Intermittent Fasting

Health by Design's Recommendations for Intermittent Fasting

What is it?

Intermittent Fasting is a pattern of eating with cycles of periods of fasting, with either no or significant calorie reduction, and periods of unrestricted eating. There are a wide variety of intermittent fasting approaches, most of which fall into 2 categories: alternate day fasting and restricted eating windows.

Alternate Day Fasting

Alternating between days when you eat more (feast days) and days when you eat less (fast days). On some fasting days, you eat nothing or almost nothing, and you can eat as much as you want on your feast days. A common alternate-day fasting plan is the 5:2 plan with 2 days a week of fasting, and 5 days a week of normal eating.

Time-Restricted Feeding

This plan requires that you follow a meal plan each day with a designated time for fasting. There are many variations on this approach in which the meal window can be as little as 1 hour, or it can be as long as 8-10 hours. An example of this approach would be that meals are eaten from 8am- 3pm, with fasting during the remaining hours of the day.

Does it Work?

Intermittent fasting itself is not a “magic” fix. Rather, intermittent fasting and restricted eating windows may lead to weight loss if following this plan helps you reduce the number of calories you eat. By reducing your caloric intake, you may also see a drop in blood sugar and improvements in blood sugar metabolism.

Health by Designs Recommendations for Intermittent Fasting

Use intermittent fasting as a tool for healthy living if you find that it helps you reduce your caloric intake and you find it to be sustainable for your lifestyle.
On your feast days or during your designated eating times, be sure that to follow a diet that is “plant-strong,” unprocessed, and varied (such as the Mediterranean diet).
Intermittent fasting is NOT recommended for pregnant women, patients with a history of eating disorders, or patients who take medications to manage blood sugar.

Sources:

Harvie, M. N., Pegington, M., Mattson, M. P., Frystyk, J., Dillon, B., Evans, G., ... & Son, T. G. (2011). The effects of intermittent or continuous energy restriction on weight loss and metabolic disease risk markers: a randomized trial in young overweight women. International journal of obesity, 35(5), 714.
Gabel, K., Hoddy, K. K., Haggerty, N., Song, J., Kroeger, C. M., Trepanowski, J. F., ... & Varady, K. A. (2018). Effects of 8-hour time restricted feeding on body weight and metabolic disease risk factors in obese adults: A pilot study. Nutrition and healthy aging, 4(4), 345-353.
Diet Review: Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss