Hey Phil thanks for commenting. I very much appreciate your forthright thoughts and
opinions. Here is the nitty gritty about Intermediate Fasting… in fact there’s more study
on fasting then most all other dietary habits.

You probably think I’m going to frown upon eating at night. Nope! Instead I recommend
it. In fact if you do it right you will wake up much more refreshed and a much happier
person with more energy throughout the day. It’s what you eat, in the right
combinations, and then in the right timing that make all the difference.

Humans are naturally nocturnal eaters. For thousands of years we were hunters and
gathers during the day. We didn’t eat much during the daytime as we gathered and
hunted. At night we put all that we collected and caught together as a feast for the family,
tribe, community and everyone ate well. The meal was balanced and organic since the
chemicals in today’s foods such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers were
not present. All of those contain MSG in them which causes nervous issues as well as
cancer. Those chemicals also cause elevated estrogen levels which suppress Growth
Hormone and Testosterone. That’s not very good. So always eat organic whenever you
can. The cost is really not that different any more.

Ok so now that we have established that humans have it in their genes to be nocturnal
eaters there’s no need to fear or feel guilty for your late night cravings. Instead embrace
them and simply eat the right foods in the right combinations. It’s what we eat and when
we eat it that truly matters and makes a huge difference.

In fact indigenous people in South America, Australia, and Africa still eat this same way
even today. They don’t have the cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high
cholesterol as the Western World does. Of course they have other issues because they’re
all inbred, but that’s another article topic altogether for another time.
I do not subscribe to the eating of 5-6 small meals per day. When you do that you
increase insulin levels and when insulin is up you are storing fat. Growth Hormone and
Glucagon must be up in order to burn fat. That mainly happens when you are not eating.
Studies have shown that it takes roughly 72 hours of not eating before your body
begins to use muscle as fuel. So there should be no fear of losing muscle and withering
away. It just won’t happen.

The 5-6 meal per day notion came about with the Bodybuilder style of eating.
Approximately 1% of the world are bodybuilders so the rest of us 99%ers need not eat
like them or exercise like them. Bodybuilders are athletes and they have different goals
than most everyone else. You wouldn’t go out and eat as a marathon runner does getting
ready for a race. If people did there would be an even more obesity and health epidemic
than we have now. Think about it this way- if eating frequent meals worked then why is
everyone fat and unhealthy? It’s because it doesn’t work. The human body doesn’t need
to eat that way and is not programmed to eat that way.

When we eat or don’t eat we are working with 2 main nervous systems: Sympathetic and
Para-Sympathetic. Sympathetic (aka fight or flight): When exercising body energy is
focused on skeletal muscles. Basically shuts down digestion. Parasympathetic (aka feed
or breed): After a meal body focuses on digestion and absorption of nutrients. Upon
vigorous exercise your body is trying to void the stomach of its contents so it can focus
on your musculoskeletal system. Your body prefers to have one system dominant at a
time. That’s why you’re mother and grandmother always told you to not go swimming
after you eat. The 2 components of your nervous system are “competing” and you may
cramp/drown.

So during the day when we don’t eat we engage the Sympathetic Nervous
System(SNS). When that happens our GH is high, our testosterone is elevated, our
insulin is low, our glucagon is elevated, and all that causes us to be much more alert,
energized, vigorous, and in a fat burning environment. As soon as we eat enough to
disrupt that the Para-Sympathetic Nervous System engages and we begin slowing down
due to the blood needed for digestion. Our body may feel sluggish and not as alert. Our
vigor has been drained and the fat burning slowed down to potential fat storage. This is
why if we eat our main balanced meal at night then we will be able to sleep much, much
better and feeling sluggish won’t matter since we are going to be sleeping anyway. We
regenerate and build about 75% of our muscle while we sleep each night. That is one
reason why sleep is so vital. We can’t really store protein, but we can build muscle so
protein is not generally needed during the day, but only at night- with one exception. The
exception being a post workout recovery meal if you’re exercising in the morning or
afternoon. Then you can have about 20-30g of protein and the same in simple carbs to
return your body to an anabolic(muscle recovery) state out of a catabolic(muscle
breakdown) state.

If you EVER feel hungry during the day drink water. If you think you’ve drank a lot
already, but are still hungry drink some more. Most of the time when people think they
are hungry they are actually thirsty, but are not used to recognizing that subtle feeling. If
your mouth ever gets dry you are already dehydrated.

Get through the day and then eat your main meal at night. ALWAYS start with a big
salad filled with as many colored veggies as you can. Then eat your protein, then good
fats, and then sleep well. Do your absolute best not to eat very many grains.

During the hours preceding your main meal either eat only small fruits and/or veggies or
don’t eat anything at all. In either case be sure to drink A LOT of water. So drink water to
curve the cravings and any hunger pains. Then eat a balance of the right foods at night with
good fats being your primary fuel source instead of starches and grains. Do that and you
will never be healthier and more energized!

To sum it up in 3 sentences: During the day don’t eat anything, but if you have to only
consume 2 pieces of fruit- no bigger than your fist- 4 hours apart and then at night eat a
very well balanced meal. Drink a minimum of half your weight in ounces of water daily
and whenever you feel hungry. You will be very healthy, feel super energized and have a
very lean body.

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