One of the reasons that so many are interested in intermittent fasting has to do with fat loss. The typical ways that someone loses weight through extreme dieting and exercise might produce short-term weight loss but doesn’t provide long-term health, vitality and weight loss maintenance. And it can often have the unpleasant side-effect of loose or saggy skin.

Most people say they want to lose weight but what they are really seeking is fat loss. Unfortunately, many of the diets out there today miss hitting the nail on the head; in helping you lose “weight,” you are also losing precious lean body mass (muscle) in addition to fat.  Not only is this counter to what you’re truly seeking, but the health impact of losing muscle mass is a detriment that can lead to advanced aging and chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome. 

What people actually want is to burn fat and preserve lean body weight to give you that toned, lean and glowing look of health. Activating autophagy helps make this possible. By supporting weight loss without compromising lean body mass, the autophagy-effect is profound and protects your cellular function through the process.

What I’m really talking about here is lifestyle change. Fat loss through lifestyle change, instead of extreme dieting solely for weight loss, is more sustainable for the long-term and you’ll be less likely to gain the weight back in a year or two. This lifestyle can include all of the autophagy promoting features – diet, intermittent fasting, smart exercise, key supplements, stress management, better sleep and more.

Yet another feature of fat loss through autophagy is all of the benefits to skin health. Promoting autophagy can help skin to lift, firm and glow while diminishing fine lines and saggy skin that often appear with fat loss. For many, this concept alone changes the game. Instead of looking for that “quick fix” and focusing solely on weight loss, shifting to a lifestyle in which you use tools to boost autophagy is a good mindset that translates to feeling and looking your best. All without working too hard!

In addition to intermittent fasting and the autophagy-promoting tools that we’ve discussed above polyphenols – or powerphenols as I call them – can play a very important role in skin health and are quite easy to implement. 

Powerphenols are compounds from plants and herbs that help to protect the plants from the environment. Inside our bodies they promote autophagy. These powerphenols include Autophatea, berberine, resveratrol, and turmeric and can be obtained through the diet, by taking supplements or even used topically on the skin. 

Personally, I love the concept of inducing skin autophagy from the inside and the outside, so I frequently use autophagy-promoting foods and supplements and then use these same powerphenols as part of my daily skincare routine. In addition, I’m a big believer in food as medicine and use whole foods for their autophagy benefits as well. 

So, as you can see, if you are interested in fat loss while maintaining muscle and maintaining skin elasticity and integrity, autophagy to avoid loose skin might just be your best kept beauty secret!