What’s The Deal With Intermittent Fasting?
What’s The Deal With Intermittent Fasting?
Do you ever get hungry whenever you miss a meal? Imagine waiting for 16 or 18 hours before eating again. That’s how intermittent fasting works on a regular basis. You’re probably thinking—no food for all those hours?! This may seem quite daunting but, what if there could be some upsides to fasting?
The first thing you should know is intermittent fasting is not a diet, but a pattern of eating. It's a way of scheduling your meals so that you get the most out of them. Intermittent fasting doesn’t change what you eat, it changes when you eat. Most notably, intermittent fasting is a great way to lose weight without going on a crazy diet or cutting your calories down to nothing.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Work?
The science behind intermittent fasting relies on the fact that when we eat, our insulin levels spike. Insulin is a hormone that's released when we eat, but it isn’t meant to be released all the time. It’s hard for your body to lose fat while your insulin levels are high. But after 8 to 12 hours after your last meal, you enter the fasted state. It is much easier for your body to burn fat in the fasted state because your insulin levels are low. And when you're in the fasted state your body can burn fat that has been inaccessible while your insulin levels were high.
Since the body doesn’t enter the fasted state until 12 hours after our last meal, it's rare that our bodies are ever in this fat-burning state. This is one of the reasons why many people who start intermittent fasting will lose fat without changing what they eat, how much they eat, or how often they work out.
Benefits
Those who advocate for intermittent fasting promote such health benefits as weight loss, improved metabolism, a reduced chance of developing cancer, and other diseases including heart disease, type 2diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have also found that fasting can extend your life longevity.
Some other trivial benefits that are worth mentioning are:
- Makes your days simple and less stressful
- Saves you money because you are eating less often
- Easier than dieting because it's easier to adjust to
Types of Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting has several different types/methods. Here are some of the most popular ones:
The 16/8 Method:
- Fast for 16 hours each day, for example, by only eating between noon and 8 pm.
Eat-Stop-Eat:
- Once or twice a week, don't eat anything from dinner one day, until dinner the next day (a 24 hour fast).
The 5:2 Diet:
- During 2 days of the week, eat only about 500–600calories
**There are many more variations out there to suit individual needs.
Bottomline
If you’re thinking about giving intermittent fasting a try, do not attempt to make any changes without first consulting your doctor or nutrition expert. Specific benefits and potential risks of intermittent fasting should be discussed. Whether your goals are weight loss, longevity, or decreasing your risk of certain health conditions, an expert can help find the right regime to fit your individual needs.
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