Last fall I was inspired to check out intermittent fasting. My Covid belly was bothering me; it was time to act. After reading a few articles I started to experiment with the 16:8 method. It was an easy add to my daily routine.
Of course, I supplemented this new approach with my tried and proven practices; tracking what I eat, weighing myself and paying attention to what I put in my pie hole. Progress!
To be better informed on the concept of fasting, I found and ordered the book The Obesity Code by Jason Fung, MD. It took several months to crack it open, but once I did – so enlightening. Also checked in with my doc – good sounding board.
My perceptions about food and diet are influenced by many books I’ve read over a 30-year period.
Today, reading Dr. Fung and his theory about insulin levels and intermittent fasting makes so much sense. I particularly relate to his candid assertion: “Maximum weight loss occurred at six months, with gradual regain thereafter.”
My brother once observed that I was “on a diet since I was 13.” He wasn’t wrong. I would lose .. then gain. Lose .. gain. Rinse, repeat. Hence my continued nutrition search.
Dr. Fung’s five basic steps in weight loss lines up with what I already accept as true. A few tragic particulars I resist – because I simply don’t want to change (yet).
- “Reduce consumption of added sugars.”
- Sucrose & HFCS are exceptionally fattening
- “Reduce consumption of refined grains.”
- White flour = nutritionally bankrupt
- “Moderate your protein consumption.”
- “Increase consumption of natural fats.”
- Full fat dairy = yes
- Dietary fat is least likely to stimulate insulin
- Use virgin olive oil
- “Increase consumption of protective factors; fiber, vinegar.”
My recent insight comes from considering “meal timing.” It’s not just “what we eat.” Understanding the impact of insulin, insulin-resistance and how they influence my health is new to me.
Dr. Fung says insulin is what makes us fat. “To break the insulin-resistance cycle, we must have recurrent periods of very low insulin levels.” In his book he outlines different fasting types which do just that:
- “Intermittent fasting involves fasting for shorter periods of time on a regular basis. Shorter fasts are generally done more frequently. Some people prefer a daily sixteen-hour fast, which means that they eat all their meals within an eight-hour window.”
- “Longer fasts are typically twenty-four to thirty-six hours, done two to three times per week.”
- “Prolonged fasting may range from one week to one month.”
Dr. Fung also tells us that: “Fasting follows feasting. Feasting follows fasting. Diets must be intermittent not steady. Food is a celebration of life.”
There can be freedom to live a full life and flow in and out of the methods he recommends. But, “the bottom line is that fasting is something we can do, and that we should do.”
“Everyone can perform magic, everyone can reach his goals, if he is able to think, if he is able to wait, if he is able to fast.”
– Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha
