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Intermittent fasting benefits Loveland Medical Weight Loss Clinic
Is fasting healthy? I get this question all the time. How does intermittent fasting compare to fasting in general? Fasting can be great for your health, but it can also be dangerous and have side effects. Let’s talk about the benefits of fasting.
Fasting is Centuries Old
To begin with , fasting allows your body to rest. Hippocrates often used fasting with his patients to help them heal. There are many ancient texts like the Bible that talk about how fasting has been used for centuries for spiritual enlightenment, growing closer to God and for its health benefits. Fast forward to modern times and now we have a lot of studies showing that things like intermittent fasting can naturally boost our hormones, let your gut rest and really support detoxification healing.
How to Fast
When done right there is no doubt that fasting is healthy. There are a couple of ways you can fast.
- Full day fast where you eat dinner one night and only drink water(or coffee or tea) till dinner the next night.
- You can do a multiple day fast. I believe that three days is an optimal number .
- Some people do something called a juice fast. To me that is not really a fast as you are getting some calories. It does aid in detoxification though
- You can do what is known as intermittent fasting. That is where you eat within a certain time frame. An example of this is no food for 16 hours, eat everything you normally would in the remaining 8 hours ( 18/6 is another option).
- A method I like is just drinking a couple cowboy coffees for 24 to 48 hours. While technically not a fast you are just getting fat macronutrients and your body will get into ketosis. Ketosis is where a lot of the benefits of fasting come from.
There are forms of fasting where you fast longer than three days. I do not practice this as I believe this can end up being hard on your body and your system. It’s not really beneficial for your health going longer than 3 days where you are completely restricting your body of calories. Let’s talk about my favorite form of fasting.
As explained above intermittent fasting is where you eat during a short period of the day. Most of us get up and eat breakfast, have a snack, eat lunch, snack and then eat dinner. Our body does not get the chance to rest except during the hours we sleep. What you want to do instead is take a four to eight-hour window and only eat during that time. For example your first meal might be lunch and then you eat again at 6:00, so really you’re eating between noon and 6:00, getting all your meals in between those hours.
Another option is eat three meals; one at noon, one at three, one at six. The rest of the time you’re letting your body rest which is one of the benefits of fasting. This also allows you to get the nutrients your body needs during that time. Now when you’re doing intermittent fasting you want to make sure that you’re getting plenty of healthy protein, fat, fiber and nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables in your diet during that time to make sure you’re getting plenty of nutrients. Intermittent fasting has been shown in some cases to increase human growth hormone by 400%. So it can be great for hormones. And of course it’s great because it lets your digestive system rest.
Benefits of Fasting
If you have struggled with constipation or diarrhea or any sort of bowel issues or leaky gut syndrome, intermittent fasting can definitely be beneficial. Just do not overdo it. This is where having a coach can help. You want to listen to your body. Just remember the benefits of fasting include weight loss, hormone balance, improved digestion, detoxification. Fasting is created to be done on a periodic basis. I believe cycling in and out of fasting is the way the human body was designed to work. Just think of your ancestors. They gorged after a hunt, but then may not have had the opportunity to eat again for days. Our bodies can do it. What it can not do is eat processed food all day and everyday. That is where our modern obesity epidemic comes from.
Fasting is one of the tools the Loveland Medical Clinic uses to help people regain their health.
1-970-541-0903
Siegfried Emme , FNP
Loveland Medical Clinic
1-970-541-0903
The Loveland Medical clinic is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives. We have three main areas of focus : Urgent Care, Weight Loss, and Vitamin infusions. We have a very limited number of Concierge primary care patients. Give us a call and see if we are a good fit. Your health is our mission.
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