Intermittent Fasting is one of the fastest and most sustainable ways to lose weight. Studies demonstrate that the key in understanding people who are successful with fasting is skipping breakfast, eating while they can, stopping their dinner earlier and going to bed around 9pm.
24 hours of fasting twice a week has aged animal cells similarly to how other lab animals live 10 times longer than control groups when protected from neurodegenerative conditions like cancer.
Additionally prolonged periods of Intermittent Fasting produce significant weight loss in rodents on average across three different studies, even when caloric intake was greater than levels recommended for rodents versus humans.
Fasting for shorter periods of time such as 16 hours each day has been shown to be as effective at producing weight loss as 36 hours with about half the amount of total house time.
This type of diet has been reported to improve metabolism and hormonal activity, reduce frequency and intensity of sugar cravings, maintain low-fat lifestyles within easier ways and contribute to weight loss.
Intermittent Fasting Types
There are many ways of doing intermittent fasting — each involves dividing a day or week into eating and fasting sessions. In the fasting periods, you eat either very little or nothing. Here are Eight different ways to do intermittent fasting:
Fasting for 12 Hours
A very simple rule for this diet. A person should determine and stick to a 12-hour fasting every day. This type of intermittent fasting plan is good for beginners. Because, much of the fasting occurs during sleep, and the person can eat normally.
For example: Eat Dinner at 8 P.M. and wait till 8 A.M. for Breakfast.
Fasting for 2 Days in a Week
Also known as 5:2 diet. You must pick out 2 days in the week to consume less calories(500 for women – 600 for men).
For example: Fast on Monday and Thursday. Eat normally on the other days. Don’t choose consecutive days for fasting.
Alternate Day Fasting
For the 1st day, Eat 500 calories of food with water. The next day, you can eat anything. Repeat.
One Meal A Day
The rule is to fast for 24 hours between each meal. Generally, follow this intermittent fasting for once/twice a week.
For example: Eat at 10 A.M. on day one and fast till 10 A.M. the next day.
Fasting for 16 Hours
It is also called 16:8 intermittent fasting diet. You must limit eating to 8 hour window with 2–3 meals, and fasting for 16 hours.
For example: Take Dinner at 6 P.M. and extend breakfast till 10 A.M. the next day.
Meal Skipping
Simply skip meals if you don’t feel hungry, or too busy to eat. Follow this diet if you don’t like to feel restricted.
The Warrior Diet
The Warrior Diet is an approach to eating that cycles expanded times of little food consumption with short windows of overeating. It requires eating very little, usually just a few fruit and vegetables, during a 20-hour fasting window, then eating one proper meal at night.
The Monk Fast
The Monk Fast requires you to keep away from food for 36 hours once per week and drink only water, tea or coffee to stay hydrated.
Health Benefits
Scientists had studied intermittent fasting for decades, tested on animals and humans to get evidence of health benefits. Still more research is needed, especially to determine the benefits of practicing intermittent fasting for long-term. But researchers do know that fasting improves metabolism and lowers blood glucose, benefitting from a lot of health issues.
Evidence shows that when you consistently practice intermittent fasting, it may:
- Get rid of brain fog
- Decrease your risk for diabetes
- Help you lose belly fat and weight
- Improve sleep
- Protect your heart
- Reduce inflammation
Who should you avoid Intermittent Fasting?
Abstaining from food even for a short period of time can have side effects. So, you should not try intermittent fasting before consulting doctor if you:
- Have or had eating disorders.
- Are trying to build muscle mass.
- Have digestion issues.
- Require intense focus and concentration.
- Have type 1 diabetes.
- Are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Have weak immune system or cancer.
- Have low blood pressure.
- Are underweight.
Bottom Line
Intermittent fasting is gaining attention in the digital world because its health benefits are so prominent.
Intermittent fasting can be potentially dangerous when considering your health conditions, family history, cultural background or current medications. It is up to you to consult a professional before making any drastic changes to your lifestyle that could have negative side-effects.
Basically, intermittent fasting has great health benefits if done responsibly. That being said there are certain cases where it might not be the best option for you like when pregnant mothers, new mothers trying to produce breast milk or people with eating disorders, who may be adversely affected by intermittent fasting and should avoid it at all costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to the most FAQs about intermittent fasting.
1. Can I Drink any Liquids while Fasting?
Water, tea, espresso(coffee) and other non calorie containing beverages are fine. Try not to add sugar to your espresso. Little quantities of milk or cream might be OK. Espresso can be especially beneficial during a fast, as it can dull hunger.
2. I heard Skipping Breakfast is Unhealthy. Isn’t it?
The problem is that most cliché breakfast skippers have unhealthy lifestyles. If you try to eat healthy nutriments until the end of the day then skipping breakfast is fit as a fiddle.
3. Which Supplements am I allowed to take during Fasting?
Remember that a few supplements which contains Vitamins A, D, E, and K might work better when taken with meals.
4. Can I Excercise While Fasting?
The way to weight reduction isn’t just diet, yet additionally exercise. It is feasible to exercise while fasting, however precautions are vital.
You want to schedule your exercise sessions and timings decisively around those fuelled and void time openings. Thus, schedule those power lifting sessions during or after your feeding windows.
5. Will Fasting lead to Muscle Loss?
All weight loss strategies can cause muscle loss. It is the reason lifting weights and keep your protein intake high is important. A review showed that intermittent fasting leads to lesser muscle loss than ordinary calorie restriction.
6. Will Fasting reduce my Metabolism?
Concentrates on show that transient fasts really help metabolism. Nonetheless, longer fasts of at least 3 days can reduce metabolism.
7. Is fasting healthy for my children?
Kids up to the age of 7 should not fast. They may get health issues like decreased cognitive function with short fasts.
8. Will I be hungry and tired the entire day since I will be starving myself?
Indeed, you might feel drained and languid, particularly as an intermittent fasting novice. Your body is running on less energy than expected. Likewise, fasting increments stress levels, it can likewise upset your mental state and rest pattern.
9. Which is the best method of intermittent fasting for weight loss benefits?
The 5:2 diet. This diet includes eating ordinarily for 5 days every week while restricting your calorie intake to 500-600 for 2 days per week.
Originally posted 2022-09-07 19:18:21.
