Health & Nutrition - Intermittent Fasting

I'm very excited to be able to share something really good with all my readers because I have real-life testimony of Edric who has gone through 5 weeks of intermittent fasting, which I will be covering in details. First and foremost, let me introduce who Edric is. He is Jason's younger brother (who is taller than Jason, standing at 1.88m). His body is a combination of Mesomorph and Endomorph (aka meso-endo or endo-meso) and it was more difficult for him to lean down as compared to his elder brother. So seeing him lean down so much now with so much discipline in dieting and working out, makes me feel very proud of his current progress (do note the lighting may be different with photos taken at different places.

Week 0 - no abs

Week 1 - definition is showing but very flat

Week 2 - definition is out clearer  but still very flat
with bulge on lower abs

Week 3 - abs starting to thicken

Week 4 - abs have thicken, lower abs a lot flatter

Week 4 - A LOT thicker abs

Week 5 - proof that everybody's abs are different

Week 5 - proof that everybody's abs are different

Edric is undergoing a 12-weeks cycle of intermittent fasting and he has intentions to instill into his lifestyle because he feels this form of dieting suits his body type and compliments very well with his workout routine. I have to stress the point that not every diet suits everyone. It comes with experience and knowledge to know what diet suits you and not. Very often, with little or no experience and knowledge in dieting and working out, diets that are good turn into bad fad diets, thus implicating largely on your workout; strength and endurance, as well as your overall confidence. Edric did not chance upon this diet, he did his research, lots of reading up and after trying other ways and means to attempt to lean down, he finally found the right one.

Wanna be updated of Edric's progress? Follow him on Instagram @edrictimothy for more real-time updates! I'll be recording the remaining of his progress when he finishes the 12 weeks. 

SOOOOO, what is intermittent fasting (IF) then?

As the term intermittent fasting says, you basically take intermittent fasting (with no solid food at all) and try to fit it into your lifestyle, simple as that. You can do a long IF or a short IF. Long IF is fasting for 24 hours for 1-2 times a week and short IF works daily. Depending on what your body needs and working around it correctly, generally you start feeding your body the moment you are awake for 6-8 hours. After the 6-8 hours window, you stop having solid food or no food at all. Like I have not stressed enough, I do not want anyone to try this on their own and end up in starvation mode (especially if you are an ecto-combination body type), because your body will start using up your muscles for energy and sustenance, then you lose muscles, store fats (the vicious cycle). So please learn to know your body well and alter the diet according to what your body needs. For Edric's case, he stops eating 8 hours after he wakes up everyday (yes EVERY SINGLE DAY). This, I warn, requires awesome discipline and I salute him for this. It has changed him so much as a person too. He will still drink and sometimes have a small serving of salad during social gatherings (which he cuts out so much too) but during the 8 hours, he feeds himself quality food, very clean and healthy. He prepares his own meals and smoothies, still works out 1-2 times a day with a 5-day workout routine, he keeps his protein intake high and he eats a lot of fruits and veg.

How else besides aesthetical benefits will IF get you?

In the long run, instilling this diet into your lifestyle will help in reducing blood glucose and insulin levels, thus improving the state of the overall glucose metabolism. IF will also assist in increasing fatty acid oxidation with increased FFAs (through increasing lipolysis hormones GH, glucagon and adrenaline). Lastly, if done correctly and effectively, IF will increase various health factors (lower inflammation, lower blood pressure, reduced oxidative stress, increased protection against neuro-degenerative diseases, etc). 

I hope to let my readers bring back a very important point after this post, about dieting. Dieting will NOT work if done short-term. Instead, work it into your lifestyle so you will enjoy eating healthy and not binge-eat when you feel deprived during a dieting phase. Healthy eating is a form of enjoyment, not the other way round. So, remember not to overeat especially for my muslim friends during this festive season and enjoy cheating meals but train hard too! 

Selamat Hari Raya and Happy National Day!