By If you are a fitness freak or health-conscious person, then you might have heard about intermittent fasting. It is one of the most popular fitness and health trends.
Most people use it for weight loss purposes, improving health, and others. According to studies, it helps to extend the lifespan, and improve your brain and body.
If you are still here, it means you want to know more about intermittent fasting or are planning to start it. So, learning the important things will help you to get a headstart and create your goals accordingly.
Here are some of the things given below about intermittent weight-loss fasting that you need to know.
What Is Intermittent Fasting?
Among all the other things, the most important thing that you need to know is what is intermittent fasting. While most other diets let you know what to eat, this one helps you find out when to eat. So, instead of calling it a diet, the best term to describe it is an eating pattern.
During this weight-loss method, you eat during a specific time of the day. Other methods include fasting for specific hours each day, eating one meal for some days, and others.
It helps to burn the extra fat of the body and provides some other health benefits as well. According to reports, the body can evolve to go without food for hours and days with this fasting.
It is similar to what humans used to do in prehistoric times. So, it is not a new method but applied for different reasons. While humans used to go through this due to insufficient food, now this is used to reduce weight and enjoy other benefits.
How Intermittent Fasting Works?
One of the common questions among people is “how does intermittent fasting work” We will explain to you the details of how it works. There are different ways available to do this form of fasting.
However, most of them are based on choosing the time to eat and fast. For example, you might eat only 8 hours every day and fast for the rest time. On the other hand, you can eat only one meal for two days or one day a week.
Choosing the intermittent fasting schedule entirely depends on your choices or preferences. When you are not consuming food for hours, the body starts to use the stored sugar to provide the required energy.
As a result, the fat gets burned, and you start losing weight. If you are eating two-three times a day without exercising, you allow your body to go on with those calories. Your fat will not burn a bit, and the process will not work.
Some common intermittent fasting schedules that you can follow include the 16/8 method, eat stop eat, the 5:2 diet, the warrior diet, and alternate-day fasting.
Intermittent Fasting Methods: Keep The Time In Mind!
Want to start this form of fasting method to ensure sustainable weight loss? Well, I have got out covered. Here are some easy ways to begin your intermittent fasting.
Here are the three easiest ways in which you can fast and let your body reap the benefits:
1. 12-Hour Fasting
This was one of the first dieting methods in the intermittent fasting methods. Even though it may sound like a difficult task to do, you can quickly achieve your goal only if you time your food or meals every day.
The easiest way to go about this diet is to ensure that you skip one of the meals you take daily.
For example, you can have your breakfast at 9 a.m. and then have your dinner at 9 p.m. Feel free to change the times as convenient.
2. Alternate Day Fasting
Another easy form of dieting when it comes to fasting is the alternate fasting method. Even if there are many variations of this diet method, no matter what gender you are, you are guaranteed to benefit from this one.
Among the benefits of this fasting method, one of the major ones is improved heart health. This means that apart from ensuring that you are able to take care of the body weight and reach your goal, you are able to take care of the heart as well.
3. Two Days A Week Fasting
Also known as the 5:2 diet, where weight loss enthusiasts eat for five days a week and skip their meals for two days is common. It is also one of the easiest things to do in order to ensure that you are not trapped in the constant struggle of keeping a tab on time.
In this form of diet, people restrict their calorie intake twice a week. Men and women can follow this diet alike. However, needless to say, the calorie intake for both men and women will differ.
One major benefit of this form of fasting is that the insulin level of the body is regulated and improved to a great level.
Intermittent Fasting Benefits
As mentioned earlier, intermittent fasting comes with a lot of popular health benefits. This is one of the reasons why this method is getting popular all around the world.
Some of the benefits of this form of fasting are given below:
1. Insulin Resistance
A very good health benefit of intermittent fasting is insulin resistance. It can reduce insulin resistance and reduce them by 20 to 31%. Apart from that, it can lower blood sugar by nearly 3-6%. Therefore, it can help you stay protected from type 2 diabetes.
2. Weight Loss
As mentioned earlier, intermittent fasting is very effective in reducing belly fat and weight. You do not have to restrict the calories, unlike other methods, to lose some weight.
3. Heart Health
Intermittent fasting decreases bad LDL cholesterol, inflammatory markers, blood triglycerides, insulin resistance, blood sugar, and others. These are some of the most prominent risk factors for heart disease.
4. Brain Health
This fasting increases BDNF brain hormone that helps to grow the nerve cells. It might also help you with Alzheimer’s disease.
Now that you know the benefits of intermittent fasting let’s take a look at the side effects.
Intermittent Fasting Side Effects
While intermittent fasting provides many health benefits, it is associated with some side effects as well. You need to know about the side effects before starting your fasting. There is nothing to worry much about; you can stay safe from these side effects easily.
1. Lightheadedness And Headaches
One of the most common side effects that many people might ignore is headaches. Lightheadedness and headaches are very often seen in people who are fasting. They appear during the first few days of the process.
However, the good thing is the pain from this lightheadedness and headaches are limited between mild to moderate. No matter if you choose intermittent fasting 16/8 or any other methods, it can still appear.
2. Cravings And Hunger
Another common side effect that you will see in the initial stages of your intermittent fasting is hunger and cravings. It is no surprise that changing your eating habit will cause hunger and cravings.
Reducing calorie intake or going a long time without food might cause increased hunger and cravings. However, it becomes normal after some days, and it is the price you have to pay if you are making intermittent fasting weight loss.
3. Digestive Problems
When you are in intermittent fasting, you might develop some digestive issues such as diarrhea, constipation, bloating, nausea, and others. In addition, the routine of food intake and fasting regimens might affect your digestion negatively.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What Are The Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting results in losing weight, improving heart health and brain health, providing resistance against insulin, and protecting from many other diseases.
Q2. What Is The Most Effective Intermittent Fasting Schedule?
Although there are plenty of intermittent fasting schedules available to choose from, the most effective one is making the eating time in the morning from 10 am to 6 pm, or 7 am to 3 am. Try to avoid eating and snacking at night time.
Q3. What Happens To Your Body During Intermittent Fasting?
Along with lost weight intermittent fasting, it is also known for reducing liver fat, improving glucose control, improving blood pressure, etc.
Conclusion
Intermittent fasting is getting popular rapidly due to the benefits it provides. Almost 5 out of 10 people now want to lose weight and keep in shape. Intermittent fasting is one of the most effective ways of losing fat.
In case there are any other queries related to the same, feel free to comment them down in the box. Till then, stay safe and stay healthy!
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