Your guide to intermittent fasting
You must have heard about the latest trend in weight loss: Intermittent fasting! Many around us, some celebrities and social media influencers are following this trend. In this article, we will give you details about Intermittent fasting, its pros, and its cons.
What is intermittent fasting?
It is an eating pattern followed by many people. Following this pattern, you abstain from solid foods for a certain number of hours every day, while you are allowed to drink water, tea, coffee, and herbal teas. You can’t, however, have any type of juice or milk. The intermittent fasting diet is different from other diets as there are no calorie or food limitations.
How does it work?
During fasting insulin levels drop making it easier for your body to burn the stored fat. The growth hormone levels spike, which is great for weight loss, and increasing muscle mass. This type of fasting also stimulates cell regeneration, which prevents fat accumulation in your body.
Types of intermittent fasting
There are several ways to implement intermittent fasting for weight loss, below are the most popular ways:
- Intermittent fasting 16/8
This is by far the most preferred option; in this pattern you fast for 16 hours and consume food for the remaining 8 hours.
- Fasting 20/4
It is also known as the warrior diet or military diet. If you follow this pattern for 20 hours during the day you can’t eat anything except small amounts of raw fruits and vegetables. And you can have normal means during the remaining 4 hours.
- Fasting two nonconsecutive days
This has been a trend followed by many dietitians lately, suggesting to do intermittent fasting 16/8 for two nonconsecutive days during the week while consuming only 500 calories on these days.
Benefits of intermittent fasting
- Weight loss.
- Making it easier to follow a healthy lifestyle.
- Regulating blood sugar.
- Reducing fat and increasing muscle mass.
- Stimulating memory and brain cells.
- Slowing signs of aging, due to cell regeneration effect.
- Disease and infection prevention.
Cons of intermittent fasting
- Following this eating pattern for too long can negatively affect female fertility.
- Feeling tired and lethargic.
- Headaches.
- Feeling hungry for long durations leads to irritability.
- Diarrhea or constipation.
- Sleep disorders.
- Nausea.
Don’t follow this eating pattern without medical consultation if you are:
- Pregnant.
- Breastfeeding.
- Have thyroid disease.
- Taking certain medications.
- Trying to conceive.
- Suffer from any type of depression or eating disorder.
Source: Healthline.com
Also read Is gastric sleeve surgery safe?
