FASTING MADE EASY – Rejuvenation from Within

If there is one surefire way to stay healthy longer and to maximize your lifespan right now, it is this:  eat less.  More specifically, eat less frequently.

Every time you eat anything, something healthy or not, even a small snack, you raise both your blood glucose and insulin, so you want to do that as infrequently as possible.

Before you say ‘fasting is not for me’ and scroll down or click away, stay with me a bit while I tell you about an amazingly effective method to reverse insulin resistance and/or prevent developing a diabetic physiology, heart disease, cancer, and many other modern-day ailments. And that is by doing what is called INTERMITTENT FASTING.

Don’t let the word “fasting” freak you out. We’re not talking about becoming a monk and not eating for a week or more. If you approach it right, it’s much easier than you think. You just need to set aside a portion of time each day.

IF (intermittent fasting) is where you don’t eat anything for 16 hours a day and you eat two meals. Some do one meal a day or OMAD as it’s also called.

Imagine never again having cravings or addictions to any food. Face it – most people ARE addicted to some degree. Your taste buds will no longer dictate to you what you will or won’t eat.

This is an important key to health and longevity. You’ll see why below.

By the way, this is Jeffrey Life, M.D. who was my anti-aging doctor in the 2000’s. In his words, “At 59, I was overweight and with rapidly declining health. My stomach was huge, couldn’t tie my shoes, achy joints and miserable”. It’s never too late to get started.

The first step is to reduce your intake of carbohydrates and that will help you be less hungry.

Most people find skipping breakfast the easiest way to do intermittent fasting because the last time you ate was the night before likely around 6 or 7 PM, spent the night sleeping and now only have another few hours of not eating to get to the 16 hours of fasting needed to achieve the amazing effects of AUTOPHAGY (see below). And some people are not hungry in the morning anyway.

Intermittent Fasting has an evolutionary basis – hunter-gatherers essentially followed an intermittent fasting diet because food was scarce.

(And no – breakfast is NOT the most important meal of the day. More bad science.)

Gradually work up to this. If you are currently on the S.A.D. diet (Standard American Diet) and eat 3 times a day plus 3 or more snacks a day, then your first step is to gradually eliminate the snacks.

The way to ensure you can make it from meal to meal without indulging in a snack is to make sure that your meal has plenty of fats. (Meats, fish, eggs, butter, bacon, avocados, olive oil, etc.) Fats are very satisfying and satiating. Empty carbs are not.

And of course, do your best to stay with grass-fed, pasture-raised meat and poultry, butter, eggs, etc. and wild caught salmon. Avoid the factory processed meats if you can.

There are some delicious grain-free granolas you can buy, and you can use as a desert with whole-fat yogurt (no added sugars) and berries. Yum. You can also make your own delicious grain-free, sugar-free granola with natural sweeteners – YouTube is a wealthy source of healthy, low carb granolas, not to mention bread, pizza, etc. Recipes are also included in some of the books recommended at bottom.

Once you can lose the 3 snacks and are ready to start IF (intermittent fasting) it would look something like this: you eat your first meal about noon and your next meal around 8pm. Or 11am and 7pm. This gives you a 16-hour window of fasting. Adjust it to your own schedule.

Unsweetened coffee, tea, water, etc. is OK. You can use a bit of stevia if you want. But no shakes or smoothies as that will break the fast and you won’t get the incredible benefits of AUTOPHAGY which I’ll cover below.

(Side note: since coffee is the most sprayed-with-pesticides crop in the world, it’s best to try to get organic if you can.)

And check this out:

The NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL of MEDICINE

Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging, and Disease

December 26, 2019

“Evidence is accumulating that eating in a 8-hour period and fasting for 16 hours can trigger a metabolic switch from glucose-based to ketone-based energy, with increased stress resistance, increased longevity, and a decreased incidence of diseases, including cancer and obesity.”

Note where it said “… trigger a metabolic switch from glucose-based to ketone-based energy” - that simply means that instead of burning sugar for energy, you now burn fat for energy – namely, your accumulated adipose (fat) tissues around your body.

This “metabolic switchover” from burning glucose to burning your fat tissue is why KETO and/or Low Carb diets – if done correctly – work so amazingly well and work far better than calorie counting and other failed diet methodologies for losing weight. Those may work for a while but never work long term, and everyone who has tried them knows that.

Even those who appeared on the popular TV show “The Biggest Loser” would attest to that. They’ve also said that the reason there’s never a reunion is because everyone has gained back the massive amount of weight they lost on the show.

The calories in, energy out theory (eat less, move more) has been disproven repeatedly with several clinical studies, which showed when you do caloric restriction, you slow down your metabolism. If you eat 30% less calories your metabolism drops by 30%. This is the main reason that kind of diet never works over time.

In contrast, if you follow a low carb diet your metabolism rises and you burn MORE calories.

People mistakenly think that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. If you got calories from a bunch of cookies and got calories from a bunch of asparagus, do you think the body will process them the same? Of course not. All calories are NOT the same. The “calories in, calories out” model assumes that your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) remains constant. It doesn’t, it goes down, and thus does not burn the energy (fat) you want it to.

If interested, here's a video with the best explanation I’ve seen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJASu2W9RxI

This is Dr. Jason Fung, Nephrologist, Diabetes and Obesity Specialist. Even though he is addressing medical students, it’s not that complicated.

“NBC never does a reunion. Why? We’re all fat again.”

Susan Mendonca, Biggest Loser Contestant

 

Autophagy and Some of the Amazing Benefits

Fasting activates a powerful anti-aging process in the body called autophagy.

Autophagy is basically the recycling of old cells for new ones. The word means “self eating”. It helps cells utilize waste for a source of cellular energy. Think of a Pac Man eating up cellular waste (microbes, fungus, viruses, yeast, misfolded proteins, etc.) throughout the body and turning that waste into new free fatty acids and amino acids.

Our amazing evolutionary bodies created autophagy to cope with starvation. Over eons there were times we were lucky to eat once a day. It was developed as a survival mechanism. The cellular “troops” are called to duty to protect us and make us stronger to be able to continue hunting and gathering.

Autophagy actually starts to occur at about 12 hours from your last meal, but you want the benefits to continue for a while and not quickly end it by eating. Thus, the reason for 16 hours, 18 hours, etc. The longer the fast, the longer autophagy is activated.

Although autophagy as a phenomenon was known for decades, it was not until 1993 that its molecular components were identified by a pathbreaking genetic study on baker’s yeast.

And in 2016 the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine went to Yoshinori Oshumi for his research into Autophagy.

Here are some of the amazing benefits;

• Increases Human Growth Hormone (HGH) 1300 to 2000%
• Strengthens the immune system
• Lowers Blood Glucose and Insulin
• Reverses insulin resistance
• Supercharges your gut microbiome
• Reverses Fatty Liver Disease
• Highly cardiovascular protective
• Highly cancer protective, starves cancer cells which feed on glucose
• Grows new brain cells with activation of BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor)
• Breaks down amyloid plaque deposits found in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, in the arteries of diabetics, in cataracts, and in other amyloid diseases.
• Accelerates Lipolysis, which is the breakdown of fat deposition around the body
• Helps detox the body
• Gets rid of zombie cells or senescent cells and activates stem cells
• Increases the quality of tissue = better skin
• Delays Telomere shortening

Plastic Tips On the Ends of Shoelaces?

Telomeres are little protective caps at the ends of the DNA molecules that make up our chromosomes. Their job is to stop the ends of chromosomes from fraying or sticking to each other, much like the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces.

Telomeres get shorter each time a cell copies itself, but the important DNA stays intact. Eventually, telomeres get too short to do their job, causing our cells to age and stop functioning properly. Therefore, telomeres act as the aging clock in every cell. 

Obviously, it is critical to keep your telomeres long. What we want to accomplish is telomere lengthening as well as delay their shortening.

We can achieve this with a healthy low carb diet with plenty of veggies and healthy fats, along with an active lifestyle and doing some fasting.

Shortened telomeres are linked to a weakened immune system, which of course leads to chronic and degenerative diseases like the usual suspects: heart disease, cancer, neurological disorders, etc., etc., etc.

Exercise has shown to be a significant way to prevent early telomere shortening.  German researchers found that regular exercise considerably reduces stress and inflammation, two chief telomere shorteners.  Those who did regular exercise reduced their telomere shortening by a whopping 75 %.  Accent on the word REGULAR.

The Basics of Intermittent Fasting – Easier Than You Think

Here’s a YouTube video on the basics:

Intermittent Fasting Basics for Beginners

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dHcT1-K-tw&t=292s

Intermittent Fasting: IMPORTANT TIPS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKqcEb9tj_k

These are by Dr. Eric Berg who is an expert on this – he has about 4 million YouTube subscribers.

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Why Exercise in a Fasted State

What?!  First you want me to fast and now you want me to add in a workout while I’m fasting?

Yes, because the benefits are amazing and it’s not hard at all once you’ve gotten to be able to go the 16 hours with no problem. You can do it at/near the end of your fast. That’s what I do – go to the gym at the end of my daily fast, late morning. Adjust to your own schedule.

Training in a fasted state has been a secret of Hollywood’s trainers to the stars for a long time. For example, to get ready for his movie role in “Wolverine”, Hugh Jackman did the 16-hour intermittent fasting routine and worked out in a fasted state to get completely ripped.

Whether you want to get ripped, drop 50 pounds or just want to lose that last 10 pounds, this is the way to do go. Here’s what can happen:

More fat loss!

The Journal of Physiology did a study of two groups, one did fasted exercise, the other fed exercise (ate breakfast). Both groups ate the same and were followed for one month. The fasted group lost 3X (300%) more fat mass than the fed group. That’s huge.

Build more muscle

The European Journal of Applied Physiology also did a study of two groups – one did fasted exercise, the other fed exercise. The fasted group showed a significant increase in P70S6K, a protein kinase, which helps with nutrient utilization from the post-workout meal, which doubled the amount of protein synthesis and lead to more muscle development.

Autophagy Explosion

Exercising in a fasted state, whether it’s aerobic or resistance training, increases the degree of activation of autophagy and all its benefits shown in the bullet points above.

Brain Development

As covered above, IF grows new brain cells with the activation of BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor). A study by the Journal of Medicine & Science in Sport showed fasted exercise caused more brain development with the creation of new brain cells.

If the body deals with the stress (fasting + exercise) the body gets stronger and smarter. Also called Hormesis – that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Think of our hunter-gatherer ancestors who needed to be very clever while very hungry. But you won’t be hungry while doing Intermittent Fasting because you will be low carb.

My Intermittent Fasting

I personally do 18 to 20 hours per day, eat two meals, no snacks and feel great both mentally and physically. Once a week I’ll do 24 hours, and once a month I’ll do 48 hours – all with NO hunger and NO cravings.

My first meal is about 1pm after I get back from the gym and I’ll finish my evening meal by about 7pm. All I have in the morning is black coffee with some MCT Oil powder and as much water with lemon as I need to quench my thirst.

Remember, eating low carb takes away your hunger. There is no stuck attention on food.

My blood tests are like a healthy 25-year-old. Importantly, I am insulin sensitive – highly unusual for a man my age.  My HDL is 95 which my doctor calls “like superman”, and triglycerides at 42.  My LDL particles are the healthy large, buoyant type (Pattern A).

I’m 5’11’ and a lean, muscular, vascular 160 pounds, and 72 at this writing and in the photos on the HOME page and FITNESS page.

I appear to be more like 175 pounds or more but that’s only because of all the muscle I’ve packed on and the fat mass I’ve lost.  Average male has 18 to 24% body fat.  Mine is now at 8%.

I’ve never been this cut, defined and vascular until I started on Keto for a few months, then to low carb (got too skinny on Keto), then on to Intermittent Fasting about 18 months ago.

I'm far healthier now at 72 than I was at 62, or even 52.

I am what is referred to as a healthy “Lean Mass Hyper-responder”.  This is a term coined by the brilliant science researcher, senior software engineer, and lipidology expert, Dave Feldman.  High HDL, High LDL (Pattern A healthy type), Low Triglycerides, Lean, Athletic, and with no metabolic disease, insulin resistance or other pathologies.

My skin does get help from anti-aging skincare products – NutraNuva – which makes it smoother and younger-looking. (Shameless plug)

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If you’re not quite ready and you try to fast for longer periods – 24 or 48 hours or more – because you want to accelerate the amazing benefits of autophagy – know that it may be difficult. It’s much easier if you work up to that, little by little.

Start with IF (intermittent fasting) and get comfortable with that and the lack of hunger you experience. Then you will be more prepared to venture into more prolonged fasting if you care to. Especially if you have a condition you want to accelerate the healing of.

Or you can just stick with daily IF for the wonderful autophagy benefits just with that process alone. Or you can just jump right in and do a cannonball into the pool!

Remember, the less carb intake you have the less appetite you will have, and fasting of all kinds becomes easy, especially when you keep in mind all the health benefits you will be accruing.

If fasting, whether it’s for 16 hours, 18 hours, 24 hours or longer is so beneficial to the human body, why isn’t it recommended more?

Simple answer: it’s FREE. Let that sink in.

It would be a major disruptor to the status quo. Major $$$ would be lost, not to mention careers and entire businesses, because people would be getting healthier without all the pharmaceuticals, medical procedures and not eating the purposefully addicting foods that Big Food creates.

Fasting was promoted as a healing mechanism by the three most influential people in the history of the world; Jesus, Mohammed, and Buddha.

Don’t listen to Buddha, Jesus or Mohammed – listen to Ronald McDonald, Colonel Sanders, and Papa John. Otherwise their corporate profits would disappear, and people might get healthier – can’t have that.

Don't expect to hear about it anytime soon in the mainstream media.

Bonus – Eating a bit less and eliminating all snacks when you do Intermittent Fasting or fasting of any kind makes it easier to afford to eat organic foods and grass-fed, pasture-raised meat, eggs, butter, wild caught salmon, etc. The cost of all those snack foods really add up.

And it’s a convenient time saver. Just think of the amount of time we spend on food – thinking about it, shopping for it, preparing it, cooking it, eating it, and there’s no cleaning up after. Now THAT’s convenience.

One piece of advice: when you first start IF, stay busy. That way you won’t be thinking about food and/or eating so much. Most are busy in the mornings anyway so that’s another reason to skip breakfast. But do it however it works for your life and schedule.

In the beginning, it can also be a mind-over-matter challenge. You have to decide – “Who’s in charge here? Me or my taste buds?” YOU are in charge.

You will profit greatly with all the health benefits and added longevity, not to mention great skin.

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Good for you for getting this far and click the link below for Part 5 and all the tests you should get to make sure you're not in danger. Test, don’t guess.

You will also find out about the dangers of vegetable oils.

I’d be very interested in your response to what you’ve read thus far. Please let me know by sending a message through our CONTACT page.

Click down below for Part Five.

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Recommended Books

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