A complete beginners guide to intermittent fasting (get results fast)
Picture this: you’re losing weight, you’re becoming healthier, and you constantly feel at your best. Guess what? We’re going to help you get there.
We’ve put together a complete beginner’s guide to intermittent fasting. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about it, including all the fantastic health benefits and the different ways that you can do it. We’ve even thrown in an intermittent fasting schedule for you, so you can get started right away.
What is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is best described as an eating pattern that alternates between periods of eating and fasting. Note that we called it an eating pattern, and not a diet. Why? Because unlike conventional diets, it doesn't restrict the type of food you eat, but rather when you should eat. The general idea behind intermittent fasting is that you can eat pretty much anything you like, but only during a specific time period. There are several different types of intermittent fasting, and fasting times depend on which schedule or regime you decide to take on.
You may have noticed that intermittent fasting has really taken off in recent years. Big names like Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to A listers like Jennifer Aniston have talked about intermittent fasting. According to Google Trends data, it was the top trending diet search in 2019.
However, fasting is not a fad or a new phenomenon that your favourite fitness influencer came up with. Humans have naturally evolved to be able to function without food for long periods of time. It’s been around for centuries, and many religions and cultures still practice it today for its many benefits.
What are the scientific benefits of fasting?
Many studies have been carried out into the benefits of intermittent fasting, showing that it has positive effects on your brain and body. Here are some of those benefits that have been backed up by evidence:
Transforms the function of cells, genes and hormones
When you fast, chemical reactions happen in your body. These are some of the changes that take place in your body:
Insulin levels: the blood levels of insulin decrease dramatically, which promotes fat burning
Human growth hormone: during a fast, the blood levels of the human growth hormone can increase, which results in fat burning and muscle gain.
Cellular repair: the body is also able to activate cellular repair processes, like clearing out waste matter from cells
Gene expression: when fasting, your cells change which genes and molecules they express, including genes related to longevity and protection against disease.
Helps you lose weight
Most people who try out intermittent fasting do it in order to lose weight. The general idea behind intermittent fasting is that you eat less meals, and unless you eat double portions at mealtimes, then you will eventually consume less calories.
As mentioned in the previous point, intermittent fasting also increases the amount of human growth hormone and decrease insulin levels. Together, this has the effect of breaking down fat in the body and helping to turn it into energy. As a result, intermittent fasting increases your metabolic rate by 3.6-14%, which means that your body burns energy at a faster rate, leading to more fat being burned.
A 2014 study found that intermittent fasting can reduce body weight by 3-8% over a time period of 3-24 weeks. Interestingly, it was found that people lost 4-7% of their waist circumference, which means that intermittent fasting is particularly beneficial for losing belly fat.
Reduce insulin resistance and lower the risk of type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, and happens when your body can’t respond to insulin as well as it should, causing blood sugar levels to rise.
The same 2014 study discussed in the previous point found that intermittent fasting greatly improves insulin resistance and lowers blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels measured during fasting were reduced by 3-6%, and insulin levels were reduced by 20-31%.
Reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body
Oxidative stress is when free radicals and antioxidants in your body are imbalanced. This can lead to major damage in your cells and tissue, and in the long term, it can contribute to the development of chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Intermittent fasting plays an important role in reducing this oxidative stress. Not only can it improve your body’s resistance to oxidative stress, but it can also fight inflammation, which is a big cause behind many common diseases.
Beneficial for a healthy heart
Heart disease is currently the top cause of death. There are many risk factors that are linked to an increased or decreased risk of heart disease. Some of these risk factors include blood pressure, total and LDL cholesterol, blood triglycerides, inflammatory markers and blood sugar levels.
While not many studies have been done on humans, a great amount of evidence on animal studies have proven that intermittent fasting can improve these risk factors.
Promotes cellular repair processes
During fasting, the cells in our body start a process called autophagy, which is best described as a cleaning process your body undergoes to remove damaged cells and replace them with new ones.
Intermittent fasting produces a chemical reaction which causes autophagy to happen. This cleaning process controls inflammation, boosts immunity and gets rid of toxic proteins from cells that are linked to neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Can help prevent cancer
While there is not yet a cure for cancer, there is growing evidence that intermittent fasting can help prevent the development of the disease. As we have already found out, intermittent fasting lowers inflammation and insulin resistance, which in turn reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity - both conditions being risk factors for cancer.
Researchers also believe that if cancer cells are already present in the body, then intermittent fasting makes the cells more reactive towards chemotherapy. The fact that fasting boosts the immune system also helps the body fight these cancer cells.
Good for a healthy brain
The brain and the body are linked, and what is good for the body is, more often than not, good for the brain as well. Intermittent fasting has the ability to improve metabolic features which are vital for a healthy brain. Some of these features include reduced inflammation and oxidative stress, and lower blood sugar levels and insulin resistance.
There have been animal studies carried out which show that intermittent fasting can escalate the growth of nerve cells, which improves brain function. During a fast, there is an increase in the amount of the hormone BDNF, which protects and repairs brain cells. A lack of the BDNF hormone is linked to an increased chance of depression and other brain problems.
Can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease
Similarly, a healthy brain can help to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, which is the world’s most common neurodegenerative disease. Unfortunately there is not yet a cure for this disease, so it’s important to take the right measures to prevent it from happening.
A series of case reports were published in 2014 that show how daily short term fasts greatly improved the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease in 9 out of 10 patients, and all within 3-6 months. By keeping calories at a certain level, intermittent fasting was found to protect the brain by stimulating the growth of brain cells. This growth means that the brain is more resistant towards the damaging effects of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
Can extend your lifespan
It comes as no surprise that with all the health benefits discussed so far, intermittent fasting can extend your lifespan.
A study carried out by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) on mice revealed that increasing the time between meals actually improved their health and lifespan compared to those who ate more frequently.
Another study by the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, also carried out with mice, showed that fasting extend lifespans, lowered visceral fat, reduced the occurrence of cancer and boosted the immune system. The study also saw a reduction in the same risk factors in humans.
Side effects
Naturally, hunger is a side effect of intermittent fasting. When you’re hungry, you might experience weakness, fatigue and brain fogginess. However, these may only be temporary side effects as your body gets used to its new eating schedule.
Before trying out intermittent fasting, it’s important to consult with your doctor if you fit under any of the following:
Have diabetes
Have issues with blood sugar regulation
Have low blood pressure
Currently taking medication
Underweight
Have a history of eating disorders
Trying to conceive
Have a history of amenorrhea
Pregnant or breastfeeding
Otherwise, intermittent fasting is perfectly safe to carry out. If you are fit and healthy, then there is nothing unsafe about fasting.
Intermittent fasting during pregnancy - is it safe?
If you’re currently pregnant or planning to get pregnant in the near future, you’re probably wondering if intermittent fasting is safe. The best advice we can give you is to always call your doctor or health provider to make sure it’s okay. In the meantime, here’s some general advice concerning intermittent fasting and pregnancy.
Generally speaking, intermittent fasting is not recommended for pregnant women. Fasting promotes weight loss, which is the opposite effect of what pregnant women are supposed to, which is to create and store fat. Weight loss during pregnancy can lead to a deficiency in the weight of the growing fetus, as well as hormonal imbalances that can cause harm to the fetus and mother. As blood sugar levels are lowered during a fast, this can also have a negative effect on the fetus. Dramatically changing your eating habits can result in nutritional deficiencies for both you and the baby.
Researchers have conducted studies on women fasting during Ramadan. Because of the lower blood sugar levels during fasting, it took the researchers a longer amount of time to detect fetal movements. A lower frequency of fetal movements is generally something that pregnant women should take seriously, especially closer to the delivery date.
Overall, it’s probably not the best idea to start fasting during pregnancy - even more so if you’ve never fasted before. Pregnancy is about nourishing both your body and the baby’s, and fasting makes this more difficult. However, it’s worth having a discussion with your doctor about it.
Different ways to do intermittent fasting
There are several ways that you can do intermittent fasting. They’re all equally effective, so it’s a good idea to choose one that’ll work best for your lifestyle.
The 16/8 method
The 16/18 method involves fasting every day for 14-16 hours, and only eating during the remaining 8-10 hours. Within the 8-10 eating window, you can fit in 2-3 or more meals. An example of a schedule would look something like this: an eating window from 9am to 5pm, with the fasting period starting at 5pm until 9am the next morning.
What time you set the eating and fasting period is entirely up to you. If you usually skip breakfast, then you are already doing this type of fasting anyway. All you have to do is skip breakfast, have lunch at 1pm and then stop eating after 9pm. This way, you will be fasting while you’re asleep which makes it seem like a more natural method.
Eat-Stop-Eat (whole day fasting)
This method involves doing a 24 hour fast, once or twice a week. A popular way of doing it is to have dinner, and then fast until dinner at the same time the next day. You can choose any time of day to start and stop eating, as long as there is a 24 hour gap between each meal.
It goes without saying that many people find this method quite difficult. This method is best carried out as a progression from a 14-16 hour fast. The benefit of this method is that you do lose weight really fast. However, the downside is that after such a long fast, you can become extremely hungry which can make you crave high calorie foods. Let’s face it - when your belly is rumbling you’re hardly going to be craving broccoli.
The 5:2 diet
The 5:2 diet is one of the most popular methods. The idea is to eat as you normally would for 5 days a week, and then on the other two days eat 500-600 calories per day. Women are recommended 500 calories, and men 600 calories. You can choose any two days of the week to fast. A typical fasting day might involve two small meals consisting of 250 (or 300) calories each.
The logic behind this method is that short periods of fasting keep you disciplined - if you get really hungry on a fast day then you make yourself look forward to the next day when you can eat normally. This method works for people who may not be able to cut calories across the entire week.
Alternate-day fasting
As the name suggests, this method means fasting every other day.. On days where you’re not fasting, you are free to eat as normal. This method amounts to fasting for 36 hours, and eating for 12 hours.
A version of this diet involves modified fasting, where you are allowed to consume approximately 500 calories on fasting days (the figure varies from person to person but is usually 25% of their daily calorie needs).
The warrior diet
This method is where you fast all day, and feast at night. The name comes from ancient warriors who used to consume little throughout the day, but then have a huge feast at night. You’re allowed to eat small portions of raw fruit and vegetables and hard-boiled eggs during the day, and then one large meal in the evening with a four hour eating window.
During the four hour eating process, you’re allowed to eat whatever you want. However, it is encouraged to consume unprocessed, healthy and organic food choices. The warrior diet is quite similar to the paleo diet in that it encourages whole foods that resemble their natural form.
Spontaneous meal skipping
This method pretty much allows you to skip meals whenever it’s most convenient for you. If you’re not feeling too hungry, or if you’re too busy to eat, then you can skip a meal. The human body is naturally built to handle long periods of fasting, so you won’t hit starvation mode by skipping a meal or two.
This method is recommended for people who want to try intermittent fasting before fully committing. It’s also the best choice for people who don’t like to have restrictive diet schedules.
Women’s schedule for intermittent fasting
We understand that you might be feeling a little overwhelmed right now with all the intermittent fasting options. But don’t worry! We’ve put together a schedule to help you get started.
This schedule is just a general example to give you an idea of what a typical week would look like. You can change the times to fit your daily routine. For example, if you wake up at 7am instead of at 8am, you can fast for 5 hours instead, or if you go to bed an hour earlier then the schedule will automatically even out. However you choose to schedule your day doesn’t really matter, as long as you have meals in an eight hour window, and fast in a 16 hour window.
7 frequently asked questions
1. Can I drink during fasting?
Yes you can. In fact, you should make sure that you’re hydrated throughout your fasting period. You can drink water, coffee, tea and other non-caloric drinks, however, you shouldn’t add any sugar to them as it may impact your insulin levels.
2. I thought skipping breakfast was unhealthy?
Skipping breakfast is only unhealthy if your overall lifestyle is unhealthy. It’s perfectly fine to skip breakfast if you make sure that the rest of the meals you consume are nutritious.
3. Am I allowed to take supplements?
Taking supplements is perfectly fine, but remember that some supplements work better when taken on a full stomach.
4. Can I exercise when I’m fasting?
Yes, it’s okay to work out when you’re fasting. Here’s a guide on how to exercise safely while fasting: https://bit.ly/2rUh5TX
5. How long does it take to get used to fasting?
Your body needs approximately five days to get used to the changes. It’s recommended that beginners start with large eating windows and slowly work towards longer fasts.
6. What happens if I get fatigued when fasting?
Always start the day by drinking plenty of water. Staying hydrated can prevent mental fog and fatigue from happening. Although you might not feel like it, light exercise, even if it’s just stretching, can massively improve fatigue.
7. What if I want to eat out with friends?
The great thing about intermittent fasting is its flexibility. It’s easy to adjust your eating schedule if you have an important meal in your social calendar. It’s fine if you lose track sometimes - intermittent fasting is just a lifestyle choice and you don’t have to follow it religiously.
No matter which intermittent fasting method you choose, it’s important to remember that consuming healthy food is still important. Many people use intermittent fasting as a safety net, and overindulge on calories during the eating period. While this may feel like a relief in the moment and satisfy your hunger, this isn’t effective in the long term and can have adverse effects on your health.
Tell us which method would you be most interested in trying. We’d love to hear what you think about intermittent fasting! Drop a comment below.
