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Intermittent Fasting:
Intermittent fasting is rapidly emerging as one of the most popular fitness trends in the world. People all over the world use it to reduce weight and improve their health.
This method focuses on when you should eat, rather than what to eat. Therefore it is not a diet, but an eating pattern.
In fact , it is more natural to fast from time to time rather than eating 3-4 meals everyday.
Methods of intermittent fasting
Although there are many methods of intermittent fasting the most popular methods are as follows:
- 16/8 method: This method involves skipping breakfast and restricting the daily eating period to 8 hours.
For example: 1-9 PM. The remaining 16 hours are used for fasting.
- The 5:2 method: In this method you consume only 500-600 calories on two non-consecutive days of the week but take normal meals on other 5 days.
- Eat stop eat: This method involves 24 hours fasting for once or twice a day.
The science behind intermittent fasting:
When you follow this plan, some changes occur in your body at the cellular and molecular level.
The following are the major changes that take place when you fast.
1. Lowering of Fat storing hormones: Intermittent fasting allows your body enough time to lower the level of fat storing hormones.
The drop in the levels of fat storing hormones makes the body fat more accessible. This helps to reverse the fat-storing process resulting in weight loss.
2. Cellular repair: Intermittent fasting cleanses our body from the toxins. The cells of our body also initiate the cellular repair process.
This process involves removing old and dysfunctional proteins that build up inside the cell.
3. Gene expression: Intermittent fasting also leads to changes in genes. These changes help to improve longevity and protects the body against disease.
16/8 intermittent fasting.
Out of the above 3 methods, the 16/8 method is the easiest to follow and sustainable. Therefore it is the most popular type of intermittent diet plan.
People following this plan fasts for 16 hours a day and eat all their meals during the remaining 8 hours.
The easiest way to follow a 16:8 intermittent fasting plan is to select a 16-hour fasting window and 8 hours eating window.
The 16 hours fasting window also includes the time you spend on sleeping.
Thus you may choose between one of the following eating windows.
- 9.00 AM to 5.00 PM
- 10.00 AM to 6 .00PM
- 1.00 PM to 9.00 PM
Health benefits of intermittent fasting
The following are the main health benefits of this plan.
Weight loss and fat loss:
Studies show that this plan leads to more weight loss than calorie-restricted diets.
Disease prevention:
In addition to weight loss intermittent fasting also helps in preventing certain diseases.
I Type 2 Diabetes: Intermittent fasting reduces insulin resistance of the body. This protects the body from type 2 diabetes.
II Heart disease: Intermittent fasting helps in lowering the levels of LDL (Bad Cholesterol), triglycerides, and blood sugar. This helps in reducing the risks of heart disease to a great extent.
III Cancers: Studies show that intermittent fasting also helps in preventing cancer of certain types.
IV. Neurodegenerative disease: This plan helps in the growth of new nerve cells.
This is due to an increase in the secretion of the brain hormone BDNF. This protects the body against diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Shortcomings of intermittent fasting:
Like all other plans this plan is also having certain shortcomings.which are as follows :
- This may promote eating unhealthy foods or overeating during the 8-hour eating window. This is due to excessive hunger during periods of short eating.
- This can also lead to weakness or fatigue in the initial days of the plan.
- It is not as beneficial for women as it is for men.
- Although intermittent fasting helps in diabetes prevention .It is not suitable for people already suffering from it.
- Not suitable for people who are having a medical history of anxiety and depression.
- Not suitable for people with low blood pressure.
4 Effective ways to make your intermittent fasting plan success full.
If you want to make this plan successful, you should take into consideration the following points.
- Calorie count: Try to eat normally during the eating periods. This means that you should not eat too much.so that it compensates for calorie missed while fasting.
- Be consistent: Consistency is important when following any diet plan. This is true for intermittent fasting. If you want to lose weight through it, then have to live with it for extended periods.
- Quality of meal: The nutritious value of the meal is very important. Avoid eating junk food during the eating period.
- Strength training: strength training is also important while following this plan ,if you want to lose body fat and hold on to muscle.
Frequently asked questions(FAQ)
- Can I do workout while fasting?
Yes it is perfectly fine to do workout during fasting
2. Does intermittent fasting causes muscle loss ?
All weight-loss diets cause some amount of muscle loss. But the
muscle loss in this plan is less in comparison to other calorie-restricted diets.
3. Is it healthy to skip breakfast?
Yes, if you take a healthy diet for the rest of the day then skipping
breakfast is perfectly healthy.
4.Does fasting affects my metabolism?
This plan when followed for short term boosts your metabolism
up to 14 %.
5. Can we take supplements while fasting?
Yes, you can take them while fasting. Although some fat-soluble
vitamins should only be taken with the meals.
6. Should kids do intermittent fasting?
No it is not advisable to make your child fast.
Conclusion:
Although intermittent fasting is one of the most popular plans for weight loss. But the fact is that it does not suit everyone.
While on one hand it is a great plan for some people, it is not suitable for others. It is up to you to find out which group you belong to.
If you decide to follow this plan then you should also keep in mind the nutritional value of foods.
So you should take care and avoid junk food completely during the eating period.
It helps to maintain the quality of the diet and lose weight in a healthy way.
Also read :
1. How to loose weight fast by boosting metabolism.
2. How to create calorie deficit for weight loss.
I am on my weight loss journey and I agree that combined exercise and a healthy diet is important.
It does not have to be 1000 steps or anything like that. Start with small things such as walking in the park. From there, build momentum and improve daily. Weight loss should be enjoyable and rewarding at the end. Also, small habits such as keeping fruit in the fridge and healthy snacks such as roasted almonds could give you a huge payoff in the long term.
One other thing that can help is starting a diet journey with a written plan and a journal. You want to come up with a system that you can follow and adjust based on your situation. I keep a list of exercises, progress and food recipes that help me with my diet.
I love tea! I keep a bunch of tea recipes in my journal. I benefited from the Red tea detox program. It has a bunch of ingredients that help to reduce hunger and production of stress hormones. It helps me to cut my binge eating habit that I have tried to get rid of since forever.
Personally I follow the all in one guide from fatlosshabbit.com, they have the best Red tea detox recipes plus all the exercises and diet plan necessary to give you results in just 14 days. I hope this helps you and good luck in your weight loss journey.
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