Intermittent Fasting: The Oldest and Newest Trick in the Book

The diet and fitness industry is a lot like fashion.  What was once popular a long time ago, usually makes its way back around again.  Take the HCG diet.  It has been a diet fad multiple times, even though it’s very unsafe and involves a crash diet and boat loads of money to even correctly attempt.

Lately though, one of the oldest styles of eating has emerged and is gaining popularity, and I’m not talking about the paleo diet!  Intermittent fasting has been around since the beginning of time.  First, lets explain what this means.

Generally, people associate fasting with religions and that is rightfully so. Catholics, Muslims, etc. each involve short bouts of fasted periods for various reasons.  What intermittent fasting is, is a reoccurring fasted period on a normal basis.  There are multiple protocols of varying lengths that can be used including 16-20 hours, or all the way up to 72 hours.  Basically, you intake 0 calories during your “fasted” period, and then intake all of your day’s calories during your “feeding window”, which is usually post-workout.

The concept behind this method (among several) is that it allows the body to run off of calories that have been taken in already, as opposed to eating all of the time and adding  “more gas to the tank” before it’s needed. There also have been scientific studies saying that IF actually increases longevity and health.   More info on these styles of eating can be found online by Googling: Leangains, Warrior Diet, or Eat-stop-eat (amongst others).

This could be a great option for people who feel like they have to force down breakfast, or just prefer larger portion sizes opposed to meal frequency.  While it may not be for everyone, it is gaining a massive following and is changing a lot of lives for the better.  Just make sure you break your fast with plenty of fiber and protein (hmmm sounds like a job for a Quest Bar eh?!).

Corey Hammac