Lasting Fasting

By Eugene L Antenucci

Lasting Fasting will take you by the hand and guide you through the entire intermittent fasting journey, making it accessible, enjoyable, and tailored to your needs. Say goodbye to dieting and welcome a flexible approach that will transform your body and mindset!<

• Language: English
• Publisher: Finding The Good Life
• Release date: Aug 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798218317492

Book preview

Introduction

I stared at the photos in utter disbelief. Did I really look like that? My immediate reaction was to deny the truth. That could not, under any circumstance, be me! But it was. Standing in front of the Duomo in Milan while on an amazing vacation just a few months before, with a big smile on my face, pigeons all around on the cobblestones at my feet, and a magnificent building behind me. My right foot was on the steps and I was posing for the camera. I was wearing a new favorite shirt that I had purchased the day before at a small shop in the city. The shirt looked great in the photo – it caught my eye immediately. I was smiling proudly, blissfully unaware of my watermelon-sized tummy. In my head, I didn't look like that. Yet, the mirror confirmed my worst nightmare: I had picked up some weight. And with some, I mean a lot. Why didn’t you tell me I was getting fat? I asked my wife, pointing to my bulging stomach. You’re not fat, love. You’re just not in your 20’s anymore. She was right; not about the fat part, but about the 20’s part. I remember being 28. I was a captain in the Air Force, fit as a fiddle, and now I was up three sizes from my skinny jeans. I took the photo and pinned it to our bedroom mirror to

remind me of how I really looked and not what I thought I looked like.

Assure my wife that I was serious about looking like my Air Force photo again!

Seeing that vacation photo might have been horrific, but it pushed me to make the changes I’d been avoiding up until then. I knew the importance of exercise and taking good care of nutrition; I'm a healthcare provider, after all. Yet, it’s easier to give advice than to actually take it. That very same day, I set off on a new journey. A journey of change, healthy habits, balanced eating, and movement. I was determined to take back control of my life and write my own health story. I started reading up on the latest scientific discoveries, which diets professionals supported, and what foods to add and avoid. It all pointed in the same direction with overwhelmingly positive evidence.

The answer was intermittent fasting. Well, more accurately, the answer is intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting helped change my life, and I know that it can do the same for you. Whether this is the first time you are hearing of it or whether you’ve tried it before but couldn’t quite grasp the concept, you’re in the right place. This is your intermittent fasting journey, and I'm glad to be your co-pilot. My name is Eugene Antenucci, better known as Dr. Gene. I’ve been a healthcare professional since 1983, and I have a passion for health and wellness through nutrition and movement. Over the years, I’ve helped many patients of mine on their wellness journey, and together with my wonderful wife, I host the groundbreaking television series Finding the Good Life. It was inevitable that I would end up here, pouring my love for nutrition and life out onto the pages of a book in order to inspire others to embark on their wellness journey.

Chances are, if you’ve been on social media or watched any television in the last five years, you would’ve seen something about intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting has become increasingly popular over the last couple of years, which is good news for us because it means that there is a lot of research on the topic already! Research that we can now carefully dissect, discuss, and adopt into our daily lives. Spoiler alert: there are a lot of benefits to intermittent fasting when done right, which is exactly what we’ll discover on this journey together. If you’re like me and you want to know exactly what you’re about to walk into, here’s what you can expect on this journey:

We’ll plunge into the science of intermittent fasting, but in a way that’s actually understandable and not filled with so many weird words and terms that we still have no idea what's actually being said.

We’ll look at how intermittent fasting aids in the weight loss process and why it was the perfect tool to help me get rid of my watermelon tummy.

Of course, you can’t embark on a journey of intermittent fasting without looking at how it affects your overall physical health. We’ll discuss how intermittent fasting helps fight inflammation and can even reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

Next, we’ll look at the influence that intermittent fasting has on mental health as well. Yes, you’ve guessed it right, it’s a big one! In fact, intermittent fasting can improve your mood and reduce stress.

Despite what some people might think, intermittent fasting isn’t connected to one specific diet. So, we’ll also look at how intermittent fasting can be combined with other diets to maximize weight loss and overall health.

On this journey, you’ll also learn how to incorporate intermittent fasting into your daily life in a way that's easy and fairly hassle-free in order to achieve long-term success.

If you’re already feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry. Your co-pilot will be with you all the way, including guiding you on how to start intermittent fasting and determine which type of intermittent fasting will be best for you.

What would a book on intermittent fasting be without some tips to ensure success? Not particularly good, in my opinion! That’s why you can count on a chapter filled with tips and tricks that will aid you in your success on this life-changing journey.

We’ll also discuss the myths and misconceptions regarding intermittent fasting since there are quite a few of those out there. So, if you’re not entirely sure about this whole fasting thing, stick around. Perhaps you’ve been believing a misconception all this time. No judgment, though! We should all do what we feel comfortable doing with a dash of courage and determination.

Lastly, I’ll help you create your own action plan in order to start your intermittent fasting journey. Everyone is different, and therefore everyone should have their own personalized plan of action.

If it sounds like a lot, it’s probably because it is! Nothing life-changing will be easy. A quick-fix will only get you so far, but a lifestyle switch can change everything! Trust me, I’ve been there myself. I personally still use intermittent fasting in my daily life, and it has transformed me in so many ways. However, the success of this journey will depend on you. Are you willing to change? Are you willing to learn? Most importantly, are you willing to act and take a stand for your health?

In every chapter, you’ll be faced with theory, some practical application, and a challenge. The challenge might seem silly at first but trust me. These small challenges are the pebbles that will build the rock-solid foundations of your health journey. They might push you out of your comfort zone, and it might even feel weird, but try them. What do you have to lose? Not much, in my opinion. The better question is, what do you have to gain?

Everything.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s jump right in and take off into a new, healthier, happier you.

Chapter 1

The Science and Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Fasting is the single greatest natural healing therapy. It is nature’s ancient, universal remedy for many problems. —Elson Haas

I’ve always loved science. Even as a little boy, I annoyed my parents with endless questions, desperate to not just know things but understand them. While other kids in my class enjoyed running around on the playground and pulling the girls’ hair, I was intrigued by how I could feel my heart rate increase when I ran up the hill and how if I closed my eyes, I could hear better. I liked understanding things, so when I chose the healthcare field, no one was surprised. It’s with this same analytical thinking that I approached intermittent fasting as a topic before I dove into the deep end. I wanted to know exactly what the science behind it was and that it wasn’t just some get-skinny-quick scheme that would leave me with more issues than solutions. So, when I say I did some research, I don’t mean that I Googled it once and read one blog post. No, I read medical journals, called some of my medical professional friends, read books and blogs, and spent hours researching the topic. I looked at it from all angles, both positive and negative, before I drew my own conclusion.

I want you to do the same. Not the research part, that’s what I’m here for. But I want you to decide for yourself. Intermittent fasting isn't something you should be bullied into. So, see this chapter as a test. Read everything with an objective mindset, and then decide whether you want to give it a try. At the end of the day, it needs to be your decision. All I can do is help you get to a conclusion based on facts and science. In this chapter, we’ll look at the impact of intermittent fasting on the body as well as the benefits that it has in store for you. We’ll also look at how it’s