Intermittent Fasting

There are a few versions of it:

• Fasting food altogether in intervals
• Eating minimal food a couple days a week and normally the other days
• Not eating throughout the day until the evening meal

Here’s the argument behind this type of fasting: You’ll be eating less food total for the week, so it’ll benefit you in some way.

If you’re practicing intermittent fasting, and your health and weight are good, I wouldn’t change it. There is more than one way to get from A to B.

Does it always work?

To answer a question we can rely on opinions or research. Since research does not always give the same results, scientists have a process by which all the meaningful studies are combined together to see what the results are as a whole. The outcome is called a meta-analysis and it reduces random variation and bias.  

The largest meta-analysis to date on intermittent fasting (Intermittent Energy Restriction or IER) looked at all the published studies on intermittent fasting that lasted over 6 months. These studies included 981 participants and the results were compared to routine food restriction diets (Continuous Energy Restriction or CER.)

The conclusions?

• Intermittent fasting can work for some participants
• It did cause more weight loss
• It had a similar or higher number of dropouts

Here were the researchers words:

“This review confirms that in the little long-term evidence available, IER achieves weight loss but there was no evidence that it provided superior management in comparison to CER. Furthermore, dropout rates were similar in the IER and CER arms of the included studies, suggesting that long-term adherence to IER may be similar to CER and therefore present a successful alternative for individuals who find CER too restrictive in dietary choices during weight reduction.”

If you’d like to read the full paper you can get it here:

Many who reach out to me have tried various diets and are struggling in some way. Several participants in our clinical study of the Adrenal Reset Diet had tried IER without success. If you’ve also attempted it without success, my diet is an option for you.

Do you have problems with your energy levels and your sleep, along with your weight? Some people crash in the afternoon, don’t get refreshing sleep or are wakeful in the night. In these cases, we think adrenal function is a big problem.

The data is solid: The more disrupted your adrenal rhythms are, the more traumatic fasting is on your body.

When you’re going long periods of time without eating, your body can adapt, but here’s the danger: Your body is having to engage your stress response systems to keep forming glucose out of your own tissues. This causes the body to go into a deeper state of stress because your body tries to make extra cortisol when fasting. This can be a trauma for some of us.

If you’ve had a tough time getting to the weight you want, try the Adrenal Reset Diet. We not only help you achieve your target weight, but you’ll also get more energy, sleep better and measurably improve your body’s stress response. You can feel healthier and more vital! You can become more resilient as you’re losing weight.

I understand the logic behind IER, but for many people who aren’t at their peak health, it won’t be helpful. Consider where you are right now with your health and your weight. If you’re struggling, let us help you make a move in the right direction with the Adrenal Reset Diet.