Intermittent fasting is a timed approach to eating, wherein there is no specific food that you should or should not eat. Studies show that it can help you lose weight because it has potent effects on your brain and body.
Fasting is not new because, during the ancient times, people only eat when they were hungry. Supermarkets and refrigerators are not available, so they could not stock up on food and would hunt for animals or look for food only when they are hungry.
During that time, they did not have the breakfast-lunch-dinner ways of eating; therefore, humans have evolved to function without food, even for an extended period. Fasting is also being done for religious reasons, so do not be afraid of getting sick by fasting.
Intermittent Fasting Methods
There are many ways on how you can do intermittent fasting, but here are the three most commonly used.
The 16/8 Method
This method is also known as the Leangains protocol, wherein it limits your daily intake of food for eight hours. It means that you will fast for 16 hours and eat only during the eight hour window period.
Eat-Stop-Eat
Once or twice a week, you will fast for 24 hours. Then for the rest of the days within the week, you will eat normally.
The 5:2 Diet
You will eat 500-600 calories only for two consecutive days then eat normally for five days.
Most of the people would follow the 16/8 method because it is the easiest, simplest, and more sustainable among the other methods.
How Can Intermittent Fasting Help You Lose Weight?
One of the most common reasons for a person to do intermittent fasting is losing weight. It works by reducing your caloric intake because it causes changes in your hormone levels. Short-term fasting may also help increase your metabolism by 3.6 to 14 percent.
Studies show that intermittent fasting could help you lose weight. In 2014, a review study found that 3 to 8 percent weight loss was observed in a span of three to 24 weeks following intermittent fasting compared to other weight loss studies. Apart from that, subjects lost waist circumference by 4 to 7 percent, meaning there is a significant loss in the harmful belly fat.
One study about intermittent fasting also proved that less muscle is lost compared to the standard way of caloric restriction.
Do note that successful intermittent fasting is only achievable if you have self-discipline, which means that binge eating during the "eat-period" would not give you the result that you want.
Intermittent Fasting Makes Your Lifestyle Simpler
Besides losing weight, another positive thing about intermittent fasting is that you would have a few meals less to prepare. For example, if you are following the 16/8 method and you plan to fast from 8 PM to 12 NN and eat only from 12 NN to 8 PM, then you do not have to think of or prepare breakfast but skip to making lunch and dinner only.
Want to have a more effective way to lose weight? Pair intermittent fasting with a low carbohydrate diet. Apart from losing weight, your health will also be better than ever.
