Debate Rages Over Intermittent Fasting (Here’s What to Know)

Unless you’ve been living under a deck, you’ve probably heard the rage about intermittent fasting (or time-restricted eating). Here’s what to know.

Time-restricted eating is eating your daily calories within a certain window of time (and fasting the remainder of the day).

Some research shows that simply eating in a 12-hour window offers big benefits. While other experts try to tighten it to 10… 8… or an even smaller window each day.

And there’s quite a raging debate with this topic.

Some people claim it’s the ‘be-all-end-all’ and will cure most communicable diseases (okay, slight exaggeration). And others think it’s just a fad diet and ‘a calorie is a calorie’ no matter when you eat it.

(Like many diets, the pendulum swings way too far in either direction.)

Instead I like to view time-restricted eating like a tool, one that can make a measurable difference in weight-loss and health. For instance, research from Salk Institute found that when your body is not busy digesting food it can focus on repairing the body in ways that protect against disease and aging (called ‘autophagy’)

Plus, the hurdle to try it is relatively low (versus completely overhauling what you eat each day). But it’s certainly not the only tool.

Anyway, here are a few interesting studies on time-restricted eating:

• One experiment divided mice into two groups: one group could eat whenever they wanted to 24/7 while the other group could eat freely in an 8-hour window. The diet for both consisted of fatty, sugary and high-calorie food.

Not surprisingly, the mice that went to town on this food around the clock packed on the “pounds” (well… more like fractions of ounces).

But aren’t those just mouse studies?

You’re right and studying Ratatouille doesn’t always translate. Thankfully the University of Surrey created a similar human study.

• In this study, both groups ate the same food. However, one group at breakfast 90 minutes later while the other ate breakfast 90 minutes earlier.

The result: The group that ate breakfast 90 minutes later actually dropped body fat (despite eating the same food).

There’s still more to learn when it comes to time-restricted eating (and its benefits go way beyond just weight-loss and body fat) but I’ve personally seen this tool work wonders for private coaching clients — especially when combining it with other tools.

If you’re wanting to jump into time-restricted eating, according to Dr. Michael Mosley (creator of the 5:2 diet) here are 4 tips for getting started with time-restricted eating.
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• Record your bodyweight before starting (to set a baseline)
• Start time-restricted eating to see how to fit it into your schedule
• Stay hydrated to help with hunger
• Stay active to keep cravings at bay (but be careful about doing high-endurance or vigorous exercise on fasting days).

​Don’t take my word for this tool, try it for yourself and see how it works for you.

Onward,

For an in-depth look at the best ‘transformation tools’ I’ve discovered after helping hundreds of clients over the last decade, check out my monthly coaching session ‘in print’ where I go deep on the mindset and skillset of lasting transformation. Learn more here.

Kelan Ern