Intermittent Fasting (IF) Part III

© 2020 Stephen Cherniske, M.Sc.

The KickStart Strategy

Here is an IF approach that works for just about everyone

1. Enjoy a high-quality dinner, but avoid dessert and eat nothing after 7:00 PM. If you experience a gnawing hunger that might interfere with sleep, have protein; some leftover fish from dinner, a small bowl of unsweetened yogurt, or a high-fiber, hi-protein snack, aiming for 10 grams of protein and at least 5 grams of fiber.
2. Unless your dinner contained a lot of starch, you are likely to run out of glycogen by 5:AM. Thus by the time you awaken at 6:00, you will already be in the fasted (fat-burning) state.
3. Have a glass of water.
4. Make a KickStart Super-Shake

Here are a few options

Super-Shake # 1

In a shaker bottle, combine:

* 10-12 oz water

* 1 Tablespoon (15 mL) MCT oil – Medium Chain Triglycerides

* 1 Tablespoon liquid L-Carnitine

* 1 Tablespoon powdered Maca

* 1 heaping tablespoon of whey protein isolate, rice, soy, pea or hemp protein.

* 1 Tablespoon acacia fiber

* Optional:

300 mg powdered Cissus quadrangularis

1 Tablespoon D-Ribose

Super-shake # 2

In a shaker bottle, combine:

* One heaping Tbsp CollaMacaVera™ available at My2048.com or TheHealthySkeptics.com. This contains 8g of hydrolyzed    collagen peptides, 3g Organic Peruvian Maca and 250 mg of     200:1 aloe concentrate; equivalent to 2 oz aloe juice.

* I Tbsp MCT oil

* A cup of coffee

* Optional: 1/2 cup of milk or soymilk.

NOTE: You can use a shaker bottle with a wire ball, but we highly recommend a stick mixer or blender. We use our Cuisinart stick blender multiple times each day.

5. Perform some moderate-intensity exercise for 30 to 40 minutes. Brisk walking is fine. This accelerates ketone production, which in turn will suppress your appetite. In fact, you will be surprised at how your desire for food disappears.
6. If you are used to having coffee or tea in the morning, brew yourself a cup, but make it either unsweetened or use a small amount of stevia or xylitol.
7. Late morning, you may start feeling hungry. If so, have a green drink; either freshly juiced greens or one of the powders that are available in health food stores. Just make sure the powdered product has no sweeteners or maltodextrin, is organic and has a net carb value (Total Carbohydrate minus Dietary Fiber) no more than 2 grams per serving.
8. Have a high-quality lunch at 2:00.

Congratulations! You just fasted for 19 hours, and you were burning fat for about 9. That will help to maximize energy metabolism in five important ways. You:

1. 1. Reduced caloric intake without the torture of Calorie Restriction
2. Burned fat and generated ketones
3. Depleted and restored glycogen to improve metabolic fitness
4. Reduced insulin, glucose and glucose “spikes.”
5. Activated mitochondrial biogenesis, meaning that the elevated ketones signaled your muscle cells to increase the number and density of energy-producing mitochondria.

KickStart FAQ’s

1. How many times a week should I practice the KickStart strategy?

Answer: We recommend one to three times a week. Many people find that they look forward to their KickStart days because they are more calm (love those ketones) and have better energy and mental clarity. Plus the Super Drink accelerates muscle gain, strength and stamina, all of which feeds back exciting information to your genome.

2. Why only a rounded Tbsp of protein in the KickStart Super Shake? Isn’t more protein better?

Answer: Unless you weigh more than 200 pounds, a rounded Tbsp (yielding 10 to 15 g of protein) is all you need. Remember that too much protein can halt ketosis because the liver will convert some of the excess protein to glucose.

3. Is the KickStart strategy safe for diabetics?

Answer: Diabetics should always check with their physician before making changes in diet and exercise. In Natalie’s clinical experience, the KickStart strategy can work quite well for those with Type 2 diabetes, especially those who are overweight. Type 2 diabetics should test their blood sugar upon arising, 20 minutes after exercise, mid-morning and 20 minutes after lunch. You’re watching for hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in the first three readings and a possible spike in blood sugar after lunch.

4. What if I’m on a prescribed medication that I take every morning, like thyroid hormones?

Answer: Don’t ever stop taking a medication prescribed by your physician. If you find that taking your meds on an empty stomach produces discomfort, ask your doctor if you can take them later in the day or take them with the KickStart Super Drink, which contains protein.

5. What if I still have carb cravings?

Answer:  The Kickstart program generally abolishes carb cravings within a few weeks. But if this continues to be a problem, I recommend:

1. Increasing protein intake
2. Supplement with 5,000 mcg Biotin (available at health food stores) one or two times a day with meals. Biotin is very genoactive, producing multiple metabolic benefits related to glucose balance and the utilization of triglycerides to create energy.[i]
3. Important: Most of the time, carb cravings hit late in the day as serotonin levels start to fall. A nutritional supplement known as 5-Hydroxytryptophan or 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin. 5-HTP also helps with sleep, so the best time to take it is after 5PM. Start with 100 mg, and double that if you’re still having trouble walking past that loaf of sourdough bread.

Summary

1. Human history is filled with periods of scarcity and famine. Thus, we developed effective biochemical strategies for storing energy. Beyond the accumulation of fat, the liver and muscles store glycogen.
2. Hardly anyone today utilizes these survival strategies. In modern industrialized nations, people generally eat more calories than they need, 365 days a year.
3. But what if activating energy storage pathways produced remarkable metabolic benefits? What if this is an essential component of human physiology?
4. That appears to be the case. We now know that activating energy storage pathways (glycogen and fatty acid oxidation)
5. Improves energy production at the cell level
6. Reduces inflammation and oxidative stress
7. Improves insulin sensitivity
8. Restores glucose balance
9. Reduces risk for cardiovascular disease
10. Supports immune system
11. Protects beta cells of the pancreas, thus helping to maintain optimal pancreatic function.
12. Reduces stress on the brain and central nervous system. Some evidence that this may reduce risk for neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
13. This can be achieved by the practice known as calorie restriction (CR), which is arduous, possibly dangerous and nearly impossible to follow.
14. KickStart is a simple strategy aimed at achieving many of the same benefits, that can be easily be incorporated into one’s life.

[i] Larrieta E, Velasco F, Vital P, López-Aceves T, Lazo-de-la-Vega-Monroy ML, Rojas A, Fernandez-Mejia C. Pharmacological concentrations of biotin reduce serum triglycerides and the expression of lipogenic genes. [i] Eur J Pharmacol. 2010 Oct 10;644(1-3):263-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2010.07.009.

 

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