The Totem Fast

For thousands of years, human beings did not have three meals a day at set times, and the body was built accordingly. It knows perfectly well how to function for several hours without food. It is a capacity most of us never use any more. Today we eat from the moment we wake up until we go to bed, so the body stays permanently in storage mode.

Intermittent fasting became popular as a way to fix this, and millions of people started skipping breakfast every day. I am not a fan. With the people I coach, I use fasting differently, with a prolonged fast from time to time, to catch the body by surprise. That is when you see the most interesting responses, with the switch to fat as a source of energy, the rise in growth hormone and the recycling of worn-out cells.

The guide explains what happens in your body when you stop eating, why I prefer an occasional prolonged fast to daily intermittent fasting, and how to choose the right moment. It then takes you from the day before to the first meal, shows you how to track your progress without relying on the scales, and adapts the protocol for women with or without a natural cycle, women on the pill, men, menopause, PCOS, endometriosis and athletes.

It brings together what I have learned over several years of coaching. I have tried different formats, dropped some of them, and ended up keeping a simple protocol that gives good results with few side effects, provided you choose the right moment, prepare the ground well and take care over how you come out of the fast.

If you are doing the Totem Reset, the two complement each other very well, as long as you do not start them at the same time. The Reset prepares exactly the ground that fasting needs, with lower inflammation, well-established protein intake and more stable sleep.

This guide is for information only. It does not replace advice from a doctor or health professional. Some people should not fast without medical supervision, in particular in the case of gout, type 1 or type 2 diabetes, eating disorders, pregnancy, breastfeeding or trying to conceive, low body weight, kidney disease, heart rhythm problems or low blood pressure, over the age of 65 and under the age of 18. If your periods have stopped for no known medical reason, do not fast and talk to your doctor. If you take any medication, talk to your doctor before you start.