Sarah Kull is a registered nurse and intermittent fasting coach who has supported people with type 2 diabetes and weight-related health issues since 2018.
She talks to Karyn Hay about what people gain from skipping meals.
Photo: 123rf.com/Yulia Mikhaylova
Sarah Kull Photo: intermittentfasting.co.nz/
When we fast, we are switching from getting energy from food to getting it from our fat stores, Kull says.
"Your body can burn that stored energy – that's what it was made to do. The problem is nowadays we don't let it do that.
"By adding intermittent fasting to your lifestyle you're allowing your body to do essentially what it was designed to do."
Going without food can actually give you more energy, she says.
She generally starts patients on 16-hour fasts with an eight-hour eating window each day.
"What I find is that when people are fasting and doing it well… they feel so good with it that very rarely would they stop."
When Sarah began fasting herself five years ago, she lost about 20 kilos in the first 8 months and has kept the weight off.
"[As a weight management programme, intermittent fasting] is flexible, you can move your window around to sort your social occasions or your work life."
As well as weight loss, people see a range of health benefits from intermittent fasting, Kull says, including positive effects on diabetes, prediabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Recent studies have also shown that intermittent fasting can help with cardiovascular disease, mild depression and insomina, she says.
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