Intermittent Fasting Journal – Week 19

In this podcast/videocast episode, Donna Reish addresses Intermittent Fasting and Vacations again! Following up last week’s episode in which she described their two weeks of vacation, weight gain, calories, and more, Donna now addresses how to keep healthy habits going and have minimum weight impact during vacations. She talks about the importance of not starting vacation before vacation begins (a mindshift change from our old dieting ways!). She recommends doing some longer fasts before vacation in order to be at your best when you leave—size wise and motivation wise! Donna recommends that you look at your vacation week, choose your “specials,” and try to figure out some fasting hours that you can keep during vacation. These can vary, but they will help you not feel so bloated, have energy, AND control calories some without counting or restricting. Next, she moves into the effect that exercise can have on a trip—burning some extra calories, keeping metabolism stoked, putting you into fat burning sooner, and more. Donna then describes the roles of insulin (fat storing) and glucagon (fat releasing) and how eating two meals a day during your vacation vs grazing can have an effect on fat burning, calorie control, satiation, insulin production, and more. Donna’s Plexus biz sponsors the episodes—and this week’s was Plexus Slim Hunger Control—the pink drink that fills your stomach up so you aren’t hungry! She describes this in the “commercial” portion at the end of the episode.

Episode 19—Weight Management on Vacation

A. Our Experiences

1. Vacations, business trips, and holidays galore in our 6 months

a. Three business trips of five to seven days each

b. Six weekend or long weekend pleasure trips/visiting family, etc.

c. Holidays—Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Anniversary, and both our birthdays

d. No permanent weight gain—able to re-lose anything gained quickly or continued to lose (Ray’s “whooshes” after two meal days)

2. Six months in

a. Continue to lose or maintain weight loss (60 pounds Ray; 16 pounds for me)

b. Continue to wear smaller sizes every few weeks

c. 48 to 40 pants for Ray; large to medium tops for me; 12 to 10 pants and jeans for me

B. Vacation Weight Gain and Loss

1. Vacation weight gain in 12 out of 14 days of business and pleasure trips

a. Averaged 17 fasting hours, resulting in 2MAD more than half the time

b. Most people will gain on 2MAD without other restrictions in place

c. We each “gained” 8 pounds over that two weeks (which we lost within three days of returning to 19:5 (me) and 22:2 (hubby))

2. Can’t really gain four pounds a week

3. Avoiding Too Much “Real” Weight Gain on Vacays

1. Start out on a good note–don’t start vacationing before vacation begins!
2. Do some longer fasts (and possibly some low carb days) before vacation
3. Get some fasting hours in—even 12 to 16 hours can help you burn body fat
4. Move–walk, exercise, take the stairs, do some exercises in your room before starting your day
5. Eat twice a day rather than grazing
a. Insulin is the fat storage hormone
i. Rises every time you eat
ii. Can take 4-6 hours to go back to resting rate after being spiked
b. Glucagon–is the fat burning and unlocking hormone
i. Signals the liver and muscle cells to change the stored glycogen back into glucose to be burned
ii. Signals fat cells to release free fatty acids, releasing stored fat
c. Eating frequently causes your insulin to rise and promotes fat storage/blocks access to your fat reserves
d. Eating two big meals increases metabolism and suppresses appetite overall (as opposed to grazing)
e. Grazing causes you to eat more calories, not feel satiated, increase insulin production (fat storing hormone), and gain weight (as does eating more than your body needs….so limiting the number of times you eat on vacay can also help with that!).

C. Studies on insulin and glycagen

a. How Insulin and Glucagon Work
b. The effect of meal frequency in a reduced-energy regimen on the gastrointestinal and appetite hormones in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomised crossover study

D. A Word From Our Sponsors—Plexus Slim Hunger Control

1. Second Slim—

a. First one is watermelon, gut health—called Microbiome Activating Complex; has all same ingredients as the new one except it has prebiotics but doesn’t have polydextrose

b. Second one is called Hunger Control (HC) and is citrusy—has all the same ingredients as gut health one except it has polydextrose and doesn’t have prebiotics

2. What is Slim HC

a. Second slim targeting weight management

b. All natural, plant-based ingredients

c. Contain polydextrose

i. Natural, low calorie soluble fiber

ii. Similar to plant starch

iii. Polydextrose attracts water and swells, taking up space in your stomach and leaving slowly, which helps you feel full longer and reduce desire to eat

iv. I call it a “natural” gastric bypass!

3. Using Slim HC with Fasting

a. HC Slim fiber and calories

i. Has 20 calories, which is made up entirely of 8 carbs

ii. 6 of those carbs are “non countable” carbs because they are full fiber

iii. Has blood sugar-balancing properties so it doesn’t spike insulin (it lowers insulin!) so most people can take it during the fast

b. My two favorite times to drink HC Slim

i. At the 16 or 17 hour mark when I want to fast for 20+ hours—takes away hunger immediately; gives energy and well being; balances blood sugar

ii. Thirty minutes before my entrée (I do OMAD/3—1) Snack; 2) Entrée; 3) Dessert or snack if I want; I especially like it before a meal out or a family party to help me stop eating sooner (works similar to Appetite Correction—except it actually takes up stomach space)

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