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Summary
On episode 484 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Dr. Will Cole, a leading functional medicine expert who consults with patients around the world via webcam and locally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Named one of the top 50 functional medicine and integrative doctors in the nation, he is the best-selling author of Ketotarian and The Inflammation Spectrum, and he joins Allan for a third time to talk about his book, Intuitive Fasting.
Dr. Cole argues most people in the West are metabolically rigid: stuck burning sugar and unable to tap fat for fuel. Intuitive fasting is his four week protocol for rebuilding that lost flexibility, pairing time restricted eating with a mindful relationship to food, so fasting becomes a tool rather than a punishment.
The conversation covers how to exercise while fasting, why the plan is meant to be repeated or stretched rather than rushed, and how bio-individuality means everyone has to run their own experiment to find what actually works.
Links
- https://drwillcole.com
- Episode 340 – Keto for vegetarians and vegans with Dr Will Cole
- Episode 413 – The inflammation spectrum with Dr. WIll Cole
Key Takeaways
- Metabolic flexibility, not permanent ketosis, is the real goal. Most people in the West are metabolically rigid, stuck burning only sugar for fuel. Dr. Cole says regaining the ability to burn both fat and sugar as needed is our birthright, one we lose through modern eating patterns, and rebuilding it is the actual aim of intuitive fasting.
- Intermittent fasting and a ketogenic diet are two sides of the same coin. Both work by raising beta-hydroxybutyrate, what Dr. Cole calls the “fourth macronutrient” alongside protein, fat, and carbs, which lowers inflammation and supports brain function.
- The four week protocol is a training tool, not a rigid rulebook. Dr. Cole compares it to a yoga class for the metabolism: if you are inflexible, you ease in. You can repeat a week, stretch the plan to five or six weeks, or run through it again in three months.
- Intuitive fasting is time restricted eating, not calorie restriction. You still eat all the calories you need, just inside a defined window. Even the hardest week in the protocol is an “almost OMAD” approach done every other day, not a full one meal a day plan.
- Don’t start fasting and a hard new workout program at the same time. Dr. Cole’s advice is to keep the activity level you already have, but not add CrossFit and intermittent fasting in the same week. Change should be sustainable, not driven by shame or an urge to do everything at once.
- Fasting clears the “noise” that hides real hunger. Once cravings and blood sugar swings settle, people can tell the difference between true hunger and a craving, and can honor real hunger with a better meal instead of chasing whatever is convenient.
- Everyone reacts to food differently, so treat it as an experiment of one. Dr. Cole calls this bio-individuality: what works for one person’s blood sugar or gut will not work the same for another, so elimination diets and self-testing matter more than chasing a single “best” diet.
- Dr. Cole’s three strategies to get and stay well: treat avoiding foods that make you feel bad as self-respect, not restriction; experiment with intermittent fasting to bring stillness and pause into a life of constant “more”; and eat nutrient-dense, real food rather than trying to fast your way out of a poor diet.
“Avoiding foods that make you feel like crap isn’t restriction. It’s self-respect.”
Dr. Will Cole
Another Episode You May Enjoy
Episode 28 – Can Fasting Be A Healthy Solution for Fat Loss? – Jimmy Moore