Can you explain the basics of what fasting does to the body?
“ The three macro-nutrients the body needs are fat, protein and carbohydrates. Protein isn’ t really a fuel for energy. Protein is for building your immune system, muscle and bones. Fat and carbohydrates are what you use for energy.
You burn through your muscle glycogen and your liver glycogen( glycogen is stored carbohydrates) in a few hours, then your body is starving. Most people say,‘ I just need to eat.’ But, I’ m of the belief you can use that time to be a fat burner instead.
Even lean people have 40,000 calories of fat in their body. While you only store 200 calories of glucose, the average person can go at least 14 days without eating any food at all. You can burn those fat calories all day long, versus glucose which you’ re having to always eat to replenish.
Many people try to wait an hour or two after exercise to eat, because you know that if you hadn’ t used all of your stored sugar before the exercise, you certainly have after. Your body continues to burn fat and initiates autophagy.”
What is autophagy?
“ Basically, autophagy is a kind of recycling in your body. Your body tears down cells to get rid of old proteins. Broken down cells in one part of the body will be used for energy in another. This helps keep you youthful as you’ re turning over the calories in your body. You won’ t break down and recycle nutrients if your body is constantly in a state of fullness.”
During your eating window, how many calories do you consume?
“ I have no idea. The only thing I count are grams of carbs. Throughout the day, I drink coffee with cream or fatty oil( coconut or MCT oil). That may give me 100 calories. But otherwise, I don’ t count in any way.“
When did you begin practicing fasting?
“ Just a few years ago. I read a couple of books about evidence based exercise. I had been lifting weights with no real science backing for a while. I don’ t know what really initiated my fasting. I dabbled in multiple different practices. The ones I’ ve stuck with have been a low carbohydrate( carb) diet and fasting, which I really believe in for everybody.
Fasting is a kind of natural human practice. In prehistoric times, even up to a few hundred years ago, humans would have been pretty active and working all day, then killed an animal and ate a feast at night. So, looking at their habits, it kind of makes sense to wait longer periods without eating.”
When you began fasting, did you have a learning curve?
“ People say there’ s a transitionary period where you feel unwell when you go low carb. I didn’ t experience that. I must have done it in a stair stepping way, because I don’ t remember any negative feelings. If I go on vacation or have a lot of carbs for a week or two, the next couple days I’ ll feel a little food hungover. But, it never happens to the degree that it would stop me from returning to the practice.”
Intermittent fasting usually consists of at least 16 hours off between meals, followed by an eating window between four and eight hours long. How long is your eating window?
“ Usually my eating window begins at 3 pm. I average a four or five hour eating window, and I prefer to exercise on an empty stomach. So, on days I work out, I start eating much later in the day.
If you want to be anabolic and build muscle, many studies say to eat some protein before bed. I don’ t normally do so, but on workout days, I do think it’ s more acceptable to have a later meal because of the calories you’ re burning.”
VITAL SIGNS Volume 13 • Issue 2 3