Intermittent fasting – simply the best way to keep healthy!

First what is intermittent Fasting?

There are so many ways to do this, some people fast for a few hours or a few days – but research is showing that we are better off eating within an 8-10-hour period. What this means is that you simply skip a meal.

What I have found over the last 10 years of doing this is that Breakfast for most, is the easiest meal to skip. Making sure you have lots of fluids to keep you hydrated. In no time at all you get used to this way of being and you don’t feel hungry. With Fast Track to Health we recommend eating between 11am and 8 pm which is a 9 hour window, but many clients find that they are simply not hungry at 11 and so don’t eat until 1 or 2 pm which makes their window of eating 7-8 hours.  But the best thing is that the health benefits are huge.

First though let’s go to why the 3 meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, isn’t serving us health wise.
Research has shown that when you eat throughout the day your body adapts to using sugar as energy. This in turn switches off the enzymes that utilise and burn stored body fat. In effect turning your body into stress mode as it is under constant bombardment. Research suggests that 90% of people eat within a time frame of 12- 15 hours. This has been shown to be metabolic disaster and can lead to all sorts of health issues. This most often leads to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Plus of course you will gain weight! As we look through recent health history as the western world no longer is struggling to find food, we have been strongly encouraged to have the three meals a day – through advertising and then through medical advice. The incidence of obesity, diabetes and other metabolic disorders have been on a steep trajectory, in the wrong direction.

What can intermittent fasting help with?

It can normalise your hunger levels to real hunger for food, instead of craving for carbs and sugar foods.
Increases HGH – human growth hormone – which is vital for keeping us young, fit and healthy. It also helps us to grow healthy muscle tissue whilst letting go of unwanted body fat. Supresses inflammation and therefore pain. Normalises blood sugar levels and helps us become more insulin sensitive, which is a really good thing as this can help reduce or completely bring Diabetes under control. Promotes leptin uptake – Leptin is a hormone created in our fat cells, the fat cells release it when they are full. In turn Leptin, gets  which is a mechanism that if all is working well . Improve immune function, helps to lower blood pressure , reduces risk of heart disease , reduces risk of cancer and boosts fat burning.

These benefits however will only come about if you are in Ketosis – burning fat rather than sugars as energy.

How do you do that? 

Well you come off all sugars and carbohydrates for 6 weeks (Think Fast Track To Health phase 1) Then you slowly find out how your body tolerates some sugars – keeping on intermittent fasting most of the time and once your body is stable and feeling good – normally after 3-6 months you can have 1-2 days a week (although preferably not together) were you can eat what you like.

This way of being is not about calorie restriction, so make sure you are eating enough to keep you energised and your brain sharp and active. If you don’t feel this then you may need to tweak your nutrition and levels of fats.

Testimonial Bridget – Auckland

After going onto Fast track 2 Health 3 years ago, I have never gone back to “normal” eating as I feel so good. I find that I don’t have to be super good with my food choices as long as I stick to the eating between 11am and 8pm – in fact I normally eat between 1pm and 8pm and I find that it really suits me. On Fast Track I lost 22kg’s and felt amazing. My doctor took me off the blood pressure pills that I had been on for over 5 years, I haven’t looked back. Over the 2.5 years since doing fast track I have lost another 5 kg’s just by following these simple techniques. I still use the magnesium and take boost every day, I think they really help me too as I did run out for a few months and started to feel aches ands pains. As soon as I got back onto them I felt so much better so that proves to me that they are staple products that I personally need on a regular basis – they are in fact my daily supplements!