As the highly promoted diet plan promoted by the rich and famous of Hollywood and Silicon Valley, intermittent fasting has reached maximum popularity in recent years.
But now experts fear the restrictive regime, a quasi-religion followed by people like Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, and actresses Jennifer Aniston and Vanessa Hudgens, could be a dangerous cover for an eating disorder.
“He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” registered dietitian Tammy Beasley told The Post. “I wish the intermittent fast had a notice stamped on it.”
Fashion, known as a maintenance and weight loss strategy, suggests that people eat only at certain times of the day or, in one of their strictest forms, during the week. It was the most searched diet by Google in 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 leaves people lighter and improves their health, but more recent research published last year by JAMA Internal Medicine found no more effectiveness than the average diet for fight the disease.
“He is a wolf dressed as a sheep. I wish the intermittent fast had a warning stamp. “
Tammy Beasley, dietitian
However, conflicting information has not delayed the growing number of devotees, as many take it to extremes. Variations include alternate fasting, periodic fasting, and so-called time-restricted feeding. Dorsey, for example, is known to eat only one meal a day between 6:30 and 9:00 p.m., and routinely runs out of food all weekend, claiming to be more focused about it.
The intense habits of the 44-year-old billionaire partly inspired event planner Kristin White to try intermittent fasting in November 2018.
“I’m easily influenced and I think,‘ If it works for a high-level businessman like him, I should do it too, ’” the 54-year-old Seattle resident said.
White, who was only allowed to eat between 3 and 10 p.m., consumed the same rate daily: a hard-boiled egg with an apple, grilled chicken and vegetables for dinner, followed by a protein bar or a small portion of butter. of peanuts before bedtime.
The self-described 5-foot-9 perfectionist dropped 15 pounds in six weeks and ended up weighing 112 pounds. But his “success” came at a cost.
“I struggled with my approach and it was pretty horrible to be there,” White said. Worse, in her annual examination, the doctor detected an alarmingly low heart rate and advised her to seek help.
In April 2019 he entered an Alsana residential treatment center in California, where his eating disorder was addressed by staff such as Beasley, vice president of clinical nutrition services. Fortunately, the survivor of anorexia and orthorexia now has a much healthier weight and mindset.
“Intermittent fasting was another excuse to deepen my body control,” White said. “But it accelerated everything for me.”
In fact, Lynn Slawsky, executive director of the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, said the fad diet can lead to risky behaviors.
“Your body is starving when an intermittent fast occurs,” Slawsky said. “People can develop excessive eating disorder or bulimia as a result, which leads to all sorts of other physical and psychological problems.”
He added that it can be particularly triggering for vulnerable populations who are already susceptible to a messy diet and for whom the diet serves as cover.
“It’s an easy way to explain why you don’t want to go out to dinner or consume calories at a party,” Beasley noted. “You can mark it with, ‘I’m on an intermittent fast and it’s not my window.’
“Highlight and distract the reason you’re afraid to eat or join this event.”
Former Alsatian client Maria Rupprecht, 26, quickly fell into the trap of appropriating intermittent fasting, which she said effectively masked her dysfunctional approach to food.
“I thought, ‘This is socially acceptable,’ he told The Post. ‘Everyone was doing what the professionals told me was unhealthy.’
The 5-foot-6 nanny turned down all meals and snacks between 7 p.m. and noon the next, losing 40 pounds in three months. It recorded its lowest weight of 125 pounds in 2016.
“I missed my friends’ birthdays and graduation parties because I didn’t want to eat out of my time window, ”said Rupprecht, who was eventually diagnosed with anorexia.
Now recovering and with a healthy weight, the newly married St. Louis, Mo, is successfully managing her relationship with food and is scheduled to qualify as a licensed professional counselor in October 2022.
Meanwhile, he warns of how the potential risks associated with intermittent fasting are likely to be exacerbated by the competitive nature of his type A disciples.
“I would compare myself to the others,” said Rupprecht, who described how he felt pressured to extend the hours without keeping up. “My window would end at 7 pm, but then I would have a friend who would just do it [eat] between 1pm and 3pm
“Some of my friends are in this world and they are [still] undiagnosed “.
If you or someone you love is struggling with an eating disorder, you can get help. Call the National Eating Disorder Helpline at (800) 931-2237 or visit nationaleatingdisorders.org.