Hello all
I hope you have enjoyed a relaxing weekend and found time for some SELF-CARE and that many of you are still doing their best to stick with most of the guidelines . Remember doing your best is your personal aim. If you find you have wandered away from the guideline, just get yourself back on track, listen to one of the presentations, scroll through the daily posts, reach out to one of us
Within the Ebook and on my short videos, the topic of some periods without food is suggested which is “time – restricted” eating or fasting. The various terms mean the same.
I know that some of you enjoy intermittent fasting whilst others don’t and it is definitely easier for some than for others, depending upon your own personal “starting point”. For some it may require building up gradually, whilst for others it´s not such a great idea. This can depend upon activity levels, ability to manage blood sugar levels and “metabolic flexibility” (switching from using glucose to fats as energy) and habit!
Intermittent fasting gives your liver a break from the constant onslaught of sugar and carbs that leaves it clogged and sluggish. Blockages are eliminated, and suddenly, it can turn fat into energy much faster, so you feel invigorated (and some even lose weight, although it’s not an objective I promote)! Additionally, fasting may help enhance the production and activity of certain enzymes involved in detoxification.
Research by exercise scientists has found that a balanced, diet including enough protein and low starch veggies that includes intermittent fasting helps release toxins in the form of PCBs from the body fat stores, in addition to enhancing heart health and reducing oxidative stress.
Other researchers have also found that after a few hours of fasting, the body starts to burn fat and break down cholesterol into beneficial bile acids, as if it were flipping a fuel-selector switch. The liver, meanwhile, shuts down glucose production for several hours, lowering blood glucose levels. Instead of ending up in the bloodstream, extra glucose is used to repair damaged cells and make new DNA, which can help prevent chronic inflammation.
Meanwhile, liver enzymes are activated and help in the creation of brown fat (the good kind, which converts extra calories to heat).
In a nut-shell, you’re enhancing your body’s ability to use fat as an energy source, and being more metabolically flexible allows you to shift back to burning fat faster after a meal.
Frequent eating, on the other hand, means the body keeps making and storing fat, enlarging both fat and liver cells. Take that too far, and liver damage can occur. Plus, the liver keeps right on making glucose and raising blood-sugar levels.
If you´ve not tried the intermittent fasting yet, here are a few tips:
Getting started:
1) Begin by eating an early dinner and just avoiding food for a few hours before going to bed (earlier), then push the first meal of your day back by an hour or two.
2) Plan a ”post-fast” meal. Include lean meat or fish, a vegetable, and maybe a fruit (but don’t load up on grains and starches). Avoid over-eating; strive to eat as though you hadn’t fasted.
3) Schedule your fast for a busy day. Then you’ll benefit from not having to stop to find and eat food, and you’ll be distracted enough by your activities that you’ll be less likely to notice habitual urges to eat.
4) Use your break from food as an opportunity to enjoy pleasurable, low-key activities you might normally not make time for. A day without food can be a good time to settle the mind as well as the body.
How to handle cravings:
If you find yourself starting to crave food, go for a short walk; see if you’re still hungry afterwards before eating.
Stay hydrated. Sip water or unsweetened herbal or green tea to minimise “empty stomach” sensations and support detoxification.
Distract yourself from “habit eating” by calling a friend or reading.
Avoid watching TV if it triggers you to eat.
Still hungry? Go ahead and eat your preplanned, post-fast meal. Initially, don’t get too attached to fasting for a precise number of hours.
I hope this helps and let me know how you get on!
