Most people, including myself previously, have fallen for the marketing tricks of the food industry, believing that going without food will compromise performance and make them feel awful. In fact, the opposite is true. You may be surprised to learn the following;
- There is no decrease in metabolic rate during fasting – if anything it increases.
- Fasting causes the body to produce more human growth hormone – contrary to popular opinion, you don’t lose muscle whilst fasting because this is the direct result of exercising, not nutrition (sorry protein supplement believers). Indeed some athletes are now training whilst fasted in order to increase power and speed!
- Adrenaline increases making you more alert, not less. How do you think we survived as a species if we lost alertness upon missing a few days of eating? The idea is just ridiculous when you think about it!
- Hunger does not steadily increase over time until it becomes unbearable and you have no choice but to reach for the cream cakes! Hunger actually practically disappears altogether after the first couple of days.
- People do not overcompensate and eat loads more after fasting – there is a slight increase in consumption immediately afterwards but this is very tiny compared with what would have been eaten without the fast, so there is massive calorie deficit created.
- Far from being an unpleasant experience, most people actually report increased energy, not decreased, as the body switches from burning sugars to fat. Mental clarity is also widely reported, not dullness of mental faculties.
All of these benefits and many more may be discovered by reading Dr Jason Fung’s wonderful book ‘The Complete Guide to Fasting”. It will really open your eyes!
Of course, always consult your GP before undertaking any kind of fast, especially if you are on any kind of medication.
Please feel free to post your experiences/thoughts or contact me at davidperry57@sky.com or phone 07504439555.
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