Learning to Intermittent Fast.
- Dr Andrea Haas
- Feb 11
- 5 min read
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The thought of fasting used to fill me with horror. I was someone who always thought I couldn’t leave the house without having eaten breakfast. I also believed that I needed a snack before going to bed, to stop myself waking up feeling hungry in the middle of the night.
When I look back, these beliefs and habits came from my childhood. We always had breakfast, never leaving the house without having eaten something. And I grew up seeing my parents having a late evening snack before bed, which usually consisted of a milky Horlicks and cheese and biscuits. I was also called the dustbin, as I ate everyone’s leftovers.
When I was working as a doctor in the hospital and having to be on call, my eating pattern became very erratic. I ate when I had the time. I would go for long periods without eating, missing meals, due to being stuck in the theatre or with sick patients on the ward. I’d then feast in the small hours of the morning when it was quiet.
When my life had a bit more structure to it, if I went out for the day or knew I was going to be home late, I would always take a stash of food with me. On escorted group holidays, and we were out all day, I’d have a huge breakfast because I didn’t know when I’d next be able to eat. I’d even pocket things to eat as snacks later… just in case! These behaviours were driven by a fear of being hungry. I would eat just in case…
Luckily for me, I didn’t put on any weight. I’d always been interested in nutrition, and so my general diet in between has always been simple, fresh, with very few carbs. I was also active.
About 5 years ago, I came across Intermittent Fasting and the huge health benefits it has on health. Since this time, my eating habits have vastly changed. I now eat, most days, within a 6-hour time frame, my first meal being at 1pm, and finishing my last meal by about 6.30pm. I didn’t suddenly switch to this; I gradually shortened the time frame over several years. My first step was to stop having anything to eat when I got home late at night, and then I added in the evenings I was at home. I next started moving my breakfast to around 10.30am. This was helped by adding a more structured routine to my morning. As I now worked from home and was self-employed, I had the flexibility in my schedule to do this.
The biggest change to my intermittent fasting came when I spent 4 weeks in Spain last year. Even though it was February, everything closed at 2pm for 4 hours. Because of this, I got into the routine of going out exploring in the morning and not getting back until 2pm, having only had water or a black coffee. I’d eat when I got in, and my evening meal was finished by 7pm. I realised that I didn’t miss food, I never got hungry and my energy levels didn’t dip. I decided to continue this routine when I returned to the UK.
Why is fasting good for you?
One of the most important things fasting triggers is something called autophagy. This basically means “self-eating”; the cells mop up any rubbish inside themselves. Damaged proteins and mitochondria are destroyed, but other proteins will be recycled. It’s a bit like doing the decluttering in your home. Some of your stuff you decide to throw out, some you may recycle and mend. The other great benefit of fasting is that it helps the body get into ketosis. Overnight, your body uses up all the glycogen stores in the liver, which is converted to glucose. For more on the benefits of ketosis, please see my blog Implementing the Bredesen Keto Flex 12/3 Diet.
How do you start changing your eating habits to Intermittent Fasting?
Changing any habit is best done slowly and in stages. Too many changes at once can cause you to become overwhelmed and increase the potential of failure. This is particularly important when converting to Intermittent Fasting because Intermittent Fasting also forces a change in the body’s biochemistry and metabolism, which can trigger physical symptoms while the body adjusts to its new regime.
Here is a basic outline on how to start switching to Intermittent Fasting.
Choose which end of the day you’re going to adjust first, morning or evening.
Move your eating time by 30 mins for about a week, and progress from there until your eating time is where you’d like it to be.
Make sure you have a plan to fill that extra 30 mins with an activity, which will distract you from thinking about food.
If you feel hungry, drink water.
Once you’ve been doing that new routine for about a month, and you feel it’s quite well established, start adjusting the other end of the day in a similar manner.
The Unexpected Benefits of my New Routine.
Having been doing this for over a year now, I’ve realised that there have been other unexpected benefits to this routine apart from my health.
One less thing to think about in the morning.
If I have to leave the house early, I know that I don’t need to worry about breakfast and will be fine. It’s one less thing to think about and squeeze in.
One of my friends said that breakfast is part of her morning routine. It was part of my routine, but it has now been replaced by other things, such as exercise and reading. I now, interestingly, don’t have any space in the morning for breakfast.
2. I’m less focused on food.
Knowing I can go for longer periods without food with no problem has reduced the worry and anxiety around food and has allowed me to focus on more important things in my life. My eating pattern and what I eat have much more structure. When something has more structure and routine, it takes up less mental energy.
3. It has given me space to exercise first thing.
There are two main benefits of exercising first thing. Firstly, you’re not exercising on a full stomach, which can affect digestion and be comfortable. It also allows the body to draw on fat stores using ketones for energy, rather than all the sugar circulating after eating. Secondly, if exercise is important to you, getting it done at the beginning of the day is one less thing to think about. If you don’t, it’s always hanging over you, with this nagging thought of when you’re going to fit it in.
If you enjoyed this short audio, why not take a look at my other blogs?
Dr Andrea Haas is passionate about helping people keep their minds sharp and their confidence high, at every stage of their life. With over 30 years as a medical doctor and training in the Bredesen Protocol for prevention and improvement of dementia, she combines medical insight with holistic therapies to create a bespoke journey to lasting cognitive health and improving confidence.
Book a free 20-minute call to find out how she may be able to help you.
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