The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide To Intermittent Fasting
“I’ve had some of the best health results of my life so far while taking apart in the awesomeness that is Intermittent Fasting!” — Matthew Ehrlich, Co-Founder of ThunderFit.
Ever wonder why achieving a great body is just so darn confusing. I mean seriously…
At some point you’ve probably thought…
“Intermittent Fasting Diet, Ketogenic Diet, WeightWatchers Diet, Paleo Diet, Dr. This, Instagram model that… Which diet do i choose!?”
Why does this have to be so confusing, why can’t I just get in shape without everyone giving me mixed opinions and feelings on different diets.
Do you want to know which diet is best for you?
The answer is. The diet that works for you. The one that fits your schedule best. The diet that works is the one that allows you to feel free.
Sure some people recommend eating 5–6 small meals a day. I’ve done it before, and it works.
I’ve also done the whole 6-meals a day when i’ve had plenty of time on my hands to make sure my meals are prepped and ready to go every week.
Now, after participating in the Intermittent Fasting diet, I have to say… This diet is the one that works best for me right now.When I first heard about intermittent fasting. My immediate reaction was…
What!? Fasting? Isn’t that what monks do?
Fasting!
How can I manage that? Besides I’ve already prepped my meals for the week. Spent most of my weekend prepping meals.
Every time the weekend rolls around my friends know exactly what i’m up to:
Not anymore!
Now, I have my weekends back and it’s all thanks to my new favorite diet.
Below Is The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide To Intermittent Fasting!
We’ll cover:
- How Intermittent Fasting works
- Common Intermittent Fasting methods with schedules
- Health benefits of Intermittent Fasting
- Weight loss benefits!
- Frequently Asked Questions about Intermittent Fasting
- Wrap up & final thoughts
Let’s Dig In!
What is Intermittent Fasting and How Does It Work?
Intermittent Fasting is an eating approach. That’s the best way to look at it.
There are a few different approaches to this fasting strategy.
In general most people will fast for 14+ hours depending on the day and then set a specific time where they get their grub on.
Now 14+ hours of fasting might sound intimidating and I thought so as well at first… Until you realize that typically 7–9 of those hours you’ll be asleep.
This is how intermittent fasting becomes an eating approach. Basically it’s delayed eating.
You fast for the first 7–9 hours while asleep. Then when you wake up you continue your fast for another 5–8 hours.
So, if you wake up at 7am. Your first meal will be right around 12–3pm. Not so bad after all.
Oh and don’t worry!
Below we’ll have schedules for you to follow.
Intermittent fasting has actually changed my life. It’s a tool I can pull out of my toolbox when I don’t want to eat 6 meals per day.
I went from eating 6 small meals over the course of an entire day to eating 2 large meals that kept me fully satiated.
Making RealizationsUsually, things… Including the human body can be in one of two states.
Think about it…
On/Off, Positive/Negative, Winner/Loser, Dead/Alive.
To better understand intermittent fasting, we must realize that the body is either in one of two states as well.
The fed or the fasted state.
Typically the average day consists of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Our body is in a fed state for the majority of the day.
As the body is digesting and absorbing the food from the continuous “feeding periods”, it prefers to use the food you just ate as the primary energy source for your basic metabolic functions that happen throughout the day.
Give that paragraph a re-read, it’s super important to understand this before continuing on.
It’s much easier for the body to use energy from what was just added than to look elsewhere for it.
This is where intermittent fasting can be beneficial.
The body goes through its metabolic changes towards a fasting state about 3–5 hours after absorption of the last meal (aka the post-absorptive state).
At this point your body will start to look elsewhere for energy rather than just call upon what you may be about to eat.
When your body is considered to be in a fasted state generally 8–12 hours after the last meal, your body will tap into the glycogen stores in the liver and muscles and once our glycogen has been depleted during our fasting, our body then pulls from our fat stores for energy.
**Side note — To explain it in the simplest way possible, think of “glycogen stores” like this…
You eat food that is then broken down by your body into glucose for energy. The excess energy is stored inside glycogen stores.
During the fasting state, when your body uses all of your glycogen stores for energy, it will now call upon your fat stores for energy instead.
Burning that pesky fat! woo-hoo! **
As you can see, on the left, if you are eating regularly following the ever popular many meals per day. Your glycogen stores build up.
When they reach full capacity…
There is actually spillover, your body then takes that spill over and converts it into fat! Yuck!!
What does this mean?
The idea behind intermittent fasting is to purposely extend the fasted state of our body.
Once the body has used up all of the glucose and glycogen reserves for energy, our body now uses the fat stores in our cells. (As seen on the right side of the image above)
In other words, your body is now burning fat for energy!
Not too bad of a trade-off, right?
But, why does this happen?
The last piece of the puzzle to intermittent fasting is:
Insulin
When the body is in the fed state, our insulin levels are elevated. With the secretion of insulin, the body knows to burn glucose from the last meal and not tap into our fat stores.
High insulin levels also decreases lipolysis (breakdown of lipids).
This leads the body to store any excess energy first as glycogen which is stored in our muscles and liver.
There is a limit to how much glycogen our muscles and liver can store away, so once those are completely filled, excess energy gets stored into our fat cells.
Use this infographic to allow us to explain further!
When the body is in the fed state, our insulin levels are higher and as we learned, the body will NOT burn our stored fat.
Instead it will utilize the energy we’ve built up in our glycogen stores. Anything extra gets stored as fat…
On the other hand!
When the body is in the fasted state, our insulin levels are lowered and as we learned, the body in a fasted state will start to use the stored fat from our cells as the primary source of energy.
Bye-bye fat!
In summary, by fasting for an extended period and going against the common eating patterns of breakfast, lunch, and dinner we allow our body to tap into our ever so elusive fat stores and burn it for energy!
Common Intermittent Fasting Methods
Now we know, in order for the body to burn fat, you would need to have longer fasting periods. Besides, who set the rule of 3+ meals per day anyway?
We are progressing along nicely and the infographics have hopefully allowed you to see how things work in a more illustrative way.
Even though some of this scientific jargon can be confusing.
Don’t worry though, we’ll go over some of the popular intermittent fasting methods, and i’m sure one will be a perfect fit for you and your lifestyle.
Leangains (16/8)
The 16/8 or leangains protocol was highly popularized by Martin Berkhan. The concept is pretty straight forward, you fast for 16 hours straight and the remaining 8 hours in the day is your eating window.
You can utilize this calendar above to be your guide of when to be fasting and when to eat.
When you break it down, intermittent fasting is actually easier to follow than one would think. All you are really required to do is go to bed at a reasonable hour.
Then, not have your first meal until 12pm noon.
The “leangains” method is my personal favorite. However, before we decide which method is better for you, let’s look at another very popular fasting method.
Eat-Stop-Eat (24 hour fasts)
The Eat-Stop-Eat method calls for a 24 hour fast once or twice per week. If you find it too difficult to fast for the whole duration, then gradually work your way up to that 24-hour benchmark.
To give our point of view, this method will definitely be slightly harder. However, there are benefits to it as well. No cooking, no clean-up, no hassle.
One last thing that I think is important to point out is that water is allowed even during your fast periods.
Definitely drink plenty of water.
Now that we’ve covered the most popular methods, let me tell you which method is the best…
Wait for it…
The best intermittent fasting approach is the one that works for YOUR lifestyle and the one that you can enjoy the most.
It’s that simple. Here’s a thumbs up, ThunderFit approved.
Try not to get too worked up over which method you should go with. Simply choose which Intermittent Fasting routine best fits your life.
So whether you prefer to fast 24 hours 1–2x a week or fast at least 16 hours daily is entirely up to you.
Intermittent fasting didn’t become popular overnight, religions practice fasting during specific times of the year and there have been countless studies which explain the benefits of extended fasts.
It’s important to note that everything with dieting always comes down to your own lifestyle. You should never forcefully inconvenience yourself.
This is how people get sick and tired of diets and begin to hate them.
Great!
We’ve covered what intermittent fasting is, how it works and which methods you may want to follow.
Now, let’s dive right in and learn why you should consider giving it a go.
Health Benefits
Sometimes we get caught up in all the day to day worries of life that we forget just how important our health is to us.
Below you’ll see some of the amazing benefits Intermittent fasting can provide you along with the scientific research to back these claims up!
Intermittent fasting is good for the brain (Alzheimer’s)
As these studies(1, 2) show intermittent fasting not only increases the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) meaning a higher resistance of brain neurons to dysfunction and degeneration (such as degradation of Amyloid-β and tau proteins — two vital indicators for Alzheimer’s Disease).
In other words: Your brain neurons will have higher resistance to breakdown over time and can help offset Alzheimers Disease in your later years.
Intermittent fasting can reduce inflammation .
This study(3)highlights how systemic inflammation in the body may be reduced with longer fasting periods at night (where fasting starts earlier in the evening) which can potentially reduce risks of breast cancer and other chronic diseases.
Intermittent fasting can help with mood
According to this study(4)participants who were subjected to intermittent fasting routines showed decreases in anger, tension, confusion, and total mood disturbance and there were improvements in vigor compared to the control group which was subjected to maintaining their current lifestyle.
In other words: You’ll be happier and more calm throughout your day.
Intermittent fasting can increase life expectancy
Who doesn’t want to live longer?
Well the good news is that alternate-day caloric restriction (similar to the eat-stop-eat method) has shown(5)to extend lifespans.
There are SO MANY other health benefits to intermittent fasting such as reducing your risks of Type-2 Diabetes, cancer, heart ailments, reductions in insulin resistance, and increased production of growth hormone.
All of which you can find in these studies (6, 7, 8).
These are some serious health benefits, but now you may find yourself asking.
Can all of this intermittent fasting jazz help me with losing weight?
I’m glad you asked! Intermittent fasting is a powerhouse when it comes to losing weight!
Weight Loss Benefits
Growth Hormone Levels Increase
Growth hormone (GH) plays a major role in fat loss, muscle gain, and many other bodily processes to maintain homeostatis.
So it’s reassuring to know that intermittent fasting increases growth hormone levels(9).
The more GH the body has, the better its ability to burn fat as GH promotes lipolysis (remember — going into the fed state and increasing your insulin levels will decrease the body’s ability to burn fat).
Eating Less
Most intermittent fasting methods recommend fasting for at least 14 hours so assuming 8 of those hours are dedicated to sleep, there are meals being skipped.
Less meals would generally mean that you are consuming less calories, thus it’s more likely that you’ll put yourself in a better position to lose weight.
Losing weight becomes an easy task as long as you’re not replacing a skipped breakfast with empty calories like junk food.
**Also keep in mind, by following a timed fasting/feeding period throughout the day, this only makes your day so much easier to plan and you don’t have to put anymore stress on trying to eat a meal every couple hours.
Frequently Asked Questions About Intermittent Fasting
Won’t I feel super hungry fasting for 16+ hours?
It may be difficult at first, but keep in mind about half of that time span will be spent sleeping. The body is amazing at adapting to eating patterns, you may have realized that when the body seemed to expect food around breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The same will be true for intermittent fasting, the body will adapt to the prolonged fasting period and expect food after your fasting period is over.
The way this works is that the cells in your stomach release a hormone called ghrelin(10)which is controlled by a circadian clock based on our eating patterns.
The anticipation of food is why we tend to be hungry before our usual meal times.
Can I workout while fasted?
Of course!
I’ve worked out fasted for months on end and my training is as intense as my days where I ate prior to my workouts.
But if you want more than my anecdotal evidence, this study(11)shows both groups that trained in the fed and fasted states did not see any negative changes in body fat and body mass.
Can fasting lead to muscle loss?
The thought of fasting may put you on edge because of the classic dogma of needing to every 3 hours to best preserve your muscle.
Not only does the study above prove that’s a fallacy, this study(12)shows no adverse effects in muscle retention to the participants who fasted 4 days in the week.
As long as you eat a sufficient amount of calories and protein, you will be in a great position to put on/retain muscle…no matter your eating pattern.
What if I have a complicated schedule?
This guide isn’t meant to promote intermittent fasting as the be-all, end-all to your health and fitness needs. Not everyone can easily fit a 16 hour fast into their lifestyle, let alone justify one.
If you are determined to try intermittent fasting and you also work sporadically throughout the week, then either try to start off with a 16 hour fast once a week and see if that can be extended to 24 hours over time or the flexibility of the eat-stop-eat diet can be a better choice.Even on the leangains method you will really only be skipping breakfast.
If you work overnight, it’s as simple as flip flopping the schedule to fit your waking/working hours.
What should I do during my fasting period?
One of the many pros of intermittent fasting is that you will be A LOT more productive when you don’t have to worry about eating every 3 hours (which means less dishes to wash and time spent preparing food).
You can focus your energy on the tasks for the day during your fasting period and that fact alone just makes life a lot simpler.
If you do struggle adjusting to the fasting period, try drinking water, black coffee, and/or tea to get you through.
Can women do intermittent fasting?
There have been studies that show unfavorable for women as the results of this study shows impaired glucose response(13)and another study done on rats showed negative influence on reproduction(14)
However, there are other studies(15)that show intermittent fasting is superior to a normal diet in improving insulin sensitivity and body fat reduction.
The take home message for women who are interested in trying intermittent fasting is this:
Start with a gentle approach at first, and pay attention to how your body responds to the change. An example of a gentle approach may be fasting 14 hours once a week and work your way up to 3 times a week and so on (if there are no adverse physical or hormonal responses) feel free to continue.
I thought it was better you if you eat every 3 hours?
I honestly believe this is the most over said piece of nutrition advice out there (next to the body can only absorb 30 grams of protein at a time, but we’ll leave that for another time).
The idea is that if you eat 4–6 small meals every 2–3 hours, you keep the metabolism churning and thus burn more calories through the digestion and absorption processes.
This may come as a shock, but that’s bull and here’s the science to back it up(16).
The body expends the same amount of energy processing 2,500 calories split up into small meals throughout the day AND 2,500 calories eaten within a smaller time frame.
Final Thoughts
Don’t assume intermittent fasting changes what you should eat.
Just because you are skipping a meal or two doesn’t mean you should reward yourself with cookies and ice cream.
You generally should still eat around the same amount of calories for your goals.
The only difference now is, instead of 6 small meals, you’re going to enjoy 2–3 larger meals throughout the day.
Don’t beat yourself up if you accidentally slip.
So you ate before your supposed feeding period or after your fasting period had started, it’s okay!
Whether it was due to an impromptu get together with friends or you were just really hungry, life happens.
There is no need to think you ruined any progress you’ve made, there are plenty of easy fixes to get the ball rolling again.
**Side note: Say you follow the 16/8 protocol and eat from 12 PM — 8 PM and you decide to grab a late night snack around 10 PM, you can still fast for 16 hours after that snack and start your feeding period at 2 PM instead.
You’d ideally still want to finish your feeding period at 8 PM even when your eating period was pushed back so everything falls back into place the following day.
Consider supplementation while intermittent fasting
We highly recommend that you supplement with 10g of BCAA’s prior to a fasted workout. Amino Acids are the building blocks of protein and they will help keep your body in an anabolic state.
In other words: Branch Chain Amino Acids keep your body in a muscle building state.
Intermittent fasting may or may not be for you
It’s easy to fall into thinking that intermittent fasting was the answer you were looking for all along. However, it shouldn’t be viewed as such. Like most things in life, intermittent fasting has its pros and cons.
There are several factors to consider:
- Can you go long periods at a time without eating?
- Do you enjoy eating larger meals throughout the day?
- Do you get too hungry to sustain a long fast period?
- Is your work/school/life schedule too complicated to plan a daily fast?
Either way, the only way to truly find out if intermittent fasting is right for you is to give it a shot.
With everything else that concerns your health and fitness it would be smart to consult with your healthcare provider prior to beginning intermittent fasting
You can see all of the amazing benefits Intermittent Fasting can provide you. From solving scheduling crises to reducing inflammation and fat loss.
Maybe all of this time we’ve been causing these issues on ourselves by forcing ourselves to eat 3–6 times per day.
What do you think? Join the discussion down below.
If you found The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide To Intermittent Fasting useful and helpful. Please give it a share with someone who may benefit from it.
Originally published at www.thunderfit.com.
If you are a supplement taker, Why not give ThunderFit Supplements a try?
We are also working on making actual HUMAN personal training more affordable for you. Currently in pre-sign up. Check that out here.
