Intermittent Fasting…

My mother always used to tell me “breakfast is the most important meal of the day!” The statement almost made perfect sense, the need to make sure your body has the fuel to start the right way. That with the yearning to fill my body with a mass of sugar that is even in some of the “Healthy” options. But you will learn from this post that I have found intermittent fasting can really work and can also help you with hitting those all important macro goals on a keto diet.

Intermittent fasting is less about the time spent not eating and more about the time you are eating. It is not about restricting the amount of calories you eat it is more about giving you an allotted time where you can eat as much as you want. Effectively you can sometimes be fasting between 14-20 hours a day.

Will I have time to eat everything I need to?

This diet isn’t about eating too strictly apart from the low carb element you should be making sure you listen to your body and its appetite to determine whether you are hungry or not and how much you should eat. Aim for your daily protein intake and use healthy fats to suppress your hunger. Remember protein is your building block for muscle growth and so without it you can start to lose muscle mass and also halt the fat burning process. Supplement those proteins with foods that are high in healthy fats like Avocados, cheese, & nuts these will make sure you hit your 75% fat goals.

The different ways to try fasting…

1. Alternate fasting days… This is where you will fast one day and the next have an unrestricted but still low carb diet. This can be the hardest type of fasting and not what I recommend to start with. I find this hard to get back on the fasting train once being allowed an unrestricted diet the previous day.
2. Windowed Fasting… This is where you will break your fasting into timed windows of eating and fasting. I typical break the day into two windows of 18 hours of fasting and 6 hours of eating. I have heard of people restricting themselves to a 4 hour window or even a 3 hour window but see what works for you listening to your own body is important.
3. Skipping Meals… This is a great way to start your journey of intermittent fasting. Start by putting off a meal for a couple of hours to working your way up to putting off a breakfast entirely. I loved this way of fasting at the start of my diet and was a great way to train my body. I practice this during a working week by skipping breakfast every morning.
4. The 24 hour cleanse… I only advise to try this once you have become an avid faster. This is as simple as the words in bold suggest eat nothing for 24 hours. I have known people to do a full 48 hours but I have never been that strong willed!

I cant advise to go straight into a 48 hour fasting cleanse you just wont make it through and I would find it demoralising. Work your body and stomach like the muscle it is and by that I mean you wouldn’t hit the gym and expect to be benching 150kg straight away! I found it easiest to start with skipping meals and work my way upwards listening to my body all the way. I typically restrict myself to eating between 5pm-11pm on a windowed fast and do this during weekends where I find I have more control over what food is around me. There is nothing I find worse than being on a fast and it being a birthday in the office and people are eating tons of food around me. During the week I skip breakfast and stop eating at 8pm. This works for me and I urge you to try and find what you feel comfortable with.

So what is the point??

I find that fasting really helps you control your appetite as well as understand exactly what you are putting into your body. We have a tendency to take hunger as a reason to stuff your face with sugar & carbs. Fasting helped me learn that that is no more than an addictive craving and with time you can train your body to only need to eat when it is required to whilst also making sure we only put the optimal food sources to help this well oiled machine work to its maximum potential.

As well as the above during fasting periods or at least whilst also fasting and on a keto diet I find the following benefits:

• Muscle Gains
• Improved Training Performance
• Less mental fogginess & more mental clarity

In a fasting state your body will break down extra fats being stored as energy which goes hand in hand with how your body acts whilst in ketosis. Which is the idea of using fats as your main energy source. Effectively instead of using the fats we are eating as your energy source you are using the fats that are already stored instead. However, this does not mean fasting will just help you lose weight you will need to get those extra fats into your system to hit those important macro’s.

You should find as you work your way through the diet and fasting that your body naturally adjusts. What I mean is your body will tell you when your hungry eventually you wont need to plan your fasting periods it will begin to happen naturally and the benefits are real!!