10 Advantages of Intermittent Fasting Unrelated to Health Benefits

I recently looked at whether I consume too many carbohydrates, in spite of doing intermittent fasting. Some people believe that you can do whatever you want inside your eating window, but I think superior health relies on time-restricted eating and good choices.

In any event, independent of weight loss and autophagy and better hormone balance, here are 10 reasons to commit to intermittent fasting:  

1. I avoid the ordeal associated with blood tests that require fasting. There’s no mad scramble to get the first lab appointment of the day, before you pass out from hunger. I can stroll into the lab at 10 am, noon, whatever. No wait.
2. If you find yourself too busy to eat, there’s no need to stop what you’re doing.
3. Whether you actually eat fewer calories while intermittent fasting is up for debate (I think you just consume larger portions). However, I’m sure you save money. You have fewer meals out, you buy fewer snacks, and there’s less fluff in your kitchen as you make the most of your one or two meals.
4. Every study shows you sleep better when you stop eating several hours before bed.
5. You’re likely exercising fasted, which aligns with our evolutionary past: first you hunt/gather, then you eat. My athletic performance is better when I’m fasted, for weights and for cardio. I needed to adjust mentally when I first gave up pre-fueling, but once I realized there was no drop off, I enjoyed exercising more without the heaviness from the previous meal. Incidentally, I wonder if elite athletes know about this hack—do Olympic swimmers time their meals to stop 12-16 hours before a race?
6. People look at you like you’re a superhero when you meet for lunch and learn you haven’t eaten for 19 hours—and you’re still upright and smiling!
7. You don’t have to settle for crappy food when traveling. You simply don’t eat at the airport or surrounding vicinity.
8. If there’s a religious fast on your calendar, like Yom Kippur, for you it’s called *Wednesday*.
9. Breakfast becomes a magnificent treat.
10. You are better prepared for the coming apocalypse.