Intermittent fasting or IF is rapidly becoming the most widespread fitness and health trend. Many people are using IF to lead a better lifestyle, improve health, and lose weight.

There are several studies that have demonstrated the powerful effects that occur on the brain and body due to intermittent fasting. Some studies have even shown that IF can help you live longer.

The following information is your beginner’s guide to intermittent fasting.

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What is Intermittent Fasting?

This is an eating pattern that cycles through periods of eating and fasting. The Intermittent Fasting plan doesn’t specify exact foods that you need to eat, but when you ought to eat them. On this plan, a whole food, nutritious eating regimen is recommended. Hence IF is not a conventional diet, but an eating pattern or habit. In this method, fasting occurs for either 16 hours a day or 24 hours, two times per week.

Fasting is not an unfamiliar practice in human evolution. In fact, it is more commonplace than we know. Our ancient hunter and gatherer humans didn’t have refrigerators, year-round foods or supermarkets. Sometimes they couldn’t find food to eat. In response to this scenario, they learned to function without food for lengthy periods of time.

In modern society, we see fasting occurring for spiritual or religious reasons. For instance, regular fasting is a common practice in many world religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism. In fact, when you think about it, periodic fasting is more natural than consuming 3 or more meals every single day.

Intermittent Fasting Methods

There are several ways to perform intermittent fasting. The most popular methods are:

#1. 16-8 Method

This is also called the Leangains protocol. To follow, you will skip breakfast and restrict your eating period to 8 hours.

For example, you may eat between 1 to 9 pm but then you will fast for the remaining 16 hours.

#2. 5:2 Diet

On this method, you normally eat for five days and restrict your calorie intake to 500 to 600 calories on two non-successive days in the week, i.e. Tuesday and Thursday.

#3. Eat-Stop-Eat

On this plan, you will fast for 24 hours, either once or twice a week. Then eat regularly on the non-fasting days.

On intermittent fasting, you’re reducing your calorie intake which leads to weight loss. However, it will only work if you’re not overindulging on junk food or compensating by eating more during allowed eating periods.

Most people prefer the 16-8 method because it’s more sustainable, simple, and easy to follow. It’s no wonder that it’s also the most popular!

Is Intermittent Fasting Good for the Health?

To determine the answer to this question, let’s examine what occurs at the cellular and hormonal levels when you fast intermittently. Many things happen at the molecular and cellular level when you fast.

For instance, your body begins to adjust its hormone levels so that it can make all stored body fat more easily accessible. Then your cells initiate vital repair processes and alter gene expression.

Here are a few changes that are occurring while you’re fasting:

• The levels of the Human Growth Hormone (HGH) skyrocket; sometimes increasing as much as 5 times. This benefits muscle gain, and fat loss.
• Your insulin sensitivity will improve. By fasting, your insulin levels will drop significantly, which helps make stored body fat easy to access.
• When you fast, your cells trigger cellular repair. Autophagy is an example of cell repair. In this process, old cells are removed and digested, including dysfunctional proteins that have accumulated inside.
• Intermittent fasting contributes to changes in gene expression which promotes longevity and protection against many diseases.

These changes that occur at the cell, hormone, and gene expression levels all contribute to the many health benefits of this fasting method.

Does Intermittent Fasting Help in Losing Weight?

Most people attempt intermittent fasting because of the weight loss that occurs when you follow this plan. By eating fewer meals, intermittent fasting leads to a reduction in caloric intake. This directly affects hormone and insulin levels which aid weight loss.

In addition, fasting also helps trigger the release of norepinephrine; a fat-burning hormone. Even if you fast for a short period, your metabolic rate jumps up by 3.6 to 14%. By eating fewer calories, and burning more calories, you’re effectively changing the calorie equation and promoting weight loss.

Many studies have demonstrated that intermittent fasting is an effective weight-loss tool. According to a 2014 study conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago, intermittent fasting caused up to 8% of weight loss over a 24 week period.

This is a notable amount of weight loss compared to other methods. This same study found that people following intermittent fasting were able to lose up to 7% of waist and belly fat, which is a known contributor to diseases. The participants in this study were losing approximately 0.55 pounds each week.

It is also important to exercise along with IF, this has been proven to help with fat loss and muscle gain. So in a nutshell, intermittent fasting can and will help you lose weight provided you don’t compensate by over-eating during the allowable periods. In addition to weight loss, there are significant benefits to metabolic health and in the prevention of chronic diseases.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

The benefits of intermittent fasting have been demonstrated in both human and animal studies. There are powerful positive effects in weight control and brain and body health as well. In addition, did you know that intermittent fasting can also help you live a longer life?

Listed below, are just handful of health benefits from intermittent fasting:

1. Insulin Resistance

Intermittent Fasting reduces insulin resistance and helps lower blood sugar levels by up to 6%. Fasting insulin levels are reduced by up to 31%. This provides significant protection from type 2 diabetes.

2. Anti-Aging

In a study that examined rats and fasting, those that fasted lived nearly 83% longer than those rats that didn’t fast. Clearly, fasting helped extend the lifespan of those rats.

3. Brain Health

When you fast, BDNF hormones increase in the brain. This promotes the growth of new neurons and also provides protection against Alzheimer’s disease.

4. Heart Health

Fasting helps reduce LDL cholesterol, blood sugar, inflammatory markers, insulin resistance, and blood triglycerides; all risk factors that contribute to heart disease.

5. Inflammation

Studies have shown that fasting contributes to a reduction in inflammation markers which are key causes of several chronic diseases.

6. Weight Loss

Perhaps the most noticeable benefit of all, on intermittent fasting you will lose belly fat and visceral fat.

Intermittent Fasting Diet Plan

To ensure that you get the most health benefits from intermittent fasting, it’s vital that you consume nutritious foods and beverages during the eating periods. Consuming nutrient-dense whole foods will help you benefit the most from this health regimen.

Although there is not a diet plan per se, incorporate the following during your eating periods:

– Fruits: All fruits are good options especially oranges, apples, pears, peaches, bananas, and berries.

– Vegetables: You may consume all the vegetables. Opt for many green, leafy options as well as broccoli, cucumber, cauliflower, tomato, etc.

– Whole Grains: Avoid all products containing refined wheat. Opt for grains such as buckwheat, barley, quinoa, oats, rice, etc.

– Healthy Fats: Skip all saturated fats. Choose oils made from coconut, olive, avocado, mustard, peanut, sesame, etc.

– Protein: Choose lean protein options (without fat) such as poultry, meat, eggs, seeds, nuts, legumes, lentils, etc.

During the fasting period, you may consume calorie-free drinks such as unsweetened tea (green tea), coffee (no sugar), and water. These will help you stay hydrated. Avoid binging on junk food or over-eating during eating periods as this will prevent you from experiencing the positive effect of this health regimen.

Other Do’s and Don’ts of Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is a safe and sustainable way to lose weight, improve health, and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Although this method is safe to follow for most adults, it is advisable that you speak to your general practitioner before attempting intermittent fasting.

This is especially important if you have underlying health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, eating disorders, low blood pressure, etc.

Intermittent fasting is not recommended for women who are breastfeeding, pregnant or are trying to have a baby. If you experience adverse effects while fasting or have concerns about this regimen, then do consult with your doctor. As stated earlier, to experience the maximum benefits of this health plan, you must avoid eating junk food and overcompensating on food during the eating periods.

Summary

Intermittent fasting is quickly becoming a health and lifestyle trend all around the world. Although there are many types of intermittent fasting, the 16-8 method is the most popular. It enables you to consume whole foods during an 8-hour period and fasting for the remaining 16 hours. You can consume non-caloric beverages such as water, green tea, and coffee without sugar during the fasting period.

Intermittent fasting has many proven health benefits such as weight loss, disease prevention, reduction in inflammation, improved blood sugar levels and brain function. More importantly, it can increase both the quality and longevity of your life.

Intermittent Fasting – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. Does Intermittent Fasting make you feel weak?

A. As intermittent fasting is a cycle of eating and fasting, the long time gap between your 2 meals can make you feel weak. It is important to follow this diet under an expert’s guidance with a disciplined regimen of eating healthy food at the right time.

Q. During the period of fasting can we drink water or have any type of fruits?

A. During the fasting phase, you should avoid eating fruits or infact, any eatables. But can definitely go for water or low caloric beverages like sugarless black tea or black coffee.

Q. What kind of exercises can one do while intermittent fasting?

A. Due to long fasting hours, you might feel lethargic and fatigued during exercising. Therefore, it is necessary to consider essential factors like timing of workout, nutrients adjustment according to the kind of workout and most importantly, how your body responds! If you feel dizzy and get exhausted easily, it is better to go for light workouts for short duration like yoga and low-intensity workouts. With heavy exercises, the timings and rightly balanced nutrition is extremely important. This is the reason why an expert’s supervision and guidance play a crucial role.

Q. Does intermittent fasting reduce muscle mass?

A. Studies have shown that intermittent fasting does not cause muscle loss when compared with other calorie- restricted diets, unless followed for long. Muscle loss occurs as a result of calorie deficiency. Hence, the right proportion of macronutrients plays the key role.

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By now, you’ve probably heard that intermittent fasting (IF) is a popular way to lose weight. However, any diet—especially one that involves fasting for extended periods of time—can have varying side effects, which brings up the question: is intermittent fasting safe for everyone? We spoke with LA-based nutritionist Patricia Bannan, MS, RDN; healthy cooking expert Cedrina Calder, MD; and registered dietitian Cynthia Sass, MPH, RDN, CSSD to find out which people shouldn’t try intermittent fasting because of varying health reasons.

But first, Bannan explains exactly how IF is a good method for losing weight. “Intermittent fasting causes glucose (sugar) concentrations to decrease and lipolysis (fatty acid oxidation) to increase significantly during the first 24 hours, which helps the body break down stored fat.” In other words, IF works to blast fat and fast. While it’s effective, it’s definitely not for everyone.

Here are 11 types of people who shouldn’t try the intermittent fasting diet. Plus, don’t miss these Eating Habits to Lose Abdominal Fat As You Age, Say Dietitians.

Receiving adequate sleep each night is crucial for healing and repairing muscles from exercise, supporting brain function, and even maintaining emotional well-being. Going to bed hungry can make it challenging for the body to relax and fall asleep, as this causes your brain to be alert, and, as a result, your body feels restless. Sass weighs in: “I’ve had clients struggle with falling asleep or staying asleep if the end of their IF eating window is too early in the day. Inadequate sleep carries a number of health risks, and sleep is when your body does a lot of healing and repair work.”

Not to mention that when you haven’t eaten in several hours, your blood sugar levels naturally drop, which can cause you to abruptly wake up in the middle of the night, feeling anxious. Disruptions during sleep can be harmful to your health, especially when they occur during the most pivotal stage of sleep, known as the rapid eye movement (REM) cycle. This stage is important for retaining information that you learned during the day and storing it into memory, and it repeats several times throughout the course of your sleep. Of course, not having enough sleep can cause other complications to arise, in addition to not being able to remember things.

“Too little sleep can also interfere with weight management and can pose a safety risk, in terms of cognitive function and driving,” says Sass. In this case, IF isn’t helping you lose weight, it’s one of the 27 Weight Loss Habits That Are Actually Making You Gain Weight.

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “Disordered eating is used to describe a range of irregular eating behaviors that may or may not warrant a diagnosis of a specific eating disorder.” Disordered eating is described as a descriptive phrase rather than a diagnosis. However, if irregular eating patterns and habits are not addressed, it can turn into an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating. Sass says that intermittent fasting may not be a wise choice for anyone that has experienced either disordered eating or an eating disorder.

“Any strategy that encourages restriction can trigger a disordered pattern in people with this history. For anyone, but particularly for someone with this history, it’s so important to listen to your body, and be mindful of what allows you to feel well both physically and emotionally. If limiting your eating window doesn’t support this, it’s not the right path for you,” she says.

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As one would likely assume, attempting to do intermittent fasting while engaging in an intense training cycle is not an ideal—or safe—combination. If you’re training for a marathon or regularly do CrossFit, you may want to reconsider doing IF. Oftentimes, you will need to eat something before you exercise to help you power through your workout. It’s also extremely important to eat something after you’ve finished exercising, too. “During a hard workout, you will put little tears in your muscle and deplete your glycogen stores,” says Kacie Vavrek, RD a sports medicine registered dietitian at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “A recovery meal within 1-2 hours plus regular meals every 3-4 hours after will help to replace glycogen stores and repair and rebuild muscle throughout the day.” Vavrek says skipping this post-workout meal could prolong your recovery and even inhibit essential muscle-building and repair.

Similarly, if you’re trying to gain muscle, Sass says it’s important that you consume protein at different times throughout the whole day, rather than trying to jam-pack it all into a specific eating window. In fact, many experts say that your body cannot properly metabolize more than 30-35 grams of protein per sitting. As a result, any excess protein that’s consumed and not utilized (ex: working out, weight lifting) during the day typically stores as fat in the body, not muscle.

“Spreading protein throughout the day and eating a protein-rich snack about one hour before bed” are two research-based strategies that will help you achieve the best muscle-building results. “Narrowing your eating window to just eight hours counters this approach,” Sass adds.

As if digestion issues weren’t cumbersome enough to deal with on their own, adding a wonky eating schedule into the mix can only cause more gastrointestinal distress. “If you already have problems with digestion (e.g. IBS), intermittent fasting may worsen your symptoms,” Calder says.

IF can even spur digestive issues due to the prolonged fasting bouts. “Periods of fasting can disrupt the normal activities of the digestive system, causing constipation, indigestion, and bloating,” she says.

Bannan also says that eating large meals—which is often required for the types of IF that call for a long fast—can cause gastrointestinal stress. “This is particularly concerning for people with IBS, who already have a more sensitive gut,” she explains.

Food provides sustenance and energy, and it enables you to focus. When you’re extremely hungry, all you can think about is food, which diverts your attention away from immediate tasks at hand. Of course, everyone responds to IF differently—it’s dependent on the person—but know that it may initially hinder your ability to concentrate if you’re not already used to going long periods of time without eating.

“Although some people report increases in energy with intermittent fasting, others may experience fatigue, reduced concentration, and low energy levels,” says Calder. “This can affect your productivity in your daily work. If you have the type of career or engage in activities where energy and concentration are needed, intermittent fasting may not be right for you.”

People who live with diabetes already deal with frequent spikes and drops in blood sugar throughout the day, so the last thing they need is to heighten those blood glucose responses via fasting. This is especially concerning for those who have type 1 diabetes, because the pancreas cannot produce insulin—the hormone that takes sugar from the bloodstream and transfers it to various cells in the body such as muscle tissue, adipose (fat) tissue, and even your liver. People who have type 1 diabetes often need to take insulin injections so that they can eat food without going into a state of hyperglycemia, in which there is too much sugar in the bloodstream.

“If you’re a diabetic and currently on medications for diabetes, especially insulin, you should never do intermittent fasting without consulting with a doctor first and being monitored closely,” says Calder. “Intermittent fasting combined with diabetes medications can cause your blood sugar to get dangerously low.”

Calder even says that anyone who experiences issues with low blood sugar should avoid partaking in IF because it’s critical for them to consume food periodically to maintain adequate blood sugar levels.

Engaging in IF while pregnant or breastfeeding can pose a threat to a child’s development. Calder says, “Pregnancy and breastfeeding require adequate intake of calories for proper development of the baby and milk production. Periods of fasting will interfere with your caloric intake, so pregnant and breastfeeding women should not do intermittent fasting.”

If you’re trying to get pregnant, IF may also not be the diet of choice for you. Bannan points out that IF may also be linked to fertility issues, causing changes in menstruation, disruptions in metabolism, and even prompting early menopause in women.

There are some medications that must be taken in the presence of food because without it, they can make you feel nauseated or light-headed, among many other side effects. IF fasting periods could even affect people who take a handful of vitamins or supplements every day. For example, those who have a low iron count in their blood or have anemia may have to take a daily iron supplement (or several) to help restore iron levels. Iron supplements are notorious for causing nausea, and taking it with food can help suppress that feeling. The time at which you take an iron supplement may be flexible, but what if you’re on a medication that must be taken at a very specific time of day and with food? That’s when things get a little sticky, and ultimately, it’s just not a good idea to dive into this diet if it doesn’t work with your medication.

Those who have recently experienced a major illness or are currently facing one should not engage in IF without clearing it with a doctor first. Here’s why: “In most cases, adequate caloric intake is needed in order to maintain lean body mass and a healthy immune system, which is necessary for individuals with cancer or weakened immune systems,” says Calder. “These individuals should speak with a doctor before trying intermittent fasting.” To bolster your immune response, consider skipping IF and adding these 11 Healthy Habits to Make Your Immune System Stronger to your routine.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Your work schedule can greatly influence your ability to engage in IF successfully. For example, if you work the night shift and have to sleep during the day, but one of your eating periods falls within the daytime, what do you do? Or worse, what if the majority of your fast occurs while you’re hard at work. Or, what if you work different shifts each day and never have a consistent schedule? Bannan says that fasting intervals can make you feel cold and experience headaches and mood swings. Having to cope with all of those potential side effects could distract you from work and make you less productive.

It takes a lot of mental strength to commit to IF. “It takes a lot of willpower to go for extended periods of time without food,” says Calder. “If you’re not mentally ready to do this, you could potentially develop an unhealthy relationship with food. Fasting periods may cause you to obsess over food, leading to overeating and bingeing during non-fasting periods.” Instead of adhering to a strict IF diet, try these 11 Mindfulness Hacks to Eat Less, According to Experts to cut back on calories.

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Let’s be honest: Intermittent fasting is not for the faint of heart. It takes strategy, commitment, and a hefty dose of willpower… but now, a registered dietitian is sharing a new way to think about what your body needs, plus four tips to make your intermittent fasting practice healthier, and more successful for weight loss.

Mandy Enright, MS, RDN, RYT is known for the practical advice she shares on her social media to make weight loss and healthy eating less restrictive and more sensible. This week on her LinkedIn profile, Enright proposed: “Let’s talk about the #1 mistake people are making with Intermittent Fasting.” But she didn’t stop there, and shared some other smart I.F. pointers.

Keep reading to learn Enright’s perspective-shifting insights, and check out The Best Oatmeal Combinations for Faster Weight Loss, Says Nutritionist.

Enright kicked it off by calling out what she says is the worst mistake people make with intermittent fasting: Eating within “feasting” windows that are too narrow of a timespan.

She said that the 16-hour “fasting” window combined with the eight-hour “feasting” window may be too strict for some dieters. In fact, she suggested, when your body is telling you that it needs to eat, fighting that feeling “is simply just torturing yourself,” and can be compared to forcing yourself to wait 16 hours to use the restroom.

When you think of it this way, you might agree that it’s important to listen to your body, right? Here was Enright’s solution for going about this more gently—”After all,” she said, “would you only let yourself go to the bathroom between 12-8pm? [sic]”

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“If you’re looking to try Intermittent Fasting,” the dietitian said, “don’t be so restrictive off the bat or you will set yourself up for failure.”

Instead, she shared: “I always recommend starting with a 12-hour window in your day to start, and you can always adjust from there based on hunger, energy levels, and what your schedule looks like that day.”

RELATED: One Surprising Side Effect of Intermittent Fasting, New Study Says

Enright added that another way she sees people not getting the most out of their efforts is to respond to long daily periods of deprivation by doing this: “If you’re only eating 1 or 2 overly large meals per day, how is this helping your weight loss or weight management goals? . . . often I see people eating these big meals super late in the day.”

What’s the problem with this approach? “Not only is this not ideal for your energy and metabolism, but it’s also fast track to a terrible night’s sleep,” Enright said.

RELATED: This Is Why Peanut Butter May Help You Get Better Sleep, Research Suggests

Enright says instead, dieters should follow these three rules:

1. Eat earlier
2. Eat often
3. Eat balanced portions.

Get on board with the latest healthy weight loss and wellness findings here:

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Losing weight can be incredibly challenging and people will often try several diets before landing on one that helps them drop pounds in a consistent and sustainable manner.

In fact, the findings from a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2020 revealed that 17% of Americans were on diets during the 2017-2018 survey period—up 14% from the decade prior. Yet, the national obesity rate rose from 34% to 42% over that same time period.

Now, new research out of the University of Illinois in Chicago suggests that intermittent fasting (IF) could promote significant weight loss and even improve metabolic health in those who have obesity.

“People love intermittent fasting because it’s easy. People need to find diets that they can stick to long term. It’s definitely effective for weight loss and it’s gained popularity because there are no special foods or apps necessary. You can also combine it with other diets, like Keto,” Krista Varady, professor of nutrition at the UIC College of Applied Health Sciences and study author said in a statement.

RELATED: Sleeping This Much Could Increase Your Risk of Obesity, Study Finds

The review, which was published in the Annual Review of Nutrition, analyzed 25 research studies involving three types of IF. These included the following:

• Alternate day fasting: You alternate between one feast day and one fast day. On the fasting day, you only consume one, 500-calorie meal.
• 5:2 diet: This type of IF calls for five feast days and two fast days per week.
• Time-restricted eating: This method doesn’t involve calorie restrictions, but you do have to shorten your eating window to anywhere between four and 10 hours a day. Then, you fast outside of that eating window.

Of the studies examined, many showed that time-restricted eating allowed participants with obesity to lose an average of 3% of their body weight—no matter the length of their eating window. On the other hand, those who participated in alternate-day fasting dropped 3%-8% of their body weight over a three to eight-week period.

Surprisingly, those who did the 5:2 diet had comparable weight loss results with those who did alternate-day fasting, despite having fewer fasting periods.

Overall, the percentage of weight participants lost following these two types of IF diets compare to the results one may achieve by following a traditional, calorie-restrictive diet. The best part? Participants who did both of these fasting diets kept the weight off, maintaining an average of 7% weight loss for a whole year.

Bottom line: The study doesn’t suggest that IF is more effective than traditional dieting. Instead, it shows that it may be just as effective, so if you hate cutting calories on a daily basis, consider giving either alternate day or 5:2 fasting a try!

For more information on IF, be sure to check out 7 Science-Backed Benefits of Intermittent Fasting. Then, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter for more weight loss tips!

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Intermittent fasting has recently become the talk of the weight loss world, gaining countless devotees and being heralded as a simple weight loss plan that can help even those who’ve struggled to shed weight in the past. However, a new study suggests that it may be more than just pounds you lose when you adopt an intermittent fasting plan.

According to a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine on June 16, 2021, researchers who participated in intermittent fasting during a control trial actually lost fewer pounds than those who followed a diet that didn’t incorporate time-restricted eating. Perhaps even more surprisingly, this was true even though adherents to both diets consumed the same number of total calories.

To reach their conclusion, researchers from the University of Bath’s Centre for Nutrition, Exercise & Metabolism had study participants break into three groups: group one fasted on alternate days and ate 50% more than usual on the day after a fast, group two reduced the number of total calories they consumed by 25% across meals with no fasting, and group three fasted every other day, but ate 100% more than usual on the day following their fast day. All groups consumed between 2,000 and 2,500 calories at the beginning of the three-week study period, with groups one and two reducing their overall calorie intake to between 1,500 and 2,000 calories a day, and group three fasting but not reducing their total caloric intake.

RELATED: 20 Best Foods to Eat While Intermittent Fasting

Researchers found that individuals in group two shed just over four pounds, on average, over a three-week period, virtually all of which was fat loss. Group one, which consumed the same number of calories as group two, but incorporated fasting, lost slightly less weight—3.5 pounds on average—but the pounds lost were approximately half fat, half muscle mass. Among the third group, the total weight loss was not significant.

“Intermittent fasting is no magic bullet and the findings of our experiment suggest that there is nothing special about fasting when compared with more traditional, standard diets people might follow,” said James Betts, PhD, the study’s lead author and director of the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise & Metabolism, said in a statement.

What’s more, Betts explained that the loss of muscle mass might make it more difficult for individuals to stay physically active or maintain their muscle mass, which burns more calories at rest than fat mass. So, while sticking to an intermittent fasting plan may help you shed a few pounds, that weight loss may come at a cost to your other health and fitness goals.

For some simple ways to shed those extra pounds, check out how Making This One Change to Your Diet Could “Reprogram” Your Metabolism, New Study Says, and for more health and weight loss news delivered to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter!

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Intermittent fasting or IF is rapidly becoming the most widespread fitness and health trend. Many people are using IF to lead a better lifestyle, improve health, and lose weight. There are several studies that have demonstrated the powerful effects that occur on the brain and body due to intermittent fasting. Some studies have even shown that IF can help you live longer.

The following information is your beginner’s guide to intermittent fasting.

:

What is Intermittent Fasting?

This is an eating pattern that cycles through periods of eating and fasting. The Intermittent Fasting plan doesn’t specify exact foods that you need to eat, but when you ought to eat them. On this plan, a whole food, nutritious eating regimen is recommended. Hence IF is not a conventional diet, but an eating pattern or habit. In this method, fasting occurs for either 16 hours a day or 24 hours, two times per week.
Fasting is not an unfamiliar practice in human evolution. In fact, it is more commonplace than we know. Our ancient hunter and gatherer humans didn’t have refrigerators, year-round foods or supermarkets. Sometimes they couldn’t find food to eat. In response to this scenario, they learned to function without food for lengthy periods of time. In modern society, we see fasting occurring for spiritual or religious reasons. For instance, regular fasting is a common practice in many world religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism. In fact, when you think about it, periodic fasting is more natural than consuming 3 or more meals every single day.

Intermittent Fasting Methods

There are several ways to perform intermittent fasting. The most popular methods are:

1. 16-8 Method

This is also called the Leangains protocol. To follow, you will skip breakfast and restrict your eating period to 8 hours. For example, you may eat between 1 to 9 pm but then you will fast for the remaining 16 hours.

2. 5:2 Diet

On this method, you normally eat for five days and restrict your calorie intake to 500 to 600 calories on two non-successive days in the week, i.e. Tuesday and Thursday.

3. Eat-Stop-Eat

On this plan, you will fast for 24 hours, either once or twice a week. Then eat regularly on the non-fasting days.

On intermittent fasting, you’re reducing your calorie intake which leads to weight loss. However, it will only work if you’re not overindulging on junk food or compensating by eating more during allowed eating periods. Most people prefer the 16-8 method because it’s more sustainable, simple, and easy to follow. It’s no wonder that it’s also the most popular!

Is Intermittent Fasting Good for the Body?

To determine the answer to this question, let’s examine what occurs at the cellular and hormonal levels when you fast intermittently. Many things happen at the molecular and cellular level when you fast. For instance, your body begins to adjust its hormone levels so that it can make all stored body fat more easily accessible. Then your cells initiate vital repair processes and alter gene expression.

Here are a few changes that are occurring while you’re fasting:

• The levels of the Human Growth Hormone (HGH) skyrocket; sometimes increasing as much as 5 times. This benefits muscle gain, and fat loss.
• Your insulin sensitivity will improve. By fasting, your insulin levels will drop significantly, which helps make stored body fat easy to access.
• When you fast, your cells trigger cellular repair. Autophagy is an example of cell repair. In this process, old cells are removed and digested, including dysfunctional proteins that have accumulated inside.
• Intermittent fasting contributes to changes in gene expression which promotes longevity and protection against many diseases.

These changes that occur at the cell, hormone, and gene expression levels all contribute to the many health benefits of this fasting method.

Does Intermittent Fasting help in Losing Weight?

Most people attempt intermittent fasting because of the weight loss that occurs when you follow this plan. By eating fewer meals, intermittent fasting leads to a reduction in caloric intake. This directly affects hormone and insulin levels which aid weight loss. In addition, fasting also helps trigger the release of norepinephrine; a fat-burning hormone. Even if you fast for a short period, your metabolic rate jumps up by 3.6 to 14%. By eating fewer calories, and burning more calories, you’re effectively changing the calorie equation and promoting weight loss.

Many studies have demonstrated that intermittent fasting is an effective weight-loss tool. According to a 2014 study conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago, intermittent fasting caused up to 8% of weight loss over a 24 week period. This is a notable amount of weight loss compared to other methods. This same study found that people following intermittent fasting were able to lose up to 7% of waist and belly fat, which is a known contributor to diseases. The participants in this study were losing approximately 0.55 pounds each week.

It is also important to exercise along with IF, this has been proven to help with fat loss and muscle gain. So in a nutshell, intermittent fasting can and will help you lose weight provided you don’t compensate by over-eating during the allowable periods. In addition to weight loss, there are significant benefits to metabolic health and in the prevention of chronic diseases.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

The benefits of intermittent fasting have been demonstrated in both human and animal studies. There are powerful positive effects in weight control and brain and body health as well. In addition, did you know that intermittent fasting can also help you live a longer life?

Listed below, are just handful of health benefits from intermittent fasting:

1. Insulin Resistance

Intermittent Fasting reduces insulin resistance and helps lower blood sugar levels by up to 6%. Fasting insulin levels are reduced by up to 31%. This provides significant protection from type 2 diabetes.

2. Anti-Aging

In a study that examined rats and fasting, those that fasted lived nearly 83% longer than those rats that didn’t fast. Clearly, fasting helped extend the lifespan of those rats.

3. Brain Health

When you fast, BDNF hormones increase in the brain. This promotes the growth of new neurons and also provides protection against Alzheimer’s disease.

4. Heart Health

Fasting helps reduce LDL cholesterol, blood sugar, inflammatory markers, insulin resistance, and blood triglycerides; all risk factors that contribute to heart disease.

5. Inflammation

Studies have shown that fasting contributes to a reduction in inflammation markers which are key causes of several chronic diseases.

6. Weight Loss

Perhaps the most noticeable benefit of all, on intermittent fasting you will lose belly fat and visceral fat.

Intermittent Fasting Diet Plan

To ensure that you get the most health benefits from intermittent fasting, it’s vital that you consume nutritious foods and beverages during the eating periods. Consuming nutrient-dense whole foods will help you benefit the most from this health regimen.

Although there is not a diet plan per se, incorporate the following during your eating periods:

– Fruits: All fruits are good options especially oranges, apples, pears, peaches, bananas, and berries.

– Vegetables: You may consume all the vegetables. Opt for many green, leafy options as well as broccoli, cucumber, cauliflower, tomato, etc.

– Whole Grains: Avoid all products containing refined wheat. Opt for grains such as buckwheat, barley, quinoa, oats, rice, etc.

– Healthy Fats: Skip all saturated fats. Choose oils made from coconut, olive, avocado, mustard, peanut, sesame, etc.

– Protein: Choose lean protein options (without fat) such as poultry, meat, eggs, seeds, nuts, legumes, lentils, etc.

During the fasting period, you may consume calorie-free drinks such as unsweetened tea (green tea), coffee (no sugar), and water. These will help you stay hydrated. Avoid binging on junk food or over-eating during eating periods as this will prevent you from experiencing the positive effect of this health regimen.

Other Do’s and Don’ts of Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is a safe and sustainable way to lose weight, improve health, and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Although this method is safe to follow for most adults, it is advisable that you speak to your general practitioner before attempting intermittent fasting. This is especially important if you have underlying health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, eating disorders, low blood pressure, etc. Intermittent fasting is not recommended for women who are breastfeeding, pregnant or are trying to have a baby. If you experience adverse effects while fasting or have concerns about this regimen, then do consult with your doctor. As stated earlier, to experience the maximum benefits of this health plan, you must avoid eating junk food and overcompensating on food during the eating periods.

Summary

Intermittent fasting is quickly becoming a health and lifestyle trend all around the world. Although there are many types of intermittent fasting, the 16-8 method is the most popular. It enables you to consume whole foods during an 8-hour period and fasting for the remaining 16 hours. You can consume non-caloric beverages such as water, green tea, and coffee without sugar during the fasting period. intermittent fasting has many proven health benefits such as weight loss, disease prevention, reduction in inflammation, improved blood sugar levels and brain function. More importantly, it can increase both the quality and longevity of your life.

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