The Enterprise Guide to intermittent fasting: Over the past decade, intermittent fasting has cropped up in the world of health and nutrition as a dietary approach touted for its wellness benefits, including being a solution for weight loss and several health ailments. Although it can seem daunting for the uninitiated, the premise behind it is simple: Intermittent fasting is when you refrain from eating for a specific number of hours and then resume eating again.

There are a handful of formulas and time structures you can follow in intermittent fasting, which we break down for you — and explain the pros and cons of each protocol, based on advice from doctors and nutritionists we spoke with. We’ll also lay out the costs (yes, there are costs) of this lifestyle choice that promises so many benefits.

DISCLAIMER- We have to stress that our guide, while guided by medical professionals’ input, is not at all a replacement for individualized medical advice. In fact, we’ll explain how intermittent fasting is not for everyone and should be applied only after consulting with a doctor or licensed professional.

LINGO FOR YOUR STREET CRED- Some of the most popular approaches, or protocols, as per the fasting lingo, are as follows:

  • 16:8: Fast for 16 hours and eat for eight.
  • 18:6: Fast for 18 and eat for six.
  • 20:4, aka The Warrior Diet: Fast for 20 hours and eat within a four-hour window.
  • Rolling 36s, 72s: Fast for 36 hours or 72 hours, feast for a meal, and then fast for 36 or 72 hours again.
  • ADF: Alternate day fasting — fast for one day, eat normal meals during the following day, and repeat.
  • OMAD: One meal a day — fast for 24 hours, eat one meal, and then repeat your fast.
  • EF: Extended fasts that go beyond 72 hours and can be extended for months.

HOW DOES IT WORK? When a body fasts, it begins ingesting the sugar in your blood, known as glycogen, for energy. When glycogen is depleted, the body then moves on to stored fat. A body that is on a longer fast takes it a step further — it starts its healing process in the form of autophagy and the secretion of the human growth hormone (HGH).

WHAT YOU CAN EAT WHILE FASTING- Well, nothing — it is fasting, after all. But that doesn’t mean you can’t drink…

WHAT YOU CAN DRINK- Water, bone broth, pickle juice, coffee (black, unsweetened), sparkling water (unflavored), black tea (unsweetened), all herbal teas, salt, and fasting salts (a combination of magnesium, potassium, sodium and phosphorus) can be consumed. These beverages ensure that your body’s supply of electrolytes remains steady, so that you can avoid cramps caused by dehydration.

HOW TO BREAK A FAST- Making healthy choices when breaking a fast is strongly recommended, nutritionist and health and wellness advisor Nancy Samir tells Enterprise. If you decide to break a fast with an overwhelming meal like a burger or pizza, your body will fight back using its favorite weapons in its arsenal: Stomach cramps and diarrhea.

WHAT YOU EAT MATTERS- Beginning with a smoothie, a boiled egg, or some soup consumed slowly is a more ideal choice and as your stomach eases back into the swing of digesting food. It’s also important to watch the type of food and portions that you consume when you break your fast, she stresses. Having a heavy meal after a fast won’t only affect you physically — it will also affect the calorie-burning implemented earlier during the day.

LET’S BREAK DOWN THE PROS AND CONS, STARTING WITH THE PROS-

#1- Food control: It’s a great way to control food intake, especially for someone who is used to munching all day long, explains Samir. Intermittent fasting creates a chance for hard stop and starts for eating. It also gives a chance to make better food choices, by listening to your body’s cravings, which should begin to move away from processed food to healthier choices, says general internal doctor Sameh Farid. Any chance for the digestive system to rest helps the body to direct all its energy for healing, he adds.

#2- Autophagy: This is the process wherein cells break down and get rid of old, damaged, or abnormal proteins, Farid explains. Extended fasts even claim to curb inflammation, slow down MS symptoms, and can eventually flush out cells that can cause illnesses and cancers. It is important to remember that autophagy begins when you hit the 25-hour fasting mark.

#3- Releasing the human growth hormone (HGH): This natural anti-ageing hormone is usually abundant in children up until their teenage years, which explains their growth spurts. In adults, it is trapped in the pituitary gland, and is only released for a few minutes at a time. Research has indicated that when in a fasted state, the presence of the growth hormone can double and even triple in adults. The result? The HGH builds new muscles, repairs ligaments, and joints. But this effect isn’t immediate, it has to be done gradually, states Farid.

CONS-

#1- It’s not for everyone: People who already consume one meal or two meals a day will not benefit from intermittent fasting as their body has already adapted to this pattern of eating, Samir tells us. Those who fall under this category will have to consider their food choices during that window to ensure that their fast makes an impact.

#2- 16:8 protocol works like regular dieting: Dr Layne Norton, a certified nutritional physician and researcher on protein metabolism and fat loss, uses research to illustrate that a diet that focuses on calorie restriction and where the food consumption is between 10 hours a day the weight loss and health markers are the same. Individuals who exercise during their eating window will not lose any lean muscle mass, which is another disadvantage for extended fasts, according to Norton.

#3- Lean muscle mass loss: If you’re working towards building muscle without burning fat, then you can try IF but not EF. On the other hand, Jason Fung cites older civilizations that suffered from food scarcity until modern farming and food storage facilities were available, but were never described as weak or emaciated. In fact, they were strong, active, and able to hunt and farm for food.

#4- Hormonal imbalances: Some individuals with certain hormonal imbalances have benefited greatly from intermittent fasting, Farid says; however, it will take longer than usual to get into the routine of fasting. Checking with a physician is imperative in this case to make sure that any medication or medical condition would not exacerbate with a fast, suggests Samir.

#5- It takes time: It takes approximately six weeks for the body to respond, says Farid. The body needs time to realize that a new routine is taking place, and will initially try to hold on to the fat and sugar that it had previously accumulated, before adjusting to a regular routine. It’s difficult for the human body to rapidly reverse the effects of a lifestyle of eating three or more meals a day.

Even though Farid suggests that it is suitable for every age, he stresses that it cannot be picked up immediately — you need to fast gradually, so that your body doesn’t resist the fast, causing severe fatigue, headaches, and impacting your blood pressure.

#6- It ain’t cheap: Intermittent fasting doesn’t come without its costs. Specific sustenance items like fasting salts and bone broth emulsions, are needed to help you with longer fasts to ensure that you avoid a loss of electrolytes which can lead to cramps. These can often be expensive and not readily available locally.

WANT TO DIVE DEEPER? There are an abundance of resources on fasting, however, the one that is most comprehensive as a starting point is The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss (Why Intermittent Fasting is the Key to Controlling Your Weight) by Dr Jason Fung. You can also get insightful information from Layne Norton’s videos on Youtube to learn more about how to use intermittent fasting to support your food regimen.

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