A Day of Intermittent Fasting in Fairbanks, Alaska
Warren M. Moore, D.C.
Previous blog posts have revealed some principles that can improve your health and get you in top-notch condition. I have had some questions on exactly what an entire day would look like, so we are going to outline a typical day. Keep the bigger picture in mind and use the principles from previous blogs, but feel free to adjust anything to the way it works best for you. Simply put, a plan that is sustainable for you, will work for you.
Never Forget Your Genetic Heritage
To improve your weight and your health, you must eat real food. Your cell machinery is designed to run on real foods as they were found thousands of years ago. With this in mind, focus mainly on eating lean meats, veggies, and fruits. These foods contain everything you need for health and ideal weight. The more you deviate from these foods, the more you see health and weight problems. For a quick experiment, observe the size of shoppers at the grocery store and then look at what is in their shopping carts.
To improve your weight and health, give your body a chance to go into maintenance mode every day by using Intermittent Fasting (IF). Your genes are designed to expect time with no food available and your body uses this period of time to renew and repair itself. Best of all, your body will burn stored energy (fat) while you are healing from the inside out. It is important to realize that you fast every day while you sleep. IF just extends this period slightly. Try to fast for 16 hours and then eat for 8 hours each day.
For more information on my philosophy, check out the Fairbanks weight loss home page.
My Day on IF
I follow the 16/8 protocol, so I fast for 16 hours a day, followed by an 8 hour eating window. For more detailed information on IF, read Lose Weight with Intermittent Fasting in Fairbanks, AK.
7:00 a.m.: arise
During these first hours of the day, I drink coffee or tea, along with plenty of water.
12:00 p.m.: lift weights or any other activity for 30-45 minutes. I usually alternate days of lifting weights with walking or biking.
1:00 p.m.: Breakfast
For breakfast I usually have 2 scoops of whey protein (I prefer Isagenix whey because it is organic and free of antobiotics and growth hormones)1- 2 medium fruit, a medium sweet potato, and as many steamed vegetables as I can eat. A tablespoon of butter or smart balance on the vegetables is fine. If you dislike whey, feel free to have 7-8 oz of lean meat.
7-8 p.m.: Dinner
My focus at dinner is always vegetables and meat. A typical meal would be 12-16 oz of chicken breast, as many colorful veggies as I can eat, and either a medium fruit or a medium sweet potato. Including a healthy fat is important so I may use 1 tablespoon of olive oil or 1/2 of an avocado. Many evenings will also include a glass of wine. If I don’t feel the desire to eat meat, I will have another Isagenix protein shake.
Both of these meals are very filling and you can feel free to alter them as you see fit as long as you remember to eat real food, focusing on vegetables, lean meat, and fruit.
8 p.m.-1 p.m. Fast
Now that you have seen a day of Intermittent Fasting in Fairbanks, AK, please explore the other blog posts. As an aside, IF is not recommended for type I diabetics or for anyone with an eating disorder. For everyone else, give IF a try.
I really enjoy the benefits of IF. I feel great and I rarely think about food anymore so it gives me a lot more time to focus on other things. I hope you enjoy it as well. It is a return to our genetic roots and a powerful tool for health and weight loss.
For more information, contact Fairbanks, AK Chiropractor, Warren Moore.
Dr. Moore,
I stumbled across this blog post on Intermittent Fasting and am wondering if this is something you follow daily, or as simply a fast or cleanse. I do HIIT and weight training daily and instruct fitness/dance classes three times per week, but feel weighed down by my diet. Any additional information or resources about IF would be appreciated.
Sincerely,
Liz K.
Hi Liz,
This is something that I follow on the majority of days, although allowing flexibility for a breakfast date, etc., is important. I found IF by accident as well, and I felt the same burden with diet that you did. I used to eat 6-8 meals/day, then eventually cut down to 4 meals/day, but when I began IF I dropped down to 2-3 meals/day. It has been a tremendous relief to not have to worry about food at all. I just pick a macro range and then aim for that. It makes no difference if you take it all in with 2 meals or 8 meals.
I think the biggest thing that IF teaches you is that most of what we thought we knew about nutrition is just wrong. It is a lie based on the desire to sell us products. I know I couldn’t eat 6 real meals a day for long, thus the “need” for bars, powders, etc. The reality is that we can reach our fitness goals using most any feeding schedule, so why not pick the one that is far less burdensome.
For more information:
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/01/25/intermittent-fasting/
Let me know how it goes!
I would encourage you to read the rest of the blog posts on nutrition as well. I tried really hard to spell out what I actually do. The one blog post with the pictures of abs is actually me, so hopefully that let’s you see how it works. IF is great for health and just being really fit. It suits our genes so much better than what most people do these days.
Thank you so much!