Oklahoma Sports
oklahomasports.net

Alabama Sports
alabamasports.net

Arizona Sports
arizonasports.net

Arkansas Sports
arkansassports.net

Bryan County Patriot
bryancountypatriot.com

Colorado Sports
coloradosports.net

Emerald Quest Media Care
emeraldquestmedia.net

Georgia Sports
georgiasports.net

Iowa Sports
iowasports.net

Kansas Sports News
kansassports.net

Kentucky Sports
kentuckysports.net

Maryland Sports
marylandsports.net

Midwest Sports
midwestsports.net

Mississippi Sports
mississippisports.net

Missouri Sports
missourisports.net

Nebraska Sports
nebraskasports.net

New Mexico Sports
newmexicosports.net

North Carolina
northcarolinasports.net

Northeast Sports
northeastsports.net

North Dakota Sports
northdakotasports.net

Pennsylvania Sports
pennsylvaniasports.net

SE Sports
sesports.net

South Carolina Sports
southcarolinasports.net

Tennessee Sports
tennesseesports.net

Texas Sports
texassports.net

The Honey Comb Gift
thehoneycombgift.com

What's My Story
whatsmystory.net

Wisconsin Sports
wisconsinsports.net

Alabama Sports
alabamasports.net

Arizona Sports
arizonasports.net

Arkansas Sports
arkansassports.net

Bryan County Patriot
bryancountypatriot.com

Colorado Sports
coloradosports.net

Emerald Quest Media Care
emeraldquestmedia.net

Georgia Sports
georgiasports.net

Iowa Sports
iowasports.net

Kansas Sports News
kansassports.net

Kentucky Sports
kentuckysports.net

Maryland Sports
marylandsports.net

Midwest Sports
midwestsports.net

Mississippi Sports
mississippisports.net

Missouri Sports
missourisports.net

Nebraska Sports
nebraskasports.net

New Mexico Sports
newmexicosports.net

North Carolina
northcarolinasports.net

Northeast Sports
northeastsports.net

North Dakota Sports
northdakotasports.net

Pennsylvania Sports
pennsylvaniasports.net

SE Sports
sesports.net

South Carolina Sports
southcarolinasports.net

Tennessee Sports
tennesseesports.net

Texas Sports
texassports.net

The Honey Comb Gift
thehoneycombgift.com

What's My Story
whatsmystory.net

Wisconsin Sports
wisconsinsports.net

Alabama Sports
alabamasports.net

Arizona Sports
arizonasports.net

Arkansas Sports
arkansassports.net

Bryan County Patriot
bryancountypatriot.com

Colorado Sports
coloradosports.net

Emerald Quest Media Care
emeraldquestmedia.net

Georgia Sports
georgiasports.net

Iowa Sports
iowasports.net

Kansas Sports News
kansassports.net

Kentucky Sports
kentuckysports.net

Maryland Sports
marylandsports.net

Midwest Sports
midwestsports.net

Mississippi Sports
mississippisports.net

Missouri Sports
missourisports.net

Nebraska Sports
nebraskasports.net

New Mexico Sports
newmexicosports.net

North Carolina
northcarolinasports.net

Northeast Sports
northeastsports.net

North Dakota Sports
northdakotasports.net

Pennsylvania Sports
pennsylvaniasports.net

SE Sports
sesports.net

South Carolina Sports
southcarolinasports.net

Tennessee Sports
tennesseesports.net

Texas Sports
texassports.net

The Honey Comb Gift
thehoneycombgift.com

What's My Story
whatsmystory.net

Wisconsin Sports
wisconsinsports.net

Alabama Sports
alabamasports.net

Arizona Sports
arizonasports.net

Arkansas Sports
arkansassports.net

Bryan County Patriot
bryancountypatriot.com

Colorado Sports
coloradosports.net

Emerald Quest Media Care
emeraldquestmedia.net

Georgia Sports
georgiasports.net

Iowa Sports
iowasports.net

Kansas Sports News
kansassports.net

Kentucky Sports
kentuckysports.net

Maryland Sports
marylandsports.net

Midwest Sports
midwestsports.net

Mississippi Sports
mississippisports.net

Missouri Sports
missourisports.net

Nebraska Sports
nebraskasports.net

New Mexico Sports
newmexicosports.net

North Carolina
northcarolinasports.net

Northeast Sports
northeastsports.net

North Dakota Sports
northdakotasports.net

Pennsylvania Sports
pennsylvaniasports.net

SE Sports
sesports.net

South Carolina Sports
southcarolinasports.net

Tennessee Sports
tennesseesports.net

Texas Sports
texassports.net

The Honey Comb Gift
thehoneycombgift.com

What's My Story
whatsmystory.net

Wisconsin Sports
wisconsinsports.net

Alabama Sports
alabamasports.net

Arizona Sports
arizonasports.net

Arkansas Sports
arkansassports.net

Bryan County Patriot
bryancountypatriot.com

Colorado Sports
coloradosports.net

Emerald Quest Media Care
emeraldquestmedia.net

Georgia Sports
georgiasports.net

Iowa Sports
iowasports.net

Kansas Sports News
kansassports.net

Kentucky Sports
kentuckysports.net

Maryland Sports
marylandsports.net

Midwest Sports
midwestsports.net

Mississippi Sports
mississippisports.net

Missouri Sports
missourisports.net

Nebraska Sports
nebraskasports.net

New Mexico Sports
newmexicosports.net

North Carolina
northcarolinasports.net

Northeast Sports
northeastsports.net

North Dakota Sports
northdakotasports.net

Pennsylvania Sports
pennsylvaniasports.net

SE Sports
sesports.net

South Carolina Sports
southcarolinasports.net

Tennessee Sports
tennesseesports.net

Texas Sports
texassports.net

The Honey Comb Gift
thehoneycombgift.com

What's My Story
whatsmystory.net

Wisconsin Sports
wisconsinsports.net

Tulsa Personal Injury Lawyer
Truskett Law

Bible Blast
Kid's Bible Curriculum

Stu B Que
Tulsa BBQ and Catering

On The Rock Roofing
Owasso Roofer and Roofing Contractor

Oklahoma Dental Office Transitions
Jaquay Enterprise

Oklahoma City Business Lawyer
Bruner Law Firm

Tulsa Dental Crowns
Dental Studio of South Tulsa

McAlester Lawyers
Wagner & Lynch Law

Tulsa Architect
Property Arts

Female Dentist Tulsa
Magnolia Family Dental Care

Tulsa Pediatric Dentist
Children's Dental Health Center

Tulsa Ozone Therapy
Longevity Effect

Broken Arrow Home Health Care
Bright Home Health

Huntsville Personal Injury Lawyer
The Lackey Law Firm

Broken Arrow Pest Control
Bed Bug Heat Treatment

Jenks Dentist
Hopper Dental

Macon Dermatologist Skin Care Physicians of Georgia

Broken Arrow Roof Repair Ark Roofing & Construction

India Missions HBI Global Partners

Tulsa Surveillance Technologies
Tulsa Video Surveillance
Accel Polymers
HIPS Plastic Recycling Business

Insurance Agency in Tulsa AAA Insurance Tulsa

Tulsa Ozone TreatmentDr. Sara Washatka

Tulsa Bathtub ResurfacingBear & Bison Resurfacing Specialists, LLC

Broken Arrow FaceTiteDr. Lee Bottem

Huntsville Web Design
McWilliams Marketing

South Tulsa Counseling
Evolution Mental Health Services

Tulsa General Contractor
Ascend Construction Services

Tulsa IT Support
CamTech

Wholesale Alarm Monitoring
Monitoring America Alarm Co-op

Tulsa Telecommunication Company
Adept Patriot Services

Tulsa Business Coach
Business Acceleration Team

McAlester Criminal Attorney
Foundation Law Firm

Cape Girardeau Palliative Care
Crown Hospice MO

Springfield End of Life Care
Seasons Hospice MO

Victoria TX Palliative Care
Crown Hospice TX

Tulsa End of Life Care
Seasons Hospice OK

Tulsa Business Consulting
Welltide Inc

Broken Arrow Dentist
Dentistry For You Broken Arrow

Sand Springs Dentist Near Me
Dentistry For You Sand Springs

Tulsa Midtown Dentist
Dentistry For You Tulsa

Huntsville Wellness
Synergy Wellness

Tulsa Dentistry Near Me
McDougall DDS

Tulsa Emergency Veterinarian
STATVet Animal Urgent Care

Oklahoma City Dental Practice
Dentistry For You OKC

FMS Aerospace
Aircraft Equipment Racks

The Poop Fairy
Tulsa Pooper Scooper

IV Effect
IV Nutrition

Ashes Away Chimney Sweep Company
Tulsa Chimney Repair

Wagner & Lynch
Eastern Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyer

Rivercross Healthcare
Oklahoma & Kansas Hospice Healthcare

Crown Hospice Saint Louis
Saint Louis Hospice Care

Cold Creek Solutions
Cold Storage Houston

The Office Tulsa
Tulsa Co-working Space

Domesticaide
Tulsa Residential Cleaning Companye

Via Sophia Bookkeeping
Virtual Bookkeeper Tulsa

The Mortgage For Seniors

Intermittent fasting more effective than cutting calories

Workout Anytime
Doug Maurer

Done properly, intermittent fasting can be very beneficial for improving health and accelerating fat loss. There are many different types of fasts, but the most popular and practical is called intermittent fasting. 

Intermittent fasting – aka time-restricted eating – is when you restrict your daily food intake to a specific window of time – typically six to eight-hours per day. For example, if you skip breakfast and make lunch the first meal of your day, you might restrict your food intake to the hours of Noon and 8:00 p.m. If you are a breakfast lover, your window could be between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Many people point out that fasting only works because people eat less than they burn while doing intermittent fasting. This is definitely the case, but the entire trick to losing body fat is finding a way to eat less calories than you burn that you can stick with long term.

Intermittent Fasting vs Chronic Calorie Restriction

The more traditional way to lose weight/fat is to restrict your calories throughout the day by making sure you eat fewer total calories but still maintain a more normal eating window of 12 – 14 hours.  There is no question that the calorie restriction works when it is followed. This is very challenging for most people – particularly long-term.

There is also no question that many people find it much easier to eat less than they burn by simply restricting their feeding window to 8 hours per day.  For many who make this simple change they find they spontaneously eat less calories without it feeling hard and find they can maintain this lifestyle long term. That is the name of the game when it comes to long term weight management and body fat control!

Many studies have shown intermittent fasting to be a highly effective method for losing body fat and keeping it off, and there are other specific benefits to this approach.

Intermittent fasting provides a number of health benefits including:

  • Reduced age-related diseases: Fasting reduces the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases; improves insulin sensitivity and overall metabolic health; and lowers cancer incidence.
  • Metabolic health: Fasting promotes a shift from glucose metabolism to fat burning, improving so-called metabolic flexibility. It also enhances glucose regulation, improves insulin sensitivity, and promotes ketone body production by the liver.
  • Neuroprotection and cognitive function: Fasting increases the production of BDNF, a neuroprotective molecule that aids in neuroplasticity, memory, and learning. The benefits of fasting also extend to protection against neuronal dysfunction and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
  • Cancer prevention and treatment: Fasting makes cancer cells more vulnerable to chemotherapy while protecting healthy cells—enhancing cancer treatment efficacy and reducing side effects. It does this by exploiting cancer cells’ reduced flexibility that results from mutations in growth signaling pathways.
  • Hormesis and cellular adaptation: Fasting activates cellular survival pathways that thrive during intermittent, mild stressors like fasting. This enhances our body’s resilience to oxidative damage, metabolic stress, and toxic environmental exposure.
  • Renewal and repair: Prolonged fasting triggers autophagy (cellular recycling) and apoptosis, clearing damaged cellular components. There’s also an increase in stem cell activity and a regeneration of immune cells after fasting cycles.

Who Can Benefit from Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting can benefit a wide variety of people including certain athletes. A 2016 study that tracked the effects of intermittent fasting on 34 resistance-trained men found that restricting their eating to an eight-hour window positively affected several health-related biomarkers, while decreasing fat mass and maintaining muscle mass.

For eight weeks, the participants divided their daily calorie intake across three meals eaten at 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. They fasted the remaining 16 hours of the day and completed three weekly sessions of resistance training on non-consecutive days. Among the biomarkers noted, there was a significant decrease in blood sugar for the intermittent fasting group as compared to the normal diet group.

Potential Pitfalls when Intermittent Fasting

The biggest challenge with intermittent fasting is making sure you get adequate protein.  This is particularly important as you age because once you get on the other side of 45 your body has a harder time digesting and absorbing protein so your need for protein actually goes up.

To make sure you do not fall into this trap check out this previous blogpost that provides suggestions on how to make sure you get enough protein into your diet while intermittent fasting.

Contraindications for Fasting

Although most people can safely benefit from intermittent fasting, it’s important to take caution if you have certain health challenges. Do NOT use fasting if any of the following are true:

  • You are underweight with a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 or less
  • You are malnourished
  • Children should NOT fast! They need nutrients for continued growth; if your child is obese, consider cutting him or her back on refined grains and sugar to promote weight loss
  • Pregnant and breastfeeding women should NOT fast because a consistent flow of nutrients must be shared with the baby to ensure its well-being.
  • Anyone who has or has experienced an eating disorder including anorexia and bulimia needs to stay away from fasting.
  • If you take medications that should be taken with food you will need to be very cautious about fasting and consult with your physician first.   This is especially true for diabetics and those with gout.
  • You have a medical condition – check with your physician first.

Take Home

Intermittent fasting is not magic and does not work for everyone, but for many it provides a much easier way to keep caloric balance and lose fat!

Comments are closed.