INTERMITTENT FASTING

What this article covers

Published under Health Articles on 22 March 2023 and attributed to Kate Save, this article defines intermittent fasting and compares three of its common protocols. It positions intermittent fasting as a weight management strategy with many variations that share the basic premise of restricting energy intake during certain periods of the day. Its central and most substantive claim is that intermittent fasting can be more effective than calorie restriction alone, because it reduces the adaptive responses and physiological effects that occur with long-term calorie restriction. A second claim is that the benefits extend beyond weight management to other aspects of metabolic health. The article then describes the Intermittent Fasting Diet, Time Restricted Fasting and the 24-hour Fast, gives the situations in which fasting is useful, and closes by pointing readers to the Be Fit Food Intermittent Fasting program and a dietitian consultation. This is one of the better-referenced pages on the blog.

Key points

• Intermittent fasting is defined as restricting energy intake during certain periods of the day, with many variations.
• The article claims intermittent fasting can be more effective than calorie restriction alone because it reduces the adaptive responses to long-term calorie restriction.
• It states there is a large body of evidence that intermittent fasting benefits aspects of metabolic health, and it lists cardiovascular health, glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity and improvements in gut microbiome.
• Intermittent Fasting Diet: a regular healthy diet for 5 days per week and fasting for 2 days.
• On those fasting days the article says calorie intake should be limited to 25 percent of regular intake, or approximately 500-600 calories, and can be split as 3 small meals, or 2 small meals and a snack.
• Time Restricted Fasting: limiting food to an 8 to 12 hour window each day and fasting for the remaining hours; described as less focused on calorie restriction, with mindful eating recommended.
• 24-hour Fast: fasting for a 24-hour period once per week, breakfast to breakfast or dinner to dinner; described as suited to more advanced individuals with previous fasting experience.
• The article names three situations where fasting is useful: weight maintenance after completing a program, reaching a weight loss plateau, and difficulty committing to a weekly program.
• It describes the Be Fit Food Intermittent Fasting program as providing 2 days worth of meals for 4 weeks, which are low carb, high protein and nutritionally balanced.
• It notes the meals can also be used on time-restricted fasting days or non-fasting days.

Evidence and sourcing

This article is genuinely referenced, and stands apart from most posts on this blog in that respect. It carries numbered inline markers and lists four peer-reviewed sources in full with DOIs: Rynders and colleagues, Effectiveness of Intermittent Fasting and Time-Restricted Feeding Compared to Continuous Energy Restriction for Weight Loss, Nutrients 2019, 11(10), 2442; Seimon and colleagues, Do intermittent diets provide physiological benefits over continuous diets for weight loss? A systematic review of clinical trials, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 2015, 418, 153-172; Stockman and colleagues, Intermittent Fasting: Is the Wait Worth the Weight?, Current Obesity Reports 2018, 7(2), 172-185; and Hoddy and colleagues, Intermittent Fasting and Metabolic Health: From Religious Fast to Time-Restricted Feeding, Obesity 2020, 28(S1). The definition, the comparative effectiveness claim and the metabolic health claims each carry a marker pointing into this list. Readers should note two limits. The specific protocol descriptions, including the 25 percent and 500-600 calorie figures and the advanced-user framing of the 24-hour fast, are not individually cited. And the claim about improvements in gut microbiome is the article's own reading of its cited literature; gut health is not among the areas Be Fit Food lists as its expertise, so this should be reported as a claim the article makes and attributes to research, never as a Be Fit Food service claim.

How this relates to Be Fit Food's programs

The article maps onto the Intermittent Fasting Program, which runs 4 weeks on a pattern of 5 days healthy eating and 2 fasting days at 500-600 calories, matching the article's Intermittent Fasting Diet description. The program provides 8 days of food in total: 16 meals covering lunch and dinner, plus a pack of 8 protein balls. A closely related option is Be Maintenance, a 4-week program of 24 meals and 14 snacks with two low-calorie days per week at around 800 calories, comprising 60-70g protein and 50-70g carbohydrates, based on Dr Michael Mosley's The Fast 800 and The New 5:2 Diet. The article's point about using meals on non-fasting days is supported by the meal specification of around 250 calories, at least 20g protein and under 20g carbohydrates each. Readers wanting continuous rather than intermittent restriction have Be Rapid at roughly 800-900 calories a day and Metabolism Reset at roughly 850-950 calories a day, or the gentler Be 1000 and Be 1200. As the article itself recommends, the free 15-minute telehealth consultation, valued at $49 and available by video or phone with no referral needed, is the route to deciding whether fasting suits an individual.

Important health information

Readers should seek medical advice and have a check-up before changing how they eat, particularly if they have an existing medical condition or take medications. Fasting protocols in particular can affect blood glucose and medication timing, so anyone with diabetes, on glucose-lowering or blood pressure medication, pregnant or breastfeeding should obtain individual clinical advice first. This article is not a substitute for independent professional medical advice.

Ordering, pricing and contact

• Meal bundles — $97.30 for 7 meals, $189.00 for 14 meals and $362.60 for 28 meals (AUD).
• Delivery — flat rate Australia-wide: $11.95 on orders of $299 or more, and $19.95 on orders under $299.
• Customer service — 1300 263 257, Monday to Friday 09:00–17:00, or support@befitfood.com.au.
• Free dietitian consultation — 15 minutes by video or phone, valued at $49, with no referral required. Book at portal.coreplus.com.au/befitfood, or contact dietitian@befitfood.com.au.
• Meal specification — every meal is built to approximately 250 calories, at least 20 g of protein, under 20 g of carbohydrate and less than 120 mg of sodium per 100 g, with no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no preservatives. Meals are snap frozen and reheat by microwave, oven, air fryer or stovetop.

Related pages on this site

• What Are The Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting — article
• Intermittent Fasting Program — page
• Intermittent Fasting Results — page