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Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating.
I started using a Fasting app called ZERO during the first few months of South Africa's national lockdown. Now that it's Day 236, I have decided to share the not-so-secret superpower that so many people discovered during the lockdown.
I don't know if it was the fact that junk food and the likes weren't as easily accessible, but the need to constantly eat dimmed significantly during lockdown, even if sometimes it seemed all we could do was eat.
A friend of mine told me about Intermittent Fasting during the beginning stages of the lockdown and I figured, well why not try it since my eating habits had begun to change anyway?
With different modes on the app, I decided to start easy. I chose the Circadian Rhythm TRF (time-restricted feeding) program, which meant fasting for 13 hours straight. With an 11-hour feeding window (13:11), this fast usually began after sunset until morning. Holistic nutrition consultant Lindsay Boyers calls the Circadian rhythm the sun cycle diet because it "encourages timing your meals with the rise and fall of the sun, and the corresponding surges and dips in cortisol." But what is cortisol? nothing to worry about, just a hormone in your body that in conjunction with the hormone melatonin, helps your body with its eating schedule. This is mainly because cortisol is associated with waking, alertness, and stress response, and melatonin the opposite.
For more information on the Circadian Rhythm TRF, click here.
After about a week, I started wanting a shorter feeding window because I realized the other hours I spent not eating, could very well be used fasting.
That brings me to the 18:6 TRF, which is my favorite and has had the biggest impact on my body. The fast is an 18-hour fast with a six hour feeding window and it helps rid the liver of more glycogen, allowing the body to begin using ketones for fuel, and can activate autophagy to rid the body of damaged cells. My personal, daily program currently consists of fasting from 22:00 to 16:00 (18 hours) with a feeding window from 16:00 to 22:00 (6 hours). Of course this isn't the standard or suggested program, but, it's the best for me based on my sleeping pattern and the hours that I am most active.
When you first start using the app, they give you a myriad of goals to choose from, which is great because there are so many reasons why people fast and not all of them are to lose weight. My goals include gut rest, metabolic health and longevity. There are more goals on the app and you get personalized fasts and advice for your personal journey.
Intermittent Fasting benefits according to experts (…and me):
Weight loss
Can reduce Insulin Resistance, lowering your risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
Can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.
May be beneficial for heart health.
Good for your brain.
May extend your lifespan, helping you live longer.
For more details on the above benefits and more IF benefits click here.
My experience with intermittent fasting has been amazing and I think it tremendously helps you exercise self-control above all. There are amazing apps out there to help aid you with your fasting. Apps that will motivate you, remind you of your fasts, track your progress and give you loads of information on benefits, and especially, what qualifies as fast breakers.
Here are the best suggestions for fasting apps.
Good luck!
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