Intermittent Fasting is gaining popularity with health-conscious people. It is easier to follow because it doesn’t restrict you from consuming calories from what you generally eat. As per studies, It works the best for men. Also for people who have trouble restricting themselves to a diet.
All of us have been practicing fasting unconsciously. Staying hungry the whole night and eating in the morning is a type of fasting. Hence the morning meal got its name, “Break – Fast”.
Diets are easy in the contemplation, difficult in the execution. Intermittent fasting is just the opposite — it’s difficult in the contemplation but easy in the execution.
Dr Michael Eades
What Is Intermittent Fasting?
It is a cycle of staying hungry(for longer hours) and then eating. For eg: dinner at 7 pm and then eating the next morning at 11 am. It works brilliantly for people with slower metabolisms and shows faster results.
Initially, your brain is not going to agree with you. It is going to keep throwing a fit on being hungry. But hang in there, it will ease into the routine. If your mind and body are fatigued, try fasting for 12 hours and increase by 30 minutes till you reach the desired 16-hour fasting goal.
Related post: Food-Lovers’ Guide for Sticking to a Weight Loss Diet
Intermittent fasting for beginners involves training one’s mind. It will take some effort from you. Every time your body signals hunger – tell it, “I don’t need food – I am Food.”
How does it Work:
You eat lesser meals and fewer calories. Your body is functioning in two cycles.
Eating state: When your body is ingesting and absorbing the food. This state starts right when you start eating to 3-5 hours later.
Fasting state: After the eating state comes the fasting state. The post-absorptive state when insulin levels are low and the body is burning fat.
Since our bodies don’t enter the fasting state before 12 hours of consumption, it’s rare to burn fat if we are eating every few hours. This kind of fasting gets the body into a faster-burning state without changing what and how much you eat.
Colour me fascinated!
Some effective methods to do Intermittent Fasting:
1. 16/8 Method. In this method, you fast for 16 hours and eat for 8 hours( possibly 2-3 meals). In those 16 hours, one can drink water and beverages (hot and cold). It’s like eating early dinner ( at 8 pm) and having lunch the next day ( at 1 pm);
2. The 5:2 Method. Eating 5 days a week and fasting for 2 days;
3. 24 hours fast. Once or twice a week;
4. Alternate day fasting (this is one is rather extreme);
5. The Warrior Diet. Fast during the day. Eat a huge meal at night;
6. Spontaneous skipping of meals. Every now and then. For eg: already full from the previous one, skip a meal. Traveling and cannot find anything good to eat, skip that meal. It is okay to do that.
Refer to this guide to Intermittent Fasting to know more.
Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting:
Let’s face it. Fasting either translates weight loss or religious rituals to us. But it goes beyond. The results of intermittent fasting are many:
1. Your body initiates the cell repair process;
2. It releases less insulin into the bloodstream. Simpler words, Meaning fat burning process;
3. Helps you lose weight and belly fat. Because it boosts your metabolic rate and decreases your calorie intake;
4. Lowers the risk of Type 2 diabetes;
5. Reduces Oxidative stress. ( reasons behind aging, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, etc);
6. Increased cell growth which improves brain function;
7. Helps you live longer. Using the logic of restricting calories can elongate life span;
8. Way easier than dieting;
9. Fewer hours in the kitchen as less cooking is involved. ( My most favourite benefit of it all);
According to a 2014 review of the scientific literature, intermittent fasting can cause 3-8% weight loss over 3-24 weeks.
Mind-blowing, right?
I know people who have benefitted from fasting. But it can get extreme and intense so it is not advisable for everyone. If you want to give it a try starting with spontaneous skipping meals and see how it goes for you.
Another thing to note is, during the eating phase (mentioned above) be mindful of calories and foods consumed. You are doing this for health benefits after all. Eating things like junk food and aerated drinks are going to harm your health even when you are eating 2 meals a day. What to eat during intermittent fasting is up to you. No matter which method of fasting you chose, the quality of food and calories still matter.
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Which method of intermittent fasting would you like to start with? I would go for Spontaneous Fasting.
