Sign in Subscribe

Intermittent Fasting

Siim Land is a self-published bestselling author (Metabolic Autophagy, Stronger by Stress etc.), high-performance coach, and prodigy of biohacking. The topics he covers range from health and fitness to productivity and mindset.

“Intermittent fasting has been one of the most powerful strategies for improving my physical and cognitive health. I attribute a lot of my vitality and peak health to intermittent fasting, which I’ve been practicing for over 10 years.” – Siim Land

Overview

In this challenge you will learn what are the benefits of intermittent fasting and how to do it for better biomarkers, slowing down aging, and improving body composition.

Everyone can benefit from some aspects of time-restricted eating or intermittent fasting as it’s part and parcel of your body’s circadian biology and longevity pathways.

The objective is to make diet adherence easier, improve certain biomarkers, such as blood glucose, insulin, and blood pressure, as well as make the body more metabolically flexible.

The challenge is to stick to an intermittent fasting window of choice, whether that be 16/8, 20/4, or one meal a day.

At a minimum, it’s recommended to fast for at least 12-14 hours every day and eat within 10-12 hours. In practice, it means postponing breakfast by a few hours and having dinner a few hours earlier.

Foundations

Sparkling water, mineral water, or electrolytes are recommended to stay hydrated while fasting and to stave off hunger. Some bone broth or collagen peptides break the fast and prepare the gut to absorb calories again. A protein-rich meal of your choice is recommended as your first meal after breaking the fast. The best options for that include scrambled eggs, omelet, sardines, or whey protein powder together with some steamed vegetables and salad.

Instructions

  1. After waking up in the morning, drink some mineral water with electrolytes or sparkling water to hydrate yourself.
  2. Wait at least 90 minutes after waking up before consuming any coffee to allow your adenosine system to activate. This prevents crashing from the caffeine in the afternoon. Drinking tea is fine. When drinking coffee or tea, don’t add any calories like sugar or milk.
  3. Go for a short walk in the morning daylight to align your circadian rhythm.
  4. Wait around 2-3 hours after waking up before having your first meal. It’s best to break the fast with something small and easy to digest, such as scrambled eggs, omelet, or fish with some vegetables. You can also have a cup of bone broth to improve digestion.
  5. Begin your fast. No snacks, only water.
  6. The final meal of the day should be 3-4 hours before bed so as to improve sleep quality. Don’t eat heavy meals, spicy foods, sugary foods, or watery foods. Stick to leaner proteins, with some vegetables and healthy carbohydrates like potatoes or tubers.

Conclusion

The intermittent fasting challenge is a great way to teach your body to become more metabolically flexible, lose weight, and improve both physical and mental performance. Some aspects of time-restricted eating can have tremendous health benefits if done correctly and consistently.

You don’t need to fast progressively longer or make it harder on yourself. It’s also not a good thing to start eating more calories and gain weight when doing this challenge.