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‘The best of all medicines is resting and fasting’
Benjamin Franklin
Fasting has been used since ancient times for improving health as well as for cultural and religious purposes. Evidence now shows that fasting really does bring measurable health benefits, and reduces the risk of many diseases. Regular fasting is also shown to help with weight loss.
If you've not used fasting before it's a good idea to do do a little preparation before you start fasting. Whether you're introducing time restricted eating or planning a 24-hour fast, it's important to get prepared, so that you stay comfortable during your fast. Here we offer some tips on how to prepare and what to do during your fasting period in order to manage without food for a few hours.
What do we mean by fasting?
Fasting can be described as:
'The abstinence from food or drink or both for health, ritualistic, religious, or ethical purposes. The abstention may be complete or partial, lengthy, of short duration, or intermittent'
Done well, all kinds of fasting brings health benefits. You first need to consider which type of fasting you would find manageable. The different types of fasting are shown below:
Here we will focus on Time Restricted Eating and 24-hour fasting.
1. Time Restricted Eating
Time Restricted Eating or TRE involves limiting eating to a certain number of hours within a 24-hour period. Eating is then undertaken within a specified number of hours, say 8 or 10 hours, and the remainder of the 24 hour period is spent fasting. It allows ad libitum eating within the restricted hours.
TRE is considered beneficial for:
Many aspects of health, including heart health
Helping improve metabolic health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and fatty liver disease
Weight loss and for breaking a weight-loss stall
Time Restricted Eating, Low-Carb and hunger
When you've adopted a low-carb diet you will find it much easier to cope with TRE compared to when you were eating more carbs. That's due to the following reasons:
Eating plenty of protein and healthy fats keeps you feeling full longer, so you are less likely to suffer from hunger pangs!
You avoid the blood sugar roller-coaster - when you don't eat sugar and refined carbs you avoid the peaks and crashes those foods bring. Avoiding the low blood sugar crash means you avoid the hunger that comes with it.
By adopting a low-carb diet you are more able to move into fat-burning mode - that is, your body can switch over to using it's own fat for fuel more easily. When your body can access stored body fat it always has a source of fuel, so you are less likely to feel hunger.
When you're burning fat for fuel, particularly if you keep carbs very low, you are likely to produce ketones and ketones are thought to have a positive effect on hunger hormones. Ketones appear to lower ghrelin, the hunger hormone and increase the 'fullness' hormones, such as GLP-1 and CCK.
Take a step-by step approach to TRE
To help you get used to eating within a limited window, its helpful to take a step by step approach to introducing this way of eating. this way your body will acclimatise to a new way of eating gradually. You can experiment and find out what works best for you, so that you can restrict your eating window at a pace that is right for you.
Step 1 - Assess your current eating pattern - The first step is to consider your current eating pattern. How many times you are currently eating each day, and within what eating window? Write down your usual eating pattern so that you're clear about your starting point. You can then start to gradually change your eating pattern and restrict your eating hours. A step by step is generally a good way to adopt TRE.
Step 2 - Reduce your eating to a maximum of three meals per day, with no snacks taken between meals.
For example, take breakfast at 8am, lunch at 12.30 and dinner at 7pm, so that you finish eating by 8pm each day and you are therefore eating within a 12-hour eating window.
Once you find you have introduced this routine and have become used to eating no more than three times each day, you can move on to further restriction of your eating hours. Remember, you can decide to adopt TRE every day of the week or you can choose to use it for some, but not all days - for example, you may wish to relax your eating window at the weekend.
Step 3 - Move to 14/10: eating within an 10-hour window with a 14-hour fast
Example a) Finish dinner by 7pm, fast overnight with breakfast at 9am
Or
Example b) Finish dinner by 8pm, fast overnight with breakfast at 10am
Step 4 - Move to 16/8: eating within an 8-hour window with a 16 hour fast
Example a) Finish dinner by 7pm, fast overnight with brunch at 11am
Or
Example b) Finish dinner by 6pm, fast overnight with breakfast at 10am
Examples of different TRE options you might choose:
Fitting TRE into your life
Remember you need to make your TRE pattern of eating fit with how you and your family live, so that it can be sustainable. For example you may decide to opt for a later eating window and skip breakfast, so that you can to make sure you can always enjoy a meal with your family in the evening. And TRE using either an early or a late eating window is effective for weight loss.
2. Fasting for 24-hours
If you have introduced TRE into your life and find you are managing well with eating within a restricted window, you may be ready to try 24-hour fasting. The simplest way to do this is to eat your dinner as usual in the evening of the first day, then fast until dinner-time the following day. This way you are able to enjoy a meal on both days.
Another way is to eat one meal a day - OMAD. You can eat this one meal at any point during the day.
If you're trying to improve your health or lose weight you might decide to use a 24-hour fast or OMAD on a regular basis once a week/fortnight/month. It can also be very helpful tool to use if you are having a weight-loss stall.
3. Preparing for a fast
When you are planning a fast there are some important principles to help you stay comfortable during a fast.
a) Hydration is key!
Hydration is key to helping you to feel comfortable during a fast. Remember during a fast you need to avoid all food, and this includes dairy foods. The best drinks to have during a fast are:
Water
Sparkling water - perhaps with lemon and ice-cubes
Black tea or herb teas
Black coffee
Bone broth - see this recipe
If you find it difficult to drink coffee or tea black, add just a teaspoon of milk or cream. Have a go with herbal teas, there is such a great range of different teas available now, that you will be spoilt for choice!
When you're fasting for 24 hours, keeping hydrated is even more important, in order to avoid headaches and tiredness. Remember you need to drink more than usual, as you are not getting the fluids you would normally get from your food, such as from vegetables.
Electrolytes
You might also find it helpful to add in electrolytes - such as sodium and magnesium as adding these in during your period of fasting can make you feel more comfortable, keeping headaches and muscle cramps at bay. A simple drink you can make yourself is the Diet Doctor’s Electrolyte Elixir, which is made out of water, salt, magnesium and lemon juice.
b) Avoid strenuous activity especially during longer fasts
When you're doing a 24-hour fast it's best to avoid too much strenuous activity. Try and avoid fasting when you have a more demanding day ahead of you, and avoid exercising too hard. Gentle exercise, such as walking is best.
c) Stay busy
Whilst avoiding strenuous activity, its a good idea to keep busy, so you distract yourself from thinking about food.
d) Manage hunger
Hunger tends to come in waves. When it hits, slowly drink a glass of water or a cup of coffee. Often by the time you have finished, the hunger has passed. Coffee has been found to be an appetite suppressor so is a good choice if you're suffering from hunger pangs!
e) Don't fast if you feel unwell, stressed or have not slept well
It's best to undertake a 24-hour fast when you're feeling well and rested. Fasting is a strain on the body, so if you're under the weather, it is better to leave it for another day.
f) If you feel unwell stop your fast
Whilst most people cope well with a 24-hour fast, especially if they keep well hydrated, some people may feel uncomfortable. If you start to feel unwell, we advise you to stop your fast and resume eating.
g) Muscle cramps
Occasionally people will suffer from muscle cramps during a fast. The best way to avoid this is to take a magnesium supplement. Or you could soak in a bath to which you've added a handful of Epsom Salts, which are magnesium salts. You might also choose to use transdermal magnesium - which is an oil you can rub into your skin.
4. How to break a fast
It's important to break your fast gently. Avoid the temptation to overeat as soon as the fast is over as this can lead to stomach discomfort. Just eat a normal sized meal at the end of the fast and adjust back to your normal eating routine.
5. Finally
Fasting has been used to improve health for thousands of years, and evidence shows it really does help keep you healthy as well as supporting weight loss. If you choose to fast, the most important thing is that you stay comfortable by drinking plenty, taking it easy and using electrolytes to avoid headaches and muscle cramps. And don't forget that sense of achievement you will get at the end of each fast!
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