Intermittent Fasting Journal – Week 32
Donna Reish, curriculum author of over 100 books (for students grades pre-school through 12th!), blogger, and Intermittent Fasting teacher, tackles more hunger issues during the fast. (Episode #30 was all about ghrelin; Episode #31 was all about ghrelin tips and hunger.) She teaches about the effects of caffeinated drinks on appetite, metabolism, and exercise performance. Then she delves into a study about the effect of chlorogenic acid from decaf coffee, caffeinated coffee, and caffeinated water—and their effect on the third hunger hormone, Peptide YY. Following this, she described why gut health influences hunger and cravings. And finally, she discusses the huge effect that cortisol has on hunger, cravings, and weight, including ways to reduce cortisol levels. This episode is sponsored by Plexus Slim, the pink drink!
Intermittent Fasting Journal – Week 31
In Episode 31 of Donna’s Intermittent Fasting Journal, Donna Reish, author of 100 curriculum books (for kids!), blogger, and IF teacher, teaches about how to control appetite/hunger/cravings/ghrelin. She begins the episode by giving her and her husband’s update—down over 100 pounds between the two of them in ten months with just over and under 20 pounds each remaining! She describes how fasting brings out various food sensitivities that might have been dormant or unknown prior to fasting, and how she has been having sugar headaches despite loving sugar her entire life! This has caused her and her husband to reduce their sugar intake somewhat. Donna then reviews some info from Episode 30 about the hunger hormone ghrelin, including where and how it is released. Next, she describes the food control that IF provides in general, including regulating blood sugar and insulin, healing the gut, providing more pronounced leptin signals, and more.
Donna moves into some tips on controlling ghrelin next. She describes the following: how ghrelin comes in waves and how to overcome those waves; foods and drinks that ghrelin works well with and doesn’t work well with; the effect of water (including mineral water and sparkling water) on ghrelin; stomach distensibility, fiber, and fruit; clock hunger; sleep; mineral balance; and more! Finally, Donna touches on foods that have an effect on satiety/hunger/ cravings, including protein, fat, and fiber. This episode is sponsored by Plexus’ ProBio 5—a three in one product that aids in gut health, digestion, breaking down bad bacteria such as candida/yeast overgrowth, and much more.
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Intermittent Fasting Journal – Week 30
In this episode, Donna Reish, curriculum author, blogger, and Intermittent Fasting teacher, teaches about the hunger hormone, ghrelin. First of all, she begins explaining what this hormone is, where it comes from, and what it does. She goes into ghrelin’s path—where it is released from and where it goes, including what triggers its release. Donna explains how ghrelin isn’t to be feared—it acts on a part of the brain responsible for memory (which helps us think better!), is the precursor for human growth hormone, and its release means that we are burning body fat! She then explains what can trigger ghrelin. Other areas she teaches on in this episode include how much food our bodies need at lower weights, how waves of ghrelin can be controlled/worked through, and much more! Stay tuned for the next episode in which Donna teaches how to overcome hunger, appetite, and cravings through intermittent fasting! Donnareish.com Subscribe to the blog for free Intermittent Fasting start up charts!
Intermittent Fasting Journal – Week 29
In this broadcast, Donna Reish, blogger, curriculum author of 100+ language arts/writing books, and Intermittent Fasting teacher, teaches listeners about four metrics that we can use to track our Intermittent Fasting journeys. She starts out teaching about scale weighing, including the fact that the scale weighs everything that is placed on it—water, fat, muscle, bones, stool in our intestines….everything. She explains how to best use the scale as an effective tool, including averaging your weights for the week to get a total for that week’s weight, weighing at the same time in the same clothes, and not using the scale as your only metric. Donna then moves on to the tape measure as a second assessment. We need to remember that the tape measure can measure fat loss AND muscle loss, and that the measuring tape can be extremely subjective. Thirdly, Donna teaches about body fat percentage, including a few ways to measure it, the benefits of using it as a metric, and determining body fat goals. Lastly, she teaches her personal favorite metric, the goal pant. Here she helps listeners see the visual motivator that goal pants can be and advises on choosing the right pants so you don’t get discouraged. Today’s broadcast is sponsored by Plexus Boost, a plant based capsule that boosts metabolism, helps with hunger, and aids in energy boosting. This product has amazing botanicals, including caralluma fimbriata (edible cactus the ward off hunger!), green tea extract, yerba mate, higenamine, chromium, and bio-available B vitamins.
Intermittent Fasting Journal – Week 28
In this broadcast, Donna Reish, blogger, curriculum author of 100+ language arts/writing books, and Intermittent Fasting teacher, teaches listeners about Carbohydrate Cycling—continuing from last episode’s overview to exactly how to figure out your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and how to figure out how many calories you need to weigh your goal weight (and maintain it). She then takes listeners through three levels of difficulty with Carb Cycling in order to see what works best for each person. She explains how Carb Cyclers “cycle” through their high carb and low carb days in order to pair it with their level of activity and energy output (especially with HIIT and large muscle strength training). She teaches readers the values of the three macro-nutrients and how we can incorporate all three in a healthy IF eating protocol. Donna teaches readers the details of the most difficult way of Carb Cycling and asks listeners to determine if that level of daily math and recording is necessary for each one’s goals. Finally, she helps listeners determine if any level of Carb Cycling is right for them—or if they can get the same results through Appetite Correction, long fasting, insulin balancing, etc. Today’s broadcast is sponsored by Plexus Ease—Donna explains the four natural, plant-based ingredients in this amazing pain-relief/anti-inflammatory product: Tumeric, Bromelain, Serrapeptaise, and Green Lipped Mussel.
Intermittent Fasting Journal – Week 27
In this broadcast, Donna Reish, blogger, curriculum author of 100+ language arts/writing books, and Intermittent Fasting teacher, teaches listeners about Carbohydrate Cycling—and how it might be used with Intermittent Fasting. She begins by reminding listeners that if IF alone is working well, you are not plateaued desperately, or you are not working on the last stubborn 20 pounds, you probably want to keep doing what you are doing. However, we can all benefit from learning about what our bodies need, macro-nutrients, and healthier eating, so listen on! Donna gives an overview of Carb Cycling in general—how it isn’t necessarily a “low carb” or “keto” diet but rather is a focus on switching up fuel sources day by day and correlates with low intensity and strength training exercise days. Finally, in the first half of this two-part broadcast, Donna rants and raves about this approach—how it is healthy to focus on macronutrients, why it helps us incorporate real foods more fully, how we don’t need to villainize entire food groups, why it’s better to up carbs than it is to have cheat days, and the positive effect Carb Cycling can have mentally and emotionally compared to other “diets.” Finally, she recommends that listeners ask themselves how different this approach might be to other restrictions and how they might already do some of these things intuitively. Donna leaves listeners with the option of receiving a free sample of the Plexus pink drink, today’s broadcast sponsor. (Join Donna in Broadcast #28 when she explains three ways to Carb Cycle and teaches IF’ers how they can use a low math method to look at their entire week and make better food choices.)
Intermittent Fasting Journal – Week 26
In Episode #26, Donna Reish, blogger, curriculum author of over 100 language arts/writing books, and Intermittent Fasting teacher, explains the basis of Calorie Cycling. She begins with how she “discovered” it—only to find out that it was a real thing! She then teaches the official definitions and benefits users find with it. Next, Donna examines calorie counting vs calorie cycling and why low calorie diets, even when combined with the metabolic benefits of Intermittent Fasting, can wreak havoc on our metabolism and future weight management endeavors. She explains traditional calorie cycling protocols, including so much low time and so much higher time and how these approaches might preserve metabolic function, much like IF does. She explains that while we might not need a “counting approach” to weight management when IF is working well for us, some might feel the need to add more boundaries (besides the OMAD/3 she teaches at the blog and the boundaries provided with Appetite Correction). Calorie Cycling might be a good boundary for IF’ers who are looking to balance out their caloric intake over the week and still enjoy parties, social events, and festivities while eating healthy foods on non-party days. Lastly, Donna explains some low-math ways to calorie cycle for those who want to add this boundary into their IF practice without so much counting and record keeping. This week’s supplement focus at the end of the broadcast is on Plexus Pink Drink, specifically the Hunger Control Plexus Slim.
Intermittent Fasting Journal – Week 25
Donna Reish, blogger, author of over 100 language arts/writing curriculum books, and Intermittent Fasting teacher, inspires listeners by reminding IFers how they become true “managers” of their lives through their success with this lifestyle. She explains that while we have many areas of our lives that are out of our control, the body balancing and empowerment that comes through IF helps us to be able to manage our lives like never before. She first describes how Fat Adaption and Appetite Correction make it easier for us to stick with fasting—and this control over food (sometimes for the first time in our lives) gives us layers of self control that we never knew we could have. Donna explains how success breeds success in our lives—and especially in an area as challenging as food control. She describes the self confidence that comes from weight loss and size loss, especially when it comes about from something that we can honestly do forever (not a diet or quick weight loss plan). Donna explains the many health benefits that come from simply doing “nothing” in a world in which we are faced with challenges and pleas to do “everything perfect” in order to achieve health.
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Intermittent Fasting Journal – Week 24
Donna Reish, Intermittent Fasting blogger and author, tackles the subject of building belief in yourself and Intermittent Fasting through the teaching of James Clear, author of upcoming book, Atomic Habits. Donna starts out asking listeners to think back to something that they have done consistently, something that they have been successful at. Then she builds on that to explain that we are successful at something when we take it on as our identity. We are consistent then we succeed. It becomes US, who we are. She then applies this to weight management endeavors. Many of us were not successful because we didn’t have our bodies working FOR us to help us build the habits that it takes to be successful with weight management and fitness. Donna then explains a two-step process that Clear teaches in his articles and videos—that of taking on the identity of who or what you want to become and THEN applying TINY habits that support that identity. She explains how we can do this with Intermittent Fasting, exercising, and other habits that may have eluded us before we became fat adapted and developed balanced hunger hormones. Everything is different now with IF—and we can be exactly what we want to be—even something that we previously never thought possible!
Intermittent Fasting Journal – Week 23
In this episode, Donna explains four ways we lose pounds and inches with Daily Intermittent Fasting, focusing on how three of the four of these have to do with the FASTING window (not necessarily the feasting window). She encourages listeners to not just consider pound loss when Intermittent Fasting, but to also consider inch loss and the effect that has on how we look and our clothing size (and ultimately how we feel in our clothing). The first way we lose is that we become “fat adapted” through fasting. This is when the body becomes a “fat burner” rather than a “sugar burner.” This way is influenced by the fasting window. The second way we lose is that muscle is retained while fat is burned, causing inch loss. This happens as Human Growth Hormone is increased between 500 and 2,000% during the fasting window. This way is also based on the fasting window. The third way we lose weight is that a shorter eating window AND balancing of hunger hormones cause us to make a small calorie deficit during our eating window that causes pound loss over time. This happens during the eating window, but is influenced by the fasting window/balancing hunger hormones (ghrelin and leptin). The fourth way we lose is through the boosting of metabolism that happens during Intermittent Fasting. This metabolism boost has been shown in research to be up to 12-14 percent from fasting. This weight loss mechanism is most affected by the length of the fast. Donna encourages readers to grasp what our bodies can do FOR us during Intermittent Fasting, rather than what we might have historically thought about our bodies when it felt like they were working AGAINST us.
