FITNESS AND HEALTH

Intermittent Fasting Isn’t a Miracle Cure

I tried it and nearly fainted at work

I first heard about intermittent fasting from my husband, who is always interested in optimizing his diet or exercise routine to be the best version of himself. I’m that way, too — to some extent. I try to keep a balance between what makes me happy — chocolate, reading, long walks — and what keeps me healthy — vegetables, HIIT workouts, multivitamins. When I’m lucky, the things that keep me happy and healthy are one and the same.

My husband told me about this interesting new trend of intermittent fasting (IF) one evening after dinner. He’d done a lot of reading about it, about how IF can help with weight loss and improve memory and endurance. I was intrigued, so I looked into IF in more detail.

There are many different ways to try IF, but one of the most common is restricting your eating to an 8-hour window, say 11 am-7 pm or 9 am-5 pm. The active ingredient of the IF philosophy (from what I could gather through my research) is that fasting for some period of time helps support the body’s natural Circadian rhythms, which in turn leads to the downstream positive effects like disease prevention, memory improvement, and more.

I decided to give it a try

The benefits of IF seemed to outweigh any potential consequences, so I decided to give it a try. My husband and I both determined that we would only eat between 11 am and 7 pm, which would mean skipping breakfast. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, but it seemed a small enough sacrifice for huge potential health gains.

We started on a Monday. I woke up early, but instead of preparing my morning oatmeal, I sat down at my kitchen table and worked on a puzzle before starting my early morning workout. I was worried that my body wouldn’t perform as well without any fuel, but I did just fine in my barre class. I was hungry when I left the gym, but I pushed through it and sat down to start my workday instead of snatching a granola bar from the pantry.

I found that my appetite waned over the course of the morning; I was able to focus on my work, and when 11 am finally rolled around, I wasn’t ravenous. I ate my normal lunch and got back to work. I usually eat dinner early, so finishing up my eating by 7 pm was no problem. By the end of the day, I was thinking: This isn’t so bad at all! I can do this!

Intermittent fasting is definitely not for me

The next day started out much the same, minus the workout class. I woke up early, read a book, and busied myself with other things that weren’t breakfast until it was time to start working. I was hungry, but I knew it would pass.

8 am passed without incident, as did 9 am.

Then 10 am rolled around, and I started to notice some fuzziness around the edges of my vision. Before I had time to think about what might be going on, the fuzziness progressed to a blurriness that prevented me from focusing on anything. I couldn’t read the words on my computer screen, and a piercing pain was starting up behind my eyes.

I had never experienced a migraine before, but from what I’ve heard, the vision distortion and sharp pains were potential precursors. The only change from my normal routine was, of course, the intermittent fasting.

Without waiting for 11 am to roll around, I grabbed a granola bar and ate it quickly. When I stood up to use the bathroom, I was so dizzy that I nearly fainted.

I walked around, trying to stay upright until the granola bar worked its way through my system. Finally, after what felt like a long time, my vision started to clear and the pain in my head receded.

One thing was clear: Intermittent fasting was not for me.

What I learned: Beware of fad diets

We live in a culture where new diets are celebrated and then fall in and out of fashion faster than shoulder pads or mullets. We’re all looking for that one diet that will allow us to be healthy and happy, allow us to eat what we want and lose weight.

One thing we all lose sight of as we navigate the minefield of fad diets is that every body is different. What works for Debbie down the street might not work for Carol, who has diabetes. What helped Mike get down to 5% body fat might have life-threatening consequences for Hugh.

IF is no different! Sure, it works like a charm for some people, but for others, like me, IF can make us feel like crap instead of healthy and happy.

I’m always wary of ‘miracle cure’ statements, and you should be, too. Bodies are individual. Diets are personal. No one thing is going to work for everybody, and please, please consult your doctor or other healthcare professional before trying out a new fad diet. They could save you from something potentially dangerous.

This was highlighted especially well in the fasting episode of Netflix’s new documentary series Unwell, where wellness industry trends are examined from all possible angles. The wellness industry can tell you this product/service/way of eating will cure all your problems, but that doesn’t make it true. You have to make up your own mind, and be prepared if something doesn’t work for you.

We’re all different and unique, and the wellness insiders hawking miracle cure-alls are really just charlatans in nice yoga pants.

So the next time you’re thinking of starting IF, Atkins, keto, or any other type of restrictive eating, do your research. Talk to your doctor. Most importantly, don’t expect a new way of eating to solve all of your problems.

After I nearly fainted at work, I went back to my normal way of eating. I listened to my body, ate when I was hungry, and stopped when I was full — which has made me both happy and healthy. Now I think twice whenever I hear about the newest diet or wellness trend — and I hope you will, too.