Half-fasting is what the leangains method of 168 intermittent fasting offers.
This diet is divided into two stages over a period of 24 hours. You simply have an 8 hour window to feed yourself and the rest of the time, 16 hours, you fast. Don’t panic, if at first glance this technique seems restrictive, it is not. The goal is simply to reduce the time your body receives food in order to maximize the amount of rest you give it.
If you don’t eat anything after your evening dinner and skip breakfast the next morning, you’re already in the middle of intermittent fasting. Indeed, between 8 p.m. in the evening and 12 p.m. the next day, our 4 p.m. time slot is respected! Spreading the fast mostly over our night makes this 16/8 method much easier and more convenient than at first glance. Indeed, we limit the constraints related to our social life since aperitifs with friends, lunches with colleagues and romantic dinners can remain on the menu.
We often hear how breakfast is the most important meal of the day, the one supposed to bring us maximum vitality. So inevitably, when a diet removes it from the menu, we wonder:
What is the benefit of intermittent fasting?
▹ It allows a complete cleansing of the body: without anything to digest and therefore at rest for 16 hours, our body takes the opportunity to purify its damaged cells, eliminate its dead cells and regenerate them! Fasting to stay younger isn’t just a play on words.
“Contrary to popular belief, intermittent fasting allows our metabolism to speed up. When the body is deprived of food for a long period of time, it produces norepinephrine, a stress hormone that causes people to act in search of food. The body will then release our stored fat and use it for energy.
“Gaining energy by fasting is not surprising when you see the significant amount of energy the body expends to digest. So when you put your digestive system at rest for a long period of time, you necessarily gain energy.
“If it is good for the body, it is also good for the mind: the elimination of bodily waste brings real inner well-being.
▹ Intermittent fasting allows for calorie restriction without frustration. The 8-hour feeding window is completely sufficient for the body to function properly, it does not trigger “survival mode” and therefore does not store fat abnormally, since it is not hungry.
▹ Numerous studies demonstrate the positive effects of intermittent fasting on certain diseases: type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancers … But also the positive impact of the latter on cognitive functions: memory and learning
Losing weight through 168 intermittent fasting
The goal of intermittent fasting should not be to lose weight, while it is indeed possible to lose weight using this method, it is not systematic.
The main idea of this fast is to maximize the resting time of our digestive system, it is not necessarily a question of limiting the calories but rather moving them by making more complete meals but over a smaller window of time.
However, to achieve intermittent fasting it is mandatory to have good food hygiene: healthy and balanced. Making sure you have full meals during our 8-hour eating window to get all the nutrients important to your body’s functioning is a must. There is no question of fasting 16 hours if it is to attack our body afterwards with junk food, or to eat three times as much. No way to starve yourself either.
Can You Lose Weight Using Intermittent Fasting?
Yes
▷ ▶ If you suddenly decide to change your bad eating habits by starting a food rebalancing and starting an intermittent fast at the same time: you will have an effective weight loss. This is because the calories you previously ate at breakfast time will completely disappear from your daily intake, reducing it.
Not necessarily
▷ ▶ If you already have very good eating habits, without excess and without restrictions, this intermittent fasting does not necessarily guarantee you weight loss. As explained previously, it is more about shifting the calories from breakfast, to snack time for example, than cutting them out. Calorie reduction is not systematic.
However, if with your healthy habits you previously ate 4 times a day: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. It’s entirely possible that cutting out one of these meals, here breakfast, will lead to calorie reduction and cause you to lose weight in the long run.
Sport can also be a great asset in losing weight. We talk about it with Antonin, co-founder of huvii and former basketball player.
Can we drink during intermittent fasting?
Of course ! Intermittent fasting is characterized as water fasting. That is to say, that not only is it possible, but above all advisable to drink during our 16 hour fast.
Warning: Drink yes, but no calorie drinks.
There are many drinks that contain calories and could therefore interfere with the benefits of your fast. We forget about fruit juices, sodas, flavored waters, coconut water, milk, and of course alcohol … We then turn to other types of drinks:
Water: No need to recall its benefits for the human body. But good news, you can infuse lemon, orange or cucumber slices in it, it will not interfere with your fast!
Black coffee: obviously without sugar cubes.
Tea: aka your best friend on this intermittent fast. All types of tea, all flavors combined, tea helps to detoxify our interior and ensure our good intestinal health … indulge yourself. Little tip: we recognize in green tea its virtues in terms of weight loss and appetite suppressant effect.
Intermittent fasting and sport: the new ally of athletes!
→ Is it possible to reconcile sport with fasting?
→ Does intermittent fasting prevent you from building muscle mass?
→ Can intermittent fasting make me weaker in my physical performance?
These are questions many people ask themselves, and the answer may surprise you:
There is no contraindication to the intermittent fasting diet combined with daily or weekly sports.
If you are starting your intermittent fasting, you may need to consider a transition period as your body adjusts to this new rhythm. This will prevent you from feeling weak during your first workouts.
Once the rhythm of intermittent fasting is well integrated by your body, no more worries! You can resume your habits and your training intensity without feeling any particular fatigue. (Let’s go back to history: without a fridge, toaster or bakery, the cro-magnon men traveled for miles to go hunting before bringing back a hearty meal to eat)
Regarding muscle mass gain, it is based on two things: ingesting a sufficient amount of protein as well as being in calorie surplus, daily. It may be slightly more difficult in a restricted eating window, but it’s up to your will. It will suffice to eat more full, filling meals in your 8 hour window.
As for those who are worried about losing muscle mass, don’t panic: first, fasting, with its purifying and cell regenerating aspect, improves the maintenance of your muscles. Then, even if we eat less through this food method, we do not lose muscle mass. Quite simply because the muscle is not used and does not work like that. By eating (slightly) less, it is fat that is attacked for energy, not muscle. The latter would only be attacked in the event of a long fast with a warning of the body, “starvation” mode!
Many athletes, all disciplines combined, practice different fasting methods and do not see their physical capacities decrease, on the contrary, the virtues of the latter brings them a maximum of vitality.
To do this, remember to train either in the late morning before breaking your fast, or simply during the 8-hour window when you can eat. In this way you will optimize sports recovery.
My opinion on 168 intermittent fasting
I recently adopted the 168 intermittent fasting method for about three months. Very interested in the benefits of the latter, this was my first motivation.
Why start an intermittent fast:
I think it’s important to ask yourself the right question before starting a fast: “why am I doing this?”.
Fasting is an ancestral technique, with many purifying virtues, I wanted to do myself good internally. Beyond that, I was having digestive problems with a lot of bloating, which apparently could decrease with the effect of fasting.
Difficult start:
I started overnight, which is a mistake, since the transition was brutal. The day before I would prepare a healthy but filling breakfast, and the next day I would fast until noon. I felt the call of hunger around 9:30 am-10am that I calmed down with tea, but the frustration was there. The good thing is that the body adapts very quickly, like a jet lag, it is only a matter of days. The frustration no longer exists today, as for the feeling of hunger, if it does occur, it is absolutely not insurmountable and is easily calmed with tea, water infused with lemon slices …
To feel better :
Quickly we understand the power of the benefits of fasting. I clearly noticed better digestion, the disappearance of bloating, I felt a better appetite in this window of 8 hours, and I especially have the feeling of doing good to my body by leaving it alone a good part of my day (rather than my night).
Flexibility and pleasure:
Intermittent fasting is an ideal: it’s great if we manage to introduce it into our routine, but we should not feel guilty if it is sometimes not respected.
Doing good to your body should not prevent us from enjoying certain moments: a family brunch, a breakfast on vacation, a birthday party that lasts all night … Some days you will not be able to respect this window 4 pm and that’s okay. You may even decide to practice intermittent fasting only on weekdays, to enjoy breakfast with your family on the weekends. There is no hard and fast rule, there are also various ways to fast, it’s up to everyone to find the one that suits them the most!
Warning :
Before starting an 168 intermittent fast, be sure to ask your doctor for advice, we are all different.
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