You may have heard that intermittent fasting is a great way to lose weight. It reduces your calorie intake. It helps your body rest. And it gives your digestive system time to heal.
But intermittent fasting might not work for some people. In fact, it might cause them to gain more weight, crave sugar and carbs, and become insulin resistant.
How can you know if you should avoid intermittent fasting? And what can you do instead?
Intermittent fasting usually consists of skipping one meal during the day. Most people skip either breakfast or dinner.
Many people prefer to skip breakfast because they’re not as hungry in the morning.
But this is a terrible idea for some people. That’s because skipping breakfast can cause extreme sugar and carb cravings.
Here’s why this happens: As you may know, your body burns either sugar or fat for energy. If you have a sugar-burning metabolism, your body will crave sugar when you fast. And a study in 2012 found that the worst cravings occur when you skip breakfast.
In fact, if your body is used to burning sugar as fuel, skipping breakfast can be a train wreck. Without the first meal of the day, your body notices it isn't getting enough fuel. So it sends out signals (i.e., cravings) that it needs more. This creates a downward sugar spiral that pushes you into deeper blood-sugar issues.
One of the interesting things about this is that even though you skipped breakfast and not dinner, the cravings often come at night! They’re so strong, they’re hard to ignore. And eating protein or veggies rarely satisfies them.
So you keep eating (usually sugar and carbs). And you gain weight. The intermittent fasting is now causing blood-sugar problems.
Here’s What You Have to Do
First, eat a good breakfast. Make sure you get plenty of protein, and some fiber from green leafy veggies (like spinach) and a few berries.
Then eat a smaller high-protein lunch. Studies show that protein kickstarts your metabolism and helps your body burn more calories. One specific study showed that eating a high-protein diet burns up to 260 more calories per day.
Second, avoid eating carbs and sugars altogether for at least 2 weeks. After the 2 weeks, you can add a few carbs back into your diet, but no more than 30 grams per day. (You might be able to eat more, or you may have to eat less, depending on your body size.)
You’ll quickly notice the cravings go away. You should stop gaining weight, and you may even lose some weight.
After the two weeks is over, you can start skipping a meal again. This time, skip dinner. Don't eat any food after 4:00 PM.
Fortunately, you don’t have to skip dinner every night.
In fact, one study discovered that skipping just 2 consecutive dinners a week can have a dramatic impact on your weight and health.
If you have sugar issues and still want to do intermittent fasting, skip dinner rather than breakfast. You won’t have the carb and sugar cravings. And eating a high-protein diet along with fasting will help you lose weight quicker. It will also help reverse any blood-sugar issues.
Your insider for better health,
Steve Kroening, ND