Are You Fasting? ...Or Are You Starving Yourself?

I've always said that fasting should NOT be done for weight loss, just that weight loss can be a welcome side effect of fasting.

But there's a big difference between starving yourself (huge calorie deficit), and fasting done properly.

You see, fasting doesn't simply mean not eating, it's not eating for a specific period of time.

It doesn't necessarily mean eating fewer calories, it just means you eat them within a specific time window.

Many people jump on the fasting bandwagon and just start skipping meals, but they still pick at things between meals (especially calorie-containing drinks).

This is not fasting. It's just calorie restriction, and it can be dangerous.

If you want to start fasting, you need to pick your time period and not consume ANY calories (food or drink) within that time window.

The caveat though, to ensure you're not just starving yourself, is that you need to consume your regular daily calories when you do eat (though usually not all in one go).

This is where many people get it wrong.

Yes, you can save yourself a few calories by fasting because usually it's quite difficult to over-eat in a short time window (*if eating the right foods). 

And you can deliberately eat fewer calories (if hoping to achieve weight loss) whilst practicing fasting, but that's not the goal of fasting.

What you need to focus on when you do eat, is quality of food and nutritional content.

If you're eating fewer calories, you need to make sure you're getting all the nutrition you need from those calories.

Traditional "Diets" (and many of the "Diet" based clubs) have focused purely on calories, which will work to an extent, for a while... until it doesn't any more; but they don't focus on health.

During your non-fasting periods, you should:

1. Ensure you're getting adequate calories (set your calorie target based on your goals)

2. Prioritise healthy, nutritious foods over junk foods

3. Make sure you're hitting your Protein target - protein literally means "first place" or "primary" (derived from the Greek word Proteios)

4. Split the remaining calories (after protein) between carbohydrates and fats - again, your personal nutritional requirements will determine the ratio for this.

Whilst fasting, you should:

1. Not consume ANY calories, or "calorie-free" drinks (like "Diet" sodas etc.)

2. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and help with hunger

3. Keep yourself busy - often it's boredom that gets us, not actual hunger

I see too many people starving themselves all day only to come home and gorge themselves with junk food, because we tend to make poor food choices when we're hungry; certainly opting for quicker, easier, more convenient options, which are rarely the most nutritious.

So, if you're planning on using one of the the many fasting options out there (for most it will generally boil down to intermittent fasting of varying time windows), ensure that when you do eat, you're eating good, healthy foods, and not stuffing yourself with whatever you fancy "because you haven't eaten all day".

I talk about my preferred method of fasting in the trainings in MoveBetter.Club, so if you want more help with nutrition, training and lifestyle to improve health and get you moving better, check it out.

MoveBetter.Club

Mark