What If Intermittent Fasting DOESN’T Work? (You’re Probably Doing it Wrong)
I saw a blog post recently…obviously I’m not going to name names, but the author asked, “What If Intermittent Fasting Doesn’t Work?”
That would be a fair question, if they’d used science to refute the evidence that IF lowers your total cholesterol and your blood pressure, or that being in the fasted state causes mass fat breakdown…
But only if you’re eating amino-acid-rich, high-fat foods!
Instead, the blog author talked about how even though they “knew” that IF wasn’t an excuse to eat junk food, being on IF “made them” eat junk food due to cravings.
(Or maybe they were just confused about the meaning of “fast” food on IF. Sorry, dumb joke…)
So…what if intermittent fasting doesn’t work because it makes you want to chow down on greasy fried goodness every day? Let’s debunk the idea that IF “causes” these urges!
At first this person’s conclusion seemed silly to me, since I haven’t been a fan of greasy fried goodness for a long time, unless you count bacon, or veggies cooked with olive oil in the air fryer…Fasting never made me want to deviate from my HFLC, all-natural diet plan!
But then I read a few of the comments on the blog. Most of them were defending IF, but there were a few others who had the same experience as the writer; i.e. uncontrollable cravings on IF that led to eating like crap during the eating window!
I attribute this to three factors:
- eating foods with a high GI (glycemic index)
- a body that is resistant to leptin, the fullness hormone…meaning your body needs LOTS of fullness hormones to feel full!
- an unhealthy mental relationship with fast food! (not least because of all the additives in the food that tries to force you to be chemically dependent on it!!)
Goodbye, High GI
“What If Intermittent Fasting Doesn’t Work?” Well, the culprit might be, you’re eating too many carbs!
Intermittent fasting and HFLC go hand-in-hand. As you probably know by now, the fasted state happens when you’ve run out of glucose. Your insulin level has dropped, increasing insulin resistance and regulating your blood sugar, and preventing diabetes.
So, what if you undo all that hard work by carb-binging in your eating window? Well, you’re spiking your insulin, which makes your body tired and confused, having to work harder during the digestive process. If you eat just high-fat and high-protein, you’re eliminating that crazy yo-yo effect, and, maybe most importantly, high-fat foods have a low GI, meaning that the energy gets released slower and YOU FEEL FULL WAY LONGER!
And, guess what else? Intermittent fasting is the best way to LOSE cravings for unhealthy junk food!
Yep! Being on IF long enough, if you’re truly doing it right with high-fat meals (and doesn’t the steak and eggs above look way better than any fast food you’ve ever seen??), regulates your hunger hormones PROPERLY. No more yo-yo-ing, no more craving! That’s because IF:
- increases your body’s ability to detect the fullness hormone (leptin)
- lessens the effects of the hunger hormone (ghrelin), because your insulin is low in the fed state; because you’re fuller longer from these low-GI foods; and because you get used to any hunger you experience
“What if intermittent fasting doesn’t work?” Well, it scientifically HAS to, especially if you’re a HFLC practitioner, too!
The fast food cravings are, I don’t want to say “all in your head,” but that’s where your chemical addiction resides! Muscle through it! And, let’s be honest, when steak and eggs is an option, how can you crave anything else?
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