America has a HUGE weight problem. According to health experts, more than 90 percent of Americans are overfat. This means that they have enough excess body fat that their health is impaired. Even people who are at a normal weight can have an excess of dangerous belly fat. At least 70 percent of Americans are overweight and around 30 percent have crossed over into the obese category. In the ongoing struggle to lose weight, many people have turned to intermittent fasting as a way to lose or manage their weight. So what does it mean to go on an intermittent fast? Is it safe and is it effective for long-term weight loss? Is intermittent fasting any more effective for weight loss than simply restricting calories? Let’s explore what the latest science has to say on this subject.
Why do so many people struggle with their weight?
For many Americans off and on dieting has become the norm. There are many reasons why we’re getting bigger and fatter. Too many calories, too much processed and junk foods, too little plant foods in the diet, too little exercise, too much stress, too little sleep, too big of portions…..the list goes on and on. The simple truth is that we’ve become addicted to calorie dense, low-nutrient, processed foods, which have hijacked our brains and increased our “need” for excessive calories. Since these types of calories do not provide our bodies with the nutrients necessary to maintain health, we overeat in response. So, we get locked into the vicious cycle of overeating/gaining weight/then dieting. In response, intermittent fasting is seen by millions of Americans as an effective way to break this cycle.
What is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is basically periods of eating and not eating. Instead of restricting calories everyday like more traditional diets, some people on intermittent fasts eat all they want every other day, or restrict their eating to a few hours a day. Some elect to fast two days a week and some five days a month. There’s no hard and fast rule for fasting. It’s an individual decision. Intermittent fasting is often prescribed as a means to stress the body in a good way. This concept in biology is called hormesis. Periods of going without food is believed to enhance healing and stimulate stem cells to repair tissue (Eat For Life, Dr. Joel Furhman, 2020). Mark Twain is quoted as saying, “A little starvation can really do more for the average sick man than can the best medicines and the best doctors. I do not mean a restricted diet; I mean total abstention from food for one or two days.”
Religious fasting done during Ramadan and Yom Kippur is the most studied form of intermittent fasting. With Ramadan, devout Muslims do not eat or drink from sunset to sunrise. This lasts for a month. During Yom Kippur, devout Jews stop eating and drinking for about twenty-five hours. The most studied form of intermittent fasting that deals only with food restriction is alternate-day fasting, which involves eating every other day, alternating with days consuming little or no calories. (How Not To Diet, Dr. Michael Greger, 2019).
There are different types of intermittent fasts such as:
· Alternate day fasting – eating every other day
· 5:2 fasting – you eat five days a week and fast the other two days
· Alternate week fasting – alternate weeks of calorie restriction
· Fasting-Mimicking Diet – you spend five days a month on a diet that resembles a fast
· Time restricted feeding – you fast for at least twelve hours but less than twenty-five hours
Is fasting safe?
For most people fasting is safe but some people should exercise caution and/or consult their physician before fasting or dramatically restricting calories. These include:
· Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
· People who have an active infection
· People who are underweight or who have an unhealthy relationship with food, or a history of eating disorders or disorder eating.
· Anyone on medications
· People with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, heart, liver, or kidney disease
· People who have a history of fainting
Is intermittent fasting more effective than continuous calorie restriction?
At this point in time, the research does not support intermittent fasting to be more effective for long-term weight loss than continuous calorie restriction. It’s not better nor worse. This does not mean that intermittent fasting is a bad idea. Some practitioners believe that fasting makes them feel better mentally, brings them closer to God, and some see it as a method for cleansing toxins out of their bodies. Research has shown that fasting can enhance healing and stimulate stem cells to repair tissue. For the chronically overweight, going long periods of time without eating, can be very beneficial. Dr. Joel Furhman who has helped thousands of obese and overweight clients lose weight and keep it off, points out that:
“Chronically overweight people in the typical American food environment feel “normal” only by eating too frequently or be eating a heavy meal, so that the anabolic process of digestion and assimilation continues right up to the beginning of the next meal. They need excess calories in order to feel normal. Such people are almost always eating or digesting what they have eaten. Some people even wake in the middle of the night with a need to eat something.”
Restricting eating times might be one of the reasons that the Seventh-Day Adventists in Loma Linda California, outlive the general population by about a decade. The approximately 9,000 residents live in what is called a Blue Zone, which is a region of the world, where people live the longest. The majority of the Adventists ate most of their calories early in the day. Breakfast or lunch was their biggest meal of the day followed by a prolonged nightly fast. But that being said, the Seventh-Day Adventists are slim, non-smokers, exercisers, vegetarian and nut-eaters. Their lifestyle, in addition to fasting, has much to do with their longevity as well.
Fasting can be another tool to use for losing weight but is not necessarily better than simply reducing calories. I enjoyed reading an informative article on intermittent fasting by Health and Fitness Expert, Cassandra Padgett. Published in 2019, her articled was titled: Intermittent Fasting: What Does The Research Say? Ms. Padgett cites a 2015 meta-analysis of 12 clinical trials focused on intermittent fasting. A meta-analysis is an “examination of data from a number of independent studies of the same subject, in order to determine overall trends”. The meta-analysis found that weight-loss results were comparable between fasting and calorie restriction groups. “There was no significant difference in the weight loss amounts or body composition changes” (Seimon et al., 2015). She cites a 2018 meta-analysis of six studies found that, “intermittent energy restriction was comparable to continuous energy restriction for short-term weight loss in overweight and obese adults.” (Harris et al., 2018).
The bottom line
When comparing continuous calorie restriction or intermittent fasting as a weight loss tool, both come out about equal. Dr. Greger states that as a weight loss tool, some researchers have concluded that, “Eating breakfast and lunch 5-6 hours apart and making the overnight fast last 18-19 hours may be a useful practical weight control strategy.” He goes on to say, “However, combining intermittent fasting regimens, such as early or midday time-restricted feeding with a HEALTHIER diet during the feeding windows, may prove to be particularly powerful. The weight may be worth the wait.” My wife and I try to stop eating early in the evening, and go about 11-12 hours before eating again. This is in line with the concept of time-restricted feeding. So, I’m not against all types intermittent fasting.
When advising my clients on weight loss, we focus on a healthy plant-based, whole food diet. I might sound like a broken record, but this type of eating with/or without intermittent fasting, continues to be the healthiest way to eat. With a plant-based, whole food diet, you don’t have to count calories and divide up portions. Because you are eating foods that are less calorie dense, but loaded with nutrients, you will naturally restrict calories. Believe you me, eating tons of plant foods and fiber fills you up pretty quick, making it hard to overeat. This is a fabulous thang!
If fasting appeals to you, and you do not fall into a high-risk group, go for it. It could be a good thing for improving your overall health. Start by trying to go longer periods of time between meals. Before your fast, eat nourishing food that will sustain you and keep hunger at bay. If you are on medications or you intend to do fasts that last ten day or longer, consult with your physician before doing so.
The weight-loss industry in America is a multi-billion dollar industry which is known for selling quick fixes and “silver bullets.” Intermittent fasting is often sold as such. Don’t fall for it! If you want to get off the weight loss/weight gain carousel permanently, you can do so without fasting. By focusing on consistently getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night, eating a plant-based, whole food diet, reducing stress, having a positive mental outlook, exercising and practicing a healthy lifestyle you will lose weight. Science has proven this. We are what we eat and in the long run, no amount of fasting is going to change that.
"Sorry, there's no magic bullet. You gotta eat healthy and live healthy to be healthy and look healthy. End of story." - Morgan Spurlock
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