Intermittent Fasting: Miracle or Misstep?

Good day, you audacious 8%ers.

As we kick off yet another Monday, we want to address the elephant in the room: New Year’s resolutions. Roughly 45% of Americans decide to embark on a journey to a healthier and happier lifestyle, tackling exercise routines, toxic habits, and the labyrinth of dieting trends.

Among these diets, like keto, paleo and fat-loss, there is one that reigns supreme: intermittent fasting. With promises of weight loss, boundless energy, and inner zen, it’s no wonder people look to this diet to change their lives. But is it really all it’s made up to be? This week's newsletter we are going to investigate what intermittent fasting is, what it does to your body, and if it’s even worth it at the end of the day.

Let's get right into it!

What is intermittent fasting?

As you can probably deduce from its name, it’s a diet that practices timing food intake in a way that our more primitive ancestors did when Costco still wasn’t a thing. What are the main approaches?

12-hour fast: This one is simple, no food for 12 hours daily. It sounds brutal until you remember you’re asleep for two-thirds of it.
16-hour fast: Like the 12-hour plan but reducing the eating window down to just 8 hours.
5:2 Fast: Here you eat normally five days a week, consume air and willpower for the other two. (Non-consecutive, of course)
Alternate Day Fasting: This consists of eating basically every other day. Feast, famine, repeat.
The Warrior Diet: Ever play hard mode on a video game? Well this would be one beyond that. This is the most extreme version and no, we don’t recommend you even attempt it. It consists of a 4-hour eating window. Unless you’re harboring a caveman’s iron will, and stomach capacity, we advise steering clear.

Most people will typically follow the 12 hour fast per day or the 5:2 version. The others are a bit less common but they do exist and offer a different range of risks and possible benefits.

Effects of Intermittent Fasting:

What can you expect to get out of a typical fast? Let's start with the benefits that have been associated with this type of dieting.

Lower Blood Lipids: When following an intermittent fast for at least 8 weeks you can expect LDL cholesterol to drop by 20-25%, and triglycerides by 30%. This is a remarkable reduction in one of the leading contributors to cardiovascular disease. Fewer cardiovascular disasters? Yes, please.
Increased Lipolysis: Glucose is stored as glycogen in the body, glycogen storage lasts just about 12 hours without exercise. When you exercise for just an hour you pretty much deplete all the reserves. This means that from that moment on your body will be using fats as a source of energy helping to remove excess fat. For all of our keto readers, yes this is what we call ketosis.
Weight Loss: Eating less tends to be easier when you’re not nibbling 16 hours a day. Remember that weight is an exchange. If you end the day with more calories burned than gained, you lose weight; and gain weight if it’s the other way around. So the idea is that with so much fasting, you won’t gain weight because you get rid of more calories than you gain. Just beware of the “peanut-butter-on-eight-bagels” binge.
More Energy: As great as this sounds, having “more energy” is a subjective term. Usually people will feel terrible the first few days following the intermittent fasting diet, until their body adapts and optimizes ketosis metabolic pathways. Until then, our bodies are basically starved of energy and we are unable to keep up with metabolic demands.

Now for the drawbacks

Emotional turmoil: Sounds ugly right? Because it is. Emotional regulation is very energy intensive, which is why most people act irrationally or impulsively when they are hungry. So much so that in the court of law this is known as the Hungry Judge Effect, where judges will give more severe verdicts for very similar cases depending on when they last ate. With an empty stomach for much of the day, you struggle to fuel your brain, making mood swings, anxiety, and insomnia common.
Nutritional Deficiencies: It’s no surprise that not eating makes it harder to hit the right amount of calories, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals for your body. So when you get hit with numerous nutrition deficiencies, you’ll know exactly why. And let's be honest, after a 12 hour fast most of us aren't planning on eating a killer kale salad. Our bodies ask that we reach for calorie dense foods and rightfully so. The problem is this generally means processed foods which lack much of the nutrients you need, and over time as the deficiency is maintained, your body will run out of essential micronutrient reserves. This is the root of most health problems down the line.

The OmniBlue Solution:

So we can agree that this diet is a double-edged sword. There is substantial truth in the benefits that it can offer, as well as the downsides. But to maximize the benefits and minimize the drawbacks, follow these tips:

Choose a conservative fast: As much as you want to skip into the warrior diet because you are nothing short of a warrior it may not be the best choice. Firstly, it is excruciatingly hard to stick to simply because we aren’t accustomed to starving ourselves like that. And secondly, the negative effects like increased irritability, anxiety, impaired memory, low energy and nutritional deficiencies are very likely. For those reasons we recommend a more moderate approach. Our pick? The 12 hour fast. This amount of fasting is relatively easy to stick to because you only endure 4 hours of waking fast. Also, you have more time in the day to get in your micronutrients (From fruits and veggies) and can give your brain a healthy balance of glucose and ketones.
Exercise: Although intermittent fasting can help you lose weight, it is no substitute to exercise. It is best to exercise during the eating periods of your fasting so that your body has the nutrients it needs to perform and recover properly. Although working out while fasted does increase fat loss you will probably train less intensely and lose more muscle because your body needs energy at a higher rate than what just lipolysis pathways can provide.
Eliminate Deficits: Micronutrient gaps are a ticking time bomb for restrictive diets, so we have to introduce something to make up for these losses. OmniBlue’s ocean-sourced minerals ensure you’re covered. With over 70 essential minerals, it’s like giving your metabolism a cheat code. OmniBlue’s liquid minerals offer unparalleled nutritional density and absorption delivering all the essential minerals that your body needs to function, completing and covering possible deficiencies derived from a restrictive diet.

So… is it worth it?

The answer is as nuanced as your personal circumstances. Intermittent fasting isn’t a magic wand, but with proper planning, it can be a sustainable tool. The key is balance: minimize risks, optimize benefits, and avoid diving into fad extremes.

What do you think, dear readers? Are you fasting fans or skeptics? Hit us with your thoughts or let us know what wellness trend you’d like us to dissect next.

As always, enjoy your week!