INTERMITTENT FASTING

To my mind, the quote below is one of the most important aspects of the new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which suggests that there is no benefit from Intermittent Fasting on weight loss and furthermore, there may be muscle loss in some.

“We prescribed an 8-hour eating window and did not prescribe calorie or macronutrient guidance so as to offer a simple, real-world recommendation to free-living individuals. We chose a 12 pm to 8 pm eating window because we reasoned that people would find it easier culturally to skip breakfast than dinner—a more social meal in most cultures.”

There was no advice or restrictions about what to eat or how much to eat - participants were only advised when to eat! Really? I have spent some time over the years in the study of Intermittent Fasting which has become one of the most popular weight loss interventions and have read most of the books that champion this type of eating. And whilst the books explain ‘the science’ behind how the body copes with Intermittent Fasting and the perceived benefits to health and weight-loss along with many links, they include many suggestions on what to eat and why and generally-speaking they offer a great deal of ‘help’ on their online sites.

Because of this recent study, the conclusions are already being spread all over the media, stating that time-restricted eating doesn’t work… and we should all go back to eating three meals a day. Well, that’s the media for you - they just love a ‘catchy headline’ which draws us all in!

My advice is to read as much about Intermittent Fasting as time allows and follow the guidelines on when and most importantly, what you should eat but a word of warning… it seems to suit many people but to those who find the whole process way too difficult, stick to a diet that suits you with plenty of good sources of fibre, protein and good fats and stay away from those high-sugar snacks and drinks which do nothing for weight-loss and seriously upset your insulin levels.

Here are a few suggestions of mine if you find you simply can’t last the day without a wee snack! One thing to remember - go small - it is quite astonishing to notice that if you only have a small snack (and wait… for around 10 minutes) your blood sugar levels balance quite quickly and there is rarely a need to go back for more!