Planning to Start Fasting? Not so Fast

Fasting is indeed not a new concept and has been around for centuries, practised both religiously as well as from a practical sense since food was not always as available as it is now. One of the most significant issues that I see with a number of my clients is their constant struggle with the availability and convenience of food. Most of my clients literally have something in their mouths, other than water every 1-2 hours. That sounds like a lot, but when you think of high sugar drinks and snacks between meals you can see how this is easily the case.

From an evolutionary point of view, it doesn’t make sense to eat 5-6 times a day. In the past, we didn’t have an adequate food supply to support such eating habits. We weren’t designed to eat this way. Instead, we have evolved to fasting and then feasting. The human body also has the capacity to turn to stored fat as a source of fuel. This only occurs when you fast long enough or reduce your carbohydrate and sugar intake drastically which causes your body to switch to using stored fat as a supply of fuel. This process is called Ketosis, and it has been used therapeutically to fight certain cancers and treat childhood epilepsy. Recently, this has also been used to elicit fat loss and improve both brain focus and nourishment for bodies. This is possible because the fat-based fuel called ketones produced, as a result, allows for increased focus and concentration for our bodies.

At my practice, The Nutrition Clinic based in Singapore, I have helped hundreds of clients tap into their true hunger cycles. A lot of our decisions around food are being driven by habit, a chemical response to sugar, as well as marketing and social pressures. Once you start to work on your blood sugar levels, it becomes easier to change habits and listen to your true hunger.

Fundamentally, fasting is the absence of food. In other words, whenever you are not eating, you are basically fasting. Fasting allows the body to burn off excess fat. When one does not eat for a while, their body starts to burn off stored fat, a process known as autophagy, a Greek word which literally translates as ‘self-eating’. Most people experiment with fasting as a way to lose weight but Yoshinori Ohsumi, who won the Nobel Prize for the Study of ‘Self-Eating’, published a paper describing how our cells recycle their content. During a period of fasting, cells break down proteins and non-essential components and end up reusing them for energy. Cells also use this time to destroy viruses, bacteria and get rid of any damaged structures. This is why fasting can be useful as a dietary intervention, as long as it is done right.

Some of the benefits we have seen would include the reversal of Type 2 diabetes, increasing energy gain, weight-loss, improvements in brain function and definitely the reduction of sugar cravings. Furthermore, for people with immune system issues such as auto-immune conditions, fasting can also be a way of “resetting” the immune system.

Mechanics of Fasting

It is beneficial to understand the mechanics of fasting. When we eat, our bodies are unable to fully utilise all of the energy that is produced, so it gets stored for future use. Insulin is the key hormone involved in the storage of food energy. Since there is a rise in Type 2 diabetes in Asia, it is essential to understand how this hormone works. Insulin levels in our bodies rise when we eat to help our bodies store the energy from food in two different ways. Firstly, sugars get linked into long chains called glycogen and then get stored in the liver. The liver can only store so much glycogen, and once it reaches full capacity, it starts to turn the excess glucose into fat. Some of this fat gets stored in the liver, but the majority ends up as stored fat deposits in the body. Essentially, energy from food is stored in two ways whereby one is easily accessible in limited amounts as glycogen and the other as body fat which is harder to access but has an unlimited storage space.

Now picture this in reverse when you don’t eat anything. Insulin does not get released, and this results in the body burning stored energy from fat. Blood glucose levels will also drop as the body starts to use the stored energy. To put it simply, our bodies are either feeding (storing food energy) or fasting (burning stored energy). That is why it is imperative to connect with our true hunger since we have developed a culture of constantly snacking.

Process of Ketosis

Once you start fasting, your body starts to enter into Ketosis, but you will come out of Ketosis the moment you start eating foods that contain carbs. Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCT) oil, which can be added to coffee, helps get your body into Ketosis faster. This is great for your brain, and even when you eat some carbohydrates after a fasting period, MCT can help keep you in Ketosis.

MCTs are basically a form of saturated fatty acids that have many health benefits. Some of which include improving cognitive functions, aiding in weight-loss as they bypass the metabolic burden of processing in the liver and they are quickly converted into energy in our brain and muscles.

MCT oils are quite complex, and it really is vital to understand the science and labelling behind them to know what you are purchasing before you jump on the hype. Although coconut oil is technically considered an MCT oil and is allowed to be labelled so, it is predominantly made up of lauric acid, which has numerous health benefits but biochemically doesn’t act like an MCT oil in the body as it needs to be converted by the liver first. The other types of fatty acids found in coconut oil actually act as MCTs in your body, but they are in much smaller amounts: caproic, caprylic and capric acid. These don’t need to be processed by the liver and are usually extracted into MCT oil. In order to create some MCT oils, manufacturers use chemical refining that utilises chemicals such as hexane. This is certainly not something you want to pay a premium to consume.

In summary, don’t waste your money on MCT marketed oils unless you are sure of what you are buying. If you don’t fully understand the ingredients, their manufacturing process and how these oils would be processed in the body, I suggest that you should stick to high-quality coconut oil. Also, if you have severe gut issues or gallbladder problems, I don’t recommend you to consume MCT oils because you might find it difficult to cope with MCT (and other) fats. For anyone with a history of cholesterol issues, it is best to work with a practitioner as your cholesterol levels will need to be tracked.

Generally, I never let my clients jump into fasting without truly understanding their baseline. There are a couple of important things to check before embarking on a fast.

First and foremost, we would check their blood sugar levels. For example, if a client is consuming only processed and high sugar foods, I would start by fixing that because if their blood sugar levels are completely out of whack, fasting becomes incredibly difficult. So, in this case, to help balance out their blood sugar levels, I would either start shifting their diet first to more protein, good quality fat and vegetables, or in some cases encouraging them to eat every 2-3 hours. Naturally, when blood sugar levels are more balanced, the idea of snacking gradually fades away.

Next, we are also concerned with their thyroid levels. For clients with thyroid issues, it is essential to ensure that their entire hormonal system is balanced.

Additionally, stress levels and quality sleep are also significant factors when it comes to fasting. We always balance a client’s stress hormones and try to ensure they have enough good quality sleep.

Thus, only after calibrating the factors above, we would begin to help our clients embark on a fast. That said, there are also some clients who we will never put on a fasting protocol. For instance, anyone who is pregnant, breastfeeding or has an insulin intake shouldn’t fast.

If everything checks out, how do I start fasting?

The first step is to ensure that you are eating well. Your meals should roughly consist of a palm-sized piece of protein, at least ½ a plate of vegetables, good quality fat and a small portion of grains although we generally favour going grain free.

Once your meals are in check, you need to get your blood work done. It is always a good idea to monitor any changes when you change your diet.

Then, start fasting in the best possible situation. For us, this means after a good night’s sleep and on a busy day. It is really hard to break the habit of breakfast if you are tired because, after a bad night’s sleep, your hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin don’t work as they should. This will make you really hungry in the morning. Being busy helps to take your mind off your usual breakfast routine.

Besides that, I recommend you to download a fasting app to keep track of your fasting window. “Zero” is an app that I like. With regards to your fasting window, we suggest starting gently with 12-hour windows for 3 -4 times a week, gradually working up to 14 hours and 16-hour windows 3-4 times a week.

Fasting works so well for some of our clients that they tend to do it every day. You may also read online that some people are attempting longer fasts that last a day or even days. Research shows that regular shorter period fasts (16-hour fasts, 3-4 times a week) has the same impact and is easier on the system than an aggressive, longer fast. In fact, I don’t agree with fasts beyond 16 hours, as I believe that they can do you more harm than good.

We always suggest that you start by listening to your body. If you are starving during your fasting window, you will be unable to concentrate and could potentially feel digestive discomfort or dizziness. If so, it is time to evaluate and adjust slowly.

Intermittent Fasting

Embarking on intermittent fasting helps you get into the fat burning process or Ketosis. This results in the reduction of hunger, triglycerides, overall inflammation and free radical damage (ageing) of our bodies. It also boosts our body’s energy, brain functions, concentration and metabolism rates. This sort of fasting reduces insulin resistance which protects one from diabetes.

A typical day of intermittent fasting requires you to fast from 8pm to 12 noon (16 hours).

For breakfast, you could have some water or Bulletproof coffee. Bulletproof coffee is black coffee blended with grass-fed butter and MCT or Coconut oil. It helps with energy levels, mental clarity and suppressing one’s hunger. Again, if you choose this route, you will need to keep tabs on your cholesterol levels.

The types of food to have in your diet include low-carb vegetables, avocadoes, fruit, fish, chicken, meat, eggs, lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, olive oil, coconut oil, and MCT oil. You would want to avoid refined grains such as White Rice, Bread (even whole grain), Pasta, Sweets, and Packaged Snacks.

For lunch, at about 12pm you can consider having a salad bowl with mixed vegetables, roast chicken and avocado with an olive oil dressing. You could then have nuts, seeds, boiled eggs, fruit and yoghurt as snacks. For dinner, before 8pm, you could have stir-fried fish with stir-fried greens and mushrooms.

It’s important to remember that since you are eating less, it’s essential to get enough nutrients from what you are eating. I have had clients who consumed a highly processed diet while doing intermittent fasting and they suffered from reflux and heartburn. It is also critical to remain hydrated during fasting. During your fasting window, drink a lot of water, herbal teas and broth with salt and lemon if you begin to feel tired.

Concerns about Fasting

Fasting is an excellent therapeutic tool if used correctly, but even when done correctly there are some common side effects and signs to watch out for.

Constipation is a really common side effect as you are eating less. Ideally, you should have one bowel movement a day, but of course, if you did not have that before fasting, it is unlikely that you will achieve that now. However, if your regular bowel routine is disrupted, you can try adding a fibre supplement or green vegetable juices to your diet to see if that helps.

Headaches are also normal when you first start fasting, but we find that drinking water with a pinch of Himalayan mineral salt helps to mitigate this.

Muscle cramps, heartburn and reflux, are also some of the other side effects of fasting. Some other signs to watch out for when you fast include tiredness, weakness, weight gains and changes in your period.

Many of us are afraid of experiencing hunger during the fasting process. However, it is good to learn to sit with the hunger first before jumping up to eat something. Often, drinking water or having a tea or coffee without any sugar or milk will allow for the urgency of hunger to pass.

1. Prepare your body to embark on a fast

Examine your current diet and consider seeing a nutritionist if you think you might be unfit to start fasting. Are you extremely stressed? Do you get enough quality sleep? It is crucial to ensure that you only begin the fast with your body in its optimal state.

2. Prepare a Meal Plan

Generally, lunch should be at 12pm, and dinner should be completed before 8pm. This means that fasting should occur from 8pm to 12 noon. If you need some ideas, you can follow the suggested meal plans in chapter 2.

3. Mitigate Side Effects

Once you commence the fasting process, monitor any changes in your body and try to mitigate them with the suggested remedies. Your body might take some time to get used to fasting, so it is good to be aware of the potential side effects to deal with them.