Should You Fast, Intermittently or Otherwise?

I’m hungry.

It’s almost 11 AM and I haven’t eaten anything yet.

I’ve been up since 5 AM.

I trained at a high level of intensity at 6 AM for one hour.

However, I am not doing intermittent fasting (IF), time-restricted feeding (TRF or eTRF), or any other popular kind of feeding window manipulation.

So why aren’t I eating yet?

Read on to find out.

Let’s break it down as follows:

1. The Big Picture 🖼️

2. Explain It To Me Like I’m 5 👦

3. Helpful ✅ vs. Harmful 🚫

4. Specific Examples 🎯

5. Occasional Fasting 🎉

The Big Picture 🖼️

I’ll hit you with some truth to start:

IF/TRF have not been clinically demonstrated to cause significant fat loss any better than regular old ‘caloric deficit’ protocols.

Don’t just take my word for it. Check out "Flexible Dieting: A Science-Based, Reality-Tested Method for Achieving and Maintaining Your Optima l Physique, Performance & Health" by Alan Aragon.

So, why are IF/TRF so popular? Because …

For many people it helps control overall caloric intake, which can be a very good thing!

Among other reasons.

It’s simply important to remember that:

It is not the right tool for everyone to use all the time. YOU need to be mindful of when it’s helping you … and when it’s not.

Below I’ll give some specific examples.

Explain It To Me Like I’m 5 👦

Today’s topic, as simply as possible:

“Less time spent eating usually means less food eaten.”

Helpful ✅ vs. Harmful 🚫

It really depends on your situation …

… and your situation can change.

Specific Examples 🎯

IF typically involves eating very little (or even zero) food on some days, but not others. There are variants: alternate day, 5:2, etc.

TRF typically involves restricting one’s feeding window for the day to 6 or 8 total hours, with no caloric restriction during the feeding window.

Since overall caloric restriction is crucial for fat loss, you can see how either of these practices usually leads to overall caloric restriction.

If any variant of these is what it takes for you to make progress, great!

Additionally, circadian biology research tell us that:

• Eating within the 1st or 2nd hour of waking is not ideal.

• Eating within the last 3 hours before bed is not ideal.

Thus, IF/TRF are typically aligned with optimal circadian eating patterns.

Some people need the kind of strictness of IF/TRF in order to hit their goals.

Here are some examples of when it might not be right for you:

• You’re never able to eat dinner with friends & family, or you feel really uncomfortable at the table.

• You’re really hungry after a morning workout, but you feel like you have to wait to eat for 3 more hours because ‘it’s the rule’.

• You’re cranky, you’re losing focus, or you’re spending so much time planning your IF/TRF schedule that you’re losing your grip on other responsibilities.

If you’re confused about this, hit reply, and we’ll chat.

Occasional Fasting 🎉

In many religions & cultures, fasting is an occasion.

It’s a safe assumption to say that early humans did not have food available 24/7.

Whether somber, celebratory, or necessary, these occasions present themselves regularly today, in 2023 life.

Occasions are when I fast.

I know that fasting once in a while won’t kill me, and is probably healthy.

About once or twice a month, something comes up.

Perhaps I’m traveling all day, so I eat very little.

Or perhaps a family member has to fast, so I do it with them to make them feel a little bit more comfortable, like I am doing today :)

Take care,

Coach Matt

P.S. New reward available if you refer this newsletter: