All of us do some form of fasting every day.
Most people fast for at least 10-12 consecutive hours every 24 hours (i.e., the time between your last meal of the day and your first meal the next day).
Advocates of Intermittent Fasting (IF) recommend that you increase the duration of your fasting intervals.
Some IF approaches recommend a consistent schedule (i.e., fast for sixteen hours, eat during the next eight hours, repeat).
Other IF approaches recommend just doing one or two longer fasts each week.
Some research has indicated that IF, when implemented carefully, may provide benefits for health and longevity.
However, IF should not be viewed as a “magic bullet” that can be used to compensate for binges or poor food choices.
As Dr. John Berardi, Founder of Precision Nutrition (the world’s #1 nutrition coaching and education company) writes, “Randomly skipping meals while continuing to eat a diet high in processed foods won’t help you lose fat or improve your health.”
Intermittent Fasting is not required for optimizing your body composition, energy, or performance.
It’s also not where you should start if you have subpar eating habits, if you do not sleep well, or if you are under a lot of stress.
According to Dr. Berardi, such a person “shouldn’t bother with intermittent fasting at all.”
If you would like to learn more about Intermittent Fasting, check out Precision Nutrition’s eBook on the subject.
You can download a copy at https://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting.
About the Author
Pete Leibman is a well-being and peak performance expert and the Founder of Arlington Sports Conditioning (ASC). Over the last 15+ years, Pete has helped thousands of people get faster, stronger, and fitter. Pete is the author of two books and more than 300 articles. His work has been featured through Fox, CBS, Fortune, Business Insider, and many others.
First Time Here?
Check out our Trial Offer for two weeks of unlimited ASC workouts: