Last Updated on March 1, 2023 by Lori Geurin
When I started intermittent fasting (IF), I was looking for a way to improve my health. I read about the many benefits of fasting and decided to try it. I was amazed at how quickly I began to see results. After I started fasting, my energy levels increased, and my cravings and hypoglycemia subsided. In addition, I dropped more than 30 pounds.
But what I really noticed was how much better I felt. The constant pain I’d been experiencing for years due to a debilitating illness slowly began to disappear. My digestion improved. I even began to sleep better. I’m not saying that fasting is a miracle cure-all, but for me, it has made a huge difference in my health and well-being. And I’m not the only one who feels this way.
You’re not alone if you’re wondering whether IF would be a good fit for you. IF has been a popular trend and a source of heated debate for several years (though it’s been around for ages). In this blog post, you’ll discover what some of the world’s top intermittent fasting experts love most about fasting.
But first, a quick review…
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What Is Intermittent Fasting?
IF can be confusing at first glance. But if you break it down, it’s simply a practice that alternates between periods of fasting and eating. There are many different ways to do intermittent fasting, so it can be tailored to fit your individual needs and lifestyle.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
According to research, IF offers a number of health benefits, including:
- Weight loss and belly fat loss[*]
- Reduced inflammation[*]
- Improved blood sugar levels[*]
- Increased mental clarity and memory[*]
- Increased human growth hormone[*]
Next, find out what the fasting experts had to say!
The Best Things About Intermittent Fasting From 10 Experts in the Field
I decided to reach out to some of my favorite fasting experts and compile a collection of their replies for you.
I contacted several of the world’s most influential figures in fasting – including best-selling authors, TED Talk presenters, health coaches, physicians, dieticians, fellow Intermittent Fasting Summit speakers, and more. Here’s what they had to say.
1. Dr. Will Cole
“My favorite thing about intermittent fasting is that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach. As I talk about in my book Intuitive Fasting, the practice of fasting doesn’t have to look the same for each person and can be flexible depending on your specific needs on a certain day or week while still reaping the amazing health benefits such as lowered inflammation, fat burning, restored energy, and enhanced cognitive function.”
Dr. Will Cole is a leading functional-medicine expert who consults people around the world via webcam and locally in Pittsburgh. Named one of the top 50 functional-medicine and integrative doctors in the nation, Dr.Cole specializes in clinically investigating underlying factors of chronic disease and customizing a functional medicine approach for thyroid issues, autoimmune conditions, hormonal imbalances, digestive disorders, and brain problems.
He is the bestselling author of Ketotarian, The Inflammation Spectrum, and the New York Times Bestseller Intuitive Fasting in which he shows how to use the powerful benefits of flexible intermittent fasting to gain metabolic flexibility and find food peace.
Dr. Cole is the host of the new podcast The Art of Being Well, and has co-hosted the popular podcasts goopfellas podcast and Keto Talk.
RELATED: 42 Powerful Fasting Quotes To Spark Your Motivation
2. Gin Stephens
“My favorite thing about IF is the freedom this lifestyle brings. I was a yo-yo dieter for decades, but IF has allowed me to lose over 80 pounds and maintain the loss for over 6 years now, even as I have gone through menopause. No more yo-yoing, and no more stress. I am free to enjoy delicious foods every day in my eating window, with nothing to count except for time. “
Gin Stephens is the author of the NY Times and USA Today bestseller Fast. Feast. Repeat., and Delay, Don’t Deny: Living an Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle, an Amazon #1 best seller in the weight loss category, as well as Clean(ish): Eat (Mostly) Clean, Live (Mainly) Clean, and Unlock Your Body’s Natural Ability to Self-Clean (2022). Gin has lived the intermittent fasting lifestyle since 2014, losing over 80 pounds, and is the host of 3 top-ranked podcasts: Intermittent Fasting Stories, The Intermittent Fasting Podcast (w/Melanie Avalon), and the Life Lessons podcast (w/Sheri Bullock). You can find her and join her community at ginstephens.com.
RELATED: Intermittent Fasting Plateau: 9 Tips To Boost Your Weight Loss
3. Chantel Ray
“I have lost over 30 pounds and kept it off with intermittent fasting. I am passionate about teaching others how to do it.”
Get answers to the top 30 questions people ask about intermittent fasting
Have you ever wanted to know…
- What are the different types of intermittent fasting?
- How long does it take to adjust to intermittent fasting?
- What are the benefits of intermittent fasting?
- Won’t I just get really hungry if I start skipping meals?
- Can I Drink Liquids During the Fast?
- What can I eat during my eating window?
- What should I eat after my intermittent fast?
- Isn’t It Unhealthy to Skip Breakfast?
- Does it matter if I eat early or late?
- Will my body start storing fat because I’m not eating?
- Can I Take Supplements While Fasting?
- Can I Work out While Fasted?
- And many more!
4. Dr. Felice Gersh
“One of the most notable benefits that I’ve personally experienced following completion of the 5-day Fasting Mimicking Diet is an incredibly heightened state of focus and mental acuity.”
Felice Gersh, M.D. is a multi-award-winning physician with dual board certifications in OB-GYN and Integrative Medicine. She is the founder and director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine, a practice that provides comprehensive health care for women by combining the best evidence-based therapies from conventional, naturopathic, and holistic medicine. Dr. Gersh taught obstetrics and gynecology at Keck USC School of Medicine for 12 years as an Assistant Clinical Professor, where she received the highly coveted Outstanding Volunteer Clinical Faculty Award. She now serves as an Affiliate Faculty Member at the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine, through the University of Arizona School of Medicine, where she lectures and regularly grades the case presentations written by the Fellowship students for their final exams.
Felice Gersh, M.D. is the bestselling author of PCOS SOS and the PCOS SOS Fertility Fast Track, and her newest book, Menopause: 50 Things You Need to Know, is now available on Amazon. She has also had numerous scientific articles published in peer-reviewed medical journals.
She is a prolific lecturer and has been featured in several films and documentary series, including The Real Skinny on Fat with Montel Williams and Fasting with Valter Longo, Ph.D.
Follow me on Instagram and watch my weekly educational InstagramLive shows, covering multiple health concerns facing women of all ages.
Instagram: @dr.felicegersh
Practice Webpage: https://integrativemgi.com/
RELATED: The 5-Day Fasting Mimicking Diet Plan: How It Can Help
5. Cynthia Thurlow
“Intermittent Fasting has many benefits but my favorite one definitely has to be mental clarity with lowered insulin levels. Long gone are the days of brain fog and feeling run-down all the time. Today, I feel better than I did 10 years ago.
Mental clarity happens because our brains are naturally able to use beta-hydroxybutyrate (a type of special ketone that is diffused across the blood-brain barrier) in a fasted state. Lowered insulin levels help facilitate this.”
Cynthia Thurlow is a nurse practitioner, intermittent fasting and nutrition expert, and a two-time TEDx speaker. She leads numerous specialty fasting programs, is the host of the Everyday Wellness Podcast, has been featured on major podcasts like Megyn Kelly Show, and is launching her book, Intermittent Fasting Transformation, in March 2022. Visit cynthiathurlow.com for details on book launch & bonuses!
RELATED: Losing Weight With Insulin Resistance: A Guide for Beginners
6. Susannah Juteau
“My favorite benefit of intermittent fasting is the protective effect of ketones, autophagy, and increased BDNF on our neurons. When practiced properly, fasting is therapeutic for our brains and can not only reverse brain fog but also chronic headache and migraine conditions. It has been life-changing for me and my clients! I’m going on 3.5 years migraine-free!”
I help headache sufferers *just like you* discover WHAT to eat and WHEN to eat it to break through to their migraine-free life.
My unique protocol doesn’t leave you eating like a rabbit or relying on pills to get through the day. You can heal your head naturally!
With Headache Expert
(and nutrition obsessed)
Susannah Juteau, RD
Visit headachenutritionist.com for all the details!
7. Breanne Kallonen
“Intermittent fasting is one of the best ways to increase lifespan, increase insulin sensitivity, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.”
Dr. Breanne Kallonen is a Naturopathic Doctor with a primary focus on hormones and resistant weight loss. She is the creator of the Metabolic Reset Program and believes that everyone deserves the best possible health outcomes.
Go to breannekallonen.com to learn more.
8. Brian Stanton
“The most underappreciated IF benefit is probably circadian rhythm enhancement. Most people know that light stimulates your 24-hour wake-sleep cycle, but fewer people know that food also stimulates circadian clocks in your muscle and organ tissue. By not snacking overnight, you send rest and repair signals to your body. So if you value restful sleep, overnight fasting is your friend.”
Brian Stanton is the author of Keto Intermittent Fasting and a leading authority on ancestral health, fasting, and the keto diet. Learn more by visiting Brian’s website at www.brianjstanton.com.
9. Marisa Moon
” Ohhhh the benefits. There are so many! With my clients, I think my favorite benefit is how much less hungry you are. It seems paradoxical, going against what we thought we understood about hunger. But it’s true! The more your body adapts to going without food so frequently, the less hungry you feel—and the more easily you become satisfied. That, to me, is so freeing.
I must add, however, that my personal favorite benefit is the mental energy and clarity I experience in my brain—which was impossible to deny once I completed a series of professional “brain mapping” EEG tests to see what happens in my brain before and after breaking my fast. Sure enough, my ADHD symptoms, emotional responses, and motivation were all negatively impaired after eating. When I’m fasting, I feel so much sharper, balanced, and capable!”
Named Top 25 Wellness Coaches in Chicago 2021, Marisa Moon is a Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, a Level 2 Certified Primal Health Coach, and an Intermittent Fasting Coach who specializes in a flexible approach for lasting lifestyle change.
Grab Marisa’s RESET Manual for starting or re-starting with flexible intermittent fasting so you can experience results that last: marisamoon.com/iffreedom
RELATED: 25 Wellness Tips to Improve Your Health and Life
Check out our social media detox challenge to improve your health and wellness!
10. Missy Bane
“I love so many things about intermittent fasting and it sounds dramatic to say it changed my life, but when you find a way of eating that changes your health – that changes your life!
IF isn’t right for everyone. If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, struggle with complex health issues or have a history of eating disorders you should always consult with your doctor.
There is an intuitive eating community that believes IF and time-restricted eating promotes disordered eating. I wholeheartedly disagree with this and believe it’s irresponsible to discourage all women from experimenting with food timing.
Personally, I had a history of disordered eating, and although I wasn’t restricting calories or binging and purging I was obsessed with food. I thought about it constantly. I would stress about going to events or being in situations with other people where I didn’t have control over when and what I would eat at my next meal. Once I began IF and balanced my blood sugar, insulin, and hunger hormones I realized I didn’t need to eat all day long. I found I had more energy and focus when I skipped breakfast and condensed my eating window to 6-8 hours a day. This not only had a huge impact on my health, but it allowed me to trust my body, trust that I didn’t need to eat all day to feel well. My intuitive eating journey began in 2016 and my overall health has steadily improved ever since.”
Grab my free resources to help you jumpstart a healthy New Year!
Missy Bane is a Functional Diagnostic Practitioner and Holistic Health Coach. She dove into functional medicine in 2012 after her own health crisis and personally experienced the natural healing that she now teaches.
She helps clients “age healthy” by creating a health plan that incorporates not only diet and exercise but detoxification, sleep, stress, digestion, and all the things that contribute to optimal health.
Many clients come to her when they want to dig to the root cause of health issues and no longer want to just treat symptoms, while others focus on long-term health and preventing illness.
As an FDN Missy works under a medical director’s license with credentials to run functional labs such as stool tests, neurotransmitter tests, hormone panels, and more to uncover hidden stressors that contribute to health issues.
She and her husband are new empty nesters and love spending time on the 50 mile Capital Bike Trail near their home running, walking their new puppy, and cycling.
RELATED: Would You Rather Fitness Questions
Printable Fasting Tracker
Many people are concerned about weight loss, particularly women who are beginning families or pursuing careers. IF may help you lose weight without feeling hungry or restricted. The secret, however, is to utilize the most powerful methods! This is where a fasting tracker comes in handy.
Benefits of Using a Fasting Tracker
Here are some of the advantages of using an IF tracker:
- Keeps track of your progress so you can figure out what works best for YOU
- Helps you create healthy habits so you can see results
- Keeps you organized
- Keeps you going when you feel like quitting
We developed a simple printable fasting tracker to help you get the most out of your fasting lifestyle. Check out the tracker in our Thrive Berry Etsy shop by clicking on the image below.
Final Words: Experts on Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle
I hope you learned a lot from these amazing fasting experts and discovered some new things about IF. I know I did! If you want to learn more, make sure to grab your copy of our FREE Intermittent Fasting eBook!
What are your favorite things about fasting? Who are your favorite intermittent fasting experts? Share below!
