Fast This Way
My take on Dave Asprey's new book about fasting
Wellthy adjective - characterized by focusing on good habits to make it easier to make healthy choices to have a balanced, healthy life that includes enjoying simple pleasures without guilt.
To say that I am a fan of Dave Asprey would be an understatement. Dave is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, and known as the “Father of Biohacking.” He is perhaps most famous for creating the Bulletproof Diet, founding the Bulletproof line of products, and Bulletproof coffee.
Dave used to weigh 300 lbs, had arthritis in his knees, back pain, brain fog, and digestive issues. He had toxic mold poisoning as a child. He had a lab test in his mid 20’s that indicated he was at a very high risk of a stroke and/or heart attack. If anyone had a vested interest in losing weight, having more energy, living longer, and overall feeling better, it’s Dave. And he’s figured out how to do it in the most efficient ways. Dave calls fasting “the biohack with the greatest return on investment,” and his latest book is a deep dive on the topic: Fast This Way: Burn Fat, Health Inflammation, and Eat Like the High-Performing Human You Were Meant to Be
What is fasting?
Fasting means to go without. Many people associate the word fasting with food, but you can fast from virtually anything. You can also fast from certain kinds of food. A keto diet is fasting from carbs. A vegan diet is fasting from animal products.
Fasting die-hards insist that a water-only fast is the only true fast. Yes, you can do that, but it’s going to be painful and unpleasant. One of Dave's points is that fasting does not have to be painful or unpleasant.
What if the myths we’ve heard about fasting are wrong?
What if it were easy to skip a meal or two?
What if you could eat and fast at the same time and have a better fast as a result?
What if fasting could make you both physically and mentally stronger?
What if you could have more energy and focus without eating?
Dave advocates the method known as intermittent fasting. The basic principle is that you toggle between short periods of doing without and periods of returning to your baseline behavior.
Fasting does not have to mean suffering. Fasting does not mean you have to eliminate something from your life completely and forever. One person’s way of fasting may work for them and not you. The beauty of the book Fast This Way is that it provides many hacks and tools to teach you how to fast YOUR way. But why fast anyway? What’s so great about it?
Benefits of fasting
Makes your body burn fat for fuel (ketosis)
Helps your gut heal itself
Triggers autophagy (self-cleaning) and detoxification processes
Reduces your risk of almost every chronic disease
Reduces your risk of type 2 diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity
Slows aging from oxidative stress
Reduces inflammation
Improves your relationship with food
I’m currently wearing a continuous glucose monitor, and it’s obvious how well fasting lowers my glucose. Another benefit I’ve experienced is recognizing my body’s signals. If I feel hungry, is that true hunger or just a craving? What’s the difference?
Hunger is gentle. Cravings are strong.
Many cravings are triggered by eating the wrong foods. We all know this about sugar, but it also happens with other foods like grains that contain gluten. In The Bulletproof Diet, Dave explained that gluten-containing grains break down in the gut into opioid compounds called gluteomorphins that trigger the same receptors in your brain as opiate drugs like heroin! Remember that the next time you can’t stop reaching for another piece (or loaf) of garlic bread.
Dave says that fasting is the single biggest return on investment that you can do. You’re spending less money on food. You’re not spending time and energy to make meals. You’ll have more energy than if you ate what you normally eat. Your stress levels go down over time. As a bonus, when we feel less anxious and more nourished, it makes us nicer to each other.
Did you know that about 15% of the average person’s thoughts are about their next meal? Imagine what you could do with that 15% of brainpower if you weren’t fixated on food!
“I love you like a fat kid love cake.” —50 Cent
I, too, used to weigh close to 300 pounds. I tried all kinds of diets, and I would lose weight and end up gaining it back and more. Why does this happen? Here is a simple explanation.
Let’s say Boyd weighs 200 pounds. Through dieting (reducing calories) and exercise, Boyd loses 25 pounds. Hooray for Boyd. Here’s the problem. There is a hormone called ghrelin that scientists call the “hunger hormone” because it stimulates appetite. Boyd's problem is that even though he now weighs 175 pounds, his ghrelin and other hormones that stimulate appetite are still set at 200 pounds. Guess who’s going to win that battle? Sorry Boyd, but it’s biology. So how do you reset your hunger hormones to your new weight so that your appetite doesn’t drive you to gain it all back and then some? One word—ketones.
Your body uses glucose as the primary fuel source. When all the glucose is used up, the body converts fat into smaller molecules called ketones. When you have ketones circulating through your body at a certain level, it’s called ketosis. This means your body is literally burning fat as its primary fuel source.
So, what’s an easy way to get ketones? My favorite biohack of all time: Bulletproof coffee. Caffeine doubles your ketone production, and if you add medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, you boost ketones even more. I’ve been drinking Bulletproof coffee (instead of eating breakfast) regularly for almost four years. It is a powerful tool that I’m using to keep type 2 diabetes in remission. I wrote a full summary including all the gear I use for Bulletproof coffee in a previous newsletter.
Some of you might be thinking, “Who needs a book on fasting? It’s simple. Just don’t eat!” Well, there’s a LOT more to it. I am on Chapter 4 of 10 of Fast This Way, and I have already learned some techniques that I started using immediately. For example, one supplement that can ease the discomfort associated with losing fat (and the toxins stored in fat) is activated charcoal.
Look, I’ve read many of Dave’s other books. They are packed full of research and science but may not be the easiest reads for people who aren’t die-hard biohackers. Fast This Way is by far the easiest of Dave’s books to read, and for that reason, it might be his most influential book.
Here’s something else I learned from Fast This Way. A steady-state is not very good for you. Always doing the same thing means the body knows what to expect, reducing the body’s resilience over time. Treat fasting like exercise. You don’t want to do the same exercise routine every day. The body will get used to it just like my cat Chewy got used to treats at bedtime no matter how many times I tell her, “You’ll get uuuuuused to it!”
Decision time
Are you ready to have more energy? Maybe lose a few pounds? Get rid of the brain fog so you can concentrate and focus? Overall feel better and wellthy?
Make a decision right now. Not later. Don’t take time and “think about it.” Choose to take one small action to learn more and begin incorporating intermittent fasting into your life.
To start, you can buy Fast This Way. Note: These are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The book was released on January 19, 2021, and debuted at #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list and #1 in Weight loss/Diet/Nutrition books on Amazon.
Dave also created a free course called the 14-Day Fasting Challenge with daily videos and a private Facebook group for purchasers of the book. You can sign up for that here.
Not ready for that level of commitment? That’s okay. Here are some free resources.
Bulletproof Radio Episode #782 - Lara Logan interviews Dave about the new book. (Yes, I’m creeped out by that pic of Dave too. Don’t let that stop you.)
There is a one-page cheat sheet for the Bulletproof Diet that summarizes the best foods to eat in various categories, including beverages, oil and fats, protein, fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and sweeteners. There is also a fasting roadmap that providers ideal times for eating, examples of fasting schedules, 3 fasting hacks to reduce cravings, plant toxins to avoid, and supplements to take while fasting. The Complete Bulletproof Diet and Fasting Roadmap
Fasting is not a new concept. What’s new are the science-based hacks and techniques that make fasting easier and maximize the benefits. Intermittent fasting is definitely a tool I will continue to use on the path to be wellthy.
What is one thing you are willing to fast from for one day?
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