Intermittent fasting (IF) has been around in the health and fitness world for some time now. People use this way of eating for varies reasons. Ranging from weight loss, health optimization, and increased simplicity of lifestyle!
What is Intermitted Fasting?
Let's get one thing clear, it ISN'T a type of diet. It's defined as an eating pattern. The point of IF is to plan when you are eating and when you are not eating. It does not dictate what you are eating. Common intermittent fasting involves daily 16-hour fasts or fasting for 24 hours, twice per week. Fasting is a practice that can be seen all through out human evolution because we weren't always as advanced as we are now. Which means, when there was no food or means to preserve food, a fast would occur! Also, people fast for religious and spiritual reasons as well.
IF Methods
These are a few of the most popular IF methods:
The 16/8 method: Also called the "lean gains" protocol, it involves skipping breakfast and restricting your daily eating period to 8 hours, such as 1–9 p.m. Then you fast for 16 hours in between.
Eat-Stop-Eat: This involves fasting for 24 hours, once or twice a week, for example by not eating from dinner one day until dinner the next day.
The 5:2 diet: It's ideal to consume about 500–600 calories on two non-consecutive days, for example Monday and Thursday, of the week, but eat normally the other 5 days.
If weight loss is your goal then, of course making sure your caloric intake is reduced is ideal. Keeping in mind not to over eat during eating periods. The 16/8 method has been seen as the most popular due to it being very simple and easier to stick to.
What Are Benefits From IF?
Just to name a few:
Weight loss: As mentioned above, intermittent fasting can help you lose weight and belly fat, without having to consciously restrict calories.
Insulin resistance: Intermittent fasting can reduce insulin resistance. It has the ability to lower blood sugar by 3–6% and fasting insulin levels by 20–31%, which should protect against type 2 diabetes.
Inflammation: There has been studies that have shown reductions in markers of inflammation, a KEY component of many chronic diseases.
Also, for those who work spilt shift hours IF is a very great way to ensure you get the nutrients need and don'y have to stress about it at work. The hours you eat would be planned around the shift schedule!
IF isn't for everyone but those who are healthy and well nourished and have a schedule that would benefit from this can definitely be successful with it!