If you’re a regular listener to the show, you may have heard Joe discuss intermittent/periodic fasting. Here’s a recent clip from the show where he mentions it:

So what exactly is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent Fasting (or IF) is an eating pattern that limits the number of calories you have, and more importantly, when you have them. Wait! It’s not as bad as it sounds!

Generally, IF takes one of a couple of forms: Alternate Day Fasting (ADF) or 16/8 Fasting.

16/8 – Probably the easiest to maintain, 16/8 means you fast 16 hours/day and get all of your caloric intake during 8 hours or less. This includes your 8 hours of sleeping (you ARE sleeping 8 hours/night, right?)! If you start your day at 7AM, skip breakfast and don’t start eating until noon. Be certain to STOP eating no later than 8PM (earlier is better), and you’re officially on a 16/8 fast. If you’re really disciplined, you can push lunch until 1PM and quit eating by 7PM, giving your body 18 hours of fast time. Consistency is key. Doing this once or twice a week won’t give you the brain and body healing results that maintaining this as a lifestyle will. Not convinced yet? Just ask Terry Crews!

ADF – Alternate Day Fasting (Also called Eat, Stop, Eat) involves completely foregoing food one or two days per week. Most find it easier to skip dinner one day and not eat again until dinner the next day.  Be sure to drink LOTS of water, and feel free to have tea or coffee, but remember that caffeine hits the system a lot harder when you’re hungry.

There are plenty of other variations, but the idea remains the same: let your body stop constantly digesting food and work on some other things.

Researchers are finding more and more evidence that an IF lifestyle will preserve brain function and helps regenerate nural tissue, reduce insulin levels, and yes, weight loss.

For the entire scope of human history until the last 150 years or so, only nobility had a way to eat three large meals per day. As a result, our bodies are built do survive periods without food. From the research, our bodies don’t just survive these periods, but actually thrive in them. Giving your body a chance to run without constantly digesting seems to be a big step toward improving longevity.

Want more details about IF? Check HERE, HERE, AND HERE!
Want a one-on-one consultation to talk about making IF work for you? Call to setup a consultation: 888.865.9595