Intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating have become popular diet strategies for a good reason – they work! By temporarily restricting eating to specific windows of time, you can enjoy impressive fat loss results. This article will explore how intermittent fasting taps into powerful fat burning hormones to help you lose weight, especially when combined with keto or paleo diets. Read on to learn how fasting works and get tips to make your fasting journey successful.
A Fasting Primer
Before jumping straight into fasting protocols, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page about what intermittent fasting actually is. At its core, intermittent fasting simply means going extended periods without eating, and restricting food intake to specific windows of time. For example, one popular approach called the 16/8 method involves 16 hours of fasting and restricting food intake to an 8-hour window.
Time-restricted eating is another term you may hear, and it follows the same idea. By limiting eating to certain set times, you can enjoy an array of benefits like fat loss, better health, and optimized hormone function. This represents a dramatic shift from the Standard American Diet pattern of eating frequently throughout the day.
Research shows that our bodies are completely capable of going extended periods without food. In fact, intermittent fasting allows our digestive systems to rest and taps into certain hormonal functions that can accelerate fat burning. Let’s explore the specifics…
How Fasting Promotes Fat Loss
There are several ways that fasting helps you lose excess body fat:
Lower Calorie Intake
By restricting eating to specific time windows, you reduce overall caloric intake since you’re spending less time eating. Consuming fewer calories than you’re burning leads to fat loss over time.
Lower Insulin
Constantly eating throughout the day means your insulin levels never have a chance to drop. Insulin is the hormone responsible for shuttling nutrients into cells for energy. But chronically elevated insulin signals your body to store extra calories as body fat instead of burning them.
Intermittent fasting gives your insulin levels a break, so they can dip down and allow access to stored body fat for energy. Lower insulin facilitates lipolysis – the breakdown of fat.
Higher Glucagon
Insulin’s complementary hormone is glucagon. They have an inverse relationship – when one is up, the other is down. As insulin drops during the fasting period, glucagon rises. Glucagon signals the body to tap into fat stores for energy. The fasting state tells your body it’s time to burn fat!
Improved Insulin Sensitivity
Eating a Standard American Diet with constant snacks and large meals takes a toll on your insulin sensitivity over time. This means your cells become resistant to insulin’s signals. Fasting gives your insulin receptors a break and helps restore sensitivity.
As your insulin function improves, your body finds it easier to mobilize fat stores when needed, whether you’re fasting or not. This metabolic flexibility is key for long term fat loss success.
Tapping into Fat Burning Hormones with Fasting Protocols
Now that you understand the fat burning hormonal interplay, let’s look at some of the most popular intermittent fasting protocols:
16/8 Method
This involves fasting for 16 hours per day, and restricting food intake to an 8-hour window. For example, skipping breakfast and only eating between 12pm-8pm. This fasting window allows insulin to dip down low to access fat.
5:2 Diet
Also called “Fast Diet”, this plan involves eating normally for 5 days per week, and fasting or restricting calories to 500-600 for 2 non-consecutive days. These heavy fast days keep insulin and calories low.
24-Hour Fasts
Some people fast for a full 24 hours 1-2 times per week. This allows insulin to stay low and glucagon to rise for an extended period to fully tap into fat.
Alternate Day Fasting
This rigorous plan alternates 24-hour fasts with days you can eat normally. It maximizes the fat burning potential but should only be done 1-2 times per week at most.
The best fasting protocol depends on your personal preferences and schedule. Start slowly, and don’t be afraid to experiment!
Tips for Fasting Success
Here are some tips to make intermittent fasting comfortable and sustainable as a lifestyle:
- Stay hydrated! Drink plenty of water, herbal tea, or black coffee during the fast.
- Follow a nutritious keto or paleo style diet during your eating window. This keeps insulin in check.
- Engage in light exercise like walking during your fasted state to accelerate fat burning.
- Consider branched chain amino acid supplements if doing intense training fasted.
- Break your fast gradually with a balanced meal like eggs, avocado and veggies.
- Listen to your body! Adjust your fasting times if you feel unwell. Slow progress is good.
Potential Concerns
It’s normal to have some worries when you first try intermittent fasting. Here’s how to handle the common concerns:
Hunger Pangs
It’s normal to feel hungry at first when you skip meals. Drink water or tea and stay busy until the fasting period is over. Hunger pangs will subside with consistency.
Low Blood Sugar
If you feel shaky, lethargic or dizzy while fasting, consume healthy fats like nuts or coconut oil to stabilize blood sugar until you can eat.
Fatigue
Your body may need a week or more to adjust to fasting periods. Take electrolytes, rest properly, and don’t overtrain. The fatigue often resolves quickly.
Muscle Loss
Some worry fasting will lead to loss of muscle mass. However, studies show intermittent fasting preserves muscle when combined with regular resistance training and sufficient protein intake.
Additional Benefits of Fasting
Fat loss is just one of the many benefits you can enjoy with intermittent fasting. Others include:
- Improved mental focus and concentration
- Boosted metabolism
- Encouraged cell repair
- Reduced inflammation
- Optimal heart health
- Disease prevention
Fasting’s impacts on cellular function and longevity are just starting to be unlocked as this dietary strategy gains popularity.
Start Your Fasting Journey Today
Hopefully this article provided a helpful overview of how intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating take advantage of fat burning hormones to help you lose weight. By lowering insulin and raising glucagon, fasting puts your body in prime fat burning mode.
Fasting isn’t just a quick fix diet though – it’s a sustainable lifestyle that can enhance your health, body composition, and metabolism over the long haul. Start gradually and stick with it to see phenomenal results. Your body is designed to tap into fat stores when food is scarce – intermittent fasting simply allows you to leverage that capability safely and effectively.
Making Fasting Feel Effortless
Changing your diet and eating patterns can feel intimidating at first. Shifting your mindset is key to making intermittent fasting feel like an effortless, natural part of your lifestyle.
Rather than dread the fasting periods, look at them as opportunities for your body to tap into its innate fat burning capabilities. Focus on how good you’ll feel having more energy, better focus, and less inflammation.
If you find yourself really struggling mentally with the adjustment, consider seeking help from a holistic hypnotherapist. Hypnosis can reprogram your subconscious mind and habits to make success with fasting feel automatic and painless.
The more you practice intermittent fasting, the easier it gets. Be patient, believe in your body’s ability to thrive in a fasted state, and seek tools like hypnosis if you need help getting into that fat burning mindset. The rewards are well worth it!