I was able to read a book of Dr. Jason Fung, entitled, "The Complete Guide to Fasting". It looks like an interesting read. It didn't sound overly scholarly and doesn't bombard you with too much data.
Unfortunately it doesn't have much by way of visuals or graphics/images to explain body or metabolic processes. But still, the information presented is top-notch and there are plenty of anecdotal case success stories.
Key Takeaways from Dr. Jason Fung's Book
The body really only exists in two states - the fed (high-insulin) state and the fasted (low-insulin) state. Either we are storing food energy or we are burning food energy. If eating and fasting are balanced, then there is no net weight gain.
If, however, we spend the majority of the day storing food energy (because we’re in the fed state), then over time, we will gain weight. What is needed then is to restore balance by increasing the amount of time we burn food energy (by going into the fasted state).
A decreased insulin level is one of the most consistent hormonal effects of fasting. All foods raise insulin to some degree. Refined carbohydrates tend to raise insulin the most and fatty foods the least, but insulin still goes up in both cases. Therefore, the most effective method of reducing insulin is to avoid all foods altogether.
Regularly lowering insulin levels leads to improved insulin sensitivity - your body becomes more responsive to insulin. The opposite of insulin sensitivity, high insulin resistance, is the root problem in type 2 diabetes and has also been linked to a number of diseases.
These include: Heart disease Stroke Alzheimer’s disease Type 2 diabetes High cholesterol, High blood pressure, Abdominal obesity, Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (fatty liver disease), Polycystic ovary syndrome, Gout, Atherosclerosis Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Obstructive sleep apnea and Cancer.
Just reading the cornucopia of treatable diseases in the last sentence would make anybody ask, "Where do I sign up?"
Intermittent Fasting Idea
How did I learn of Intermittent Fasting, anyway?
I first learned it from a co-blogger, RT, when I read his blog article: Fasting for Weight Loss. I was fascinated with the fasting idea and so, starting from RT's article, I researched further.
One thing led to another until I saw this publication by Dr. Jason Fung as well as his videos on youtube. To my chagrin, I discovered that Intermittent Fasting has been around for several years now.
And it isn't just Dr. Jason Fung. For all I know, there may have been others who actually came before him.
There are many many more authors, writers and content creators who already have jumped into the Intermittent Fasting bandwagon. You could literally lose yourself watching hours and hours of video, and reading articles related to Intermittent Fasting.
I was hooked and was determined to lower my Cholesterol, Triglycerides and Uric Acid levels with this approach.
Fasting is not a new idea to me as I did an extended fast once for three days when I was in my college years. This was after reading the many benefits of fasting decades ago. There were no ill-effects for me, yet I was admonished for it by my parents for believing fasting is too dangerous.
I know they're well-meaning. But then unfortunately, it's one of the many perceptions why people do not agree or frown upon fasting.
(See Part 6 for the continuation of this article)
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