Fasting: Make Time Restricted Eating Work For you
Time-Restricted Eating (TRE)
What is it?
Time-Restricted Eating is a type of intermittent fasting that allows a limited time for eating each day.
Beginners - 12:12 (12 hr-eating window, followed by a strict fast for 12 hours)
Go Getters - 14:10 (10 hr eating window, 14 hours fasting)
Pros - 16:8 (8 hr eating window, 16 hours fasting)
What are the benefits?
lower levels of inflammation
better blood sugar control
lower risk for diabetes
enhanced detoxification
better hormonal appetite control involving leptin and ghrelin
improved heart health
slower aging
better immunity
lower risk of cancer
improved brain function and lower risk of dementia
better stress management
better digestion
more diverse gut flora
faster recovery after exercise
Does it make evolutionary sense?
Until very recently, eating 24/7 wasn’t even possible. For almost all of human history, people had to alternate between times of feasting and times of fasting. Many cultures have been practising intermittent fasting for religious reasons for millennia, and studying subjects who, for example, observed Ramadan – a way of time-restricted (but not calorie-restricted) eating showed that important health markers, such as blood pressure and cholesterol, improved after a month of intermittent fasting.
Can time-restricted eating help you lose weight?
In the past the advice was: Eat little and often. This was in order to stop blood sugar from dropping too low. Paired with this advice was the recommendation to only consume slow-releasing, complex carbohydrates, which would ensure that blood sugar wouldn’t rise too high either in order to avoid insulin spikes. Keeping blood glucose and insulin on an even keel was thought to be the best way to lose weight – and it works, particularly for those who are used to a diet that is high in sugar and refined carbohydrates. After all, small regular meals of healthy foods are already a big improvement for many.
Time-restricted eating means that for 12, 14 or 16 hours nothing will spike insulin and it is only in the absence of insulin that we can burn fat. Humans are designed to switch between using glucose (carbohydrate) and fat for fuel. We put down body fat as an energy reserve so that when food is scarce, we can live off that for a while. When we eat carbohydrates, insulin is secreted and one of the things it does is stop fat-burning. If we keep topping up insulin, we will have a harder time losing body fat. Even now, as we sleep, we are burning fat, as the body needs fuel through the night as well. Extending the overnight fast simply allows us to burn some more.
Should everyone restrict their eating time?
TRE may not work for everyone. If you are diabetic or very stressed, it is important to get your blood sugar levels on to an even keel first and TRE is not recommended until you have done this. (Not sure how to do that? Get in touch)
Balancing your blood sugar levels is key before you start – if you get dizzy, irritable or generally feel unwell if you don’t eat very regularly then you will need to fix this before attempting any fast.
You need something called metabolic flexibility, which means you can use both glucose and fat as fuel.
Switching to using stored fat as fuel, instead of glucose, has to be relearnt by your body. Plus, it can only happen once your circulating glucose is at a balanced level.
If you have trouble with hormone balance (e.g. PMS, PCOS, menopausal symptoms), TRE may or may not work for you. Start with the Beginner version on just two non-consecutive days per week to see how you get on. If you have thyroid issues, speak to me before trying out TRE. Also, some people with digestive symptoms may fare better on smaller, more frequent meals. They should seek professional guidance before attempting TRE.
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