Beginner’s guide to Intermittent Fasting

Starting with your fasting journey? Fear Not..Here is the what, How and why’s about IF.

WHAT IS IF?

IF is a simple practice of introducing periods of not eating (fasting) into your daily routine. Our body’s are supposed to thrive on fasts. Fasting has been widely practiced historically – both for religious and spiritual reasons. Let’s nerd out on this a bit more. Your body has 2 main sources of energy – sugar or fat to make and use energy . Just to keep it short and simple – the body can use stored fat or stored carbohydrates (sugar) for energy. If you are a grazer ( eating / snacking through the day) the body can never use the stored fats as fuel, it will always keep you in the sugar burning mode without getting into the whole function of Lipolysis ( which is simply a process when body breaks down fats that stimulates fat burning mechanism). Your ability to easily switch back and forth between using either stored carbs or fats demonstrates how Metabolically Flexible you are .

SO the Next Question.. Why FASTING?

When you have maintained a few hours without eating ,our fat storing hormone INSULIN gets low. During the fasting period when food as the source of energy is not available , the body has to then switch to stored fats to use as fuel for energy .This is when the MAGIC happens .. It’s through these bouts of fasting window and varying our fasting window length, the body then can stop putting energy into digestion and storage and instead shifts the body into clean up mode. Our energy levels soar,we will feel more mental clarity, less bloated , inch /weight loss , better digestion are all the by products of IF.

Finally to answer HOW do you Incorporate Fasting in your lifestyle?

To implement it in your lifestyle and make it simple and easy – I suggest beginning with a 12 hours fast . Eg . If you finish dinner at 7pm , then fast until 7 am the next morning giving 12 hours of fast to your body . Slowly experiment , push the breakfast by an hour or two. Find a sweet spot – It could be a 13 hrs or 14 hrs fast for you. Make it a part of your daily routine. Vary your fasts eventually. Keep it simple and most importantly sustainable!

Note – If you are on medication, pregnant , breast feeding etc , do not attempt longer fasts. Check with your medical provider always.

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Stay Healthy,

Swati