Forget Fasting
Today’s topic is on FASTING!!! Of course, you already know this because it’s in the title… DUH!!! But this is a non-aggressive conversation, so I promise to not put anymore “!!!’s” here on out.
Time-restricted eating is the new rising trend in the wellness field. This also includes occasional fasting, but is it healthy? Fasting is nothing new and has returned as a recent fad among fitness and health enthusiasts alike. Before you stop eating or severely restrict your food intake, let’s deep dive with some answers from one of Driven fitness specialists, Austin as he uncovers the meat of fasting…
Do you Fast Austin?
HELL, TO THE NO! But I can help you decide what options are available if you are planning to start.
How, When and Why Fast?
When the conversation of fasting comes up, these always come up and they are ALL great questions. If you haven’t done any research on it, however, how would you know right?
Well let me tell you that there is a science to this madness of so called “starving” yourself, but it isn’t rocket science. The most honest answer to the “How, when and why?” all depend on what you are trying to achieve with the fast.
But before we get any deeper into this conversation, let me teach you something really quick. The only reason to eat is to fuel your bodies. I mean there are other responsibilities of food being ingested but to provide your body with sufficient energy to continue living is the MAIN reason.
For the people reading this that may need a picture drawn…
How often do you fill up your car when it is already on full? So why fill up your body multiple times throughout the day when you are sitting or lying down 20 hours of that day?
There is absolutely no reason for a 125lb woman who works in a clerical position, to consume the same amount as a 245lb linebacker on his heavy leg day. Just saying….
But back to the top now that I have painted a picture of “ohhhh….” in your head. First let me start by telling you what exactly this fasting thing is.
How Does Fasting Work
Fasting is when you only allow yourself to eat during a specific window of time throughout a 24hr period which can lead anywhere from 12 to 20 hours without having a meal; depending on what your goals are.
The most common form of fasting is having your first meal later in the day around the hours of 12 and 4pm.
I personally chose to do the exact opposite when I experimented with fasting for the first time. Let me explain why. Let’s say that I am only allowing myself 8 hours to eat a day. That is a 16 hour “starvation” period.
I will get into this a little further later, but if I am only eating for fuel, why will I make my time block of consumption end immediately before I get into my most stagnant period of the day which is sleep? hmmm…
When Should I be Fasting?
What I personally did was had my largest meal first thing upon waking up. It is already hard enough waking up at 3:45am anyways, why wake up and start my day miserable because I am hungry. It benefited me better to eat first thing in the morning because it gave me to ability to jump start my metabolism (will discuss on another blog) and allowed me to be more tolerable at work.
For the next couple of hours I had a few small snacks here and there and I finished my last meal before 12pm. 8 hours is plenty of time to scarf down all of your calories for the day (which will be discussed in a little bit) without ever really leaving you feeling uncomfortable until right before it’s about bed time. Luckily for you, you can’t feel hunger while you are sleeping. So, you wake up with excitement because you can eat first thing instead of looking at the clock and determining that it is going to be a bad day because you can’t have anything to eat until 2pm.
Why Fasting (May) Work for Your Health Goals
Now that you have learned the “How” of fasting, lets decipher your reason as to “why” you are fasting. Is it because your friend is doing it and talked you into joining, is it because you are following a trend that you are seeing fitness model’s do on their Instagram pages, you heard that it’s one of the best ways to lose weight, or ALL OF THE ABOVE?
I completely accept whatever reason you picked for starting this but please make sure that you have more of an understanding as to why you are doing this besides the idea of following OTHER people. Make sure to do this because YOU want to. And this is where I break out the calorie knowledge that was previously discussed.
If you are doing this to lose weight, know that even when fasting there is a limit to what you can and cannot eat. Just because you joined the fasting bandwagon doesn’t mean that your goals are going to be met.
The Reality of Fasting
If you are ingesting more calories than you are exerting in a single day the extra calories will be stored as fat, weight gain. If you eat less calories than you are burning then your body will take the extra energy needed off from your already stored fats which will, in the long run, lead to weight loss. It’s just that simple, “Calories in vs. Calories out.”
The reason I am telling you this is because if you wake up to eat 4 slices of leftover pizza for breakfast, stop and get a Venti Caramel Frap on your way into the office, and have 4 glazed donuts to celebrate Sharol’s B-day, just to have another pizza as your last meal of the day, you will most likely have gone over your calorie intake for the day. I guess you will make up for it by doing your half-ass 30min workout right? No likely. Tomorrow is another day, I guess.
Healthier Starts Here
Want to learn more about fasting or other healthy diet options? Contact the team at DrivenFit+SWS today!
*Written by DRIVEN+SWS team member Austin
Disclaimer: Before trying any new nutritional program always consult with a doctor or certified nutritionist.
