Benjamin Franklin said, “The best of all medicines is resting and fasting.”
By Dr. Seun Sowemimo, Medical Director
Intermittent fasting has been in existence for centuries; I’d like to explain how it can help you to lose weight and gain health.
As far back as 3800 BC, an Egyptian pyramid was inscribed with this: “Humans live on one-quarter of what they eat; on the other three-quarters lives their doctor.”
Paracelsus, another great healer in the Western tradition, wrote 500 years ago that, “Fasting is the greatest remedy, the physician within.”
All the great religions encourage fasting. The Bible doesn’t ask you to fast–it simply states WHEN you fast.
I know some will say, “Are we now starving ourselves to lose weight?”
No. Fasting is the deliberate short-term abstinence from food. Again, short-term (as in hours, not days).
The simple method for intermittent fasting
Two intriguing modes of action of fasting:
1. Autophagy
2. metabolic switching
Autophagy
This term literally means eating one’s self. At the cellular level, fasting kicks in Autophagy where in a Pac-Man like fashion special cells actually eat up dying and dead cells. They then recycle this protein creating new beneficial proteins. This process of can clean up neural tangles implicated in Alzheimer’s or repair DNA promoting longevity.
It also helps to repair skin, down-regulate inflammation and up-regulate antioxidants.
Autophagy improves blood sugar and fat metabolism by increasing insulin sensitivity and even helps to lower blood pressure.
It’s like getting an oil change with new spark plugs for your car–it helps your body run smoother and the benefits outlast the period of fasting.
Imagine you keep receiving a delivery of furniture to your house on a daily basis, day-in and day-out; you never get a chance to arrange it properly or get rid or recycle of old and useless furniture.
Soon, your house will be looking like an episode of ‘Hoarders.’
This is what autophagy helps resolve.
Metabolic Switching
Generally, the body is able to use two sources of fuel for energy: sugar and fat. It is actually health-promoting that the body switches between these two modes of energy.
When we are in the fed state (we have eaten), our fuel is sugar; but in the fasted state, once we burn off all the sugar, our fuel becomes fat.
When food comes into the body, like groceries being delivered to your house, it either gets eaten up immediately or stored in the fridge. Once the fridge gets full, insulin, which always shows up whenever groceries arrive, takes the excess groceries, packages them as fat, and stores them in the deep freezer. It also prevents anyone from accessing the fat stored in the deep freezer.
It takes 8 to 12 hours for the food in the fridge to get used up, but as long as groceries keep getting delivered regularly, you never get to use up all the food and the excess is stored in the deep freezer, without being used.
The only way to access the fat stored in the deep freezer is to not have groceries delivered, slamming the door on the insulin guy.
This allows a new guy called growth hormone to enter the scene. If there’s no grocery delivery in 8 to 12 hours, the food in the fridge is used up and growth hormone starts to bring fat from the deep freezer into the fridge. It is thawed out to another form of fat called Ketones, which is now used for energy.
Switching energy sources helps burn fat.
Also, energy demands (i.e. exercise) while the body is fasting will lead to more fat burn versus exercise in the ‘fed’ state.
Watch my YouTube video that explains the process and how it can accelerate your weight loss:
How not to intermittent fast
I found this interesting story from Kayleigh McEnany, the current White House Press Secretary:
“The night before my mastectomy, I had done my best to keep my mind off of the impending procedure. I binged on pizza and ice cream and took full advantage of the doctor’s advice to eat up, until the night before, since I had to begin fasting at midnight…”
Don’t do this.
I intermittent fast during the work week:
- I started with the 16:8 fast (fast for 16 hours including sleep and eat during an 8-hour window).
- Breakfast at 11 AM. Dinner by 7 PM.
As my body became used to this:
- I moved to the 18:6 fast (fast for 18 hours including sleep and eat during an 6-hour window).
- My first meal is lunch and then I have dinner within a 6-hour window.
During the fasting period, I hydrate with non-caloric beverages.
Since adopting intermittent fasting, I’ve seen a bump in my own weight loss. Several of my bariatric and obesity treatment patients have also reported the same outcome.
I believe this is one of the most powerful tools to add to your weight management toolbox and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Important Note: Please seek medical advice from your own physician, especially if you have a medical condition and plan to start an intermittent fasting regimen.
To learn more simple nutrition tools to lose weight and maintain a health weight, visit and subscribe to my YouTube channel.