The importance of drinking water while Fasting

Everyone knows they need to drink water but why is it important that we do so? Water is very important for maintaining good health and even more important when you're doing Intermittent Fasting(IF). Those who practice IF absolutely need to consume the all too familiar recommendation of 8 - 10 glasses per day. Fasting can be very stressful on the body. Drinking water helps the body cope with this stress as well as with helping to eliminate toxins and  reduces cravings.

Water is the body's most essential nutrient second only to air. Our bodies are made up of roughly 60% water and every process our body is involved in requires water. Not drinking enough water can lead to dehydration which can lead to fever, low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, unconsciousness and even hallucinations. Mild dehydration has risks too  and can lead to tiredness, headaches, confusion, dry skin, muscle weakness, dizziness, irritability and lightheadedness. People often experience one or more of these symptoms on a daily basis and many do not know that they can be easily cured, not by any doctor or medication, but simply by drinking more water.

So how much water should you drink? Experts have made recommendations that vary vastly but some of the most common ones include:

• 8 to 10 glasses per day

• 2 to 3 litres per day

• half your bodyweight(in pounds) in ounces of water. This means that if you weigh 100 pounds, you should drink 50 ounces of water each day.)

If you live in a hot climate(which we do here in Trinidad), are involved in strenuous exercise(like you will be doing at the gym) or you're fasting(we're Intermittent Fasters!), you will require more water than the averages recommended by these experts.  Athletes lose more water through sweat than the average person. You also sweat a lot when you're at the gym working out too so its important to up your water intake to match your body's increased needs. I usually drink between 1 and 2 litres of water during my workout alone.

Many people go about their lives in a dehydrated state. They experience many of the symptoms mentioned above but never think that the cure is as easy as drinking a bit more water. When you don't drink enough water your body tries to extract some from the food you eat. Foods like fresh fruits and vegetables have a lot of water. Fasting removes even this source of water. This isn't an excuse to not drink water. Just getting some water from other sources does not mean you can skip out on your daily requirements 

If you're like me and you are a coffee drinker, caffeine found in coffee is a diuretic. This means that if you're having more than one cup of coffee per day, you can't count that as water intake but rather need to balance it out with an additional glass of water.

I have one of the worst but also the easiest to treat symptoms of dehydration. during the day I start developing headaches from not drinking enough water. Thats my signal to go get some right away. once I keep my water intake high, no more headaches. I also get very dry skin and peeling in the area just above the fingernail where the skin is very thin. Once I drink adequate water each day I can avoid any of these issues.

Intermittent Fasting: The Warrior Diet

Ori Hofmekler, whose formative military experience prompted a life interest in survival science is the creator of the Warrior Diet. He introduced the program in his book in 2002. The Warrior Diet was one of the first documented diets to incorporate the idea of intermittent fasting as the core concept of its nutrition plan.

If you chose to try out the Warrior's approach, you will be expect to fast for 20 hours every day and eat only one large meal at night. This is probably contrary to what you may have been taught, that eating more food in the evening will cause weight gain.

It doesn't matter when you eat your calories; what matters is the fact that you work off more calories than you take in during a 24 hour period.

Overeating may still be detrimental to your health and cause weight gain if you are not careful about what you eat. If you eat 500 calories per day more than you burn, you will gain weight, no matter what time of day you eat them. The fasting period of the Warrior Diet isn't a strict fast as the other methods we have explored. The Fast is actually a period of "undereating". What this means is that during the 20 hour fast you can eat occasionally however what you eat will be limited to small servings of raw fruit, vegetables, fresh juices and maybe a few servings of protein if desired.

The 4 hour eating window referred to as the "overeating" phase is at night. The reason for this is to maximise the Parasympathetic Nervous Systems ability to help your body recuperate allowing for the nutrients consumed to be used for repair and growth while you sleep. Your "undereating" period during the day is supposed to maximise the Sympathetic Nervous Systems "fight or flight" response. This response should promote alertness, boost your energy and cause your body to produce hormones to stimulate fat burning.

You have to combine any diet with regular exercise. This one is no different. Exercise at least three times per week. Spend at least 30 to 60 minutes working out. and my favourite part, include strength training and aerobics  if you want to lose weight while on the Warrior Diet.

What to eat is important but not how much!

Holfmelker recommends you start with veggies, proteins and fats and eat as much food as you like. If you're still hungry only then should you add some carbohydrates. As always, behave like a responsible adult and make healthy choices.

Benefits: If other methods of fasting that require you to abstain from food completely during the fasting period just can't work for you then this program might better suit you. The Warrior Diet allows for eating a few small snacks during the fasting period. This can make it easier to make it through the long fast.

The downside: Even with the healthy snacks you still have to go without food for 20 hours. The guidelines for what to eat are pretty strict and may be difficult for many to stick with long term.

Intermittent Fasting: Eat Stop Eat

It's already been a couple weeks since I've been doing the 16-8 and its been going very well. Most days the fasting period is stretched to 18 hours because of my work schedule but it wasn't difficult to adapt to it. I feel fine as long as I eat sufficiently during the 6 hour feeding window. Days have taken on a different meaning to me now. A day isn't just wake up at 6am, go to work; 8am to 5pm and get into bed by 10-11pm. Days are now 9pm to 3pm: Fast. 3pm to 9pm: Eat!

Daytime food cravings are all but gone. I don't miss breakfast or lunch. I don't constantly want to be munching on something more out of boredom than hunger. Forget about food and snacks and breakfast and what to eat and when to eat and lunch hours and all the unnecessary minutia you've been used to obsessing over.

On to the second method of Intermittent Fasting(IF). Eat Stop Eat is Brad Pilon's take on IF. Brad is an expert on intermittent fasting as it relates to losing weight and gaining muscle. He's also the author of Eat Stop Eat.

You're going to fast for a whopping 24 hours(thats a whole day!) once or twice(TWICE!?!!!) per week. During the 24 hour fast no food, I repeat NO food is consumed. Calorie free beverages are allowed meaning water, black coffee(without sugar) and maybe Zero calorie drinks like Coke Zero. 24 hours have passed, you've survived and surmounted the challenge of not eating for an entire day, now you go back to eating normally. Just pretend you didn't fast at all. Some people might need to eat a big meal, others will be ok with their regular dinner or just a simple healthy snack. The timing is whatever is best for you and its not fixed. You can fit your fast in at any time that suits your schedule and adjust it as necessary as long as you make sure to not eat during the 24 hour period.

So whats the point of this? Changing your lifestyle to accommodate the fast will reduce your overall caloric intake without limiting what you're able to eat. As with any diet incorporating regular exercise is a big factor. You will not succeed on this plan if weight loss or improved body composition is your goal without a regular exercise program.

You get a break-in period: 24 hours seems like a really long time at first but you don't have to go all out right away. You can start with shorter periods and work your way up to the full 24 hours. The best idea is to start when you're most busy or on a day when you don't have any other eating obligations(family dinners or a work lunch).

Benefits: There are not really any "forbidden foods". There is no counting calories. No weighing food or dietary restrictions. That sounds awesome! That said its not entirely true. You still have to eat like a grown-up! You can eat whatever you want but moderation is key.

The downside: 24 hours without any food will be challenging and many may even find it impossible. Many people have struggled with going for extend periods without consuming any calories. Some people may experience annoying side effects such as headaches, fatigue and general crankiness. These issues will probably diminish and perhaps eventually completely subside given enough time. The problem here is that most people won't want to battle it out through this period to reap the real benefits of the fast.

If your body requires 2500 calories per day thats 2500 calories less per week you'll be consuming. This can go a long way to achieving your weight loss goals. self-control.

The extended fasting period may cause a bout of bingeing after the fast but that can be easily controlled by behaving like an adult and exercising some


I'm planning to try out a 24 hour fast day next weekend. During the week it will be difficult for me to manage with it but I'm up for the challenge. I want to see for myself what it feels like to go for 24 hours without food.

Intermittent Fasting: Leangains

Leangains is a method of Intermittent Fasting pioneered by Swedish nutritionist Martin Berkhan. It was put together based on his scientific research on fat-loss, muscle building, his own experimentation and the actual experience of working with hundreds of clients over many years

The diet recommends that you  forget about your usual breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacking routine. You are now going to change your lifestyle to reflect two phases of your day. The first is the fasting phase. For men its is recommended to fast for 16 hours and women, 14 hours each day. the remaining hours are your feeding window. While you are fasting, you will not be consuming any calories at all. Black coffee is permitted with calorie free sweeteners. (I take full advantage of this!) So too are diet drinks and sugar free gum. Some persons have said that chewing gum helps with curbing hunger and cravings however I've found that chewing gum makes me hungry so I don't do it anymore.

Determining your fasting and feeding times will be based mostly on your lifestyle, for me it is easiest to fast through the night and the work day. I eat my first meal around 2-4pm. he schedule is of course adaptable to your lifestyle but the important thing is to maintain a consistent feeding window time. If you don't hormones in the body can get thrown off and make it more difficult to stick to the program. I have first-hand observed that eating early one day messed me up for subsequent days until I got used to the timing again. It felt like I was starting the process all over and my body had to go through the periods of feeling hungry and the cravings all over again.

What you chose to eat and when you eat it during your feeding window are somewhat dependent on when you workout. if your workout is at the beginning of your feed you might want to try exercising fasted. If you feel like you cant get through the workout without food then you should eat something light, a fruit or fruit juice just so you have some active sugars to get your workout started. I've found that I don't need a lot of carbs pre-workout. The average person does not consume sufficient protein everyday. Your protein needs will differ based on your fitness goals, gender, and age. A person interested in bodybuilding will require larger quantities of protein than someone who is just trying to get toned. You should always eat whole and unprocessed foods. If you find you don't have the time or the stomach for large quantities of meat, protein bars and shakes are acceptable. For me carbs are evil. My body is perfectly happy to live off fats and proteins. Thus far on workout days I’m able to get going with minimal carb consumption. Perhaps this will change later on as the weights get heavier.

Benefits: On most days meal frequency is irrelevant. You can basically eat whenever you want within your feeding window. Most people find that breaking up feeding into their breakfast/lunch/dinner 3 meal split works well and fashioning what they eat to match the typical breakfast, lunch or dinner meal. Personally I prefer two big meals and maybe one smaller one.

Here are a few guidelines taken from the Leangains website.

• On workout days, break the fast with meat, veggies and a fruit. If you’re planning to train shortly after this meal, add a few carbs in the form of a starch source – potatoes or whole grain bread, for example. Make it a medium sized meal and don’t stuff yourself. Train within 3 hrs of having eaten this meal and have a much larger meal after your workout; in this meal, add more complex carbs – and you may even have one of your favourite treats as dessert, if it’s not too high in fat and if eaten in moderation. Good examples of what I refer to as ‘treats’: low fat ice cream, sorbet or JC’s cheesecake. Bad example: Chinese buffet or your son’s birthday cake. You get the point, keep it within moderation and don’t pig out.

• On rest days, eat less calories than on workout days - do this by cutting down on carb intake, and make meat, fibrous veggies and fruit the foundation of your diet for this day. The first meal of the day should be the largest, in contrast to workout days where the post-workout meal is the largest. Largest doesn’t necessarily mean largest in terms of volume; I suggest getting at least 40% of your calorie intake in this meal, and the dominant macronutrient should be protein. I’ll have some clients eating upwards to 100 g protein in this meal, so don’t be afraid to pile on the meat (or whichever protein source you prefer). Fattier meat and fish like ground beef and salmon are examples of some excellent protein sources that may be consumed on rest days.

• In the last meal of the day, include a slow digesting protein source; preferably egg protein, cottage cheese (or any other source of casein based protein). Meat or fish is also ok if you add veggies or supplement with fiber. This meal will keep you full during the fast and exert an anti-catabolic effect on muscle protein stores by ensuring that your body has an ample supply of amino acids until the next meal.

• Whole and unprocessed foods should always take priority over processed or liquid foods, unless circumstance demands a compromise. For example, you might find yourself in situations when there is little time to eat or prepare foods – in such a situation, having a protein shake or meal replacement bar is ok, where as solid, more satiating foods should be consumed whenever there is ample time to cook.

Intermittent Fasting

Fasting has a negative connotation to some. Probably because there are diets which advise you to fast for days. I'm starting a version of Intermittent fasting which divides my day into two phases; 16 hours of fasting, followed by 8 hours of feeding. During this period, three meals are usually eaten. Depending on the day, the composition of those meals varies; on workout days, carbs are prioritized before fat, while on rest days fat intake is higher. Protein remains fairly high on all days. That’s a very basic and general description of the protocol. For me this translates into fasting from 10pm to 2pm the following day.

So what are the benefits I hope to gain from Intermittent fasting?

Aside from removing your cravings for sugar and snack foods and turning you into an efficient fat-burning machine, thereby making it far easier to maintain a healthy body weight, modern science has confirmed there are many other good reasons to fast intermittently. For example, research presented at the 2011 annual scientific sessions of the American College of Cardiology in New Orleans4 showed that fasting triggered a 1,300 percent rise of human growth hormone (HGH) in women, and an astounding 2,000 percent in men.

HGH, human growth hormone, commonly referred to as "the fitness hormone," plays an important role in maintaining health, fitness and longevity, including promotion of muscle growth, and boosting fat loss by revving up your metabolism. The fact that it helps build muscle while simultaneously promoting fat loss explains why HGH helps you lose weight without sacrificing muscle mass, and why even athletes can benefit from the practice (as long as they don't overtrain and are careful about their nutrition). The only other thing that can compete in terms of dramatically boosting HGH levels is high-intensity interval training. Other health benefits of intermittent fasting include:

Normalizing your insulin and leptin sensitivity, which is key for optimal health
Improving biomarkers of disease
Normalizing ghrelin levels, also known as "the hunger hormone"
Reducing inflammation and lessening free radical damage
Lowering triglyceride levels
Preserving memory functioning and learning


So far its been pretty easy to make it through the mornings as I've been accustomed to just a cup of black coffee(no sugar) and that it for breakfast. Around lunch time I start getting hungry but another cup of coffee has been helping with that. I've managed to make it through a week of this already but its not getting any easier. Have I been seeing these benefits yet? The answer is yes! I don't feel for sugary snacks during the day as much although cravings do come on from time to time they're easier to cope with. I'm making healthier meals at home rather thank having fast food and the best part, Ive been saving money from not going to for lunch everyday!

On to the next phase, Time to start adding in some exercise.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

Wrong!

You've always been told since you were a little kid you have to eat breakfast, its the most important meal if the day. You heave been told by countless people starting with your parents, your doctor, nutritionists, supposed ‘experts’ on television, and even the trainers at the gym ,If you skip breakfast it will make you gain weight or skipping breakfast will cause you to overeat later on and you won't have the energy to make it through the day without eating breakfast.  It gets worse for people who are overweight and want to start trying to lose weight. The first thing people will say is get your diet in check. And that means, eating a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner with healthy snacks in between. For many people this might actually end up adding more calories to their diet!

Eating breakfast or very early in your day  isn't going to jump-start your metabolism or make you more awake and alert or productive. Breakfast will not make you any significantly better or more competent at your daily tasks. Your body is designed with survival as one of its top priorities. Its not going to let you die from skipping one meal. Not eating one or two or even any meals for an entire day isn't going to affect your ability to function. You can trust me, I fast for almost 20 hours every single day and I have done 24 hour fasts multiple times without any adverse effects even right up to the final hour of the fast. Your body will tap into its reserved fat storage and convert them into energy to keep you going.

Eating food has the effect of causing a temporary spike in blood sugar levels. This spike coupled with having to lug around that big breakfast waiting for it to digest can actually make you feel like you just want to go back to bed after breakfast. I've gotten accustomed to skipping breakfast for a couple years now because I prefer to sleep to the last second before I jump out of bed and get going with my day. If you're like me and you are busy as a bee from the time you open your eyes in the morning then why not try out Intermittent Fasting and don't bother with the breakfast anymore. Try waiting a couple hours before you eat. Slowly try and make it until lunchtime and then eventually you can stretch it to a full 16 hours without eating.

I'm about to embark on a journey, a complete lifestyle change. I plant to start practicing something called Intermittent Fasting.