Intermittent Fasting: Transformational Technique | Cynthia Thurlow | TEDxGreenville

Summary

In this insightful talk, the speaker challenges the conventional wisdom that breakfast is the most important meal and suggests that meal timing is crucial for health and weight management. Emphasizing the importance of intermittent fasting, she outlines its benefits for fat loss, mental clarity, and overall health, while also addressing potential risks and offering practical advice for implementation. The speaker passionately advocates for a shift towards a lifestyle that promotes healthy aging and rejects the notion of inevitable weight gain with age.

Takeaways

• ❌ Breakfast being the most important meal of the day is a misconception.
• ⏰ The timing of meals is more crucial than the content of the meals.
• ⚖️ Current dietary habits have led to higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
• 📉 The traditional 'calories-in, calories-out' approach is ineffective for many, especially women.
• 🔥 Intermittent fasting can be a powerful strategy for fat loss and overall health.
• 🍽️ Consuming fewer meals and avoiding constant snacking can reduce strain on the pancreas and digestive system.
• 💡 Being a 'fat burner' rather than a 'sugar burner' has several health benefits, including sustained energy and easier weight management.
• 👩 Women face unique challenges in weight management, especially during perimenopause and menopause.
• 🚫 Quick fixes and weight loss supplements are not long-term solutions; lifestyle changes are key.
• 📅 A practical approach to intermittent fasting involves gradually increasing fasting periods to 16 hours.

Q & A

What is the main argument presented in the talk?

The main argument is that intermittent fasting is a profoundly transformational strategy for health and aging, and it can be more important when you eat than what you eat.

Why does the speaker believe the traditional nutritional paradigm of 'exercise more, eat less' is ineffective for most women?

The speaker believes this paradigm is ineffective because it does not consider the connection between lifestyle choices and their impact on healthy aging and weight gain, particularly for women.

What are the differences between 'sugar burners' and 'fat burners' according to the speaker?

Sugar burners consume lots of carbohydrates, rely on glucose for energy, frequently feel hungry, experience energy dips, and struggle with fat loss and weight management due to high insulin levels. Fat burners tap into fat stores for energy, have sustained energy, better cognitive clarity, easier weight management, improved sleep, and age more slowly.

What statistics does the speaker provide about women's health and weight?

The speaker mentions that two-thirds of women aged 40-50 are overweight, and more than half are obese. Additionally, women in their 50s and 60s gain an average of 1.5 pounds per year.

What is intermittent fasting and what are its key benefits?

Intermittent fasting is the absence of food during a prescribed time period. Its key benefits include improved mental clarity, increased human growth hormone levels, autophagy (cellular spring cleaning), lower insulin levels, better cholesterol profiles, reduced blood pressure, and lower risks of cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Who should avoid intermittent fasting according to the speaker?

Individuals who should avoid intermittent fasting include brittle diabetics, children, adolescents, people over 70, pregnant women, those with chronic heart, kidney, or renal issues, individuals with a history of eating disorders, and those with low body mass index or recent hospitalization.

What types of foods does the speaker recommend for breaking a fast?

The speaker recommends focusing on real, whole foods such as high-quality protein (ideally organic or pastured meat, wild-caught fish), healthy fats (like avocados, coconut oil, grass-fed butter, nuts), and unprocessed carbohydrates (like low-glycemic berries, green leafy vegetables, squash, quinoa, and sweet potatoes).

What practical steps does the speaker suggest for starting intermittent fasting?

The speaker suggests starting with a 12-13 hour fasted period and gradually increasing it by an hour every day until reaching 16 hours. Staying well-hydrated and consuming plain coffee or tea during fasting periods is recommended. It’s important to give it a solid 30 days to determine its effectiveness.

What does the speaker mean by 'autophagy' and why is it important?

Autophagy is described as the process of cellular spring cleaning, where the body removes damaged cells and regenerates new ones. This process is only triggered during fasting and is important for maintaining cellular health and longevity.

How does intermittent fasting impact insulin levels and fat storage?

Intermittent fasting lowers insulin levels, which allows the body to tap into fat stores for energy instead of relying on glucose. This reduction in insulin levels can help reduce fat storage, particularly visceral fat around the abdomen and major organs.

Outlines

00:00

🍳 The Breakfast Myth and Meal Timing

Rhonda Jacobs, a nurse practitioner and functional nutritionist, challenges the conventional wisdom that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. She argues that the timing of meals is more crucial than the content. Rhonda discusses the outdated nutritional dogma of constant snacking and eating multiple meals, and shares her perspective on how these habits contribute to escalating rates of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. She highlights the inefficacy of the 'calories-in, calories-out' model, especially for women, and emphasizes the significant impact of lifestyle choices on health and aging. Rhonda distinguishes between 'sugar burners' and 'fat burners', advocating for meal timing to promote fat burning and better health outcomes.

05:01

📉 Weight Gain Trends and Intermittent Fasting Benefits

Rhonda addresses the average weight gain among women in their 50s and 60s, attributing it to hormonal fluctuations, less lean muscle mass, sleep disturbances, and mood disorders. She advocates for intermittent fasting as a powerful strategy to combat weight gain and improve overall health. Rhonda highlights the benefits of intermittent fasting, including fat loss, improved interpersonal relationships, and enhanced self-esteem. She describes intermittent fasting as a free, flexible, and simple method, explaining the basic concept of fasting and its metabolic advantages, such as lowering insulin levels and inducing autophagy.

10:03

🍽️ Nutritional Advice for Breaking a Fast

Rhonda provides practical advice on what to eat when breaking a fast, emphasizing the importance of consuming real, whole foods. She advises choosing high-quality proteins, healthy fats, and unprocessed carbohydrates. Rhonda underscores the necessity of limiting sugar and alcohol intake and staying well-hydrated. She offers guidance on gradually increasing fasting periods and highlights the importance of giving intermittent fasting a solid trial period of 30 days. Rhonda stresses the need to consult healthcare providers, especially for those with chronic health conditions, and reassures that seeing full benefits may take six to eight weeks. She concludes by encouraging the audience to consider intermittent fasting as a simple, flexible, and free solution to weight management and overall health.

Keywords

💡Intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting is the practice of cycling between periods of eating and fasting. In the video, the speaker advocates for intermittent fasting as a powerful strategy for improving health and aiding weight loss. It involves consuming all meals within a specific time window, such as the 16:8 method, which includes a 16-hour fast followed by an 8-hour eating period.

💡Sugar burners

Sugar burners refer to individuals who primarily use glucose (from carbohydrates) as their main energy source. The video discusses how these individuals often experience frequent hunger, energy dips, and difficulties with weight management due to high insulin levels, which promote fat storage and inflammation.

💡Fat burners

Fat burners are those who utilize fat stores for energy rather than carbohydrates. The video explains that fat burners have more sustained energy levels, better cognitive clarity, and an easier time losing weight because their bodies efficiently tap into fat reserves for fuel, leading to lower insulin levels and reduced inflammation.

💡Insulin

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps regulate blood sugar levels by facilitating the uptake of glucose into cells. The video highlights insulin's role as a fat-storing hormone, explaining that constant high levels due to frequent eating can lead to weight gain and health issues.

💡Autophagy

Autophagy is the body's way of cleaning out damaged cells and regenerating new ones. The video describes it as 'spring cleaning for the cells,' which is triggered during fasting periods. This process helps improve cell health and has potential benefits for aging and disease prevention.

💡Visceral fat

Visceral fat is the fat stored within the abdominal cavity around internal organs. The video emphasizes the importance of reducing visceral fat through intermittent fasting, as it is associated with higher risks of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular conditions.

💡Healthy fats

Healthy fats are beneficial fats found in foods like avocados, nuts, and olive oil. The video encourages the consumption of these fats to support hormone production, satiety, and overall health, moving away from outdated dietary advice that promoted low-fat diets.

💡Perimenopause

Perimenopause is the transition period before menopause when hormonal changes occur, leading to symptoms like weight gain and mood fluctuations. The video addresses the importance of dietary adjustments during this phase, emphasizing the need for quality and quantity control of carbohydrates.

💡Nutritional dogma

Nutritional dogma refers to long-standing beliefs and guidelines about diet and nutrition. The video challenges outdated dogmas such as the necessity of eating multiple meals and snacks throughout the day, advocating instead for meal timing and intermittent fasting as more effective approaches.

💡Caloric intake

Caloric intake is the total number of calories consumed through eating and drinking. The video discusses how intermittent fasting can naturally reduce caloric intake by shortening the eating window, thus aiding in weight loss without the need for restrictive dieting.

Highlights

Breakfast being the most important meal of the day might be wrong.

It is more important when you eat than what you eat.

Much of the nutritional dogma we've been raised with is outdated.

Eating all day long overtaxes our pancreas and digestive system.

There is a significant difference between sugar burners and fat burners.

Insulin is a fat-storing hormone and high levels can cause weight gain.

Fat burners tap into fat stores for energy and have sustained energy.

Meal timing and frequency are crucial for health.

Two-thirds of women aged 40-50 are overweight, and more than half are obese.

Women in their 50s and 60s gain an average of 1.5 pounds per year.

Intermittent fasting can help fuel fat loss and improve self-esteem.

Intermittent fasting is free, flexible, and simple.

Intermittent fasting involves periods of not eating to tap into fat stores for energy.

Skipping breakfast can reduce caloric intake by 20 to 40 percent.

The 16:8 method of intermittent fasting involves fasting for 16 hours and eating within an 8-hour window.

Intermittent fasting can improve mental clarity, increase human growth hormone, and induce autophagy.

Autophagy is the body's way of cleaning out damaged cells and regenerating new ones.

Intermittent fasting can lower insulin levels, blood pressure, and improve cholesterol.

It can reduce the risk of cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Intermittent fasting is not suitable for everyone, including brittle diabetics, children, and pregnant women.

Filtered water, plain coffee, and tea do not break the fast.

When breaking a fast, focus on real whole foods like organic meats, healthy fats, and unprocessed carbohydrates.

Avoid sugar and alcohol as they can offset the benefits of intermittent fasting.

Start intermittent fasting with a 12-13 hour fast and gradually increase to 16 hours.

Intermittent fasting may take six to eight weeks to see full benefits.

Weight gain is a major concern for female patients, and intermittent fasting offers a simple, flexible, and free solution.

Transcripts

Translator: Rhonda Jacobs Reviewer: Tanya Cushman

What if I told you that breakfast being the most important meal of the day

was wrong?

(Laughter)

What if I told you it is more important when you eat than what you eat?

Perhaps much of the nutritional dogma that we've been raised with

is now outdated,

like snacking all day long and eating many meals.

Over the next few minutes, I plan to discuss with you

what I believe to be the most profoundly transformational concept and strategy

as it pertains to health and aging.

Over the last 20 years,

as a nurse practitioner and a functional nutritionist,

I've seen tremendous shifts,

tremendous shifts in health and wellness:

escalating rates of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease -

many of which are preventable.

The choices we make in terms of nutrition are profoundly impactful on our health,

more than most of us realize.

During my training as a nurse practitioner

many years ago,

the dominant nutritional paradigm was exercise more, eat less.

I've found this to be profoundly ineffective

for most, if not all, of my female patients.

The concept of "calories-in, calories-out" alone is just not effective.

Many of the things that I work with, with my female patients

really focus on the connection between our lifestyle choices

and how that impacts healthy aging

and weight gain.

I do not believe, nor do I support, the limiting belief

that women have to accept weight gain as a normal function of aging.

The National Health and Nutrition Exam Survey,

which looks at data with regard to children and adults

in terms of their nutrition and escalating obesity rates,

compares what went on in the 1970s,

where most Americans consumed three meals a day

and no snacks;

fast forward to today,

most of what we are doing as Americans is eating three meals a day

and snacking all day long.

Really.

And so one of the things that starts to happen

when healthcare providers are telling our patients

that we need to eat all day long -

it's wrong.

Eating all day long overtaxes our pancreas and our digestive system.

It overtaxes it so much that it cannot work properly.

And if it cannot work properly, we cannot absorb our food

or the nutrients in that food.

Another really important distinction when it comes to meal frequency,

or how frequently we're eating,

is the debate over sugar burners versus fat burners.

And when we're talking about that,

a sugar burner is someone that consumes lots of carbohydrates

and taps into glucose as their primary fuel source,

which is incredibly inefficient.

If you recognize these individuals:

They are frequently hungry.

They often get hangry.

They have - yes - significant dips in their energy level.

They struggle more with fat loss, and they struggle more with their weight

because insulin levels are high.

Insulin is that fat-storing hormone.

So if levels remain high, we have more oxidative stress;

we have more inflammation;

and we struggle more with weight gain.

In sharp contrast to this are fat burners.

They tap into fat stores for energy;

they have sustained energy;

they are much more clear cognitively;

they don't get hangry;

it's easier for them to lose weight

because they tap into those fat stores;

they sleep better; and they age more slowly.

So meal timing and how frequently we are eating - it's absolutely crucial.

Absolutely crucial.

Let's talk about some statistics as they pertain to women

and healthy aging.

So we know two-thirds of women 40-50 years of age are overweight,

and more than half are obese.

How do we proactively address this statistic

without quick fixes?

It makes me want to cry

when my female patients would prefer I write them a prescription

than work on changing their diet,

more exercise,

other lifestyle changes.

Women in their 50s and 60s gain an average of 1.5 pounds per year.

Per year. That's average.

And some of this is attributable to things like hormonal fluctuations,

women having less lean muscle mass than their male counterparts,

sleep disturbances and mood disorders.

However, there are strategies we can use to help offset this.

So folks, I want you to save your money

on potions and powders and supplements that are not long-term solutions.

I've got a better idea.

And I'm going to tell you about it.

I've got a better idea.

There are lots of strategies that I use with my female patients,

but none more powerful than intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting can help fuel fat loss

as well as many other benefits that I'll talk more about in a second.

But it also can improve interpersonal relationships

and self-esteem.

And for many women, this permits them -

it's the magic bullet that allows them to gain back their former selves.

Really powerful.

And the really cool thing about intermittent fasting

is it's free,

it's flexible and it's simple.

You take nothing else away.

Free. Flexible. Simple.

So let's talk about intermittent fasting.

It is the absence of food during a prescribed time period.

You exist either in a fed or a fasted state.

I'm sure for many of you, you had breakfast this morning.

So when you eat, insulin is secreted by the pancreas

to move sugar into the cells.

We store the bulk of our sugar in our liver and our skeletal muscle.

But when we exceed those storage sites,

we store it as fat.

When we're fasted, insulin levels are low

and we can tap into fat stores for energy.

Free. Flexible. Simple.

And so, when we're talking about intermittent fasting, it's fairly simple.

If you skip breakfast -

If you skip breakfast in the morning,

you can reduce your caloric intake by 20 to 40 percent.

And the typical time frame that I recommend to my female patients

is a 16:8.

Sixteen hours a day fasted with an eight-hour feeding window.

I know that seems a little overwhelming at first,

but I'll give you some strategies for how you go about doing that.

So, the 20-40 percent reduction in calories

means that you can fuel fat loss.

So what are some of the benefits other than fat loss -

fat loss and especially visceral fat around our abdomens,

around our major organs?

We know that it improves mental clarity because insulin levels are low.

We know that it spikes human growth hormone,

which helps us with lean muscle mass.

We know that it induces something called autophagy -

I will speak more about this in a second.

But this is spring cleaning for the cells.

It is only evoked when we are fasted.

Autophagy.

We know that it lowers insulin levels,

blood pressure,

improves our cholesterol profile.

And we know that it can reduce your risk for developing cancer

and Alzheimer's disease, which I like to call type 3 diabetes.

If, for no other reason, we want to protect our brains.

As wonderful a strategy as this is, it is not for everyone.

I'm going to talk briefly

about the individuals that want to avoid this strategy.

First and foremost, if you are a brittle diabetic,

or you have difficult-to-control diabetes;

if you are a child, an adolescent or age greater than 70 -

might not be the best strategy;

if you are pregnant;

if you have chronic heart issues, kidney or renal issues -

not the best strategy.

If you have a history of a disordered relationship with food,

whether it is anorexia, bulimia or binge eating -

might not be the best strategy because it can invoke those tendencies.

And last but not least, if you have a low body mass index,

you're frail

or you've recently been in the hospital like I was for 13 days.

I'm not currently intermittent fasting.

Now, everyone always asks,

Well, when you're fasting, we know we're not eating food,

but you can absolutely consume things like filtered water, plain coffee or tea.

They will not break your fast.

But when you're ready to eat, what do you eat?

Now, I would be remiss if I did not mention that there are foods

that are going to be more advantageous for you to consume

when you're ready to break your fast.

So I want you to focus on real whole foods.

That's what your body needs, wants and deserves.

So I want you to purchase the best quality protein that your budget permits.

Ideally, organic or pastured meat, wild-caught fish.

Healthy fats - so crucial -

helpful for building healthy hormones

and also really important for satiety - making sure our taste buds light up,

make us happy.

I'm not part of the anti-fat brigade.

Really, really important.

Twenty years ago, I might have told you not to eat fat,

but now we know better.

So I want you to focus on things like avocados,

coconut oil, grass-fed butter and nuts - really great, healthy fats.

Unprocessed carbohydrates.

Ladies, absolutely crucial,

if you're in perimenopause, the five to seven years before menopause,

or you're in menopause,

quality and quantity are crucial.

So I want you to consume things like low-glycemic berries,

green leafy vegetables, squash, quinoa, sweet potatoes

as opposed to bread and pasta.

Cautionary tale: I want you to limit sugar and alcohol.

By that I mean, I want you to not consume those things

because they can offset all the good that you're doing.

And lastly, keep yourself well hydrated.

Now, I want to make sure

that I briefly touch on some of the practical implications

for how you would go about starting intermittent fasting.

Generally, I have my ladies start with 12-13 hours of fasted period.

And they can slowly increase by an hour or so every day

until they've reached that 16 hour mark.

Again, you want to keep yourself really well hydrated.

You can also have plain coffee or tea.

In addition to that, you want to ensure that you give it a solid 30 days

before you determine if it's the right strategy for you.

And if you have chronic health conditions,

I want to make sure you discuss it with your healthcare provider.

Really important.

And recognize it may take six to eight weeks

to really see the full benefits of what you're doing.

The biggest pain point for my female patients is weight gain.

I have a fantastic strategy to help with this,

but I don't want you to buy into the next $50 container of protein powder

or the hottest weight loss supplement that's out there.

I want you to think about the fact this is a simple, flexible and free option

that you can try at home,

discuss with your healthcare provider if necessary.

I really feel so passionately about this

because it's something that all of us should be discussing with our patients.

Thank you.

(Applause)