Intermittent fasting worked for one wellness consultant, but not for another – experts explain why eating less often isn’t for everyone, and who should avoid it
- Fasting gives the body a break from digestion, allowing it time to rejuvenate and detoxify – but not everyone should attempt it. Men usually see better results
- Two Beijing-based wellness consultants tried, with mixed results – Christian François lost 9kg in three months; Alessia Chizzoniti quit because of health issues
To lose weight, Christian François started fasting two years ago. Eating two meals a day between noon and 9pm, he lost 9kg (19.8 pounds) in the space of three months.
“I increased my exercise during those three months,” the Beijing, China-based wellness and nutrition consultant recalls. “I was working out for one hour, five times a week, in the first month, and doubling the hours in the second and third month. I was burning myself out.”
The first week was the hardest, he says, as he would wake up at 8am and could not eat until midday. “As I increased my workouts, I was moody and cranky as I was hungry. But the body got used to it quickly.”
Once he reached his goal weight, the 26-year-old switched to a far less restrictive way of fasting. “I attained the discipline of understanding that I don’t always need food. I stopped daily fasting – now, I skip meals throughout the day whenever I go out for dinner at night so that I can enjoy the food more.”
The results, published in the online journal Nature Metabolism, compared mice on different eating plans. Those who were fed fewer calories in a single daily feeding lived longer than mice eating the same number of calories distributed throughout the day. The mice that ate only once a day also showed improved metabolism.
A decade of intermittent fasting – see how one health coach did it
Hong Kong-based holistic nutrition coach Nomita Hathiramani says fasting gives the body a break from digestion, which helps it focus on cellular repair. “When we fast, the cells in the body initiate a cellular waste removal process called autophagy. It helps to rejuvenate and detoxify the body.”
Michelle Lau, founder of Hong Kong nutrition consultancy Nutrilicious, says that autophagy only happens during extended fasts.
“To induce autophagy, you need low liver glycogen [which helps to release glucose into the blood], which is usually only achieved after about 14 to 16 hours of fasting. It is even more likely to happen after 24 hours,” Lau says. “It’s a serious commitment and I think this level of fasting might not be suitable for everyone.”
For those who want to try fasting, Lau says they should first try a 12-hour overnight fast. “They can eat breakfast at 8am and have their last bite of the night at 8pm. If they are comfortable, they can experiment with 14 hours or more.”
The benefits of fasting: from the 5:2 diet to tricking the brain
Hathiramani agrees that while short fasts – with at least a 12-hour daily eating window – are suitable for everybody, longer ones are not.
“Long fasts can increase cortisol or stress hormone levels, which can trigger hormonal issues in some women. Increased cortisol levels can eventually cause disruptions to the thyroid hormone, blood sugar levels and ultimately reduce metabolism,” she says.
“Extended fasting is not suitable for breastfeeding or pregnant women, women trying to get pregnant, women with certain types of hormonal disorders, people who suffer from severe acid reflux or struggle with anxiety or chronic stress.”
Hathiramani says “scanty, delayed or missed periods are common indicators that you might need to reduce your fasting hours, frequency – or eliminate fasting altogether”.
For Beijing-based wellness consultant Alessia Chizzoniti, a former professional dancer who first started fasting in 2016, intermittent fasting was stressful. “I ate normal breakfast, lunch and had a snack at around 4pm, and skipped dinner,” the 38-year-old Italian native says. “I wouldn’t eat until the next morning. It became routine. I didn’t even know the concept of intermittent fasting then.”
‘It isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle’: the benefits of intermittent fasting
She switched it up after two years to a window from 12pm to 8pm, in which she had lunch, pre- and post-workout snacks and dinner.
“I constantly thought about food. Even if I was not hungry, I forced myself to have a big lunch, as my eating window was limited.”
Different people choose fasting for different reasons. For 39-year-old Beijing-based finance consultant Zhang Qiu, fasting was a recommendation from her Christian church as a way to feel closer to God. For two weeks in April, she ate one meal a day, at night.
“The experience was very harsh,” Zhang says. “I didn’t have enough energy to work and I got angry more easily. Instead of losing weight as I wished, I gained 4 pounds [1.8kg] as I ate much bigger portions at dinnertime. I felt I binged after restricting food intake for 22 hours.”
After consulting a nutritionist, she has since switched to intermittent fasting only on days when she plans to have a dinner out.
Intermittent fasting is a way to lose weight fast, but you’ve other choices
“I have dinner out around three times a week. If I eat breakfast or lunch during those days, I gain weight very easily, as eating out usually involves fattening and oily food. Moderate fasting gives me better concentration and a sense of satisfaction that I can overcome my desire for food whenever I want to. As my body gets more used to reduced food intake, I will extend my fasting days.”
