I’m always scanning the newswire to see if there is anything diet-related that I can glean. Some days it seems like the news is pretty scant, and some days it just pops out at you in multiple outlets. Yesterday was one of those days as pretty much every online news source published an article about the recent revelation by Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey, that he uses intermittent fasting as his diet.
It is odd that this got so much attention, as this form of starvation dieting is not all that new, and is pretty widely practiced. However, I saw stories about this pop up all over the web. It was staring at me on the front page of CNN.com among other much larger, more newsworthy stories.
In any case, this kind of went viral, so let’s see what all the buzz is about.
Jack Dorsey and Intermittent Fasting
The origin of this story is an interview with the Ben Greenfield Podcast that Dorsey did in which he said he only eats one meal per day, for the most part. At times, he will go for three days without eating anything and consuming only water. The odd thing is, he doesn’t frame his explanation of it in terms of dieting. See for yourself how he relates his experience with fasting:
“The first time I did it, like day three, I felt like I was hallucinating. It was a weird state to be in. But as I did it the next two times, it just became so apparent to me how much of our days are centered around meals and how—the experience I had was when I was fasting for much longer, how time really slowed down.”
Nutritional Content
As for his one meal per day, Dorsey says that on weekdays they tend to be a protein, green vegetables, dark chocolate or berries for dessert. While that sounds delicious, it certainly would not leave me feeling like I gave my body sustenance if that is all that I ate for the day. And let’s not neglect to talk about the nutritional content, or lack thereof, in that meal. Where are the carbohydrates?
David Becker / Getty Images
He’s seriously lacking some grains, rice, bread, or anything like that. Even if he’s aiming for low carb, he’s not even reaching that. And what about dairy?
While intermittent fasting can be a way to shock your metabolism so it doesn’t get into a routine and function less efficiently, from a biological perspective it is insufficient for your nutritional needs. Sure, you will lose weight, but you’re doing damage to your body.
If you’re really serious about losing weight, don’t starve yourself. You can cut down your calories to an extent, but don’t do so dramatically. Your body needs fuel to function properly. Reduce your calories and make sure what you eat is of nutritional value. Add in some physical activity to burn some calories and put your body at a caloric deficit. That is the formula to lose weight. To speed things up, you can also use PhenQ or another diet pill to ramp up your metabolism and help curb your appetite. Follow these steps 1-2-3 and you will be on a much healthier path to weight loss.
About Shaun Hudson
Shaun Hudson loves sports, being outdoors, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. After many unsuccessful attempts to lose weight, he finally was able to drop 25 pounds and keep it off. The secret? He kept a journal of his activity, diet, and daily life. That journal changed his life, and has since evolved into this website. Read his full bio.