Can intermittent fasting help you get healthier and lose weight quickly? Yes and here’s why!
Over the last few years, intermittent fasting has become extremely popular. This is mostly because it’s one of the few diets which is actually backed up by science. Yes, studies have shown that intermittent fasting can have amazing benefits and might actually help you live longer! It’s also extremely simple to implement. In this post, I’m sharing everything you need to know to get started.
Intermittent fasting has been practiced all throughout human history – ancient hunter-gatherers were forced to fast when they couldn’t find food. They didn’t have the benefits of grocery stores and fasting is actually far more normal than eating 3-4 meals per day.
Another thing that’s great about intermittent fasting is that you’ve probably already tried it sometime in your life. Everyone has had days when they skipped lunch or dinner and went long periods without eating.
Intermittent Fasting 101
PART 1: What Is Intermittent Fasting?
To put it simply, this is a way of dieting where you cycle between periods of eating and then fasting. This type of diet has less to do with the actual foods you eat and is more focused on when you eat those foods. The basic idea behind intermittent fasting is that by eating fewer calories at the right times, you should be able to lose weight.
If you love having the whole picture before you start, The Complete Guide to Fasting is a popular, easy-to-follow read that walks you through the different approaches.
PART 2: How To Do Intermittent Fasting
There are several methods of intermittent fasting:
- The 16/8 method: With this method, you only eat during an 8 hour period. For example, you eat from 9 AM to 5 PM – so you still get a proper breakfast. You then fast for 16 hours in between.
- Eat > stop > eat: With this method, you fast for 24 hours two days of the week (These should be non-consecutive days.)
- The 5:2 diet: Here you only eat 500-600 calories two days of the week (These should also be non-consecutive days.)
You’re allowed to drink liquids (like water and tea) while doing intermittent fasting. All that is restricted is eating at particular times.
I like keeping an insulated water bottle within reach during the fasting hours – having something cold to sip makes the waiting part feel a lot shorter.
PART 3: 10 Wonderful Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting
There are several things that happen to your body while going on intermittent fasting. These mostly have to do with your hormones and are extremely beneficial. For example, some of the intermittent fasting benefits include:
1) The levels of human growth hormone (HGH) in your body can rise as much as five times. This increases your body’s fat-burning abilities and helps you build muscle.
2) Your insulin sensitivity improves and levels of insulin drop. This increases your body’s ability to burn stored fat. It also lowers your blood sugar and helps protect against type 2 diabetes.
3) Studies have found that it reduces inflammation which is the cause of many chronic illnesses.
4) Intermittent fasting reduces cholesterol, blood triglycerides, inflammation, and blood sugar levels (all of which typically lead to heart disease).
5) Studies done with animals have shown that intermittent fasting could prevent cancer.
6) It increases certain brain chemicals that help to regrow nerves. This means that intermittent fasting can guard against problems like Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
7) Intermittent fasting causes less muscle loss compared to other methods of calorie restriction. For this reason, it has become extremely popular in the fitness community.
8) It has anti-aging benefits. Studies done on rats ( 😥 )have discovered that fasting extended their lifespan by 40-90%.
9) Intermittent fasting makes your life a lot simpler. Eating healthy can be difficult and it is hard work to plan and cook healthy meals. By eating less you make the whole thing a lot easier.
A stack of meal prep containers makes this even simpler, because your eating-window meals are ready to grab instead of being one more thing to figure out.
10) Ultimately, it was found that eating this way can lead to a 4-9% loss of weight over 4 weeks – which is A LOT, compared to most diets. Most of this weight loss was unhealthy belly fat and fat around the organs.
PART 4: Is Intermittent Fasting Right For You?
Of course, as with everything, intermittent fasting might not be for everyone.
If you’re underweight or have had problems with eating disorders, you should probably avoid fasting.
There’s also the hunger factor. The fact is that if you’re fasting, you’re going to feel hungry a lot of the time. You could feel weak and have problems performing at work or during your daily life.
When the hunger kicks in, a warm mug from an herbal tea variety pack can be a cozy little distraction until your next meal.
It’s also going to take time for your body to adapt to this way of eating, which could be an issue for some people.
Also if you suffer from chronic illnesses it might be wise to avoid fasting. This can include things like diabetes, acid reflux, and low blood pressure. Basically, this way of eating suits people who are healthy overall the most.
The Bottom Line Of Intermittent Fasting…
… Is that it simply works wonders. If you’re struggling to lose weight with other methods then be sure to give this a go – it’s relatively easy, straightforward and works! If you feel in need of more guidance, a fasting app such as DoFasting could be your solution to reaching your weight loss goals.
Best of all, intermittent fasting has proven health benefits and is actually good for you. Just as long as you don’t binge during the eating phase, you should eventually lose weight and enjoy better health. I hope this guide helps you decide if it’s right for you!
