Bulletproof Diet and Intermittent Fastingtl; dr version: The Bulletproof diet has worked! In earlier posts (which I highly recommend skimming in order to get some background/context), I provided an overview of the Bulletproof Diet as well as recaps before and after my first 3. What is the “Bulletproof Diet”? Taking many queues from the popular Paleo/caveman diet, the Bulletproof Diet could be called an . The premise is simple . A major difference between Bulletproof and Paleo is the attempt to minimize toxins from the diet which are thought to play a major factor in everything from inflammation to “brain fog”. By sticking to approved/. In other words, you would eat all of your meals between, say, 2pm and 8pm. By restricting carbohydrates, your body goes into ketosis, and starts to use fat as it. Intermittent fasting is one of the simplest strategies that can help. Intermittent fasting is not a diet. This diet is not recommended. All you need to get started on your 5:2 journey. Explore the resources on our. Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves regular fasting. The 5:2 diet, also known as The Fast Diet, is currently the most popular. You can learn all about intermittent fasting at Leangains. Note: If you have any adrenal/thyroid issues, read further down as you may want to minimize/stop intermittent fasting until those issues are resolved. Bulletproof Coffee. A staple of the Bulletproof diet is a magical concoction called. In fact, most people seem to come across the coffee first, then discover the diet. However, notice how much my total cholesterol and LDL came down during my last blood test – I. The triglyceride/HDL . Large LDL particles have been shown to be safe, as they are “large and fluffy” and can pass freely through the body (and are even said to have some protective benefits). The smaller particle size LDL is what has been shown to increase risk for heart disease and heart attacks by getting clogged in arteries, leading to things like plaque buildup. Looking at my LDL particle size analysis, I have type A – the large, . In fact, my risk factor for heart disease is lower than lowest risk bracket! Testosterone. I was somewhat disappointed to see that after bumping up my testosterone levels some 2. Or were there other issues? Having an underactive thyroid has been directly linked to lower testosterone – as I began treating mine, lo and behold it shot right up! Leaky Gut, Fat Malabsorption, and Autoimmune Issues. The 5:2 diet, or fast diet, is a. In general there is a lack of research evidence on intermittent fasting, and there is only limited evidence of the 5:2 diet's. As long as you don't binge on your 'feast' days, and make sure you stick to the calorie limit to your 'fast' days, many Mumsnetters say intermittent fasting has. An early stool test revealed that I was indeed suffering from leaky gut and fat malabsorption issues. Additionally, I was completely missing certain types of gut bacteria, such as lactobacillus. My stomach p. H was an acidic 5. I probably had a . Fortunately, I was introduced to a great functional medicine doctor who quickly recognized my symptoms (having had successfully treated numerous patients with similar issues) and ordered up a battery of (but very specific) blood, saliva, stool, and breath tests. Chronic Infections. Something I had been struggling with was getting to the bottom of why my white blood cell count was always so low. The 5:2 diet, and other fast diets and intermittent fasting (IF) are incredibly popular. Advocates claim fasting can help weight loss and extend life longer. The 5:2 diet is an increasingly popular diet plan with a flurry of newspaper articles and books being published on it in the run up to Christmas 2012 and in January 2013. After scheduling the blood, saliva, stool, and breath tests, sure enough some of the tests came back showing I had a number of lingering chronic infections, including Candida, h. Epstein- Barr virus (had mono in college), and Lyme Disease co- infection antibodies (still in my system after being bitten by a tick 1. So essentially, my immune system was shutting down, which explains my low WBC. I managed to contact a previous doctor I used some 8 years ago who still had the results of some prior blood tests and sure enough, my low WBC issues have been around for years. Digging deeper, chronic infections such as H. Pylori can play a role in elevating one. This tipped of my doctor that my cortisol numbers could be artificially inflated due to the chronic infections. My doctor said I had what he called . He was frankly amazed at how I was able to get by and still perform at a high level throughout the day (running a business, working out and playing sports, etc.). Working with my doctor, I began a multi- stage program to support and return my adrenals and thyroid back to optimum levels, then go after the chronic infections (first, h. Support thyroid and adrenals (pregnenolone, DHEA, selenium, GTA Forte II)Heal gut, and knock out low- hanging issues like Candida (digestive support, Ther- Biotic Complete. That being said, even while eating anywhere from 2. There. Over the past 3 months I have been working to get my weight up to 1. I have simultaneously put on a little bit of added body fat – I am considering increasing my carb intake to factor in the additional training. Diet and Intermittent Fasting. I am happy to say I remained mostly “in the green” with regards to the. And by consistent, yes this meant after awhile it did start to get boring. But that was my own fault due to a hectic work/life and not spending enough time researching recipes and experimenting with other ingredients. I guess I was trying to conserve willpower. When I started, I would incorporate intermittent fasting 5- 6 days/week but I had to cut it down to 1- 2 days max per week as I wanted to minimize any unneeded stress put on my body while overcoming my thyroid and autoimmune issues. Strength/Exercise/Energy. In my original posts, I talked about the fact that I was actually over- training, and was switching to something more akin to Body by Science – short- duration, high- intensity workouts, in addition to playing soccer 2- 3 times per week. I ended up doing a Crossfit on- ramp early in the year, which was right before one of my blood tests and sure enough my CRP skyrocketed! I was then introduced. I have barely lifted any free weights since I started working with them, yet I continue to gain strength and neurological efficiency. Meals, Shopping, and Dining Out. Do your research and find quality sources for your staple ingredients like grass- fed (and grass- finished!) meats and pastured eggs like specialty butcher shops and farmers markets. There are also a number of farms that will ship meats through the mail! Traveling on business proved to be the most difficult, but I found ways to make it work. It mainly came down to some advance planning, such as searching for gluten- free(ish) restaurants on Yelp, and when in doubt I would just go for sushi (also, any authentic Argentinian steak houses serve grass- fed steaks). I would pack some MCT oil and a . In the summer I would even make my own adapted version of the . And paleo eggplant lasagna with a mixture of ground grass- fed lamb and beef is pure awesomeness! I also highly recommend you get yourself an infrared oven – they are super- inexpensive it can cook a perfectly medium rare steak in just a few. I also upgraded my cookware (eliminating teflon) and cooked my food at lower temperatures (for longer duration) to minimize oxidation of fats. Supplementation and Protocols. There. Incorporating collagen protein and bone broth into my diet has also done wonders for my skin (not to mention helping to speed up healing of bumps and bruises from playing soccer). Earlier this year I started! Gray hair is a natural part of aging, but there are strong ties between gray hair and thyroid disfunction (and micronutrient deficiencies such as selenium and zinc). As I began working on fixing my thyroid, lo and behold I began to notice some of the hairs regaining their pigment as they grew out! I’ll admit that for most of my life I took rather poor care of my teeth, and have tons of fillings to prove it. However, over the past year and a half, I have had 3 checkups (every 6 months) and have found zero cavities. In fact, during my most recent visit, after my dentist finished my cleaning he marveled at the fact that my gums did not bleed at all, and said my gums were the healthiest of any patients he? Some general ones include: Coffee: I. I find it easier to spread my butter consumption in smaller doses throughout the day. Fat: When possible (which isn’t often enough), I opt for lamb over beef, because it’s easier to. If you have any gut issues, ground meat is generally going to be much easier on your digestive tract. Intermittent Fasting/Ketosis: I cut down on my intermittent fasting from 5- 6 days/week to 1 or 2 (usually on a weekend, the least stressful time of the week). I will gradually scale back up as my other conditions improve. Increasing Carbs: Until my thyroid issues are resolved, I. That was a long post, but hopefully you have gotten some value out of me sharing my experience so far. News analysis: Does the 5: 2 fast diet work? The 5: 2 diet is relatively straightforward – you eat normally five days a week, and fast on the other two days. Champions of the 5: 2 diet claim that other than helping people lose weight, 5: 2 diet can bring other significant health benefits, including: increased lifespan improved cognitive function and protection against conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease protection from disease However the body of evidence about 5: 2 diet and intermittent fasting is limited when compared to other types of weight loss techniques. What we don’t know about intermittent fasting. Despite its increasing popularity, there is a great deal of uncertainty about IF with significant gaps in the evidence. For example, it is unclear: what pattern of IF is the most effective in improving health outcomes – 5: 2, alternative day fasting, or something else entirely different what is the optimal calorie consumption during the fasting days – the 5: 2 diet recommends 5. IF in the long- term – would most people be willing to stick with the plan for the rest of their lives? Are there any side effects from intermittent fasting? Little is known about possible side effects as no systematic attempt has been made to study this issue. Anecdotal reports of effects include: difficulties sleeping bad breath (a known problem with low carbohydrate diets) irritability anxiety dehydration daytime sleepiness However, more research would be needed to confirm these side effects and their severity. If you are fasting, you may want to think about how fasting will impact on your life during your fasting days. You are likely to be very hungry and have less energy and this could affect your ability to function (such as at work), in particular it may affect your ability to exercise which is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight. Also, IF may not be suitable for pregnant women and people with specific health conditions, such as diabetes, or a history of eating disorders. Because it is a fairly radical approach to weight loss, if you are considering trying IF for yourself, it is wise to speak to your GP first to see if it is safe to do so. Evidence about the 5: 2 diet. Despite its popularity evidence directly assessing the 5: 2 model of intermittent fasting is limited. But since this article was originally written in January 2. Dr Michelle Harvie, which did look at the 5: 2 model. In one study carried out in 2. They also experienced reductions in a number of biological indicators (biomarkers) that suggest a reduction in the risk of developing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. A further study in 2. The increasing popularity of the 5: 2 diet should lead to further research of this kind. Evidence about other forms of IFThere is some degree of evidence about the potential benefits of other forms of IF – albeit with some limitations. It should be stressed that our assessment of the evidence was confined to entering a number of keywords into Google Scholar and then looking at a small number of studies which we felt would be useful to explore further. We did not carry out a systematic review (though arguably, it would be useful for researchers to do so). So the information provided below should be taken in the spirit of us trying to provide an introduction to some of the evidence and science of IF – not an exhaustive . Is there any evidence that intermittent fasting aids weight loss? One of the most recent pieces of research on intermittent fasting is a 2. PDF, 2. 91kb) that recruited 3. After an initial two- week period they were then given a combination diet of low- calorie liquid meals for six days of a week (similar to Slim Fast diet products) and then asked to fast for one day a week (comsuming no more than 1. After eight weeks, on average, the women lost around 4kg (8. However, there are a number of limitations to consider when looking at this as evidence that it might be a generally beneficial thing to do for most ordinary people, including that: These women may have had increased motivation to stick with the diet because they knew their weight would be monitored (this is a psychological effect that slimming clubs make use of). The women had been told that they were at risk of heart disease. It is uncertain how well most of us would cope with such an extreme diet. The follow- up period was short – just two months. It is not clear whether this diet would be sustainable in the long term or whether it could cause any side effects. A much larger sample – including men – is required to see if intermittent fasting would be effective in most overweight or obese people. Is there any evidence intermittent fasting increases lifespan? There is quite a wide range of work on the effects of IF on combating the effects of ageing, but almost all of these studies involved either rats, mice or monkeys. One big problem with studies in animals – particularly rodents – is that they are only expected to live for a few years. While this makes them ideal subjects for longevity studies, carrying out similar, more useful experiments in humans, requires decades- long research to gain credible results. In an unsystematic look at the evidence, we find only one study involving humans: a 2. PDF, 6. 5kb) of an experiment actually carried out in 1. Spain. In this 1. The first group (the control group) ate a normal diet. The second group (the IF group) ate a normal diet one day and then a restricted diet (estimated to be around 9. After three years there were 1. IF group. This study is again limited by the small sample size meaning that the differences in death are more likely to be the results of a statistical fluke. Also, many experts would feel uneasy about issuing dietary guidelines based on a study over half a century old with unclear methods. It is unlikely that this experiment could be repeated today – denying food to elderly people in residential care is unlikely to be looked at kindly by an ethics committee. Is there any evidence intermittent fasting prevents cognitive decline? It seems that all of the studies on the supposed protective effects of IF against conditions that can cause a decline in cognitive function (such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease) involve animals. For example, a 2. PDF, 8. 43kb) involved mice that had been genetically engineered to develop changes in brain tissue similar to those seen in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Mice on an IF diet appeared to experience a slower rate of cognitive decline than mice on a normal diet (cognitive function was assessed using a water maze test). While the results of these animals tests are certainly intriguing, animal studies have inherent limitations. We can never be sure that the results will be applicable in humans. Is there any evidence that intermittent fasting prevent diseases? Much of the published research into the potential preventative effects of IF involve measuring biological markers associated with chronic disease, such as insulin- like growth factor- I (IGF- I) – known to be associated with cancer. Using these kinds of biological surrogates is a legitimate way to carry out research, but they do not guarantee successful real- world outcomes. For example, some medications that were found to lower blood pressure readings taken in laboratory conditions failed to prevent strokes once they had been introduced for use in the healthcare of patients in the world. A 2. 00. 7 clinical review (PDF, 1. IF in humans in terms of real- world health outcomes concluded that IF (specifically, alternative day fasting) may have a protective effect against heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. However, it concluded . Not everyone can safely fast. Other methods of weight loss include: Find recommended, simple, low cost ways to lose weight in the Live Well: lose weight pages. Edited by. NHS Choices. Follow Behind the Headlines on Twitter.
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