How is it that some people can seemingly lose weight quicker than others? I looked further into this after a yearly visit with my family. My mother and brother. I use these visits to recharge from a fairly busy work/lifestyle. Gladly my mother makes sure that her refrigerator is stocked with Rocky Road ice cream and Coke. Two foods that I consume sparingly the rest of the year but not when I’m with them. Again, I’m recharging, right? After this last visit my scale told me that I had gained 5 pounds. In the following week I lost 3-4 of what I had gained and by the 2nd week I was below what I started my visit with.
Now before you start screaming, “that’s unfair!” This is how I and many others are able to accomplish this. It’s called Intermittent Fasting (IF). Let’s look at what IF is, how you can implement it, what the research is and what further health benefits it may have.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting is an umbrella term for various diets that cycle between a period of fasting and non-fasting. (wiki) Fasting in this instance is not, zero calories but calories restricted (CR) in which daily calorie intake is reduced by 20-40%. (pnas) This can be done by fasting one day and then not the next.
For what seems like forever we’ve been programmed to eat 3 times per day. And to add to that one of the many ways we tell people to lose weight is to actually eat 5 times per day. If you prescribe to the Paleo diet then you would not be eating after the sun goes down. Caveman was only able to eat when he could see. And no he couldn’t keep his food in his refrigerator in his cave.
Now typically I’m someone who eats through the day. But I can be busy enough that if I don’t pay attention to it I may not get in a typical lunch (I see clients at “lunchtime”) and go hours without consuming much. If Marcia is on the road which is often then dinner can easily become an afterthought and instead is replaced with a piece of fruit and a couple of teaspoons of almond butter (about 300 kcal). On the weekends on my own, time goes very quickly and again food isn’t given a priority schedule wise. Remember back to basics – it’s math. Calories in versus caloric energy out.
Lose Weight and Health Benefits
Not only will you lose weight on this diet but studies have shown considerable health benefits. Here’s the research.
In a recent study published in the journal Cell Metabolism (CM) researchers used a 5 day diet. Day 1 supplied 1090 kcal (10% protein, 56% fat, 34% carbs), days 2 – 5 725 kcal (9% protein, 44% fat, 47% carbs). Their research found that this diet not only decreased weight but also caused beneficial changes in risk factors of age related diseases in humans. Such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This study along with others did not find a connection to longer lifespan but did demonstrate an increase of health during that lifespan.
Along with that study the NIH published a manuscript (NIH) stating that fasting in humans helps reduce obesity, hypertension, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.
There are several ways to accomplish this. Follow this link for some options. I like option #5. You would eat normal one day and the next eat only 20% of your typical day. This way your alternating days.
Now this isn’t to say that this is going to be an easy path to follow, I get that. There are many factors against us (pnas). For one thing we are programmed as a culture to eat 3 meals plus snacks each day. That along with the agriculture and food industry having huge financial interests in you eating large amounts has the deck stacked against any such changes.
But if you’re looking for a way to drop weight this is probably going to give you the results you want while gaining health benefits along the way.