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If you have been reading the newest research on weight loss diets and trends, then you definitely must have heard about intermittent fasting for weight loss and how it works wonders for not only losing those pesky few pounds but is also a good for general health. But how does it really work?
1. What Is Intermittent Fasting?
When we talk about intermittent fasting, it’s not focused on what you eat because it’s not really a diet, it’s more focused on the actual time you are eating. When you follow intermittent fasting rules, you start eating at only certain times during the day and fast the rest of the day.
Research on this shows that when fast for a specific number of hours in a day it can have health benefits. Intermittent fasting is not just one specific schedule, it can vary from person to person according to their age, nutrient requirements, weight, doctor’s recommendations etc. There are different intermittent fasting schedules that you can follow that can include alternate day fasting, periodic fasting such as the 5:2 diet and daily time-restricted eating schedule.
2. Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss. The Science Behind It
Recent studies done on Intermittent fasting show that this type of a restrictive schedule can really help with weight loss. How? Because it makes scientific sense. When we consume any kind of food, it broken down by the digestive system and ends up as smaller nutrients in the blood. Carbohydrates and sugars are broken down into smaller molecules that our cells use to create energy. If we have excess of those sugars, our body stores it as fat. Sugar however can only be stored in the body through a hormone called insulin which is made in the pancreas.
When we are fasting in between eating, our insulin levels are down and since the body needs it, the fat cells release the stored sugars and convert it into energy. Weight loss happens when these insulin levels go down and fats cells release their stored sugars. So the science behind Intermittent fasting is that the body is allowed time to burn the fat stored in the body.
3. Intermittent Fasting Benefits
Intermittent Fasting however has more benefits than just burning fat and weight loss. Research shows that if you stick to an appropriate intermittent fasting schedule, there are a myriad of great benefits to the body.
3.1. Improved Memory Skills
One of the surprising intermittent fasting benefits is the improvement in thinking and memory that could be seen in adults during research.
3.2. Improved Heart Rate
Intermittent fasting was shown to have a positive effect on the resting heart rate of humans as well as showed a great improvement in blood pressure.
3.3. Improved Physical Health
Research has proven that intermittent fasting can improve physical health while burning away excess fat, however the intermittent fasting schedule should be according to the health and weight requirements.
4. Intermittent Fasting Schedule
The most important thing when considering starting an intermittent fasting schedule is to understand that it would be a complete lifestyle change and has to be completely thought through. The next thing is to consult with your family doctor, dietician or a physician to understand what kind of restrictive approach and schedule your body can handle. The actual fasting schedules are simple but can vary. Here are two of the most popular intermittent fasting plans.
4.1. The Daily or 16/8 Schedule
The daily approach is the simplest and most popular method. In this schedule, you restrict to eating for a number of hours each day and fat the rest of the hours in the day. An example of this is the 16/8 schedule where you eat only 8 hours and fast for 16. This is an easy plan because the hours you sleep are also counted as fasting.
4.2. The 5:2 Schedule
One of the other popular intermittent fasting methods is the 5:2 schedule, where you eat normally five days of the week but you change your diet for the rest of the two days. On those two days, you restrict yourself to one 500-600 calorie meal a day. These days can be alternate days or two days together. A good reference for this diet is journalist Kate Harrison’s book called The 5:2 Diet based on her own experience of trying out this diet.
