Tag Archives: fasting

Do Fasted Workouts Work? What Skipping Breakfast Means for Your Fitness

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You may or may not have heard of fasted workouts, or probably more likely, fasted cardio. Fasted workouts are just that: workouts that are done in the morning on an empty stomach.

The idea is, if you get your sweat on before you break the overnight fast with breakfast (yes, indeed, that’s where the name comes from) your body will go immediately to burning its fat stores instead of wasting time burning through the calories you ate for breakfast.

It sounds good in theory, but doesn’t this go against everything we know about the “most important meal of the day”?

Let us first look at how breakfast affects your morning workouts in general:

FOOD IS YOUR BODY’S FUEL.

Your body uses the food you eat to power it to do the things you love, and all nutrients in your food are used for different purposes. This food, however, must be digested and broken down for those nutrients to do their jobs, which can take hours. Leaving time for this can be nearly impossible if you prefer to workout first thing in the morning, but it’s always been encouraged to consume at least a little something, preferably quick burning carbohydrates which break down quickly for fast energy. (more…)

Posted on April 29, 2023 by Kelly

Cheat Days Only Cheat Yourself: Why Healthy Eaters Treat Themselves Instead

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As a dietitian/nutritionist, I am often asked if I recommend having a cheat day. (A “cheat day,” cheat meal,” or “cheat food” — is a mini-break from a calorie-restricted diet for weight loss.) My answer is that it all depends on how you define cheat. If a cheat day is a feeding frenzy that packs in lots of extra calories, then I’m against it. But if it means making room for high-calorie favorite treats, then I’m all for it. No diet should be so restricted that it doesn’t make room for favorite foods.

Normal variations in day-to-day calorie intake may be in the best interests of health. Studies of intermittent fasting schedules in animals suggest that an intake pattern of highs and lows enhances the body’s ability to cope with biological stress and, maybe, to resist disease.* Variation is the natural course of events and evolution seems to make it work to an advantage.

Consider that healthy eaters who maintain steady weights don’t usually eat the same amount of food every day.

  • They expect day-to-day variation and they use regular exercise to balance extra calories.
  • They eat more or fewer calories largely depending on the social situation.
  • They give themselves permission to eat favorite foods (within reason) as if it’s no big deal.
  • They may choose to eat more at a special dinner or not. (more…)
Posted on January 30, 2024 by Natalie K

Nutrisystem Weighs in on the Safety of Low-Cal Diets, Suggesting No Fewer than 1,000 Cals a Day

Low-calorie diet plans are increasingly popular—just last month Rocco launched his 800-calorie-a-day weight loss program—so we asked Anthony Fabricatore, Phd, vice-president of Research and Development at Nutrisystem, about the safety of this sort of calorie restriction. Here, his thoughts on the trend including where Nutrisystem’s new low-cal jumpstart week, a 7-day accelerated plan called Fast 5—which in-house trials suggest can lead to a loss of 5 pounds in one week—fits in.

FAst 5

Says Fabricatore: (more…)

Posted on February 19, 2024 by Jessica Cassity

The Master Cleanse is Nothing More than a Dangerous Fad

America’s obsession with rapid weight loss regimens has produced yet another unnatural diet. The glamorously titled “master cleanse” is a trending diet among celebrities and those who want to succeed in weight loss without really trying. The master cleanse is a 10-day fast wherein the only thing you ingest is a concoction made of warm water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup, and it’s extremely unhealthy. Sounds pretty awful, but Beyonce and Gwyneth did it, so why can’t you?

master cleanse

The cleanse begins each day with a “salt water flush,” which can accurately be described as slamming a glass of salt water while trying not to puke. The lemon juice cocktail is designed to rid the body of harmful toxins so you can start fresh after the cleanse. While a liquid diet is almost guaranteed to help you lose weight fast, it’s the wrong kind of weight. The body will shed muscle mass and water weight, but fat remains.

Starvation also does funny things to the body. Severely reducing your caloric intake can make you impatient, dizzy, moody, and less focused. It can lead to insomnia, skin breakouts, bizarre behavior, and in some cases, shrink your heart volume. After a period of starvation, it takes a long time for your brain and your body to get along again. People coming down from a fast have a hard time satisfying their appetite, and binge eat because of it. One study found that men who had fasted gained back an additional 10% of their body weight after a fast. (more…)

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Patrick