The longer you can go between the last meal of the day and breakfast should be a minimum of 12 hours. 16 hours would be even more beneficial to promote ketosis, improve insulin sensitivity and improve mental acuity. If you follow this fasting protocol 6 days a week you would be fasting for 24 hours. The most popular and easiest fasting method is to eat your meals within an 8 hour window skipping breakfast. You simply go 16 hours from the last meal of the day to the first meal the following day. A large part of the time you are asleep which makes it very easy to do.
Following a low carbohydrate diet program your body will seek out fat for fuel during your fasting hours. During a fast, insulin decreases, growth hormones increase and fat tissue is eliminated, thus releasing stored toxins. Intermittent fasting also trains your body to become a dual fuel burner, both glucose and fat.
Benefits of intermittent Fasting:
Studies
Annu Rev Nutr. 2017 Aug 21;37:371-393. doi: 10.1146/annurev-nutr-071816-064634. Epub 2017 Jul 17.
Metabolic Effects of Intermittent Fasting.
Patterson RE1,2, Sears DD1,2,3.
Abstract
The objective of this review is to provide an overview of intermittent fasting regimens, summarize the evidence on the health benefits of intermittent fasting, and discuss physiological mechanisms by which intermittent fasting might lead to improved health outcomes. A MEDLINE search was performed using PubMed and the terms “intermittent fasting,” “fasting,” “timerestricted feeding,” and “food timing.” Modified fasting regimens appear to promote weight loss and may improve metabolic health. Several lines of evidence also support the hypothesis that eating patterns that reduce or eliminate nighttime eating and prolong nightly fasting intervals may result in sustained improvements in human health. Intermittent fasting regimens are hypothesized to influence metabolic regulation via effects on (a) circadian biology, (b) the gut microbiome, and (c) modifiable lifestyle behaviors, such as sleep. If proven to be efficacious, these eating regimens offer promising nonpharmacological approaches to improving health at the population level, with multiple public health benefits.
Effects of eight weeks of time-restricted feeding (16/8) on basal metabolism, maximal strength, body composition, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk factors in resistance-trained males
- Tatiana Moro View ORCID ID profile,
- Grant Tinsley View ORCID ID profile,
- Antonino Bianco View ORCID ID profile,
- Giuseppe Marcolin View ORCID ID profile,
- Quirico Francesco Pacelli,
- Giuseppe Battaglia View ORCID ID profile,
- Antonio Palma View ORCID ID profile,
- Paulo Gentil View ORCID ID profile,
- Marco Neri and
- Antonio Paoli Email author View ORCID ID profile
Journal of Translational Medicine201614:290
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-016-1044-0
© The Author(s) 2016
Received: 20 March 2016
Accepted: 3 October 2016
Published: 13 October 2016
Abstract
Background
Intermittent fasting (IF) is an increasingly popular dietary approach used for weight loss and overall health. While there is an increasing body of evidence demonstrating beneficial effects of IF on blood lipids and other health outcomes in the overweight and obese, limited data are available about the effect of IF in athletes. Thus, the present study sought to investigate the effects of a modified IF protocol (i.e. time-restricted feeding) during resistance training in healthy resistance-trained males.
Results
After 8 weeks, the 2 Way ANOVA (Time * Diet interaction) showed a decrease in fat mass in TRF compared to ND (p = 0.0448), while fat-free mass, muscle area of the arm and thigh, and maximal strength were maintained in both groups. Testosterone and insulin-like growth factor 1 decreased significantly in TRF, with no changes in ND (p = 0.0476; p = 0.0397). Adiponectin increased (p = 0.0000) in TRF while total leptin decreased (p = 0.0001), although not when adjusted for fat mass. Triiodothyronine decreased in TRF, but no significant changes were detected in thyroid-stimulating hormone, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, or triglycerides. Resting energy expenditure was unchanged, but a significant decrease in respiratory ratio was observed in the TRF group.
Conclusions
Our results suggest that an intermittent fasting program in which all calories are consumed in an 8-h window each day, in conjunction with resistance training, could improve some health-related biomarkers, decrease fat mass, and maintain muscle mass in resistance-trained males.
Be sure to check with your doctor before initiating intermittent fasting if you are diabetic and on diabetes medication. Pregnant and breastfeeding women put their baby’s healthy growth and development at risk when fasting because a consistent flow of nutrients is required for the growing fetus. Under weight or those who are malnourished should not fast.