A revamping trend in health and fashion industry, spawning all over nutrients and health-conscious people’s attention is Intermittent fasting.
When you hear the word fast, you wonder about skipping meals or staying hungry the whole day, so we will tell you that it is not the case in this matter.
Intermittent fasting is not about relying on a restricted diet or starving, instead is mostly about limited timing on when to eat.
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What is Intermittent Fasting?
Typical weight loss diet practice requires less intake of food energy each day to burn out calories.
Interestingly, intermittent fasting does not reduce the amount of food you take every day; instead, it limits the calorie intake on certain days.
So you can enjoy your meal without worrying about the calories on particular days but avoid on other days.
The common pattern of intermittent fasting is 5:2 – it means you consume whatever you want for 5 days but skip it for 2 days.
How does Intermittent Fasting work?
When you follow a diet pattern and fast for a specific time, your body gets enough time to burn calories you consume in your last meal.
There are different suggested ways of fasting; like eating for 8 hours and fasting for the other eight hours or just take one meal a day.
According to a study at the University of Alabama, as our body is set on day and night patterns, eating early in the daytime and avoiding feeding ourselves in the nighttime can benefit our metabolism.
Moreover, it improves your body’s insulin level, regulates blood pressure, decreases appetite, and most significantly releases your stress.
Benefits of intermittent fasting
There is still chaos going on related to intermittent fasting, whether it significantly benefits your metabolism or not, according to studies it does impact positively on your body including reducing the rate of obesity and diseases like cancer.
Dr. Monique Tello’s suggested that it is beneficial for the people, especially at the risk of diabetes, as it improves insulin level.
However, they should consult their physician before starting the program.
Here are some benefits of intermittent fasting.
Fast Weight Loss
Eating for a restricted time helps reduce weight and burn out fat faster. As studies suggest that it boosts metabolism and reduces the chances of storing extra fats in your body.
More importantly, intermittent fasting steers the weight loss and fat burning process in men with obesity dramatically.
According to the study, people who follow 16:8 routines in weight loss programs got incredible benefits and lost dramatic weight.
Maintain Muscle Mass
One exciting part of intermittent fasting is that you can maintain your muscle mass while timely fasting.
One of the greatest pitfalls of any other dieting program that you lose your fat-free mass is to restrain your muscle mass loss by restricting the calorie intake to manage your body shape without losing your mass.
Reduce the Risk of Recurring Cancer
Intermittent fasting causes metabolic changes and improves the level of insulin, which plays the most significant role in the growth of cancer. Doctors are increasingly studying and conducting research.
Improve Brain Functioning
Studies show that intermittent fasting improves brain function and structure. However, these studies only have been conducted on animals so far that they have significant results related to nerve cells and cognitive functioning.
The significant metabolic changes impact our brain and create multiple signaling pathways that promote neuroplasticity and restrict the brain to diseases.
Develop Healthy Eating Habits
Alternate day or 5:2 days eating practice develop healthy eating habits.
We ultimately start thinking of taking a nutritious meal to reduce calories and keep ourselves energized while skipping meals during our restricted timings.
This strategy helps you reduce weight and improve the level of insulin. It also develops healthy eating habits.
No Specific Diet Restriction
Most people drop off dieting because of the restrictions from eating specific food that they can not resist.
Intermittent fasting only gives you restricted hours to eat whatever you love eating. There is no particular limitation of food intake in this fasting plan.
You can enjoy your favorite meals in day time easily.
Side-Effects of Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting offers several benefits for sure. But, it has some drawbacks, which means it is not suitable for everyone.
Before considering it you should consult your physician or nutritionist to stay on a safer side, especially people who intake insulin medicine or suffer from any other kind of disease.
Here are some of the side-effects of intermittent fasting.
Tiredness
People feel tired so quickly when they start skipping morning breakfast. They encounter making dumb mistakes and get drowsy at times cause they start wading through brain fog.
You need to charge your body with some sugar to hit your day. It is recommended that you should fuel yourself with good nutrient food to maintain your energy level.
Regain Weight Instantly
Another drawback is regaining weight instantly. Once people stop fasting, their metabolism goes through instant changes and increase the sugar level in the body.
Retaining excess sugar will start storing fat in your body, and you will regain body weight quickly.
Low Blood Sugar
Changing the eating pattern and reducing the number of calories in specific timings can instantly reduce your blood sugar. If you feel dizziness, headaches, or nausea during fasting, you must immediately consult to your physician as these indicate the signs of low blood sugar in your body.
Insomnia
Some people have a habit of eating late night. It restrict eating overnight, which later cause the sleeping disorder. As they fail to satisfy their craving during nights, they report staying wide awake.
A study shows that daytime fasting causes a dropoff in rapid-eye-movement sleep (REP). REP is connected to memory, concentration, and mental processing. People with intermittent fasting suffer from sleeping disorder because their brains do not get enough sleep signals.
Mood Swings
Lack of sugar intake on particular days can lead your mood swings at the beginning of intermittent fasting. You may notice at times that you get frustrated and throwing back while fasting.
This is normal as you are obliged to avoid eating and snaking at a particular time. You would feel anxious, down, and discouraging, which may affect your temperament.
It would be better to contact a professional dietitian to help you schedule suitable days for fasting to improve your mind and body functioning.
Eating Disorder
Human nature is if you are obliged to follow a restricted routine for a certain time, after the freedom you feel obsessed with doing the particular thing in your curiosity.
People tend to eat more after stopping intermittent fasting, that leads to obesity and eating disorder. If you notice yourself overeating and craving for food all the time, you must consult your doctor or psychologist.
Conclusion
Intermittent Fasting has several researched benefits related to your health and metabolic changes. On the contrary, there are some side effects as well. It is recommended that you consult you, physician, before implementing any intermittent fasting schedule.