Today I'm in the 24 hrs. fast. It began at 5 pm last night and it's 5 am now. I won't eat until 5 pm tonight. I'm told that I might not be hungry, but I'll need to eat anyway. I will have avocado and eggs which have oil and protein. There are a few interesting things I am addressing on this third fast.
If there are things we want to change, we should start with physiology first. Change the body because it changes the mental and physical health. I'm learning that through fasting, I can change my decisions and the quality of my life.
MIT did a study on 24 hr. fasting. They discovered that at 24 hrs., our body will reboot and produce intestinal stem cells. Stem cells go throughout the body and repair damage. At 24 hrs. we get a plethora of them in our gut! We know that better food creates a better micro-bio in the gut. Serotonin comes from the gut. Healthy skin starts with micro-bio in the gut. But more important, a 24 hr. fast will change and repair the gut of a person who has been on antibiotics and lost all their good gut micro-bio.
With all of that in mind, a 24 hr. fast should become a part of our lifestyle on a weekly basis.
Bonus: What happens when you are doing all the right things and you aren't losing weight? Here's something you can do to change that situation.
Parasympathetic Nervous System: Our bodies were created to go into fight or flight/rest and digest. This is how the ancient people lived when hunting and feasting. Maybe you have a stressful event, and your body ramps up on Cortisol. The hyperactive state helps us with the stress and then the body wants to rest and recover. The stress state is called "Sympathetic" Nervous System and the rest and recover state is called "Parasympathetic" Nervous System. It is normal to move in and out of these states like a teeter totter, back and forth. But what is happening is that many people are overscheduled, working so hard we get locked into the sympathetic state, the stress state. We lose the ability to tap into the rest and recover state. We tend to take the same stressful work principles into our fasting lifestyle.. We cannot stress our way into weight loss. That means, you don't need to exercise as much as you might think. You don't need to fast every day, just every week. Too much of anything isn't good for us. Balance is everything. Balance and relax your way into a fast. Ease your mind and take it one step at a time.
Melissa Saulnier survived Ovarian Cancer in 2006.
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Melissa Saulnier does not take responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.
I know, Betty. I too was surprised by that! Maybe once the metabolism is burning fat consistently that idea is more true but for me, I’m losing belly fat through fasting!
So amazing! We’ve been taught we need to constantly be eating to be healthy. Grazing all throughout the day. I think the bad part is we tend to go for snacks that aren’t good for us. Chips, cookies, etc. like you said, balance. My grandpa used to tell me to eat in moderation. Has that been easy? Sometimes not at all lol.
The longest fast I have been able to do is 20 hours. Due to my type 2 diabetes diagnosis I get that awful shakiness and lightheaded when I don’t eat. But I have noticed that fasting has helped with that as well!