In this issue, we are going to take a look at something we keep seeing all over social media: people asking how they can get rid of those unwanted pounds they have put on during the pandemic.
As always, we are bringing you news on what we’re currently reading or watching. For our premium subscribers, in this issue’s Research Spotlight we are going to bring you news of a fascinating new study on how intermittent fasting can help lower blood pressure. But you will never guess the unusual mechanism behind this effect!
Plus our paid subscribers also get one of Ellen’s recipes each month and access to a live Q&A call. If you are a paid subscriber, we share Ellen’s easy-to-make Plant-Based Curry, which is not only delicious but loaded with nutrition.
The paid option also includes a monthly live Q&A call with Ellen and Denise held on the second Tuesday of each month at 12 Noon Eastern (9 AM Pacific) time. The next call is on Tuesday, June 8, 2021.
Looking for a supportive group that “gets” your interest in IF? Our free intermittent fasting Facebook group, with over 1800 members, is a wealth of info, in addition to our Fast Factor Circle membership. Just click the link here to become a member of our exclusive Fast Factor Circle Community. We would love to have you join us!
What is the IF Insider?
This email is your briefing on the most compelling developments in intermittent fasting as well as innovation in practices that can be stacked with IF, such as plant-based eating, sleep hacks, natural nootropics, brain training, and more, all curated by our team of entrepreneurs and 'future-think' scouts.
Our Mission is to introduce the power of Intermittent Fasting to entrepreneurs worldwide so they can exponentially improve their lives and businesses and the lives of the people they impact every day.
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Getting Rid Of Your Pandemic Weight Gain
You will probably not be surprised to hear that a lot of people put on weight during the pandemic. Maybe you are one of them. If not you, then you likely know friends or coworkers or family members who did pack on some unwanted pounds.
A March 2021 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at a small cohort of people who were under a shelter-in-place order and found the participants gained more than half a pound every ten days! If they continued their same behaviors in terms of eating and exercise and so forth over the course of a year, this easily translates into twenty extra pounds.
A lot of folks used the time during the pandemic to adopt more healthy behaviors, such as getting a Peleton bike and joining high-intensity riding groups, doing online exercise classes, and cooking healthier meals. But a substantial number of people found that the stress, isolation, and financial pressures brought about by the pandemic fueled unhealthy behaviors which included a lot of emotional eating, and sitting around watching movies on Netflix leading to weight gain.
So now people are looking for a fix, as things open up a bit and people are more confident about venturing out in the wake of the vaccine. Demand for programs and products that the “diet companies” are offering are skyrocketing as more and more people are looking for help.
Here at the Insider, we recognize that many of our readers already practice intermittent fasting but have still gained weight during the pandemic. In talking with some of our members, it seems that weight gain has been precipitated by eating more “comfort” foods that are not healthy, such as highly processed carbs, consumption of sugary drinks and the like, and also eating more than you normally would.
Add to this combination an increased level of stress, which has been shown to induce weight gain, and you have the perfect recipe for the addition of body fat, even if you have been fasting regularly. If you stopped fasting altogether due to the pressures of the pandemic, then you likely put on weight even quicker.
So what to do?
One - The first step is to recognize where you are. Have you weighed yourself since the pandemic started? Are your clothes getting tighter?
Two - If you have gained weight, please don’t beat yourself up about this, as you are not alone! We have all gone through a tremendously difficult time in the past year and weight gain is a natural consequence of the ways many of us have chosen to cope with our stress and anxiety over the situation.
Three - If you have stopped fasting, simply begin again. There is no failure here. You are just one clean fast away from getting back on track.
Four - Take a realistic, hard look at how much you have been eating and the quality of the foods you are consuming. A few days of calorie tracking can be eye-opening here.
Five - Get some support. Denise and I are hosting our next 10 Day Fasting Challenge coming up starting on Monday, May 24th, and going through June 4th.
Every day, for each of the two weeks total of the Challenge, you’ll get an email prompt with information, tips, and an easy to complete action item for that day.
Then three times a week for two weeks, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays of the Challenge, Denise and I will be LIVE in a private face-to-face Zoom call we’ve set up just for our Challenge participants….
To answer questions, give support, help you make tweaks to your fasting routine, and give you a place to go where you know you can get answers and accountability. We are dedicated to your success!
Plus, in between calls we will be active daily in our challenge Facebook group to answer questions.
So please consider joining us! Here is what just two of our previous participants have to say about their experiences with the Challenge:
“The results speak for themselves, and on top of the weight loss, the fasting has been the ONE thing in all of this that I feel like I have complete control over. And instead of using emotional eating to soothe feelings of uncertainty and anxiety, I am feeling physically at my very best. That means that I feel that my body is prepared to fight off whatever comes at it!”
~ Teresa Miller
“The 10 days were so filled with information, actionable steps, and community support I have continued on this path. This is the right time to have control over your life with your eating, and I not only feel more positive and focused, I also have more energy and I've lost 5% of my body weight and am lighter than I've been in over five years.” (Watch a short interview with Connie about her IF journey.)
~ Connie Ragen Green
And to update you on Connie’s success, she has gone on to lose over 100 pounds since she participated in her first IF Challenge in March 2020!
So join us…you’ll get the instruction and support you need, plus meet a whole community of like-minded people who are all on the same path.
Why It Matters
Taking back control over your life and health is one of the most important things you can do for yourself right now. It’s time!
“Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.”
~ Steve Maraboli - American best-selling author, speaker, coach, and decorated military veteran, Dr. Maraboli’s books include Unapologetically You and The Power of One.
What We Are Reading 📚
With each issue, we bring you a short blurb on what we are currently reading or watching, including books, articles, podcasts, videos, movies, and research papers of value.
Denise - Full Disclosure: I’m not much of a cook and I don’t adhere to a strictly plant-based diet (I eat a tiny bit of meat every once in a while). One of my goals since embracing the practice of IF has been to reduce my consumption of meat and increase consumption of whole grains, beans, and veggies. And on that note, I recommend a new cookbook by our colleague Felicia Slattery, Plant-Based Slow Cooker Cookbook: 100 Whole-Food Recipes Made Simple. The book is already getting rave reviews and a slow cooker is now on my Amazon list! Felicia also hosts an award-winning cooking show on YouTube.
Ellen - I am loving ClubHouse, the relatively new social media platform that is audio-only! The format takes me back to my teleseminar days, but the conversations are much less structured and you can find a Clubhouse “room” on just about any topic you desire. The company was iPhone only for their first year, but just in the past few days, they have brought Android users into the fold.
Just download the app and then request an invite from someone you know who is already on ClubHouse. If you don’t know anyone, post on Facebook that you are looking for an invite and it’s very likely someone will pop up who is willing to send you one.
Look for us to do some ClubHouse events very soon on the topic of intermittent fasting and more!
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