Fasting

Fasting is batted around quite a lot in health and fitness circles. Is it good for you? Is it bad for you? Does it really do anything? Which of the many protocols should you try? This is why you pay us the big money–so we have taken a deep dive into NOT EATING.  Here we go…or here we stop…

The General Idea

Not eating over a period of time does a few great, physical, mental, and even spiritual things for you. Firstly, it gives your digestive system a break.  This system toils away for you 24/7. We are very hard on it.  We basically just keep stuffing stuff in one hole, and forcing it out another–non-stop. (Sorry if that was a bit graphic this early in the blog.) But it’s true–can you imagine how happy our digestive tract is to have a day or two or three off? Think of the times you went for a long walk or run, or did some leg training at the gym. It feels pretty damn good to sit down afterwards, right? It’s a wonderful gift to your innards as well–a nice break. Digesting food takes a lot of energy as well, so when you stop eating you will also feel an uptick in energy. That continues to be magnified as your fast continues, due to a change in brain chemistry that occurs during a fast. 

Many of the mechanisms in our body are evolutionary leftovers from the times when we were hunter/gatherers. There was not always a steady flow of food.  During the lean times, we have a special survival gift that sharpens us up mentally and physically so that we become even better hunters and gatherers. This is in an effort to support the propagation of our species. When we go without food, our adrenaline kicks in and we actually perform better both mentally and physically. As the last of our glucose supplies are used in our livers and muscles, our body switches over to a new fuel supply–ketones. Studies have shown that our bodies may even prefer this fuel for sharp thinking (“Let’s build a better trap!”) and for physical endurance (“I can keep up with that rascally rabbit!”). Because ketones are fat based, this energy switch means that the body starts burning your fat reserves as fuel–so waistlines start slimming. This mode of operation is also anti-inflammatory–and since all disease is an inflammatory process–this is an added benefit for the body.  One drawback is that ketones give you bad breath and a nasty taste in your mouth, so sugarless gum can come in handy. As fasting is prolonged, there are also some nice feel-good chemicals that get released in the brain that give a feeling of euphoria (“Let’s not panic! I feel pretty good about our chances of catching that rabbit, after all!”) 

As you enter your third day of fasting, something pretty special happens. It’s almost as if some divine creator has said, “Look, I know it really sucks to not eat for this long, but in return for your suffering, I’m actually going to make you healthier.” Your body has a lot of jobs to do, and it will always prioritize your survival (Thanks!) As a metaphor, it wants to keep the store running–keep all the employees doing the essential jobs so that the “Out of Business” sign doesn’t have to be hung on the door.  But because it is so busy, it may have its employees ignore the announcement, “Spill on aisle six!” So things can get kind of messy in the store that we call our body. But when the body is saving energy by not having to do all that food processing, it has extra energy to do clean up. This is called autophagy. It is the process where the body gets rid of damaged cells and cancerous cells. It starts kicking in at Day Three, and some research hints that by the end of a seven-day fast–all cancer cells have been flushed out of the body. (Pretty cool!) Many feel that these longer fasts become a spiritual experience, perhaps aided by brain chemistry and a singleness of purpose. There are certainly many religions of the world where fasting is an integral part of various rituals and celebrations. 

Things to Watch Out For

If you have some pre-existing health condition, (especially an eating disorder) you will want to talk to your doctor about fasting before diving right into it. Even if you are healthy, it’s a good idea to let a friend or family member know that you are undertaking a fast, and for how long. If you are doing strenuous activity when fasting, you may feel a bit lightheaded. It’s a good idea to try a fast when you don’t have a lot of demanding physical duties to perform. Fasting is also a stress on your body, so you don’t want to undertake a fast when you have a lot of other stressful things going on in your life. You can also quickly become dehydrated. It’s a good idea to not only drink water, but also make sure you are getting electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium). You can buy these in some kind of pill form in a pharmacy. In a pinch, a little salt mixed into water is actually a wonderful treat when you’re two days into a fast, and it will give you a noticeable energy boost. 

The Many Different Protocols

You have probably seen many different fasting protocols being touted in the media. There is 16/8 (16 hours fasting, 8 eating), 12/12, one day eating/one day fasting, as well as the longer fasts from three up to seven days. Some more extreme individuals will fast up to 30 days. 

The Coffee Talkers Recommendation

Yes–we try this stuff so you don’t have to go in blind! In our experience, fasting takes practice. We are so used to eating whenever we want, that actually stopping eating comes as quite a shock. We recommend that you start with the 16/8 protocol and see how that goes. This basically amounts to skipping breakfast, and eating between lunch and dinner times. If this is doable for you, then try a 24-hour fast. Once you’ve conquered that, then move on to one to two days, then three, etc. 

In summation, we think fasting is great, and great for you–but take it slow. In addition to the benefits we mentioned, fasting is also empowering for someone that has trouble controlling their eating habits. To successfully halt eating for some time is a big achievement, and puts you back in charge of what goes in your mouth. It then can become easier to change your eating habits once you start eating again. 

Until next time

Scott & Lennart