Like the much-hyped diet plan promoted by the rich and famous of Hollywood and Silicon Valley, intermittent fasting has hit top popularity in recent years.
But experts now fear the restrictive regime – a quasi-religion followed by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and actresses Jennifer Aniston and Vanessa Hudgens – could be a dangerous cover for an eating disorder.
“It’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” dietician Tammy Beasley told The Post. “I wish intermittent fasting had a warning stamped.”
The fizzy fad, touted as a weight loss and maintenance strategy, suggests that people eat only at certain times of the day or, in one of its more severe forms, the week. It was the most Googled diet of 2019 and the second most searched diet, after keto, in 2020.
According to a 2019 review published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the program makes people lighter and improves their health, but more recent research published last year by JAMA Internal Medicine found it no more effective than the average diet to reduce flab. combat.
‘It’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I wish intermittent fasting had a warning stamped. “
Tammy Beasley, dietitian
Yet the conflicting information has not deterred the growing number of devotees, and many are going to extremes. Variations include alternate fasting, intermittent fasting, and so-called timed feeding. For example, Dorsey has been known to eat only one meal a day between 6:30 PM and 9:00 PM, and routinely go out of food all weekend – he claims that makes him more focused.
The intense habits of the 44-year-old billionaire partially inspired event planner Kristin White to try intermittent fasting in November 2018.
“I am easily influenced and thought, ‘If it works for a high-flying businessman like him, I should do it, too,'” said the 54-year-old Seattle resident.
White only allowed herself to eat between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. and ate the same fare daily: a hard-boiled egg with an apple, roasted chicken, and vegetables for dinner, followed by a protein bar or a small serving of peanut butter before bed.
The five-foot-tall self-described perfectionist fell 15 pounds in six weeks, eventually weighing 112 pounds. But her “success” came at a price.
“I struggled with my focus and was pretty awful to be around,” White said. Worse, at her annual check-up, the doctor discovered an alarmingly low heart rate and advised her to seek help.
In April 2019, she attended an Alsana residential treatment center in California, where her eating disorder was addressed by staff including Beasley, vice president of clinical nutrition services. Fortunately, the anorexia and orthorexia survivor now has a much healthier weight and mindset.
“Intermittent fasting was another excuse for me to dig deeper into controlling my body,” White said. “But it has sped up everything for me.”
Indeed, Lynn Slawsky, executive director of the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, said the trendy diet can lead to risky behavior.
“Your body is starving when intermittent fasting takes place,” Slawsky said. “People can get binge eating disorder or bulimia as a result, which can lead to all kinds of other physical and psychological problems.”
She added that it could be especially triggers for vulnerable populations who are already prone to disordered eating – and for whom the diet serves as a cover.
“It’s an easy way to explain why you don’t want to eat out or consume calories at a party,” noted Beasley. You can timestamp it with, ‘I’m stuck intermittently and it’s not my window. ‘
“It distracts and detracts from the basic reason you are afraid to eat or participate in that event.”
Former Alsana customer Maria Rupprecht, 26, quickly fell into the trap of usurping intermittent fasting, which she said effectively masked her dysfunctional approach to food.
“I thought, ‘This is socially acceptable,’” she told The Post. “The whole world did what the professionals told me was unhealthy.”
The five-foot-tall nanny refused all meals and snacks between 7:00 p.m. and the following afternoon, losing 40 pounds in three months. She registered her lowest weight of 125 pounds in 2016.
“I missed my friends’ birthdays and graduation parties because I didn’t want to eat outside my time window,” said Rupprecht, who was eventually diagnosed with anorexia.
Now recovering and at a healthy weight, the newlywed from St. Louis, Missouri, is successfully managing her relationship with food and will qualify as a licensed professional counselor in October 2022.
In the meantime, she cautions how the potential risks associated with intermittent fasting are likely to be exacerbated by the competitive nature of the Type A disciples.
“I would compare myself to others,” said Rupprecht, describing how she felt pressured to extend her hours without a living. My window would end at 7pm, but then I would have a friend who would do it alone [eat] between 1 pm and 3 pm
“Some of my friends are in that world and are [still] undiagnosed. ”
If you or someone you love is struggling with an eating disorder, you can get help. Call the National Eating Disorder Association helpline at (800) 931-2237 or visit nationaleatingdisorders.org.