I wanted to take some time to talk to you about intermittent fasting. This topic is a cornerstone of what I use in my weight loss program and has been transformative in my own personal life. About six years ago despite being an expert in weight loss, I tried everything, and nothing worked … until I discovered intermittent fasting. A lot of people wonder about intermittent fasting and want to learn more about it. So today, I’m going to talk about what it is, how it works, and why someone might want to do this.
Check out my video on this topic, below:
But, your body can also use fat for fuel. The body can break down fat into ketones, which can then be used as fuel. This is a term known as ketosis. Intermittent fasting is the way of sending your body a signal to switch from using glucose to fat for fuel.
In order for this switch to happen as a signal from your brain, your body needs a long enough period of time with no food and/or very few calories. Once your body recognizes that you’re lacking glucose as fuel, your insulin levels drop. Insulin is the hormone that manages blood glucose levels. When insulin levels have dropped for a long enough period of time, this is the signal that allows your body to begin breaking down fat for fuel. So that, in a nutshell, is what intermittent fasting is. It’s important to note that this is intermittent, you are not going without food for several days straight or doing a pure water fast.
For intermittent fasting, we aim for more than 12 hours typically 16, 20, or 24 hours of fasting. This is enough time to give your body a little break bring insulin levels down, and switch gears to the fat burning system.
You may wonder, who would want to do this?
Weight Loss and Management
Typically, people want to do intermittent fasting for weight loss or maintenance. I find this particular method works very well for weight loss. I often work with people over the age of 40, who have perhaps noticed a recent change in their body, have been carrying extra weight for a while. It works very well for those clients following hormonal changes, which often impact weight and make it more difficult to lose. Sometimes the old “tried and true” method of eating less, exercising more, less carbs, more protein, might not work. Often people are really trying, but something is not working and they just can’t seem to lose that extra weight. This is where intermittent fasting is very beneficial as a new approach to weight loss.
Blood Sugar Issues
Some individuals may also have issues with blood sugar levels. Depending on the severity, intermittent fasting might require supervision, especially if you also require medication to help manage your blood glucose levels. But certainly, intermittent fasting is a great way to drop insulin levels. People often become insulin resistant, and your blood sugar levels remain high, which contributes to weight issues. Intermittent fasting is a great way to “wake up” those insulin receptors and help rebalance the body to better manage carbohydrates, which get broken down to glucose.
These are just a few examples of who might be interested in intermittent fasting. People who have been carrying extra weight often focused on the belly, maybe there are blood sugar issues … and they’re stuck. There are many other benefits to intermittent fasting beyond these examples, and in future discussions I’ll go over some of those benefits in further detail. If you are interested to know more now check out my blog: The Surprising Benefits of Intermittent Fasting.
For today, I really just wanted to touch on what intermittent fasting is, who would do it, and why they would do it. Typically, we do this when the body is no longer responding properly to usual weight loss methods and they need something different. This was my own personal breakthrough six years ago. As I mentioned, I was carrying extra weight and my body was stuck. When I completely switched strategies to using intermittent fasting and a certain way of eating, I dropped a huge amount of weight – twenty pounds in six weeks, and I’ve kept it off ever since. It was really quite transformative. If you are interested in hearing my personal weight loss journey visit my Breakthrough Weight Loss Story.
So, if you’re somebody who’s struggling, I highly recommend looking into intermittent fasting. It’s a great strategy, and it truly is a lot easier than what people think it’s going to be. People are often concerned that they’re going to be unsatisfied, hungry and experience brain fog. However, once the body becomes efficient at using fat for fuel, all that goes away and you will be satisfied, not hungry, and thinking clearly – but I will talk more about those points and other benefits in a future discussion.
If you’re interested in trying intermittent fasting or learning more about it, I invite you to check my private Facebook Group: FastLane Mind Body Reset Mastery Group. Here can learn more about upcoming programs, offers, and strategies on resetting your mind and body for successful weight loss.