Does fasting sound scary to you?
It certainly did to me. Or I should say.. it did 10 years ago.
As a nutrition & diabetes professional, I was originally taught to keep my patients eating small amounts of carbs 6-7x a day in efforts to avoid “starvation mode” and blood sugar drops.
Unfortunately, these recommendations were not effective and actually made weight issues and diabetes worse. Behind the scenes, insulin resistance was worsening. How could we know? Insulin wasn’t something that was routinely tested unless you had T1 Diabetes. At the time, blood sugars were the only focus. You see, blood sugar levels are actually the result of all the work behind the scenes.. as in the massive effort of the body trying to digest & regulate. The digestive system works hard to make fluids and enzymes. The pancreas secretes insulin to help reduce blood glucose (sugar) levels while the liver makes glucose to bump those levels back up when needed. Add some hormones firing off along with this.. and you have a recipe for human body havoc.
When the body is in a constant state of feeding, the body is not resting and recalibrating. Sugar starts to stockpile in the blood stream and damage organs. Insulin levels rise. Excess sugar converts to fat. Junk proteins and plaques start to pile up in the arteries. It’s no different than not taking out the stinky trash at home.
In comes FASTING. Let’s be honest, fasting is nothing new. In fact, it’s really old… since the beginning of time. At times, it was intentional for spiritual reasons. And other times, it was not intentional like a poor harvest or off to war. Nonetheless, it’s proved to be a survival mechanism and tool for healing the body at its core.
These days, we are in a constant state of feeding.. there’s food on every street corner, snacks in our office drawer, and candies in our purses. And of course, we do it alllll the time.. eating when sad, happy, bored, or just because. And if you’re not eating, something must be wrong with you or so people say. Oh wait, it gets deeper. There are politics and food lobbyists involved in pushing certain nutrition standards and recommendations. This makes navigating the world of nutrition muddy and deceiving. But if we were to go back a couple thousand years to the original concepts of 1) Do Work 2) Feast 3) Fast.. perhaps the world of health and nutrition muchhhh easier. Yes, it’s that simple. We modern humans with our modern food and modern technology make it harder than it has to be.
So, what is it about fasting that’s oh so magical? It’s like clean-up on isle 6… except isle 6 is your body (taking out the trash). When you stop eating, you start burning. Your body starts to burn excess sugar, stored fat, while lowering insulin levels. Eventually, the body start to enter the phase of autophagy. Autophagy is when the body recycles damaged cells and proteins. Today, intermittent fasting research is showing massive success in the areas of weight management, diabetes, cancer, and dementia/anti-aging. And what do all of these conditions have in common? Insulin resistance. Fasting is an effective tool to reverse insulin resistance.
How Do I Start?
Fasting may not be appropriate for every person; however, the below recommendations can benefit everyone. Please speak with your doctor prior to starting any new nutrition or fasting program.
Ditch Snacks
YES! Fasting can be as simple and effective as skipping snacks.
- Try removing one snack at time. Let’s say, first week.. remove your 10am snack. Then, the following week, focus on that 2pm snack. If you still have the munchies, your meals may need a little umph! See below.
Beef Up Your Meals
Literally! Hahaha. I’m not kidding. Eat beef. Yes, it’s okay contrary to what you may have heard. What I’m really talking about here is ensuring meals have adequate healthy fats and whole proteins. Yes, I also said fat. Fat is required for making hormones. Fat is filling. Fat will help curb cravings and excess eating. It’s excess eating, particularly on processed carbs that create disease.
- Swap out your breakfast cereal for REAL eggs. Yes, the yolk too. Worries about cholesterol? They took that off the nutrition label because eating cholesterol does not add to blood cholesterol. Big disconnect!
- Trade the wimpy flailing piece of non-fat deli turkey for a chicken leg. Eat it with your favorite veggies and starchy vegetable.
Rethink Your Drink
You may be thinking.. “But I don’t eat 6x a day.. never!” Translation: You may be eating 3x a day but enjoy a foo foo Starbucks or juice 3x a day. Spoiler alert. Your fancy coffee and juice is “feeding” mode to your body. The influx of sugar keeps insulin levels high. Insulin is your storing hormone. Storing and burning are 2 one-way street, you cannot be on both at the same time.
- Choose clean drinks like black coffee, plain tea, or good old water. Yes, boring, but actually easier and cheaper.
“Fasting is liberating! No more planning your entire day around food, spending extra money, or wasting time on prepping containers, baggies, and boxes.”
-Jina George, RD CDCES
I know many new clients have questions. My program is not an automatic fasting program. HA! No way or people would run for the hills. I start my clients with simple diet and lifestyle changes. Yes, at some point, the vast majority of clients will eventually venture into some degree of fasting. And let me tell you, when and if they do, they are ready and primed. Ultimately, coaching and plans are personalized based on lifestyle, condition, medications, and desire. And let me tell you, when my clients get to that point, they are ready and primed.
Imagine…
Not having to plan your life around your food schedule.
Saving an extra $100 a month on groceries.
Not having to spend an extra 15 minutes every morning packing unnecessary snacks.
Losing the last 10 pounds.
Getting off the woozy blood pressure or nauseating diabetes medications.
Focusing less on your health and more on your family.
This is 100% possible. It all starts with a conversation about YOU. Let’s do this! Book a call!
