Do You Need to Talk with Your Doctor About Fasting?

or…Some Final Thoughts About Intermittent Fasting.

In the previous article, we sought to debunk some “myths” about this form of fasting, known as intermittent fasting (IF).

The word “myth” in this regard, refers to falsehoods that tend to go viral without being truly examined.

In this final article of the series, we are going to go over some simple things to consider when doing Intermittent Fasting (IF). We are also going to look at who might need to talk with their healthcare provider before doing this.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this series is for information purposes only and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, neither is it to be construed as such. It does not create any patient-physician relationship and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment where required. Consult a doctor for medical advice, treatment or diagnosis.

If you ever intend to go on a fast, do clear it with your healthcare provider.

Guideposts on your journey

Ok, so let’s look at some things to consider. Try not to consider them as rules. You will see why later. Think of them more as pointers that are intended to guide you towards your goal.

Pointer No. 1: Start small

We’ve been here before, quite a few times throughout this series.

You need to ease into this thing.

This is probably the most important pointer you need to consider. Intermittent fasting is a way of eating that most people are not accustomed to.

Unless, for some reason in your past, you were required to fast before going to the clinic for a particular blood test.

Because we are creatures of habit who eat throughout the day without really thinking about it, IF will require you to think differently about your eating habits.

Food is often treated as therapy instead of fuel. We eat because we’re bored, not necessarily because we’re hungry. We live to eat instead of eating to live.

When you adopt the IF way, you will only be allowed to eat during the eating windows.

16 hours of fasting can be tough. So, you will need to slowly ease into it. When you’re starting off, your eating window might be 10 hours long. As you get accustomed to it, you can shorten the window till you reach 8 hours – the recommended duration.

For women who wish to do IF, because you might experience some hormonal changes, you are advised to start small.

One popular method for doing this is referred to as the Crescendo Method.

Another way is to fast every day, although you would do this for much shorter time periods.

Pointer No. 2: Choose a method that suits you

This might require some trial and error on your part.

Remember, there are are different types of intermittent fasting.

The 16/8 style requires you to fast for 16 hours, while the Warrior style requires you to fast for 20 hours – and so on.

Of course, the so-called “Warrior” style requires you to change/upgrade your mindset from a fixed mindset to one of growth and success.

While there are different ways to approach IF, the principle is the same. You fast for longer periods than you eat.

So, choose a method that agrees with you and tailor it to suit your lifestyle.

For example, if you are a late sleeper, you may wish to start your eating window later in the day.

If you start too early, by the time it reaches nightfall, you may have hunger cravings that you struggle to get over.

All this tweaking requires you to be aware of your daily habits and fit the IF protocol in accordingly.

Pointer No. 3: Hydrate often

This goes without saying. Your body comprises at least 70% water. You need to drink water often to accelerate the fat loss process. Skip the energy drinks, coffee, tea (unless herbal), etc., and stick to water for the duration of your fast. Your body needs water only during the fasted state. Every other fluid you consume is optional. This might include fruit and/or vegetable juices.

One way to do your drinking is to have two glasses at breakfast, two at lunch, and two at dinner. Mind you, this does depend on the size of the glass and when your eating window is.

Conventional recommended water intake is somewhere between six and eight glasses per day.

Pointer No. 4: Maintain a caloric deficit

If your focus for doing IF is weight reduction, it is often recommended that you maintain a caloric deficit to see results.

Note: This is useful for people who want/need to count their calories.

To calculate your daily calorie intake, you can use this online calorie calculator:

Intermittent fasting gives you more flexibility and you’ll be allowed to consume enough carbs because the insulin spikes will be limited to the eating window and your blood sugar levels will be stable throughout the fasting period.

However, if you wish to see progress on your weight reduction journey, you still need to be consuming less calories than you expend.

A related approach to this is to do light exercise. If you are working, take care to reduce your workload where you can.

You may also find that you sleep less. This is usually because the body doesn’t need to work as hard to digest food.

Do you see now why I refer to these as “pointers” rather than “rules”?

Counting your calories is not a requirement or rule. There are more intuitive approaches to weight reduction/fat loss.

This pointer is, therefore, optional.

Pointer No. 5: Feel free to cheat!

Some people have cheat meals. Others have cheat days. Whichever way you decide to go, always remember that you will still be following the eating and fasting windows even on your cheat days.

This will prevent your body’s blood sugar levels from spiking wildly. So, do eat and have fun with this. Feel free to enjoy the foods you love. Just remember to do this within your eating window.

Additional tip: You may wish to consider changing the use of the word “cheat” to something else that is not linked to judgmentalism and thus does not result in you beating yourself up if you miss your target.

Who might need professional advice

While you are advised to speak with your healthcare provider before attempting to fast, there are some people who may need additional guidance.

These would include:

• people with serious health issues and/or are on medications,
• insulin-dependent diabetics,
• people with eating disorders,
• pregnant women,
• women who are breast-feeding, and
• athletes training multiple times per day.

Conclusion

There you have it.

Take note of these 5 pointers and make your health & fitness journey smoother with this tool. Chances are, you will avoid the traps that many people trying IF fall into.

Feel free to do additional research if you really want to make sure before getting your feet wet, as well as seek professional assistance.

Did you enjoy this series? Check out the next one in which we talk about adopting a detox strategy. We start off with looking at why you would even consider doing a detox.

To a better, wiser, stronger YOU!

Sources:
Harder, Felix. Health and Fitness Coach and Udemy Instructor

Intermittent Fasting for Women: A Beginner’s Guide. Located at healthline (online), https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-for-women [Accessed January 15, 2024]

Klatz, Ronald Dr. and Kahn, Carol (1998). Grow Young with HGH. USA: HarperCollins.