Reset Glucose: Fill & Download for Free

Good question.First, lets clear the deck about what intermittent fasting (IF) actually is.Eating two full meals a day won’t “cause” intermittent fasting. Fasting is simply a planned period of time that you go without eating. It’s within your control, and has been part of human culture since the dawn of mankind.Eating two full meals a day will break your fast (and thus kick you out of a fasting state), but can be a sound strategy to use in combination with fasting.I’ll explain this more in a second, and then touch on the second part of your question about insulin sensitivity.A diet multiplierI like to think of IF as a “diet multiplier”.Basically, what this means is that you can use it maximize the effects of any diet—regarding of the foods you’re eating. See, fasting is about subtraction, not addition. Where most diets say “eat more of this, and less of this”, fasting simply says “reduce the amount of time you spend eating”.Insulin sensitivitySpeaking of not eating this seems like a good time to transition to the second part of your question—insulin sensitivity.First, lets quickly look at how the body stores energy, and then we’ll take a peek at how fasting helps improve insulin sensitivity.What happens when we eatIn the simplest sense food is merely fuel for the body. That’s it. With this basic framework in mind eating really only serves two physiologic purposes:supply the body will immediate, short-term energysupply the body with excess energy that it can store for later useHow does the body store energy?Insulin, my friend. Insulin. This is the main player involved in making food readily available to be used, or storing it away as body fat. When you eat carbohydrates they quickly get broken down into simple sugar molecule called glucose. This causes a rise in blood sugar levels.The hormone insulin allows glucose to move directly into most cells in the body, to be used for immediate energy.But lets say that you’ve eaten enough and your body doesn’t need any more energy right now (glucose), but yet you continue to eat. What happens to the extra glucose molecules that are being created?Glucose molecules can be linked together into long chains called Glycogen. These long chains get stored in the liver for future use. However, the liver can only store about 24–36 hours worth of glycogen. Once it reaches capacity, insulin the body begins to convert any remaining glucose into fat. This process is known as “de novo lipogenesis” or, making new fat.While the liver has limited storage capacity, our bodies do not. For better, or for worse, humans can store body fat in unlimited quantities.When you eat food →your blood sugar levels increase→this triggers an increase in insulin → insulin helps breakdown food for for immediate energy → insulin helps store excess energy for later use(either as glycogen or body fat)A fun analogy to help add clarityOk, to help put this into context we can all understand lets assume you’re at Disney World (or any other large amusement park) on a very crowded day. Probably a Saturday.And, since you’re at the amusement park you’re really excited to ride the biggest roller coaster they have.Think of glucose as using a fast-pass at Disney World to skip right to the front of the line. It provides immediate access to the roller coaster, but is limited to a very small number of people.Once the roller coaster is filled with the people using the fast pass, everyone else has to wait outside in a long line. Think of glycogen as waiting in a long line to ride the roller coaster. You’ll still be able to ride, but it will just take longer to get there.For this example lets pretend that the line for the roller coaster gets too long, and the park officials make everyone else wait in the parking lot. Well, the parking lot at Disney World is gigantic and can hold a huge number of people. Because the line to the roller coaster is all backed up, continuing to add more and more people to the parking lot is exactly how the body continues to add more and more fat when there is too much glucose.So, to recap our analogy:Glucose → People using the fast pass at Disney World. Limited to a very small numberGlycogen → The long lines of people outside the roller coaster, waiting to get onBody fat → More and more people waiting in the parking lot to ride the roller coaster, because the fast pass and outside lines are fullWhat happens when you fast?Well… the opposite of what happens when you eat. Kind of makes sense, right?Remember, fasting is going for periods of time without eating. These periods of time are under your control but can last from 12–16 hours up to many days or even months.When you don’t eat (due to fasting), here’s what happens:Insulin levels drop → alerts the body to start burning its stored energyFirst, the body breaks down the stored glycogen, in the liver, to glucose. This happens first because it’s a more easily accessible fuel source than accessing body fatHowever, stored glycogen can only provide energy for 24–36 hours. After that, these stores are usually depletedOnce the glycogen stores are depleted, the body starts converting body fat into usable energy. Using stored fat for energy is also known as Ketosis, or “keto”.When you fast and stopping constantly elevating your insulin levels, you give your body a chance increase insulin sensitivity.Insulin sensitivity = how effective your body is at using glucose. When your insulin sensitivity drops (due to constant eating) this is when you start to run into problems such as obesity or type 2 diabetes.No food coming in = a drop in insulin = improved insulin sensitivity = your body becomes more efficient at using glucose again.An analogy to add clarityThink of insulin sensitivity as caffeine dependence. If you drink a full pot of coffee every single day, over time your body becomes used to the caffeine. Thus it requires more and more of it to have the same effect.When you stop drinking caffeine for a while, your tolerance goes back down. After a time of no caffeine drinking 1 or 2 cups will be all you need to jolt yourself back to life in the morning.Insulin sensitivity is the same way.When you stop constantly eating food for a while (sounds like fasting to me) you give you body a chance to reset you insulin tolerance.This is obviously an oversimplified example, but I think you see you where I’m going with this.In plain English nowOk, I realize that talking Science can make your brain smoke if you’re not down with that lingo. To make sure I answered appropriately answered your questions, please allow me to recap these answers in plain English:Yes, the positive effects of intermittent fasting are well documented by science. Below is just one of many, many studies you can start to sink your teeth into about IF.Effects of intermittent fasting on health markers in those with type 2 diabetes: A pilot studyEating two full meals per day doesn’t “cause” intermittent fasting. Going without eating food for a period of time is how you fast.Eating food causes your insulin levels to rise. Yes, all foods have some effect on insulin. However, fasting does not cause an increase in insulin whatsoever. So, if you want to improve your insulin sensitivity over time, utilizing a fasting protocol is a phenomenal way to do this.For a great resource that takes a much deeper dive into this whole world, checkout “The Complete Guide To Fasting” by: Dr. Fung and Jimmy Moore.I hope this answer is helpful.Thanks for reading.Other Quora answers of mine you might enjoyTom Coffey's answer to What are the pros and cons of intermittent fasting?Tom Coffey's answer to What are the biggest mistakes while on Intermittent Fasting?Tom Coffey's answer to What will happen if I don't eat carbs for 3 weeks?

It's do-able. Some people love it and some people hate it. Personally, I find that nutritional ketosis is almost ideal for me, whereas "normal" eating with lots of carbs in my diet leads to feelings of non-satiety, drowsiness, mood swings, insulin spikes, bloating, and sometimes nausea.A ketogenic diet consists of 70-80% calories from fat, 15-25% calories from protein, and 0-5% calories from net carbohydrates (carbs).You must restrict your daily net carbs to 20-40g daily.(total grams carbs) - (grams fiber) = (net grams carbs)Your transition period depends on a few factors: how strictly you limit your carbohydrate intake, how much energy you expend day-to-day, and how much energy in the form of glucose and glycogen you have stored in your body currently. My transition period takes 3 days.Day 1: This is an easy day. Your blood is still filled with circulating glucose, and any deficit will be taken from the glycogen in your liver to be converted to glucose. You may feel hunger pangs by the afternoon, and a small dip in insulin, which will feel normal to you because this is what happens every day on a normal diet and you are used to it.Day 2: This is an easy day, too. Your body is happily pulling glycogen from your liver, converting it to glucose, and all is well. Any small amount of carbs that you consume are burned away, nothing is being stored. You may feel the typical afternoon slowdown and hunger, as on day 1.Day 3: Hard day. Your body has been (or is nearly) depleted of glucose and glycogen. The small amount of carbs that you consume are not enough to fuel your brain. You have a feeling of satiety from all the fat you are consuming, but you may feel achy, have headaches, and feel sluggish. Your body is alerting you to the lack of glucose and glycogen. It will turn to your fat stores shortly, and begin using ketones for its fuel. You have to make it through this day, otherwise you will "relapse" and never achieve ketosis.Day 4: KETOSIS! Congratulations. The fat you consume will continue to impart feelings of satiety. Feelings of hunger will diminish significantly. When you are hungry, you will not feel "hunger panic". Your energy levels will be the same throughout the day, because your body has a huge reservoir of fat (hips, thighs, belly, etc) from which to pull ketones, and therefore your insulin will remain level without any spikes. Any aches, headaches, sluggishness, etc, should dissipate completely.NOTE: You must drink huge amounts of water from now until the day you die (or stop being in ketosis). There is a scientific reason. Normally, when glucose is converted to glycogen in the liver it will bond with water molecules resulting in a generally more "hydrated" body. However, fat does not bond with water, which means when you are in a state of ketosis your body will not be retaining water the same way and your body will be less hydrated. YOU NEED WATER for all of the processes in your body, including breaking down fat molecules into their usable and discarded parts. Do not undermine all of your efforts by drinking too little water. Shoot for 90-100 oz per day.CHALLENGES: The hardest part (for me) is limiting my protein consumption. Our bodies can turn protein into glucose through a process known as gluconeogenesis. So eating excess protein would impact the body's ability to consistently create ketone bodies because "glucose" would still be readily available. Fluctuating between glucose production and ketosis simply extends your "Day 3" experience indefinitely. No thanks!Eating out can be tricky, but simply plan ahead. Restrict your carbs aggressively throughout the day to accommodate unexpected carbs at the restaurant. Select items high in fat (of course), and don't be afraid to add fat to achieve the ratio you want. For example, extra aioli with your calamari instead of marinara sauce. Extra blue chees dressing on your hot wings. More dressing on your salad, with a side of avocado.And that's what it's like!EDIT: I'd like to add some comments on a few answers on this page.Jan Kulp - your assertion is mostly correct; developing ketoacidosis from a ketogenic diet is virtually a non-concern for most people, unless someone suffers from type 1 diabetes (or another condition that restricts the production of insulin). In those special cases, a ketogenic diet will produce ketoacidosis. For everyone else, it's a no.User - there are documented studies that discredit a lot of what you are saying. Ketosis can be an effective treatment for epilepsy in children, but it is gaining more recognition for its ability to correct metabolic syndrome by addressing insulin resistance (and "resetting" insulin sensitivity), favorably impacting cholesterol levels, favorably affecting obesity and in particular the effect it has on the body's lean mass and fat mass. For a recent article: New York Times Article: A Call for a Low-Carb Diet.Soumyajit Das - I suspect you were skirting nutritional ketosis but not actually in ketosis. You were probably experiencing Day 3 as described above; too many carbs to effectively enter ketosis, too few to happily satisfy your brain. Additionally, too low water consumption could have been an additional factor. But it sounds like the biggest culprit was consuming 150g carbs daily. Losing your appetite is normal, because consuming fat creates the sensation of satiety. The rest of your symptoms could have been alleviated by transitioning fully and drinking tons of water.

Weight loss. I did a 28-day fast and lost about 50lbs. I’m a husky man who is 6′0″. Mesomorph body type but athletic, like a linebacker, Of course it wasn’t pure body fat. I went from 256lb all the way down to 208lb. 12lbs of this I gained back was strictly water, within two weeks of breaking the fast. I wasn’t dehydrated, either. I was drinking water constantly as long as my stomach wasn’t jumpy, which starts happening in the fourth week for me. And I know it was water because during the two-week refeed, I ate nothing but vegetables and low-glycemic fruit like watermelon in small amounts. I probably didn’t eat 3500 calories total that whole two-week refeed so there is no way I gained any fat. So yes, 36lbs was fat and yes, some muscle. I’d say about 32lbs of fat and 4lbs of muscle. And 4lbs of muscle is not insignificant. You feel weak, and depending on your age it’s some work to get it back.Mega doses of HGH. Your HGH goes through the roof during a fast. HGH is the fountain of youth, and your system is being bathed in it. All kind of stuff is getting repaired internally.Arteries being cleansed. My blood pressure was excellent after the fast.Any fledgling cancer cells are starved, and die. Cancer cells need glucose. There is no glucose, so bye-bye cancer cells. Especially if its an early-stage cancer that you’re not aware.Taste buds reset. A fresh, crispy cucumber slice is like a slice of heaven. You eat a piece of juicy, fresh, watermelon and you are befuddled that something this healthy can be this delicious.Some weird pains and aches disappear. This is different for everyone.Now for the negatives.1. You are weak, like you have a case of the flu. You don’t really have flu symptoms, but your energy is down.2. Your tongue tastes horrible after three days due to the detox. Brush your teeth, scrape your tongue, and the horrible taste returns very soon regardless.3. No bowel movements after a few days. It took me five days after breaking the fast to finally have a bowel movement, underscoring how it important a proper, deliberate refeed is.4. As mentioned, the detox can intensify at certain times. Headaches, body aches, nausea, and light-headedness are some common ones.5. Obsession with food. When I’m doing a long fast I watch YouTube videos on cooking, and I watch the Food Network religiously. I can’t help it.6. You feel like a ghost. Eating is such an integral part of life that when you stop eating you almost don’t feel like part of life anymore. It’s like being stranded on a desert island psychically. You long to be back among the living (in this case, the people who eat every day). What gets you through is that you know you’re doing the most powerful healing modality ever created by nature. Medicine doesn't heal; the body heals.I’ll end with this: Your body uses more energy to digest and process food than you’ll ever realize. Especially SAD and Western, first-world diets. When that process is set aside, your body can address many, many issues with that newfound energy freed up. The worse you feel during period of detox means something is being cleansed and healed. Fasting is the closest thing to the mythical fountain of youth than man will ever have.