over to keto for a bit with it and the results are quite amazing.
So much for that food pyramid thing. :)
Great read!
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@dswigle - I'm struggling with the no late in the evening eating, it's a hard habit to break, and that's all it is is HABIT. I'm giving it another try now. Thanks for the tip!
@blueeyes8960
You are so right! It is the kiss of death for most! Good luck and let me know if I can help in any way!
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This sounds interesting and may have a go at it. We all need to have a healthier lifestyle. If it could make you live longer well that is really something.
Yes, that's a pretty powerful benefit!
So many things being given new names, my sister-in-law eats six days a week and for most of her life taken one day off only intake of fruit and water which has always stood her well for fifty odd years.
For me personally just balanced moderation eating smaller quantities has been the approach, dieting is a big no no, tried tested and definitely no seal of approval.
If one can adjust to the 5:2 method it sounds to be a healthy option Tammy.
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It's something to think about and I'm interested in following the research as they continue to study the effects. Going to bed hungry might aid with digestion - but how's it going to improve my sleep over the sound of my stomach growling, lol. Thanks for the tip!
It's not something I would do, good luck test driving this one Tammy.
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A great write up on this subject! I know that fasting works, and that what you've written about here is likely spot on, but it really shouldn't work, so there must be something else going on with fasting.
If we don't eat anything for 6 hours, our bodies go into starvation mode, meaning that if we haven't taken in any nourishing food for 6 hours our systen detects we are starving and need food.
Fasting somehow illustrates there is a secret path of sorts where we can literally starve ourselves and improve our health. Now, can we find out what that is?
They are doing research on it now, so I found these articles I quoted interesting. It's something for the medical profession to endorse something works that doesn't involve taking some "new and improved" drug!
Interesting. Very informative.
We have done quite a lot of (forced) interminent (for some people quite permanent) fasting. That did not work well for most. We have aged like 20 years in just 6.
But of course, that's the result of a combination of other detrimental factors.
I wonder if the scientific community will ever agree on what the best diet would be like. I guess given human diversity that will never happen.
Yes, there's a huge difference in willful fasting to improve your health and fasting because you have no food to eat. My heart aches for all the people in the world in such unfortunate circumstances.
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Interesting! I've been reading about it as well and the benefits of it. Along with mindfulness this might be something I try this year.
It costs nothing to try it and you're sure to learn something about your eating habits - mindfulness is always a good thing.
Good info @blueeyes. With aging we need all the help there is to keeping our bodies working properly. The fasting makes sense.
Sounds like it's worth a try, especially if you combine it with making healthier food choices.
I've been intermittent fasting all my life, I eat for 20 hours and fast for 4 hours, while I'm asleep @blueeyes8960 🤣🤣🤣
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Only 4 hours of sleep? I'd be a walking (less than svelte) zombie, lol. Thanks for the TRDO!
Now here's the thing, many years ago before intermittent fasting was even thought of, we used to eat in set window periods on the farms.
Early morning mug of black coffee, out to milk the cows and all of the other early tasks, back at 9 for breakfast, fruit and sandwiches while plowing, seeding and whatever for lunch and a 5pm supper.
Modern illnesses were all way down in those days and comfort foods were as scarce as hens teeth.
That's why I think this intermittent fasting is a good idea.
Blessings!
No investment in your health is ever wasted! I am trying to kill the sugar addict in ME
Great info, @blueeyes8960! I know several people who are doing this now and they love it. They really like how they feel and they lose weight. I’ve been thinking about it but haven’t jumped on board yet! My problem is that I tend to stay up late, and then I feel like I need a light snack at some point. But I am really thinking I need to give it a try.
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To be honest I have doubts about tests with mice. Their digestion and gens are different from ours but it makes since since option one is not different from how we used to eat. How we ate as a kid. Snacking and meals inbetween the meals day and night was not common as I was a child.
Dinner you had at noon so plenty of time to digest. Next we had it at 6 pm and now 8-9 is "normal" too.
We still have our hot meal as soon as the children are back from school (always before 4:30 pm).
We already eat within a certain time so the first option plus low carb. I cannot say I sleep better or my digestion improved but between 5-7:30 pm is my bedtime. I wake up at 4 am or earlier.
I resteem. I believe @carolkean is doing the first given option too (16 hours no food works for her).
Happy day. 💕
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Good memory, kittywu! I have the best luck with 16-hour daily fasting, eating only during an 8-hour window, but I tend to go with 14 or 15 hours due to lack of will power. I do feel better. Fewer headaches. Also recommended: Deep Breathing. A physical therapist recommended it; I scoffed, but tried it, and am amazed that I almost never yawn anymore (I used to yawn chronically). And I do feel better.
The Power of Breathing Techniques: Breathing Exercises for more Fitness, Heal... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PMLPC2W/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_29drEb12K4WSJ
@carolkean I believe I can make the 16 hours easily on most days some exceptions... but noticed I still need to watch my carbohydrates and calories.
The deep breathing I do to lower my pulse rate..It helps for some reason even if I still feel "stressed".
Great you feel better..I need to catch more sleep. I notice I am longer awake lately and only have 4 hours sleep.
Cutting back on carbs, calorie counting, deep breathing, and .... SLEEP!!!
Yes. Two nights in a row I've been up late with our daughter visiting for the weekend. Eating late at night with her, too. Now I've regained FOUR pounds of the 15 I had lost. Demoralizing, but not defeating: I will lose them again, and I'll lose the final ten that have been so slow to go.
I hope you get more sleep! It really is phenomenal to read about the harm to our health that too little sleep will cause.
I just had a look at my results. I lost nothing after a week and gained 4 pounds or more. I guess as long as we stay focussed we lose them again. A few times I had a late dinner too. It's better for me to stick to my scheduled life. 💕
Hi. I have Type 2 Diabetes, and what you say in your post is true about the times to eat your meals.
Howdy blueeyes8960! You got lots of great points in this post. A big part of the Keto diet that we follow at our house is the mini fast between 6pm and 6-8 am. The longer you can stretch that period the better it is for you.
Thanks for this - sorry I found it a month late! Fasting is the ONLY weight-loss method that works for me. I stop eating around 8 p.m. and try to make it to noon the next day but 14 to 15 hours later (10 or 11 a.m.) I usually break down. Still. I lost 15 pounds in 4 months (with 10 to go). Instead of losing the next 10, I keep regaining/losing/regaining 3 of those 15 pounds I'd lost. THIS WORKS - not just for weight loss, but reducing inflammation (my headaches have lessened quite a bit). This isn't even a diet - just a matter of giving up breakfast (or dinner). It's doable! I've done it! Thanks again @ blue eyes!
@carolkean - I'm so glad you've had success with this! It's really helping my blood sugar control as well. And being faithful with no late night snacking (which was a real problem for me!) has helped with the weight loss as well. Keep up the good work girlfriend!
The late night munchies - or glass of red wine - is my own weakness. Now, making sure I take in zero calories before 11 a.m. or noon is an even greater challenge. But I don't want those 15 pounds back, and I'd love to lose ten more. Drink lots of water, husband says... some say even black coffee is taboo, but I draw the line at that. Must have the morning coffee!!!