Intermittent fasting

Hello.
I would like to ask about your or your students' or clients' experiences with transitioning to intermittent fasting, or any potential obstacles they had to overcome. Did they or you initially experience any negative feelings or reactions from the body to the change, and what were the positive responses? I'm currently trying it myself, in the first week. In the mornings, I feel a bit tired, and I'm trying to meditate every morning, drinking about 2 liters of water in the morning. I'm also trying to set up a high-carbohydrate diet to make it as balanced as possible. Transitioning from 5 meals a day to 3. It's not just about handling it "on paper"—that is, in the meal plan—but also practically, and I'm really experimenting with meal combinations. I can't always maintain a medium glycemic index in a portion. However, overall for the day, the glycemic index is low to medium.
Thank you.

Every change in eating habits is accompanied by a reaction from the body. Depending on an individual's metabolic profile and the extent of changes, these manifestations are either more pronounced (uncomfortable) or, conversely, the individual manages them without significant difficulties. With Intermittent Fasting (IF), the most common challenge is managing protests from the digestive tract, which, from the position of a long-term habit, demands food intake even in the morning hours (this also manifests in fluctuations in blood sugar levels with all the consequences). It is important to realize that these are natural, thus normal manifestations that cannot be avoided. Only their extent and the perception of these feelings varies for each person. The body possesses adaptive mechanisms, enabling it to adjust to a wide range of different situations. However, the rule of individuality also applies here, which means every individual reacts differently and the adaptation process varies in length – some may transition to the IF system immediately and without distress, while others have to manage a range of typical manifestations that can persist for several weeks.

Hello,

I am interested in whether, similar to intermittent fasting, it works when a person eats three times a day, for example, at 6 am, 12 pm, and 7 pm, and eats nothing between these meals.

Thank you for your response.

The effect of intermittent fasting relies on the principle that the fasting period is longer than the feeding phase. It is precisely the extended fasting period that brings all the discussed benefits of IF.

When addressing the concept of diet in the traditional breakfast-lunch-dinner model, the interval between main meals (primarily between dinner and breakfast) is not sufficiently long to initiate the desired metabolic processes. Technically speaking, this is not intermittent fasting, but a normal eating regimen.

Hello,

What is your opinion on practicing intermittent fasting when underweight, where weight loss is undesirable? My BMI is on the borderline between underweight and normal, I like the benefits of intermittent fasting, but I don't want to lose weight. In this case, isn't fasting rather counterproductive?

Thank you.

Intermittent fasting is unfortunately often perceived as a weight-loss diet, which is misleading, because it depends on how you set your energy balance. The most commonly preferred 16/8 system allows for 3 meals during the feeding phase, which can be adjusted according to your own preferences - the balance can thus be negative, neutral, or even positive.

The fundamental advantage or benefit of intermittent fasting is its ability to increase metabolic flexibility, that is, the flexible capability to alternate between using carbohydrates and fats as energy sources. With a balanced energy intake, you will not lose weight...

Hello. I would like to ask about your personal experiences, or those of your students or clients, with transitioning to intermittent fasting, or any potential obstacles they had to overcome? Did you or they experience any negative feelings or reactions from the body to the change initially, and for how long, and of course, what positive feedback did you receive? I am currently trying it myself, in the first week. I feel a bit tired in the morning, I try to meditate every morning, and I drink about 2 liters of water in the morning. I am also trying to set up a high-carbohydrate diet to be as balanced as possible. Transitioning from 5 meals a day to 3. It's not just about managing it 'on paper' – meaning in the meal plan – but also practically and I'm really testing combinations of meals. I can't always maintain a moderate glycemic index in portions. Overall, though, the glycemic load is low to moderate throughout the day. Thank you.

Every change in dietary habits is accompanied by a reaction from the organism. Depending on an individual's metabolic profile and the extent of changes, these manifestations are either more pronounced (uncomfortable) or the individual manages them without major difficulties. In the case of intermittent fasting (IF), the most common challenge is managing the digestive tract's protests, as it habitually demands food intake during morning hours (this is also reflected in fluctuations in blood sugar levels with all their consequences). It is important to realize that these are natural, hence normal manifestations that you cannot avoid. Only their extent and therefore their sensory perception differ for each person. The body has adaptive mechanisms and is capable of adjusting to a wide range of different situations. However, the rule of individuality still applies here, meaning each individual reacts differently, and the adaptation process varies in length - some individuals switch to the IF system immediately and without distress, while others have to endure a number of typical manifestations that may persist for several weeks.