What IF?

Imagine only eating only a small salad and a chicken breast on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week. Or how about skipping breakfast, eating a banana and a couple of eggs at 10am, a big tofu vegetable stir-fry at 3pm, an apple with almonds at 5:45 and black tea with a tablespoon of half and half at 8pm every day?

These are examples of a growing popular eating trend called Intermittent Fasting (IF). It’s been credited with everything from lowering obesity, diabetes and heart disease risk as well as reducing the risk of some forms of cancer. And, for many, it’s the easiest eating pattern to maintain in terms of shopping , meal preparation and eating out.

In this article from the Harvard Public Health website, IF is examined and a strong case is made for the practice – for those who feel it’s a manageable lifestyle. Since the biggest drawback is hunger, they looked at a few different common IF practices, and are more supportive of one that matches our body’s natural rest/wake rhythms, rather than clustering an eight-hour eating period toward the end of the day.

I have dabbled with varying degrees of IF, and generally practice a flexible 16/8, although my eating period often spans closer to ten hours, or I might have a tangerine and a hardboiled egg after a 5-6 afternoon/evening stretch if I’ve been more active and feel quite hungry before bed.

So what’s my take? I like it because it makes me more mindful about what I choose, and I know that I’m less likely to eat more than I need to fuel my rest period (sitting on the couch before bed, and then sleep). But here are things you want to be sure you still cover if you try IF:

1. Drink plenty of water. Skipping meals doesn’t mean skipping water breaks.
2. Keep produce (especially veggies) the dominant contributor to your diet.
3. If you strength train, make sure you’re getting at least .5 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of ideal bodyweight.

If you do try IF, post your thoughts here. I’m interested in your input.

More on IF can be found here.

Dan Taylor, ACE, NASM-CPT, is owner and head trainer at Pleasanton-based Tri Valley Trainer. They provide personal training and small group fitness solutions at their studio, a free Facebook group for living a lean lifestyle for non-cooks with chaotic schedules, and a premium, innovative, medically endorsed web-based group healthy eating coaching program.