Is Fasting Right For Me?

If you Google “how to lose weight” intermittent fasting is hailed as the superior method, but is it really all that?

Intermittent fasting is defined as abstaining from food for at least 12 hours. Most of us actually do this daily, if you stop eating at 7pm and eat another meal at 7am, you have fasted. There are a lot of benefits to this including evidence that suggests it may reduce cell oxidation and inflammation, increase energy metabolism, reduce risks of cancer, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.

Fasting beyond 12 hours may be unnecessary, especially if you are trying to build and maintain muscle. For muscle maintenance and growth, protein is needed every 3-4 hours (read the blog on protein for more information about this). Even if you are trying to lose weight, eating a well-balanced meal every couple hours can still aid in muscle maintenance and workout recovery. Exceptions to this would include: being morbidly obese and needing to quickly lose weight, having a doctor’s instruction to include fasting, or preparing for a weight cut for a competition weigh-in.

For more information on the benefits of fasting, check out this study “Fasting: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Applications” by Valter D. Longo and Mark P. Mattson.