Like the much-touted diet plan promoted by the rich and famous in Hollywood and Silicon Valley, intermittent fasting has peaked in popularity in recent years.
But experts now fear that the restrictive regime – a quasi-religion followed by names like 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,” nutritionist Tammy Beasley told the Post. “I would like the intermittent fast to have a warning written on it.”
The fashion fad, presented as a weight loss and maintenance strategy, suggests that people eat only at certain times of the day or, in one of its most restricted forms, during the week. It was the most searched diet on 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 makes people lighter and improves their health, but more recent research published last year by JAMA Internal Medicine found that it is no more effective than diet medium to combat sagging.
“It is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I would like intermittent fasting to have a warning on it. “
Tammy Beasley, nutritionist
Still, the conflicting information did not rule out the growing number of devotees, with many taking it to extremes. Variations include fasting on alternate days, periodic fasting and so-called time-restricted eating. Dorsey, for example, is known to eat just one meal a day between 6:30 pm and 9:00 pm, and he usually runs out of food during the weekend – claiming he is more focused because of it.
The 44-year-old billionaire’s intense habits partially inspired event planner Kristin White to try intermittent fasting in November 2018.
“I am easily influenced and thought, ‘If it works for a rising entrepreneur like him, I should do it too,'” said the 54-year-old Seattle resident.
Allowing himself to eat between 3 pm and 10 pm, White consumed the same food daily: a boiled egg with an apple, grilled chicken and vegetables for dinner, followed by a protein bar or a small portion of peanut butter before bed.
The perfectionist who called himself 5 ft-9 fell 15 pounds in six weeks and ended up weighing 112 pounds. But his “success” came at a cost.
“I struggled with my focus and it was awful to be close,” said White. Worse yet, on her annual check-up, the doctor detected an alarmingly low heart rate and advised her to seek help.
In April 2019, she entered a residential treatment center in Alsana, California, where her eating disorder was treated by a team, including Beasley, vice president of clinical nutrition services. Fortunately, the survivor of anorexia and orthorexia is now much healthier in weight and mentality.
“Intermittent fasting was another excuse to get deeper into my body,” said White. “But it accelerated everything for me.”
In fact, Lynn Slawsky, executive director of the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, said that the fad diet can lead to risky behavior.
“Your body is starving when intermittent fasting occurs,” said Slawsky. “People can develop binge eating disorder or bulimia as a result, leading to all kinds of other physical and psychological problems.”
She added that it can be particularly triggering for vulnerable populations that are already susceptible to eating disorders – and for which the diet serves as a cover.
“It’s an easy way to explain why you don’t want to go to dinner or eat calories at a party,” Beasley pointed out. “You can mark the time with, ‘I’m on an intermittent fast and it’s not my window.’
“It lessens and distracts the basic reason why you are afraid to eat or participate in this event.”
Alsana’s former client Maria Rupprecht, 26, quickly fell into the trap of appropriating intermittent fasting, which she believes has effectively masked her dysfunctional approach to food.
“I thought, ‘This is socially acceptable,'” she told the Post. “The whole world was doing what the professionals said was not healthy.”
The 1.50 m nanny refused all meals and snacks between 7 pm and noon the following day, losing 18 pounds in three months. She recorded her 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 frame,” said Rupprecht, who ended up being diagnosed with anorexia.
Now recovering and at a healthy weight, the newlywed from St. Louis, Missouri, is successfully managing her relationship with food and is expected to qualify as a licensed professional counselor in October 2022.
In the meantime, she warns how the potential risks associated with intermittent fasting are likely to be exacerbated by the competitive nature of her Type A disciples.
“I would compare myself to others,” said Rupprecht, describing how she felt pressured to extend her hours without support. “My window would end at 7 pm, but then I would have a friend who would only do that [eat] between 1pm and 3pm
“Some of my friends are in that world and are [still] undiagnosed. ”
If you or someone you love is battling an eating disorder, you can get help. Call the National Eating Disorder Association helpline at (800) 931-2237 or visit nationaleatingdisorders.org.