Gin Stephens’ Cleaning Fasting – Does it Work for Everyone?

Shedding pounds is easier said than done. A growing number of people are turning to intermittent fasting, like the 16:8 diet, to shed pounds and get healthier. Many people have asserted that these diets have additional advantages beyond just helping people lose weight, such as improving their health and extending their lives.

Gin Stephens claims that intermittent fasting encourages long-term weight loss. You will lose weight every time you use fat as fuel; additionally, if you fast, you will take enough calories each day to prevent your metabolism from slowing down. And she also believes that a clean fast is the key to successful intermittent fasting. So, what is the clean fasting approach? Where did the term “clean fast” come from? “We actually made it up in my Facebook support groups. One day, we described the ideal fast as “clean”, and the term stuck. I think it is a beautiful way of describing what we are looking for during the fast,” Gin Stephens said in her blog. Frequently, the term “clean fasting” is used to indicate consuming only calorie-free beverages such as water, sparkling water, black coffee, and tea during the fasting period.

Understanding Clean Fasting

A popular kind of intermittent fasting known as “clean fasting” stimulates the body’s potential to burn stored fat by creating a cyclical window for eating and fasting. Every fasting window in an intermittent fasting strategy necessitates calorie restriction in order to decrease the insulin response and lose weight, but “clean” fasting goes one step further by consuming no calories at all when fasting.

The longer you go without eating and consume no calories, the better weight loss outcomes you’ll notice as a result of clean fasting. Clean fasting forces the body into a complete metabolic flip and state of ketosis, where stored fat is burnt for energy instead of sugar.

Clean fasting refers to a type of fasting during which only water and non-caloric beverages are permitted. On the other hand, dirty fasting is a type of modified fasting that permits the addition of a specific number of calories throughout the fast. How many calories are required to break a fast? Depending on who you ask, the number of calories allowed (often fewer than 100) and the kinds of food/drinks allowed (generally high-fat items that won’t affect blood glucose) vary. This is due to the lack of a consensus definition for the phrase “dirty fasting” and the scant amount of available research.

The Benefits of Clean Fasting

Gin Stephens lists three advantages of clean fasting, including insulin management, ketosis, and autophagy:

Regulate insulin level: You may want to stop eating altogether since insulin hinders efficient fat burning. Avoid other flavors as well because they all cause the insulin response, including sweetness, sourness, and umami. Some studies suggest that drinking coffee may momentarily raise insulin levels, but Stephens approves coffee for her clean fast. As a result, giving up coffee may lead to a cleaner fast than not doing so.
Facilitate fat-burning: By triggering ketosis, which uses fat reserves as fuel, fasting helps burn fat. Don’t eat anything that provides your body with a source of fuel from outside your body. Your body will use blood glucose, which is directly produced from carbohydrates, as fuel. You will need to use up less glucose and glycogen each time you fast in order to enter ketosis if you consume fewer carbohydrates.
Facilitate autophagy: Avoid eating anything, even vitamins and supplements, as many of the benefits of fasting are derived from autophagy. While fasting is the primary method for triggering autophagy, the ketogenic diet may also allow you to achieve this goal. Keto includes, in brief, eating fewer carbs and consuming more fat. Fasting and keto may be the best ways to regularly profit from autophagy because they both encourage ketosis, which is when autophagy ramps up.

Clean Fasting Guidelines

Clean fasting meals don’t actually exist. When you fast, you really do fast! Absolutely no food is permitted. All you are allowed to consume is water and non-calorie beverages. So, what can you drink during fasting?

List of Beverages Allowed

Water: You can drink water at any preferred temperature and with or without carbonation without risk. Iced water is also acceptable. You can only drink sparkling water that has “no flavor,” but you may also drink plain old water. No fruit infusions or fruit flavors of any type may be squirted in. However, it’s never the fact that the more water you drink, the better. Then, how much water exactly should people drink a day? Go for this article to get a standard answer.

Coffee: Another choice is black coffee. It could be hot, cold, or even decaffeinated. However, it must be completely black and devoid of any creamer or flavor. Additionally, you must confirm that the coffee grinds or beans you are utilizing to brew your coffee are simple. No flavored coffee beans are permitted while one is fasting.

Tea: Tea made from leaves can also be brewed and consumed. Not a flavor. Green or black are options. Verify that there are no fruit or extract flavors present. Once more, this can be served iced.

List of Foods Avoided

Foods that are high in unhealthy fats: Unhealthy fat-rich diets, such as fried foods and processed meats, can leave you feeling lethargic and exhausted. They can also contribute to weight gain, which is the worst situation you may meet when practicing clean fasting.

Foods that are high in sugar: When doing clean fasting, one of the most dangerous foods to consume is sugar. You’ll feel more exhausted and lethargic as a result of it in addition to raising your blood sugar levels. Avoid eating sweets like candy, cake, and cookies if you’re trying intermittent fasting.

Alcohol: Alcohol is a sugar-based drug that can cause blood sugar levels to surge and make you feel more exhausted. When you are on the journey of clean fasting, it’s wise to stay away from alcohol.

Tips on How to Implement Clean Fasting Successfully

It is difficult to practice intermittent fasting when you limit your intake of meals and stick to calorie-free beverages. To help you succeed while clean fasting and stick to your goal, here are some selected advice!

Tip 1: Change Your Habits and Routines Slowly.

Even with regard to losing weight, change takes time. When changing your lifestyle for the better, it’s acceptable to start slowly. Instead of immediately moving to just water, wean yourself off your morning coffee with sugar. One meal and one fasting period at a time is a totally acceptable way to begin intermittent fasting. Therefore, don’t be discouraged if your progress seems slow at first; it will definitely speed up as you adjust to your new, healthier lifestyle.

Tip 2: Avoid Making Comparisons to Other People’s Journeys.

Comparing yourself to others will just make you feel less motivated to stick with your own intermittent fasting diet. Everyone’s road to weight loss is unique. That said, it’s also a good idea to have support while on your trip, so consider joining Facebook groups for intermittent fasting or contacting a diet buddy to have company along the way!

Tip 3: Get Distracted and Adjust Your Fasting Time.

It’s crucial to keep yourself busy while fasting so that you don’t spend the entire time simply thinking about your next meal when the eating window opens. Your appetite simply becomes worse by staying in a mental loop! There are many methods to divert your attention from your hunger, so try taking a walk outdoors for some fresh air, meeting up with a buddy (but skip the food), or starting a new pastime. You never know, it might become your new favorite thing to do.

Tip 4: Use a Fasting app to Stay on Track.

As you can track your advancement over the last few months in real time, using an app is also a fantastic motivational tool. The SoonFasting app also has timers that may be used to remind you when it is time to eat and when to fast, as well as recipes and advice on general health. Additionally, for better overall knowledge, you can log your calorie intake, physical activity, and hydration. In order to further accelerate the process of burning fat, the app also offers a lot of excellent activities that you may perform during times of fasting.

Intermittent Fasting Apps: Streamlining Your Journey of Clean Fasting

Keeping track of your clean fasting is a challenge when you first start out. With a smartphone or tablet, you can keep track of everything at your fingertips thanks to a range of practical mobile apps. These applications for intermittent fasting make it simple to plan and monitor your fasts. Many of the most popular fasting applications, like SoonFasting, let you track your weight while also giving you graphs and some tools. This helps you accomplish your objectives. All you have to do is select the software for intermittent fasting that best meets your goals.

If you’re planning to put up an intermittent fasting tracking program, it’s critical to include features that assist users in retaining consistency and motivation throughout their journey. You should pay close attention to the following features: Unique Intermittent Fasting Schedules, Fasting and Eating Window Timers, Progress Tracking and Visualization, Smart Reminders, Meal Planning, and Recipe Suggestions. As IF has drawn increasing attention, there are now a variety of apps available. Fastic, Zero, BodyFast, Do Fasting, and SoonFasting is a few of the most well-liked apps that can help you select the one that is best suited for you. User Stephanie of the SoonFasting app claims that she has lost 36 pounds with intermittent fasting and the app and is extremely sorry that she did not find it sooner. So, if you want to embark on a voyage of clean fasting and don’t know how to start, try, if required, to use those useful tools.

Get a Smart Tool to Double Intermittent Fasting Results

Addressing Common Concerns

Even though IF has many advantages, there are certain minor adverse effects that might occur that are typically treated without the need for medical or surgical intervention. Consequences include drowsiness, nausea, sleeplessness, headaches, and weakness are possible. Even though clean fasting can help you lose weight, this weight loss is frequently unsustainable, short-lived, and in some cases even hazardous. According to research, fasting is inappropriate for some other groups of people and may have harmful effects on women’s hormone levels. Additionally, intermittent fasting and clean fasting carry risks, thus it is advised that anyone who has an eating problem or who has engaged in any sort of disordered eating—even if it has not been officially recognized as such—avoids doing so. These individuals should refrain from fasting until their doctor gives them the all-clear, including those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, have type 2 diabetes, are taking any medications, or are over 65.

Success Stories and Testimonials of Clean Fasting

According to Gin Stephens’ stories on her blog, she shared many amazing experiences that will convince you to make sure you have a clean fast. For example, Rennae, a proponent of clean fasting, said, “Clean fasting was a revelation for me. Clean fasting made all the difference in a hunger-free and mentally peaceful fast, with accelerated weight loss!”

From their own experiences and amazing stories, clean fasting is a complete game-changer. They can have no issues with hunger pangs at all after they practice clean fasting for a certain time. When they give up the cream in their coffee and sweetened drinks, they all find a new world. Totally new for them! They can make a difference from these little changes during clean fasting. Although clean fasting seems like a big challenge as it has strict diet plans and allows only zero-calorie beverages, you can achieve good long-term results, such as weight loss, cardiovascular health, and so on.

Expert Opinions on Clean Fasting

What exactly IS a “clean fast”? You can consider WHY we are genuinely fasting in order to comprehend that. Contrary to popular belief, intermittent fasting has much more benefits than simply allowing us to eat fewer calories each day. It’s critical to recognize that when we are on a clean fast, our bodies are capable of carrying out a number of tasks that are impossible when we are fed. When we clean fast, our bodies begin to burn fat instead of glucose (sugar). The body typically enters this metabolic condition, known as ketosis, after taking sufficiently lengthy gaps between meals to allow the body’s glucose reserves to be depleted. Fasting increases ketosis as well as the physiological process known as autophagy, which is a “cellular function in which the cell degrades its own components in the lysosome”, as Dr. Noboru Mizushima said. During extended fasting (16 hours or more), our cells start using damaged components to make energy, which is a good process that can lower the risk of numerous diseases, enhance mental health, and boost immunity throughout the body.

However, some experts pointed out some risks of clean fastings, such as drowsiness, nausea, sleeplessness, headaches, and weakness. Studies have found that people who regularly fast more than 16 or 18 hours a day have a higher risk of gallstones.

Conclusion

Clean fasting entails avoiding any foods that would interfere with the benefits of fasting on insulin levels and fat burning. You may have more or less latitude in terms of what you can eat, depending on your fitness objectives (fat loss, muscle gain, or general health). As a comparatively strict type of intermittent fasting, Gin Stephens’ clean fasting can bring many benefits including weight loss, regulating insulin levels, facilitating autophagy, and so on.

As mentioned before, there are a lot of real and successful stories about people who practice clean fasting on Gin Stephens’s blog, which can be more powerful than any of the scientific reasoning. Nothing will persuade you to observe a clean fast if these incredible tales don’t. Clean fasting is much more important than some people in the intermittent fasting community realize.

Overall, clean fasting is a relatively effective strategy for long-term intermittent fasting. As a result, you can give clean fasting a try if you wish to lose weight in a short time. But keep in mind to seek advice from medical professionals and choose your diet carefully. By the way, don’t forget to use the app for intermittent fasting, a useful tool. Due to the fact that it offers every element a top-notch IF software should have, SoonFasting is one of the most well-known IF apps available. The SoonFasting health team also develops a customized fasting and meal plan to support your goals based on your current weight, ideal weight, eating habits, daily routine, and health situation.

References：