There Is A Method to the Madness
This is a podcast where I will be discussing all aspects of physical fitness. I am an exercise physiologist and personal trainer and owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs for the last 25 years. My passion is health and fitness and I am excited to share my views, some stories, interviews and much more with you.
There Is A Method to the Madness
Inside Intermittent Fasting: Science vs. Hype
Welcome to there is a Method to the Madness. My name is Rob Maxwell and I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. I am the owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs and I've been in business since 1994. The purpose of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really works and, most importantly, why things work. Hence the name there is a method to the madness. Before I get to today's show, I want to thank Jonathan and Lynn Gildan of the Gildan Group at Realty Pros. They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service in home sales. Why don't you give them a shout and figure out what your home is worth? 386-451-2412. 386-451-2412. Let's get this show on the road today.
Speaker 1:Today I'm going to discuss intermittent fasting, one of the things I really like about my job, so one of the things I actually wish people would do more of, and that is drumroll. Ask questions. I have said before that I would not mind having a little bench or table somewhere set up at a gym just to field questions. Obviously, questions that matter to the person and they're actually really interested in and they're going to do something with. But questions nonetheless, because questions tell me people care when somebody is trying to get in better shape and they come up with certain roadblocks, you know, things that hinder them or things that confuse them, and a lot of times confusion can be a hindrance to somebody continuing. Then asking questions for resolutions is great. In fact, I can credit a question I got gosh how long ago 35 years ago, something like that as to one of the reasons why I'm doing what I'm doing today because I was working as a adolescent counselor for substance abuse at a place called Stewart Treatment Center, which is now Stewart Marchman, and I was working with the adolescents and I was finishing up my degree in psychology and thought I was going to stay in that profession and, as I've kind of kidded around before, I have, I mean, we have to use a lot of psychology and physical training. But anyway, back then I was heavily into working out, just like I am now, and bodybuilding was kind of the way that I stayed fit. So I lifted a lot of weights and, you know, watched my diet and all that good stuff. So it was pretty obvious that that's what I did for my hobby.
Speaker 1:And one day I mean it was often it happened a lot, but one particular day stands out. One of the adolescent male residents was speaking to me and he started asking me all these questions about you know, when he gets out, what he can do to improve himself, and was telling me a little bit about what he was doing on the bench press and some things like that. And I remember like answering him, like I always did when people ask me questions like this and but. But what really jumps out this day is how animated I felt answering him and how much I really enjoyed fielding his questions and it really propagated me to really, when I got in the car, think about okay, I think I need to make a career change, because I really do enjoy talking about working out and helping people with this, because it's just something I'm passionate about. So it literally got the wheels in motion for me to pursue getting more formal education and then starting my career. So, truth be told, questions kind of got me going in that direction. So I like questions now and I will get to intermittent fasting.
Speaker 1:The second thing I really like about questions is the fact that at times it's hard to tell people what they need to do when you're not 100% sure of what they're already doing. So it's a lot easier to kind of ask people you know well, where are you at now and what are you doing, and then let's pick that up from here, versus go do this when you may not know just where they are. For that reason too, because it's a lot easier to give people advice, I think and advice can be extremely helpful than it is to tell somebody collectively what to do. So, if I made my point, I really like questions. This question was about intermittent fasting and I've talked about it before and, who knows, I may have even answered it to this person before this same question, but that is okay because it's a good question. And basically they were saying Does it work? So let me give you what I know about all of this. There is nothing really new under the sun when it comes to these things, and the same is true for intermittent fasting. Now people are doing it for spiritual reasons, like if they're fasting for spiritual reasons, that's a whole nother matter and I can't answer whether that works or not. But if they're doing it because they feel like it really helps with fat loss, I can absolutely give you the facts on that. The answer is no.
Speaker 1:There is nothing magical about intermittent fasting in regards to losing weight. And for those that don't know, intermittent fasting is eating only for certain hours throughout the day. It's typically like a six hour eating window and then the rest of the day you don't eat. So a lot of people will not eat until, say, 10 o'clock in the morning and then they won't eat after two, something like that, and they live by that. Some people do it for a short period of time. I don't know anybody personally that's done it for a long period of time, but there are people that claim to only eat that way, and to them and to you, if that's the case, I say more power to you.
Speaker 1:There's nothing wrong with it, unless you have blood sugar issues. And then there is because we don't want our blood sugar to drop. That's usually the bigger problem I see with people and their eating is they simply are not really paying attention to their blood sugar cues and they think they're hungry. In reality they're having low blood sugar. So in kind of a way they're hungry but you know, not really that's more appetite, but their blood sugar is low and that is typically not a good thing.
Speaker 1:So if you have an issue with that, if you're diabetic, if you're pre-diabetic or if you're hypoglycemic, I don't recommend any type of fasting. If you are athletic and do a lot of training, I don't recommend intermittent fasting. If you are a chronic gym goer, meaning you, you know, you maybe don't identify as an athlete or into a lot of that stuff, but you go to the gym a lot I don't recommend intermittent fasting. So the thing with it is regarding weight loss, there is just no way around the fact that energy in has to be less than energy out. If you only consumed one meal a day but it was less than what you need to lose weight, you're going to lose weight. If you ate 10 times a day but you ate the amount you ate less than the amount that you need, you are going to lose weight. There is just no way around it. There's no meal structure or any of that that's going to impact that. Now, in both of those conditions, as I already said, there are reasons to do that or not to do that. Like you will still lose weight if you ate one time a day, but you also may suffer from some hypoglycemia and you may not have the energy to do the things that you want to do at the particular time of day, or you may not feel like you have the energy and again, I already gave the medical implications if you are doing that. So there are reasons why we shouldn't eat too infrequently and maybe frequently if your digestive system can't keep up with it. But as far as weight loss goes, it's as simple as energy in has to be less than energy out.
Speaker 1:Now this intermittent fasting is nothing new. I mean, there's been plenty of times in decades past where people just called it fasting, or they're going to skip breakfast, or they're going to skip dinner. I mean, look, there are psychological tricks that work with this and if it works for somebody, that's why it's working. It's psychological. So if that's the case, then it is technically working. So in other words, if you tell yourself you're only into intermittent fasting but for some reason it's keeping you from eating less, which may be the case because a lot of people do their extra eating after dinner or in the evening. So if you have a hard and fast rule that says you don't eat after two o'clock, that might curb that. But it's not due to the physiological reasons, it's due to the fact that you are taming your appetite to eat after dinner. So if it works for that reason, again, more power to you. Just understand there's nothing physiological about doing it that is making you lose more fat and it can be counterproductive.
Speaker 1:If you are having your blood sugar lower, like I know for me, if you are having your blood sugar lower, like I know for me, I can't go say more than I mean I can. It's just not going to be pleasant for me or probably those around me. If I go say more than three hours without eating something and that's because of my blood sugar, my blood sugar will begin to drop and I will feel it and I will get moody. I mean this goes back to when I was a kid. I can remember being a kid or a teenager and you know I thought everything was normal and fine and my mom would say when's the last time you ate something? And I don't know. Obviously it would be you know longer than the answer she wanted. But you know she would send say your mood is horrific and clearly your blood sugar is low and you need to eat something. I mean I got some great valuable lessons from her at those days and she was also the one that teach me to keep a little bit of peanut butter around, because it was really good for hypoglycemia, because it was really good for hypoglycemia and I still utilize that today, because it does have a little bit of carbs in it and a little bit of protein, a little bit of fat. So anyway, you know it will affect our mood if we're not eating frequently enough.
Speaker 1:And I don't know how many times a client has come to the gym and said they don't have the energy to work out. We ask them what time they last ate and they'll say, oh, like dinner last night and this is like midday. I mean they may not be doing intermittent fasting on purpose, but essentially that is what they are doing and you're just not going to have the energy. So when your blood sugar is up, blood sugar glucose is what your cells use for energy. Glucose is the only form of energy your brain can use. So when you are low on blood sugar, meaning the glucose that is flowing around in your system, you're going to get foggy brained and you're not going to feel like doing much of anything. Now it's also true if you flood your system with too much glucose at one time, your body's not going to be able to process that quick enough and you're going to have a massive spike and then you're going to feel a little bit down, almost like, you know, a little mini depression.
Speaker 1:So we have to balance out our glucose throughout the day if we want to maximize our wellness to the best of our ability. So I think we all have to understand blood sugar a lot more than we do and we have to like not call it being hungry not to be technical here. To like not call it being hungry, not to be technical here but really it takes days to really feel physiological hunger, meaning your body has enough storage to live on. But that doesn't take away from the fact that we do have to keep our blood sugar up. And I'm not saying do that, I'm just saying I'm a kind of a you know, a perfectionist when it comes to words. I hate when people use words that aren't correct. They'll say, oh, I'm hungry, and I'll make some sarcastic comment like well, you know, you haven't eaten in three days because that's the, you know the real physiological definition of hunger. And in reality I know what they meant and I'm just like picking on the words. But in any event, so it is blood sugar that we have to control.
Speaker 1:There is nothing magical about intermittent fasting, physiologically speaking. Potentially there are psychological benefits If it keeps you from overeating at night. More power to you, great. And then finally just maintain your blood sugar. I hope that helps you and anybody else. Please remember I like questions. I hope that helps you and anybody else. Please remember I like questions. I really really do. And they tell me you care about your fitness. All right, see you next time. Thank you for listening to today's program. I ask you to please follow the show wherever you get your podcasts and please select automatic download, because that really helps the show. Now I want to thank Overhead Door of Daytona Beach, the area's premier garage door company. They have the best product. They have the best service. I personally vouch for Jeff and Zach Hawk, the owners. They are great people with a great company. If you have any garage door needs, please give them a shout at 386-222-3165.
