DISCLAIMER
All documents, files and information included are intellectual property of Vinay Bhambwani. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author or publisher. All violations will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Vinay Bhambwani is not a doctor or registered dietitian. The contents of this document should not be taken as medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. Use of the information in this program is strictly at your own risk. Vinay Bhambwani and/or any associated individuals or entities will not assume any liability for any direct or indirect losses or damages that may result including, but not limited to, economic loss, injury, illness or death.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vinay Bhambwani is a fitness entrepreneur and
nutrition
expert.
He
holds
certifications from Stanford, American Council of Exercise & The International Fitness Assoc. His coaching portfolio includes
celebrities,
athletes
and
businessmen. He aims to share knowledge and the science of fitness, and create awareness and education about the importance of well-being and living a better quality of life through fitness. With this vision he launched Muscle Manual, the world’s first completely free digital magazine. The magazine has featured some of the world’s most successful fitness influencers, Olympia winners, and world record holding athletes. Muscle Manual has been read by over 400,000 people in over 45 countries and is going to be relaunched in August 2020. Vinay is also a 3rd generation chocolatier, and rebranded his family dessert company to Lush Healthy Chocolates. He lives in Mumbai where he continues to expand and share his knowledge in the field of nutrition and training.
What is Intermittent Fasting? Intermittent Fasting (IF) is a meal timing plan, where you eat only during an allocated period of time, and you fast for the remaining hours of the day. Generally IF involves fasting for around 14-16 hours, and eating only during the remaining 8 hours of the day. Note that this does not call for a drastic reduction in calories.
Why Intermittent Fasting? IF has many benefits, some of which include1. Dramatic fat loss, increase in muscle tone and density. This is made possible by all of the factors listed below working in harmony. 2. Fasting is necessary for the body to induce autophagy. Autophagy is the body’s natural detox process & takes place ONLY while fasting. It’s generally induced while we sleep, and ends when we start eating. Autophagy results in better organ function, better hair & skin.
3. It’s not easy to eat a large chunk of calories within a span of 8 hours. This makes weight loss easier as your food quantities are easier to manage. It will also save you some time. 4. Most people are able to focus much better while fasting, and report higher work efficiency and productivity. Fasting improves brain function, and keeps your blood sugar low for a majority of the day. 5. It improves the quality of your hair, skin and nails. Fasting is extremely anti-aging! Here is a simple analogy to understand it. Imagine your body is a car or a machine – the more you use it, the more wear and tear it will have and it will wear out faster. The more you eat and force your internal organs to work and process all the food and junk food, the faster they will wear out. Especially for someone who is overweight and eats an amount that stresses the internal organs. This is why eating in a calorie deficit, fasting and losing weight makes you look younger. 6. Fasting helps produce ketone bodies. If you follow a keto diet, intermittent fasting will greatly improve the effectiveness of your ketosis and allow your body to function more efficiently.
How does fasting work: Other than reducing our calorie intake, fasting works wonders on a long list of different hormones in our body, allowing it to burn more fat and run more efficiently. Here are just some of the important hormones fasting affects in the body with relation to fat burning: Hormone Sensitive Lipase: Fasting increases the activation of hormone sensitive lipase, an enzyme in the body which is primed for fat burning – we just need to activate it and elevate it by fasting. Insulin: Insulin is a hormone secreted by the body when we eat. Insulin promotes fat storage – and intermittent fasting lowers your insulin levels significantly enough to see a huge difference in how much fat a person loses. By lowering your insulin levels, your body also becomes more insulin-sensitive. Which means when you do eat a sugary or starchy food, the temporary insulin spike or elevation in the body will be much greater. Glucagon: Fasting increases glucagon levels, which breaks down fat - glucagon is a hormone that acts directly opposite to insulin (the pancreas secretes it in an effort to raise blood sugar levels). When insulin is low in the body, glucagon levels are high - resulting in fat loss. HGH: HGH or Human Growth Hormone is another hormone in the body known as ‘the fitness hormone’ – it aids in fat loss and muscle building. HGH levels are at their highest in our childhood years and gradually decline as we get older. Fasting has been proven to spike HGH levels DRASTICALLY. Research found that men who fasted for 24 hours and performed high intensity exercise while fasting had a 2000% increase in the level of HGH circulating in the body, while women had a 1300% increase. Stem Cells: A study at the University Of Southern California found that fasting increased the amount of immune system stem cells. Our immune system gets weaker as we age, but fasting allows it to replenish and recharge.
Types of Intermittent Fasting – 1. 12 Hour Fasting This beginner fasting strategy is the gateway to build confidence, discipline and awareness for longer fasts. Simply put, you fast 12 hours, of which 7-9 hours will be the hours you sleep. If you’ve never fasted before I recommend you start here for a week and then increase your fasting to 14-16 hours. 2. The Traditional 16/8 Or 20/4 Approach This technique involves fasting for 16 hours a day and eating for 8 hours. For most people, this means eating dinner and then starting the 16 hour-fasting count, going to bed, waking up, and fasting for another 3-6 hours before eating their first meal of the day. For those who are used to eating too frequently or eating a heavy breakfast, I.F. may not be easy at first, but your body will adapt to it in a matter of days. Let’s take an example. If you eat dinner at 9pm, and have a snack or dessert at 10.30pm, that will be your last meal of the day. So you start fasting at 10.30pm, count 16 hours from here, and you’re going to eat your first meal at 2.30pm the next day. The big benefit here is at 16 hours your pancreas get a break from all the constant processing. As you know, 16/8 to 20/4 hour fasting, especially coupled with low-carb, can induce/enhance ketosis and fat-adaptation. Fat adaptation is the process where your body adapts and learns to utilize, store and burn fat more efficiently. Maximum fat adaptation takes place on a ketogenic diet, and in the long term leads to less fat gain/accumulation, and better fat utilization for energy during workouts as well as everyday life.
3. The 24+ hour fast. Most advocates and pioneers of intermittent fasting will often fast for 24-48 hour stretches once every week. This period of fasting helps maximizing growth hormone output, and detoxifies the body to a greater degree. After adapting to the 16/8 fasting method, pushing your hunger boundaries is easier. For your first ever 24 hour fast, eat a bigger “cheat-y” meal the day prior. Not only will you be fuller longer, but you give yourself some psychological backing to fuel and justify the fast. Although there are other variations to fasting, the above 3 methods cover the basics. Pro Tip: Stock up on coffee and tea. Caffeine is a major proponent of any advanced trainee’s intermittent fasting regime, because caffeine is a powerful appetite suppressant. Which one is best for you? If you’re not sure, start at 12 hours for the first few days and then see how you feel. Just remember that the longer you fast, the more of the anti-aging, detox, and cell rejuvenation benefits you get. It might take a few weeks for you to get used to the new schedule, but once you reach 16 hours of fasting you will begin to feel really rejuvenated and see phenomenal results.
Working Out & Fasting Reasons to Workout DURING your Fast Exercising on an empty stomach has a number of health and fitness benefits. Research shows that exercising in a fasted state increases lipolysis & fat oxidation rates. Lipolysis is the breaking down of fat cells for energy Fat oxidation is the burning of this energy by cells Studies show that when you exercise with your insulin and leptin at a baseline level, your body is able to both mobilize and burn more fat during your workouts than when insulin levels are elevated. Another reason is that fasting can trigger a dramatic rise in human growth hormone (HGH), also known as "the fitness hormone." - More fat loss and more muscle growth. It’s well known that fasting increases markers for autophagy and cardio boosts markers for autophagy as well. A study from the journal of Autophagy found that exercise induces autophagy in peripheral tissues, such as muscle, liver, pancreas and adipose tissue, and in the brain. Exercising while fasted is beneficial because it complements your sympathetic nervous system (SNS) along with your capacity to burn fat. Your body's fat burning processes are controlled by your SNS, which is activated by exercise and by lack of food.
The Benefits And Results Outnumber The Difficulties Of Fasting.
Busting Myths/FAQs It’s important to be counting calories and micronutrients and not have a calorie intake that’s too less than your BMR, as that could potentially result in muscle loss, tissue wastage, and hormonal imbalances. At most you want to be in a 500-600 calorie deficit to avoid any side effects or imbalances. The body is adaptable. It will change its cycles to better deal with hunger if it has to. And so the first step to fasting is adopting the right mindset. This is kind of like a selffulfilling prophecy. William Thomas, a now deceased sociologist, has his own theorem that says: If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences. If you’re one minute into a fast, suffering from hunger, convincing yourself of impossibility, and obsessing over food, you’re not going to get very far. Relax and remind yourself that not eating for a while isn’t a big deal and that you won’t starve to death by going a few hours longer. As long as you get enough protein and vital nutrients, you are not going to risk any muscle loss by using intermittent fasting as compared to normal diet. It is also important to make sure that your calorie deficit is not too extreme; normally a 300500 kcal deficit per day is sufficient. Being on an extreme calorie deficit at an unsustainable pace is what leads to muscle loss or unhealthy weight loss, whether you’re fasting or not. Do not exceed 2 pounds of weight loss per week if you want to reach your goal safely and efficiently. Training while fasting. There are no rules or restrictions on this, although most people prefer to train at the end of their fast. It is recommended to perform HIIT strength training workouts as they boost metabolism to burn more calories.
Before You Start Your Fast Starting a fast is pretty easy – you just stop eating. You start counting your fasting time from the moment you finished your last meal. But the food you eat leading up to the fast can make or break you. Eat a little fiber before you start your fast. Some oats or crunchy green veggies are ideal. This will keep you satiated and reduce hunger cravings while fasting. Caffeine – Caffeine not only suppresses appetite, it increases fat loss, it also increases autophagy, which means it’s inducing a fasted state to your body faster. Keep some handy but if you’re over 40 or you’re a female I have a different set of guidelines you need to follow when it comes to caffeine and fasting. Refer to that in the email I’ve sent you. While fasting, the kidneys also expel water. So adding a little salt to your water will keep you hydrated, and keep your energy levels going. More on this in the next section. It makes sense to eat fat heavy and calorie rich meals earlier in the day for breakfast and lunch. Your body tends to oxidize fats for energy more during the day, and it’s primed more for storing them later in the evening.
How To Break Your Fast When you’ve fasted for over 10-14 hours your body is more sensitive and in a state of ‘fight or flight’. Breaking a fast is not about eating a huge meal. It’s about eating a strategically planned meal that will fuel your day and allow you more flexibility with your food intake later in the evening. Before we break our fast, we should lower our cortisol levels and spike our insulin. Remember, high cortisol plus high insulin equals fat accumulation, especially in the belly. Insulin being a little bit high, without the high cortisol isn't nearly as bad. Add some salt to your water towards the end of your fast. This isn't just to keep you minerally balanced. Cortisol has a direct relationship with salt. If our salt increases for a little bit, our body backs off production of what's called aldosterone. That slowing down of aldosterone ultimately lowers cortisol. During the last few hours of your fast you want to consume 1/2 teaspoon of salt in every 1 liter of water you drink. The best options are organic pink Himalayan salt, and Celtic Sea Salt. Avoid anything processed.
In the hours leading up to the end of your fast, consume a pinch of cinnamon in your tea or coffee. Adding a little bit of cinnamon to your water or consuming some tea with cinnamon in it is going to help you out a lot - cinnamon acts like insulin in the body. It mildly lowers our blood sugar levels, and has a chance of reducing the amount of food that gets stored as fat in the body.
Keep your first meal of the day lighter than your main meals like lunch or dinner. NEVER mix carbs & fats when you break your fast. When you’re fasted, your insulin response is very sensitive. Even a small sugary bite will lead to a larger insulin response. Insulin promotes fat storage. When you eat carbohydrates & fats together, your insulin levels extremely high & those fats you consumed, have a much higher chance of going into storage. This is the golden rule of breaking your fast. So your first meal of the day should be either a mix of proteins and fats or proteins and carbs. Scrambled eggs, multigrain tofu sandwich, or any salad with some protein like beans, a roasted seed mix, egg whites or low fat cottage cheese. Avoid dairy in your first meal of the day, because at this stage your body is very sensitive to the hormones, puss and other elements found in dairy products. This is noticed more often in women – higher inflammation and hormone fluctuations due to dairy. More on this in the ‘Fasting For Women’ section of this book.
Things You Can Drink While Fasting
Black tea/coffee / green tea As much water as you like Stevia for sweetener Lime and water Apple Cider Vinegar in water
You want to never to exceed 30 calories while fasting. Anything above 30 calories would end your fast. Even most favored tea bags are only 10 calories per serving, so the drinks mentioned above are no problem.
References & Scientific Literature Fasting & It’s Benefits https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5707648/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/hormone-sensitive-lipase https://www.jlr.org/content/43/10/1585.full https://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/51/12/3368 Fasting & Training https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17784905 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3463459/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18184755?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_Re sultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum https://legionathletics.com/fasted-cardio/ https://hgh.us.com/hgh-boost-through-high-intensity-workouts-and-intermittent-fasting.php https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11147801 How to fast, how to break a fast and nutrition related to fasting https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198864/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3463459/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25546413 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-13-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coffee#section3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5990470/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19106250 https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0092-8674%2810%2900002-4 https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(17)31443-5 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462044/ https://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/53/2/294.short https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/946584 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-009-1289-x
INTERMITTENT FASTING CHECKLIST
Fast a few days a week, on alternate days or every day. You can start off at 12 hours, and increase your fasting period by 2 hours every week. Be intuitive, remember to understand and listen to your body.
Before Your Fast Select and plan your fasting period, whether it’s 12, 16, 20 or 24 hours. Plan your meals for the day. Make sure your calorie deficit is not over 500 calories. Eat a fiber-rich meal before your fast. During Your Fast Keep some caffeine handy. Remember you cannot use milk and sugar in your tea and coffee. Add organic pink salt to your water Have a pinch of cinnamon in your tea/coffee/water Perform HIIT strength or weight training while fasting. After Your Fast Keep your first meal of the day lighter than your main meals like lunch or dinner. Never mix carbs and fats while breaking your fast. Try to consume a protein-rich preparation for your first meal of the day. Avoid or keep dairy to a minimum during your first meal of the day.
Download the printable Intermittent Fasting Checklist at physiquesbyvinay.com/ebooks
While there have been some claims that women should not fast, it’s actually the contrary – women’s bodies are designed to perform better with fasting. A study in the Journal of Medicine, Science, Sports & Exercise that showed women utilize fat-lipids better than men. Meaning the female body utilizes fat more efficiently and breaks down less muscle for energy – making them more primed for fasting than males. Studies have proven that the female body gets more fat loss benefits than males from adrenaline, which is one of the primary fat-burning processes that are boosted by fasting. It’s no secret – we all want to look more young, fresh and vibrant – especially women. As explained in the introductory PDF guide on fasting, Intermittent fasting has huge anti-aging benefits which women should utilize to its fullest!
Before You Start During the first week of fasting, many women report a small increase in weight. Don’t worry and don’t get discouraged. Your body’s cortisol and estrogen levels are adapting to start burning more fat, and this can temporarily cause some mild water retention during the first few days. Be consistent and stick with the program. Women should fast on alternate days. This will give your body less chances to adapt and slow down your metabolism. When starting a fast, it helps to keep your leptin levels low to burn more fat. You can do this by eating a low-carb or keto meal as your last bit of food intake before you start a fast. Caffeine is harder on women during fasting. Take small quantities or avoid it completely. Switch over to green tea, it has half the caffeine that coffee has. Green tea also contains theanine which will undo some of the negative effects of the caffeine.
During Your Fast Women have to be careful about cortisol and stress levels while fasting. When we break our fast, we want to get our cortisol levels lower before we eat. Remember, high cortisol plus high insulin equals fat accumulation, especially in the belly. Insulin being a little bit high without cortisol being high isn't nearly as bad.
Add some salt to your water towards the end of your fast. This isn't just to keep you minerally balanced. Cortisol has a direct relationship with salt. If our salt increases for a little bit, our body backs off production of what's called aldosterone. That slowing down of aldosterone ultimately lowers cortisol. During the last few hours of your fast you want to consume 1/2 teaspoon of salt in every 1 liter of water you drink. The best options are organic pink Himalayan salt and Celtic Sea Salt. Avoid anything processed. In the couple of hours leading up to breaking a fast, try to consume a pinch of cinnamon in your tea or coffee. Adding a little bit of cinnamon to your water or consuming some tea that has cinnamon in it is going to help you out a lot - cinnamon acts like insulin in the body. It mildly lowers our blood sugar levels, and has a chance of reducing the amount of food that gets stored as fat in the body.
After Your Fast/Breaking Your Fast When breaking your fast, avoid garlic, onion and vegetables (even in powder or seasoning form) in your first meal after you fast. These are not digested well immediately after a fast. NEVER mix carbs & fats when you break your fast. When you’re fasted, your insulin response is very sensitive. Even a small sugary bite will lead to a larger insulin response. Insulin promotes fat storage. When you eat carbohydrates & fats together, your insulin levels extremely high and those fats you consumed, have a much higher chance of going into storage. This is the golden rule of breaking your fast.
Around the time you’re breaking your fast is when your body is most sensitive to hormones like insulin. To keep insulin levels stable and avoid massive fluctuations, your first meal of the day should be lighter than your main meals, and should ideally just be some lean protein – some egg whites or low-fat tofu. This is going to stop your insulin from spiking too high, and an hour or 2 later you can enjoy a larger meal. Many women have reported bloating when they break their fast with high fiber foods and vegetables. Avoid this and stick to lean protein for your first meal. NO GLUTEN when you’re breaking a fast. Whether you have a gluten allergy or not, in some cases, gluten has been linked to a slowed down thyroid in women, so avoid it for the first few hours of the day. Keep dairy to a minimum on fasting days, and consume it later in the day, NOT early in the day when you break your fast. Women's bodies are more sensitive to the harmful hormones, estrogens, puss and other substances in dairy. These cause extreme inflammation in the body. Keep dairy to a minimum, or buy organic, good quality milk or even better - switch to almond milk.
A Few More Important Things To Know When your fasting and eating window is reduced to a few hours, it’s difficult to get some of the necessary nutrients. Pay attention to the nutrients and foods mentioned below. Studies have shown that low fat diets crash estrogen levels. Women need estrogen to burn fat and for healthy bodily functions. Estrogen also helps control hunger and recovery. Fasting and aging both suppress estrogen. Cruciferous vegetables and healthy fats will help support your estrogen levels and keep them normal. For healthy thyroid and hormone balance, women need to get enough Vitamin D, Zinc & Iodine. These are primarily found in meats, and if you’re not getting enough intake I recommend you take a vitamin supplement. Add Potassium to your diet! Most women end up more potassium deficient than any other mineral during a fast. You can do this by supplementing with a good multivitamin or adding 1-2 bananas to your diet later in the day. Weight training during fasting has been shown to boost female metabolism more than in males. Weight training will also help you maintain your muscle tissue.
References & Scientific Literature https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090302115755.htm https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18317381 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8141275 https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00003.2014 https://www.collective-evolution.com/2017/05/17/intermittent-fasting-for-women-whatyou-need-to-know-to-avoid-hormonal-imbalance/ https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(17)31443-5 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-013-0081-6 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/946584 https://journals.lww.com/acsmessr/Fulltext/2014/10000/Influence_of_Sex_and_Estrogen_on_Musculotendinous.7.aspx https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1113/expphysiol.2005.032771 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25005935 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12917708 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19251046` https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28459931
INTERMITTENT FASTING FOR WOMEN CHECKLIST Fast on alternate days. You can start at 12 hours, gradually build up to 20 hours. Remember, a slight fluctuation or increase in weight is normal during the first week.
Before Your Fast Select and plan your fasting period, whether it’s 12, 16, 20 or 24 hours. Plan your meals for the day. Make sure your calorie deficit is not over 500 calories. If fat loss is one of your goals, eat a low-carb or keto meal before you start fasting. During Your Fast
Keep caffeine intake to a minimum or in moderation. Add organic pink salt to your water. Have a pinch of cinnamon in your tea/coffee/water. Perform HIIT strength or weight training while fasting.
After Your Fast Keep your first meal of the day lighter than your main meals like lunch or dinner. Avoid garlic & onion and veggies (even in powder or seasoning form) in your first meal. Never mix carbs and fats while breaking your fast. Try to consume a protein-rich preparation for your first meal of the day. High fiber foods can cause bloating in some cases when eaten after a fast. Avoid or keep dairy to a minimum during your first meal of the day, or switch to almond milk. Later in the day, eat enough cruciferous vegetables and healthy fats to support your estrogen levels and keep them normal. Ensure that you are getting enough vitamin D, Zinc and Iodine. Add potassium or bananas to your diet.
Download the printable Intermittent Fasting Checklist at physiquesbyvinay.com/ebooks
Being over 40 does not mean that you’re old or you cannot get the same progress and fitness levels you could in your 20s or 30s. It just means that you need to follow different guidelines to get there. When you’re over 40, there are different hormone profiles and different enzymatic fluctuations. Your body functions differently. You need to alter your approach to fitness accordingly.
Before You Start The first thing I want to discuss is the fasting duration and frequency. Generally the 16/8 hour daily fasting is most commonly recommended, and it works well regardless of your age. But after 40, your body is able to get a lot more benefits from fasting for slightly longer periods, fewer times per week. So you want to do a 20 hour fast with a 4 hour eating window, 3 times per week. There’s a few reasons for this: The longer your fast, the telomere benefits you get from fasting. This means much more powerful anti-aging effects from fasting. At 20 hours of fasting your Growth Hormone levels go up much higher than they do at 14-16 hours. Growth Hormone, also known as the fitness hormone is responsible
for fat loss and muscle building. When you’re over 40, Growth Hormone is what’s going to make your skin look fresh, it’s going to allow you to build muscle, recover, and feel young! This is a very important reason to have a longer fast. A study at the University Of Southern California found that fasting increased the amount of immune system stem cells. Our immune system gets weaker as we age, but fasting allows it to replenish and recharge. A study showed that when individuals over 40 fasted for longer periods they also had increased levels of adeno pectin and lower cholesterol levels. As you grow older, the more you fast and restrict your calorie intake, over time you have a much higher chance of slowing down your metabolism, allowing your body to adapt and stop responding to your diet attempts. Your metabolism can slow down by 28% or more. To counter this what you want to do is fast consistently on alternate days for 4-6 weeks and then take a 1-2 week break of no fasting and no calorie deficit. Keep your calorie intake at maintenance level. So if you’re over 40 it is best to eat at maintenance calories one day, and then aggressively restrict your calorie intake by fasting 20 hours the next day, and keep alternating this 2-day cycle. It may be a little inconvenient, but the science and results speak for itself.
During Your Fast When you’re over 40 and fasting, you want to make sure that you get adequate sodium. Sodium plays an important role in sending electrical signals throughout our body, and when we’re fasting we need that process to run smoothly otherwise it’ll throw your electrolytes out of balance. When you’re over 40 the nervous system isn’t as quick, which means we have to get adequate minerals and nutrients to ensure proper functioning. Obviously you want to get this sodium from rich, top quality sources – nothing processed. The best options are organic pink Himalayan salt, Celtic Sea Salt, Redmond Real Salt. During your fast, consume 1/2 teaspoon of salt in every 1 liter of water you drink. Remember that the kidneys also expel a lot of water, so we’re not consuming a crazy amount of salt – just enough to keep the body hydrated. If you have blood pressure issues, consult your doctor or skip this step.
The next important thing when you’re over 40 is your catecholamines which are your adrenaline, epinephrine and more. If you consume caffeine like tea or coffee you want to limit it to the mornings. This is because when you’re older your catecholamines are more sensitive. When you’re fasting your body is in a fight-or-flight mode, so you’re already in a state of higher adrenaline and catecholamines. Caffeine spikes your adrenaline even higher. And keeping your adrenaline levels high for too long can cause adrenaline fatigue, leading you to feel chronically tired all the time. So if you’re over 40 and want to have caffeine, have it when its most beneficial – in the morning or while you’re fasting. That’s when it contributes towards fat loss the most. Workout in a fasted state – when you do this, you burn 2-3x times more fat in the way of intramyocellular lipids – these are fat cells stored in or around muscle tissue. When you’re over 40, this 2-3x difference in the rate of fat burning is a huge boost, allowing you to get more results with the same or lesser intensity workouts. When you’re over 40, you have to make sure you get adequate protein. As you age, atrophy or the breakdown of muscle tissue in the body keeps increasing. Atrophy is strongly linked to lowered immune systems and many conditions and diseases. It’s a very normal part of aging, but by limiting it as much as possible you will increase your lifespan. As we grow older, our body’s ability to retain and preserve muscle reduces which is another reason why our metabolism slows down, making our protein requirements higher.
After Your Fast/Breaking Your Fast Around the time you’re breaking your fast is when your body is most sensitive to hormones like insulin. To keep insulin levels stable and avoid massive fluctuations, your first meal of the day should be lighter than your main meals, and should ideally just be some lean protein – some egg whites or tofu. This is going to stop your insulin from spiking too high, and an hour or 2 later you can enjoy a larger meal. In your second meal of the day, eat lots of veggies like artichoke, cabbage, bok-choy and asparagus that contain pre-biotic fibers (PRE-biotic differs from PRO-biotic). When we fast, some of our gut bacteria dies off. While all veggies are beneficial, prebiotic rich veggies will feed and replenish the gut bacteria. Artichoke in particular is very beneficial. You also want to make sure you have some variety in your food options and you’re rotating different ingredients and foods in your diet. Each food affects the diverse gut bacteria in our stomach a particular way. Eat the same thing every day, and some types of bacteria in your gut will grow while others will reduce. To maintain a healthy balance, include a large variety of ingredients and keep rotating them in your diet. Males over 40 should consume Boron. Your body needs 6-9mg of boron per day. We have testosterone in our body but most of it is bound up in SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin). Consuming adequate Boron unlocks and releases some of that testosterone for your body to use for your fitness and sex life. Get more boron from apples, beans, milk or boron supplements.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) – this is very important in the body to make energy. When you limit your food intake your body has to become more efficient at managing nutrients. Coenzyme Q10 transfers energy from the outer membrane of the mitochondria to the inner membrane, allowing energy to be produced and utilized. To get enough CoQ10 make sure you eat broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, fatty fish, organ meat, or take a CoQ10 supplement. Broccoli contains something called DIM (Diindolylmethane) which takes bad estrogens in the body and helps convert them into a simple usable form that can be broken down in the body. Broccoli is particularly powerful for males over 40. References & Scientific Literature https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26471344 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15640462 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1464435/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18225975 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28459931
INTERMITTENT FASTING AFTER 40 CHECKLIST Fast on alternate days. You can start at 12 hours, gradually build up to 20 hours. Every 6 weeks, take a 2 week break from diet and fasting.
Before Your Fast Select and plan your fasting period, whether it’s 12, 16, 20 or 24 hours. Plan your meals for the next day. During Your Fast Limit caffeine intake to the first half of the day, and consume in moderation. Add organic pink salt to your water. Have a pinch of cinnamon in your tea/coffee/water. Perform HIIT strength or weight training while fasting. After Your Fast Keep your first meal of the day lighter than your main meals like lunch or dinner. Never mix carbs and fats while breaking your fast. Try to consume a protein-rich preparation for your first meal of the day. Avoid or keep dairy to a minimum during your first meal of the day, or switch to almond milk. In your second meal of the day, eat lots of veggies like artichoke, cabbage, bok-choy and asparagus. Make sure you get a minimum of 1.2g of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. Males over 40 should consume 6-9mg of boron per day, and 1 serving of broccoli. Supplement with Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) or make sure you’re getting enough from food.
Download the printable Intermittent Fasting Checklist at physiquesbyvinay.com/ebooks
