Have you heard about intermittent fasting? It’s how our ancestors ate, and it’s coming back into the mainstream spotlight in a big way. 

Why?

Well, since your ancestors ate in an intermittent fasting style, it’s how your body evolved. Now, our ancestors didn’t do this on purpose. Rather, they had to because they’d often go long stretches without food. When they ate, they feasted. And when they didn’t, they fasted. There was no in between. 

But that changed as humans evolved more and more. Most people today, when it comes to food, have an overconsumption problem rather than a feast/famine problem. Not only do people eat too often, but they also eat too late at night, which is what borne the newfound surge in popularity protocols like intermittent fasting have. In fact, according to a 2018 California study, only 12% of Americans are considered metabolically healthy.  

That’s where intermittent fasting—and its long list of health benefits—comes in. Besides mimicking how your ancestors ate, intermittent fasting may also help you…

1. Boost your metabolism
2. Promote healthy hormone function
3. Regulate your blood sugar
4. Reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer
5. Improve your mood
6. Keep weight off and stay lean 
7. Improve your relationship with food (one of the most important “skills” you can develop for your long-term health) 
8. Stop late-night binging sessions in its tracks 

All of which help you live a longer, healthier, and happier life! 

So, what exactly is intermittent fasting? 

Well, it’s when you go without food for an extended period of time. Medical fasts are commonplace when you need blood work or important procedures like a colonoscopy. The main goal of intermittent fasting is incorporating fasting into your daily diet more often. 

That said, there are several different types of intermittent fasting. The most popular is one called 16:8, which simply means: Eating all your food within an 8-hour period, and fasting for the other 16 hours of your day. Within the different types of intermittent fasting, there is one “feeding window,” which ranks as the most popular: Eating your meals between 12 pm and 8 pm. This “feeding window” offers the most social benefit because you can still eat dinner with your family and socialize with your friend. 

But, it may not be the most effective “feeding window…” 

In fact, according to a study conducted in Obesity (Silver Spring), it is more effective for fat loss to start eating earlier—say, 9 am instead of 12 pm—and eating dinner earlier—say, 5 pm versus 8 pm. This new approach to intermittent fasting is called “Early Time-Restricted Feeding,” (or eTRF). 

Does switching when you eat actually influence fast loss? 

Let me tell you a story: 

One of my nutrition clients had incredible success with the combination of intermittent fasting and keto. She never cheated. Never broke the “rules” of intermittent fasting — meaning, she never ate before 12 pm nor after 8 pm. Weight rolled off her like a boulder zipping down a mountain side. 

But at a certain point, she stopped losing weight. In fact, this “plateau” lasted an entire 3 months without her scale reflecting her discipline. 

She entered my office one day, frustrated and upset and unmotivated. Why did something that worked so well for her weight loss efforts suddenly stop?

Having already read about how eTRF intermittent fasting created exceptional results in the study I mentioned above, I recommended she try it. Instead of eating from 12-8 pm, I recommended she start eating at 9 am, and eat her dinner by 5 pm.  

Now, she still followed the same keto protocol. And she still followed the 16:8 intermittent fasting schedule. But by adjusting her “feeding window,” she unlocked impressive results: 

The weight began falling off her body again! 

If you experience a similar plateau on intermittent fasting, try switching to an eTRF style, and watch the weight begin falling off again. 

And you know what? 

Upon more research, not only can eTRF help you push past your weight loss plateau, but it’s also the superior form of intermittent fasting. 

Why eTRF unlocks the most weight loss benefits out of other forms of intermittent fasting

Now, let’s chat about the study from Obesity (Silver Spring) in more detail: 

In my story above, my client still followed the typical 16:8 style of intermittent fasting. And that was enough to kick start her weight loss again. 

But according to the study, the “sweet spot” for unlocking the most health benefits from intermittent fasting is actually a 18:6 style. In this tweak, you want to reduce your “feeding window” from 8 hours to 6 hours, and increase your “fasting window” from 16 hours to 18 hours. 

If that sounds scary, keep reading, because it may actually be easier than following a 16:8 schedule. 

Why?

Well, participants who ate earlier in the day, felt hungry less often throughout the day, felt more full from the meals they did eat, decreased their desire to eat because they decreased ghrelin (the hunger hormone), improved their metabolic flexibility, and they boosted their fat oxidation, which is a fancy way of saying, they lost fat easier! 

Best part? 

In this study, participants got 50% of their daily calories from carbs and still had these benefits. Now, imagine what following this approach alongside a ketogenic protocol will unlock for you. 

Need Help Following A Ketogenic and/or Intermittent Fasting Protocol to Unlock Faster Fat Loss? 

My favorite part of the Obesity (Silver Spring) study is this: 

Intermittent fasting scares people away because they’re worried they’ll be hungry all day. But this study proves that eating earlier in the day and reducing your “feeding window” to only 6 hours each day actually decreases your hunger levels. 

If you’d like personalized help incorporating this into your diet, and want to make hitting your weight loss goals a breeze, book an appointment with me here: http://thriveresultscoaching.com/book-appointment.