What Is An Intermittent Fasting Routine?

An intermittent fasting routine is a period of considerable duration in which you don’t consume any calories.

Different Types Of Fasting Schedules:

There are many different types of schedules you can follow.  As a matter of fact, you are already following a fasting regimen.  While you are asleep you are fasting.  Ever wonder what breakfast means?  You are breaking the fast, break-fast.  Now, there are more extreme variants to intermittent fasting.  You can do anywhere from a 12 -24 hour fast.  That’s right, not eating for an entire day!

Why Would You Do This To Yourself?

Fasting causes your body to be more insulin sensitive.  When you follow a 6 meal eating schedule where you are eating every 2 hours, this forces your body to produce more and more insulin.  When you couple this with eating sugar laden food, you can see why Diabetes and Obesity are becoming more and more prevalent.

Another result from fasting is an increase in growth hormone levels.  Studies have been shown in men who fasted for around 24 hours to have a growth hormone increase of 2000%!  Growth hormone (GH) is what turns you from a child into an adult!  As we age it becomes responsible for the reservation of protein in your body.  Now, what’s made of protein, you ask?  Hair, nails, skin, ligaments, bone, etc.  A lot depends on GH.  If you want to look and feel younger, learn to harness the max potential of this hormone’s production!

Just Getting Started:

Stop eating by 6, 7, or 8 pm and don’t eat until 12 hours later. It may seem tough but if you’re eating all of your required calories during the window of eating, you won’t be hungry!

One thing to look out for is your body’s expected insulin window.  If your body is used to you eating at a certain time every day ( 9am) then your stomach will growl around that time.  So adapting to a new fasting routine will require baby steps.  Never push yourself too far too fast.  Don’t go from eating every two hours to only eating one meal a day.  This is dangerous, and your body probably won’t be able to handle it.  Instead, cut your meals down from 6 to 3, and then from 3 to 2 and then from 2 to 1.  However, you’re far better eating two meals per day in a 4 hour window than eating one HUGE meal. 

Remember to start off slow, and listen to your body.  You’ll see the hardest part to fasting is getting started, because after all it’s only a matter of changing when you eat…not how much. 

After all it’s only a matter of changing when you eat…not how much.