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- š(#6) This Is The Way
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Message from the author:
In this issue I will be speaking from my own personal experience with INTERMITTENT FASTING. I decided that I will save a lot of the detailed scientific jargon for future reads.
Issue # 6 is for the fasting beginners - that is; someone interested but unsure, someone that has started and wants to learn more or someone that has tried it and found it difficult or has quit because it was too hard.
Two things from me:
1. I am not a professional in this field - I am however someone who has had my own experiences with fasting for over 3 years (on and off at times) and I guess I have gained some knowledge along the way that may be of use to others.
2. It will be irresponsible of me to not recommend that you seek advice from a medical or fitness industry professional and also gather your own data and knowledge at some point before starting.
One last thing from me before we dig into it. I am aware that there is a total opposite view and opinion around this topic - but I will only speak from my point of view which is in full support of fasting and its benefits.
Hope you gain at least one take away from this one.
āThe way to what?ā you might ask.
Fair point and good question to start with. Hold that thought and letās park it for a couple of minutes as we will aim to answer this question be the end.
Fasting itself can be quite daunting for most. It is a commitment. Some would say it is even a lifestyle choice.
Depending on what you read and who you listen to ā¦. it can be a lot to take in for beginners.
My goal today is to simplify this theoretical behemoth into something practical and bite sized for you. If you are anything like me - you learn by doing.
Whilst we continue through - try to understand what position you are approaching fasting from.
The Newbie or Newb as the kids say. Hasnāt started - but thinking about trying.
The Starter. Wanting to learn more and pick up any tips (I still do this now when I speak to people that have been fasting for a while)
The Quitter. I donāt mean this in a negative way - I get it, I have been there before. The Quitter is one who has tried but fell off and has struggled to get back into fasting.
Now that you have this in mind, when reading the below, different things will stand out to you.
Fasting is the way.
It is the only way, at least in my opinion.
It is a lifestyle choice and a way of life - but shouldnāt feel like a chore or something you dislike.
It should be designed in such a way that allows you the freedom to live your life (yes you will have to make some sacrifices) but the ultimate goal is to have your cake and eat it to.
Itās one of the few cheat codes in that you can use to your advantage in life.
Letās get into some of the basicsā¦
Weāll begin with what fasting isnāt
Fasting isnāt starving yourself. Some believe that this is the case. At times it may feel like your body is starvingā¦ but itās not.
In the first week or two you may feel like you are in pain from hunger, but it is just your body telling fighting against it as it has been conditioned to consume more than you actually need and eat throughout majority of the day.
What fasting is
Specifically - Intermittent Fasting. Simply put, this type of fasting is time restricted eating. You have a certain window to consume required calories.
In order to find this window - you will need to understand your body, have a period of trial & error to find what works for you and align to your individual needs.
Without going to deep, your body burns fat, reduces inflammation, improves gut health, starts to heal at a cell level and for the fellas it increases testosterone.
The cool thing isā¦
The longer fast only increases the improvements. Will explore these in later issues or take some time to look it up.
When I donāt fast
When I am not fastingā¦ everything goes out the window for me.
I feel sluggish, my training is inconsistent and all the benefits that happen beneath the surface are missed also.
The one reason I believe this is soā¦.
Fasting for me is the ultimate test of discipline. I have mentioned in previous issues that I love to eat - a self-confessed foodie and eat a high volume of food if I let myself.
When challenge myself to commit to fasting, everything else falls into place due to the mental discipline.
I know this for myself because I have phased in and out for the last three years.
I have had an āon-again, off-againā relationship with it and since starting back with a new mindset in April 2023 - I have a new appreciation towards it.
Before we continue, I want to be as honest as possible hereā¦ the discomfort doesnāt go away, sure it may not be as strong as the first two weeks, but you will have moments of discomfort guaranteed. The one thing that changes is that you build resilience and awareness of your body.
When weighing up temporary discomfort versus the long-term benefits, I canāt see myself removing this from my lifestyle anymore.
Fasting is here to stay for good.
A day in the life
Below I will bullet point a typical day of fasting for me.
Just to set the scene - I fast for 20 hours a day and eat in a 4-hour window (20:4)
Normally not a good starting point for most, but this is my preferred way to do it.
Occasionally I will do 24 or 48 hours of fast during a month. These fasting sessions help me reset. When going up to or beyond 48 hours, I feel you connect to your inner self, almost in a spiritual way (will save this for another topic of discussion).
A place to start for you could be 16:8 (Fast for 16 hours and have an 8-hour eating window) or challenge yourself once you find your groove with 18:6 (Fast for 18 hours and have an 8-hour eating window).
My 24-hour overview:
Wake up at 5am - 5:30am
Drink coffee (black only) + morning routine
Break-fast at 10am
Breaking a fast (critical point)
I have learnt the hard way - so please learn from me. Break your fast with something easy on the stomach eg protein shake, rice cakes and tune, fruit - watermelon with lemon is awesome.
Twice in my fasting life I have gone straight into high fatty calorie dense foods and my body rejected it. My stomach tightened up into a knot and took me a day or two to get back on track.
Eating window 10am to 2pm (4 hours)
Post the break - I will consume my calories, for me doesnāt need to be super clean. I try and have small portions of things I like in this time.
Back to fasting mode - 2pm to 10am (Next day - 20 hours)
Within this window I am going back into fasting mode
I typically train around 8:30pm
I go to sleep on an empty stomach, some nights are difficult, but only if I have not prepared during the day.
This is not recommended and definitely against standard advice - but as I mentioned above, you need to listen to your body and align to your needs.
After years of trial and errorā¦ I know that this design is something that I can commit to long term and my body & mind respond well when doing so.
Now you know my breakdown - letās look at something you can take away before we wrap up.
Beginners bite
Newbs (How to start)
Ask yourself why you want to start intermittent fasting.
Do some research, ask around, seek advice and see if it can help you move toward your goals.
Think about what foods you will eat in your window to sustain you through the fast - consume your required calories in this window. I wonāt go into diet or calories. As you could imagine - a food plan for calories is a whole topic within itself.
Start simple. Find your ideal length of fasting time vs eating window and also the time of day/night you will do this. Keep it realistic and something you can commit to.
Remember the key point about breaking your first.
Understand your body once you start to try things out, watch and observe how your body responds to things or subtle changes. Whilst you a are going through a trial phase and changing or adapting your plan - keep your focus on consistency.
Commit to the first two weeks - you are changing habits and behaviors. It will be tough - but the discomfort short term is worth the long-term gains.
Starter (Hopefully some points below can help you)
Donāt be hard on yourself. You have probably had some days where you have eaten outside of your window. Itās ok - donāt be hard on yourself. Aim to stick to the two-day ruleā¦fall off one day - get back on the next. Doing this allows you the freedom to not feel guilty and also keeps you focused on moving forward.
If you plateauā¦ try changing your windows around. For me if I set my eating window at night, my body doesnāt respond as well as it does when I eat during 10am to 2pm
Try different types of foods in your window - experiment a little and enjoy the process.
Depending on your goals - donāt just use the scales as your guide. My formula is this:
Scales (the number) + Energy (how you feel) + Look (mirror check) + Clothes (Size changing or how clothes start to sit on your body)
Definitely are holistic and healthier approach to progress.
Quitter (How to maintain long term)
If this is you. I donāt believe I need to say much. You probably already know the benefits and how fasting adds value to your life. You just had a tough run last time.
What I would say to you is thisā¦ start back as a Newbie and Starter with some of the points above.
Enjoy the process - even when itās toughā¦ you got this!!
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You made it through another newsletter from me.
If you have been following along since issue #1 - I hope you are making some progress in your quest to unlock the best version of you.
Reach out to me on Instagram - send me a DM, I would love to hear from you.
One last thing from me to think about this weekā¦
At the start we asked ourselves this ā¦ āThe Way to What?ā. What is fasting the way to?
I am hoping that through this issue you have found the answer to that question.
Until next week fam!
JC
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