Does Intermittent Fasting work?
Will fasting work for you?
Find out below.
If you're anything like me, I bet you don't want to waste any time on something complex, inconvenient, and that doesn't work. I imagine you want to feel great and have "results" as quickly as possible. Seems obvious, right?
I'm happy you're here! This short chat will be honest-talk about what Intermittent Fasting is and what it isn't. Ready?
Intermittent Fasting "works." That's it!
Bottom line.
Human beings have lived with the challenges of finding food throughout all time, delaying food/nutrients to our bodies. It "works" because our bodies are designed to eat intermittently and be in deep repair-mode when we aren't taking in food or flavored drinks. Our bodies have adapted beautifully to being in a fasted state, and we are sharp, bright, strong, focussed, and productive when we aren't eating.
If you feel shaky when you skip a meal, that's normal until you train your body to utilize stored energy (fat!) for fuel. This is simple to gently adjust to. You can do it… gradually!
The reason I know it "works" is because the thousands of people I've coached all report that they FEEL so much better.
Take a look at your health goals. Eating in a timed-pattern is a smart idea if you have:
health markers to shift,
body fat to lose,
want better digestion and sleep, and
if you'd like to have more energy.
We all want to feel better. Isn't that your real motivation for exploring this?
I was 54-years old, crushed by menopause and a sudden 50-pound weight gain, and almost every waking thought was some version of "WHAT can I do to FEEL BETTER?" I remember walking down an avenue in New York City, wondering in total exasperation, "Maybe I'm just supposed to succumb and give in to feeling worse and worse forever." A short week later, I totally lost my cool in a conversation with my mom when she suggested that I "turn the weight around."
I'd tried EVERYTHING, and nothing made a difference. And, to make matters worse, all my friends know me as a super-healthy eater, so if *I* couldn't figure this out, I really must be doomed.
After shedding buckets of tears with my mom, the questions were swirling around in my mind... HOW do I lose weight naturally? Why can't I lose weight? Is it possible for anyone to lose weight after 50? Can I lose weight after menopause? How do I balance my hormones? Why is this fat sooooo so stubborn?
My mom offered to pray for an answer, which I enthusiastically welcomed because what I had been googling and praying for was "stubborn menopausal fat, brain fog, lose weight, help me!"
That same night, I stumbled on the term "Intermittent Fasting" for the first time. I learned it's not a "diet," it's a pattern of time. There is no prescribed list of what to eat and what not to eat. It's all about consolidating meals (food and flavored drinks) into an eating window.
So, if you're still wondering what it is and what Intermittent Fasting isn't, I repeat, it is not a diet.
I was so happy to learn that I could choose the foods I want to eat and decide how long I fast and what time to have my eating window. I started that very same day and haven't stopped in 4.5 years! Since that upsetting conversation with my mom, I have chosen what time my eating window will be each day.
I had already been studying nutrition for over 20 years, so I was naturally ecstatic to dive headfirst into learning Intermittent Fasting (also known as Time-Restricted Eating). I practiced on myself, tore apart all the research, asked loads of questions, started coaching my friends, and after achieving fantastic results for myself (complete with challenges, frustrations, obstacles, and stumbles), I reached my weight and health goals and have maintained my healthful status for three years.
So, the question remains - Does Intermittent Fasting work? Yes, and it works for every person. Your goals, health, personality, life schedules, and your body's needs are individual… unique. So the fasting plan you'll settle into evolves and should be customized for you.
Fasting is like sleep; it's imperative. Our bodies need to pause from eating to repair each day; we just didn't know until now. And the exciting thing is, you get to discover and explore which eating and fasting pattern feels best to you!
Eating only during an eating window lowers inflammation, regulates blood sugar, balances insulin, cortisol, and 80+ hormones. Intermittent Fasting fuels our brains on ketones providing even energy, restoring our gut health, cleans out our old-junky cells (autophagy), reduces aches and pains, and gives us the feeling of awareness and calm, control, confidence, and strength.
This isn't a diet; it's a quiet. It's easier than you can possibly imagine, is super-convenient, and absolutely does work. I want all that for you!
Let me show you how!