Kristen Mancinelli - Jump Start Ketosis: Intermittent Fasting for Burning Fat and Losing Weight

Jump Start

Ketosis

Intermittent Fasting
for Burning Fat
and Losing Weight

Kristen Mancinelli MS, RDN

Text copyright 2018 Kristen Mancinelli. Design and concept copyright 2018 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Published in the United States by:

Ulysses Press

P.O. Box 3440

Berkeley, CA 94703

www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61243-854-2

Acquisitions editor: Bridget Thoreson

Managing editor: Claire Chun

Editor: Shayna Keyles

Proofreader: Lauren Harrison

Cover design: Hannah Rohrs

Cover photo: Daxiao Productions/shutterstock.com

Distributed by Publishers Group West

IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This book has been written and published for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as medical advice or to be any form of medical treatment. You should always consult with your physician before altering or changing any aspect of your medical treatment. Do not stop or change any prescription medications without the guidance and advice of your physician. Any use of the information in this book is made on the readers good judgment and is the readers sole responsibility. This book is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition and is not a substitute for a physician. This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands or other products mentioned within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in ingredient lists and elsewhere in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The author and publisher encourage readers to patronize the quality brands mentioned in this book.

Contents

Introduction

In a world that seems so desperate for answers about how to get rid of fat, we seem determined to overlook the most obvious solution: spend some time not eating. In my professional experience as a dietitian, and my personal experience experimenting myself with weight loss strategies I recommend for clients, intermittent fasting is a very efficient way to lose weight. Its also very good for your health, and saves you a great deal of both money and time. If you can exercise, all the better. Fasting for weight loss makes so much sense that it seems almost unnecessary to write a whole book on the subject. And yet, youve probably heard these familiar adages:

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

If you skip a meal, your metabolism will slow down, and youll end up gaining weight.

If you dont eat every few hours, youll be very hungry, and youll overeat at your next meal.

You have to fuel your body (with carbs) before your workout or you wont have the energy to exercise.

If you dont eat every few hours, your blood sugar will drop, and youll become faint and weak.

Most of us actually believe that something bad will happen to our bodies if we fastprobably because we have absolutely zero experience with it. But fasting doesnt make you weak, tired, mentally cloudy, or any of the other things people worry about before they try it. Nor does it slow your metabolismactually, it does the opposite of all these things, for reasons well explore in great detail in the chapters ahead. Millions of people all over the world fast regularly as part of religious or cultural practices, and reap the benefits of improved physical health and emotional well-being.

But in our society, fasting is almost forbidden. The message we get again and again from nutrition authorities (not to mention every health and fitness magazine out there) is that the body needs small, frequent feedings throughout the day. Snacks are encouraged, and meals must never be skipped. As a result, we have literally convinced ourselves that we must eat all the time in order to avoid gaining weight. Does that really seem right to you? I find the idea absurd, and I think it has done a lot of harm to a lot of people. I suspect youre questioning it too, or else you wouldnt be ready to try intermittent fasting.

My goal in this book is to demonstrate to you that intermittent fasting is a very effective and safe way to lose weightand specifically to lose body fat while retaining muscle mass. I aim to put to rest any fear you may have that skipping meals is bad for your body or will cause you to gain weight instead of lose it. Ill guide you with practical advice on how to integrate intermittent fasting into your life, and tips to make your fast go smoothly. I hope to have you so convinced of the benefits of fasting and the ease with which you can practice it that you commit to trying your first 24-hour fast before you finish this book.

If youve been fasting for a while then you already know that most people start out thinking they couldnt possibly do it and end up loving it so much that it becomes a permanent part of their life. If you havent yet tried it and are worried about what it might be like (Wont I be hungry? Arent we supposed to eat six meals a day? Can this possibly be good for me?), dont worryby the end of the book youll have read the personal stories of people just like you. People who thought they would never be able to go a day without eating, and who now practice all different styles of intermittent fasting that work with their busy schedules and life commitmentsand keep them in the best physical shape of their adult lives. I believe you can start a fasting practice just as they did. If you are already a practiced intermittent faster and just want to expand your horizons, consider trying out a new fasting pattern while you read the book. With intermittent fasting, changing things up is encouraged!

In this book, you will also learn:

Why breakfast is not the most important meal of the day, and frequent snacking can be harmful.

How intermittent fasting enhances ketosis and ramps up the bodys fat burning machinery to help you lose unwanted fat.

How and when your body turns to stored food energy when youre fasting, and how to take advantage of that natural pattern to optimize your fast.

Why blood sugar doesnt drop precipitously when youre fasting, and how intermittent fasting can protect against or reverse diabetes.

Why fasting doesnt make you feel weak or lethargic, and why you can go to work, exercise, and do anything else while youre fasting.

Why intermittent fasting paired with exercise can improve your metabolic flexibility, prevent your metabolism from slowing, and accelerate fat loss.

What causes hunger, and how to manipulate your hunger signals to make your fast easier.

How to eat when its time to eat, whether you follow a ketogenic diet or not.

My Experience with Intermittent Fasting

I believe that by the end of this book, youll have some days of intermittent fasting under your belt and will wonder how it was possible that up until then, youd never gone a day without eating in your whole life. I believe it will happen to you, because it happened to me.

My first experience with intermittent fasting was in the summer of 2011. It was a deeply personal and (dare I say) transformative one, and I wont tell the whole story herethat will come later on in the book. For now, its enough to say that the experience taught me something profound about what people need, and what we convince ourselves we need. The fast made me feel powerful and gave me a sense of freedom that I hadnt known was possible.