Dangers of Intermittent Fasting and The High Fat Keto Diet

In this podcast, the ‘Dangers of Intermittent Fasting and The High Fat Keto Diet‘, Aisling and Maebh talk about intermittent fasting and the high fat keto diet and in particular, why they are not recommended for anyone looking to lose weight. The results are only short term and the overall effects are negative.

Maebh starts by pointing out that the attraction of these extreme diets is that they appeal to the quick-fix desire that exists in most people: I want to lose weight and I want to lose it now.

Maebh adds that here at Motivation we do not prescribe or follow any quick-fix solutions because they do not work. This isn’t just a Motivation point of view, our viewpoint in the shortcoming of these quick fix / extreme diets is proven from research from across the world; research that clearly demonstrates the ineffectiveness of these diets in maintaining weight loss in the long-term.

Intermittent fasting

With regard to intermittent fasting, our bodies are not designed to fast. We are not designed to go long stretches of the day without eating or taking nourishment.

A great way of visualising this is to think of our metabolism as a fire that must never go out. Here at Motivation we believe in continually stoking that fire to keep it burning.

On top of this there is the hunger that you must endure. This is counterintuitive to how our bodies work. We need energy to function, to carry our commitments at work, at home or wherever. How can you be expected to be functioning properly if you are denying your body the fuel it requires to maintain its core functions.

There is any number of different intermittent fasting regimes. Some skip breakfast, some skip lunch, some skip dinner, some skip all meals for a day or two. The Snickers ad hits the nail on the head but for all the wrong reasons. If you do not feed the body you will suffer from hypoglycaemia and you will, as sure as night follows day, crave sugary foods – cue Joan Colins.

Protein is like petrol or the fuel on the fire. Deny your body the core and primary fuel and the fire will fade and lack the heat to keep you going.

Food is energy.

Food is fuel.

This is an undeniable fact and yet there are proponents of intermittent fasting that promote and advocate for these extreme, quick-fix and ultimately ineffective regimes.

High Fat Keto Diet

At Motivation we recommend a ketogenic diet but is must be stressed that our ketogenic diet is not to be confused with the high fat keto diet, a diet we do not approve of. The high fat keto diet is reliant on really high saturated fat-rich foods.

What’s alarming is that so many people will stick to this extreme diet without first consulting with a healthcare professional.

The high fat keto diet was made popular by professional cyclists that follow this regime not to lose weight but to maintain their body weight and build energy reserves that they can draw upon to deal with the excruciating pain and physical demands of races such as the Tour de France or the Giro d’Italia or any of the one-day gruelling criterion races during their racing year.

The high fat keto diet is another extreme and highly restrictive diet and we do not recommend it.

Maebh puts it succinctly when she says, “the high fat keto diet is a disordered way of eating.”

With close on 25 years in business, the Motivation ketogenic plan is scientifically proven to be healthy, sustainable and highly effective for weight loss in the long-term.

List to the ‘Dangers of Intermittent Fasting and The High Fat Keto Diet’ 13-minute podcast below.

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