Benefits of Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss
We have had enough diet plans to restrict our weight gain and help us lose weight. Weight gain is influenced by our daily eating habits, how much time we take our meals a day and the number of calories a meal contains is also a matter of subject. (1)
Healthier eating habits mean consuming at least 500 to 600 calories a day to promote healthy weight loss. In recent studies, a new concept for weight loss came into sight, it is Intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting is skipping meals on alternative days of your own accord. There are plenty of ways to keep to intermittent fasting.
The concept of intermittent fasting has become widespread all over the world, in past years. Generally, this stratagem is accepted by most people for cutting down their calorie consumption.
This concept contains not only skipping meals but a diverse pattern of eating. Such as long periods of fasting, short periods of fasting, regular fasting, alternate fasts, less eating, and no food for 20 or 24 hours.
Bestowing to research conducted by Harvard university on intermittent fasting found that if you continued fasting whether regularly or intermittently for 2 to 3 months, resulted in weight loss of over 8 to 12 pounds. When you adopt the habit of intermittent fasting it will help in maintaining disciplined eating. Also, aids in retentive muscle mass by cutting down extra fat from the body.
Role of Intermittent Fasting In Weight Loss
While most people do intermittent fasting to attain their weight loss goals. People do fast voluntarily according to their capacity to stay without food for a day or by lowering the consumption of calories. This process will take them to weight loss in a concluded time.
Recent studies and research on intermittent fasting suggested that it is the better way or idea if you are looking forward to losing pounds. When you are going through this process you get the feeling of reduction in cravings and lower appetite.
Intermittent fasting is normal for most people but not for everyone. If you know that your body can stay without food the whole day, you can go for it. But if you cannot perform well in performing, you can start with little hours of fasting.
Initially, those who start intermittent fasting for the first time they may face some complications. It is highly recommended that start with small steps such as skip snacks, trying to skip one time meal a day, and then slowly and gradually trying to fast for a whole day. Must be sure that your meal after the fast contains a high quantity of nutrition.
How To Perform Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting has various rules or ways to cut down your calories and help you to lose weight.
Studies showed that people who opt for intermittent fasting for weight loss may have strong diets and meal plans. Intermittent fasting is much influenced by ancient upbringings of the eating habits of a person.
The ways from which you can grab the most and better results from fasting are various. But you have to choose them as per your capability to have fast. If you are in the initial stage of fasting you are suggested to start your fasting with short time goals and a short fasting period.
Adopt 16 By 8 Formula
The formula 16 by 8 is the best one for intermittent fasting. This formula restricts the time window for consumption.
You can consume only within 8 hours a day and the rest of the16 hours for fasting. Set your hours and plan your meals for each day before you start intermittent fasting. You have to restrict your meals and cut down on calorie consumption whether from food or beverages. While you have to keep fasting for 16 hours per day.
Most diets and fasting systems have a larger number of strict rulebooks and protocols but the most convenient and effective way is in the 16/8 formula. This is greatly recommended by the researchers if you are looking forward to rapid and better results.
16/8 is time-restricted consumption where you get enough of 8 hours opening for consumption. If you are facing any trouble in performing, you can schedule your timing by skipping your one-time meal. You can opt by partaking in an open opening from 9 am to 5 pm. It refers that you are generally skipping your dinner and snack time.
Break your 16 hours of fasting by having a proper and nutrition-rich breakfast in the morning. This process can help in lowering your blood pressure, and extra calorie consumption, and avert hypertension. Moreover, take you to the weight loss regime.
Unprompted Omission of Meal
You may undergo this situation in which you skipped your meal spontaneously throughout your life. This can also be recognized as intermittent fasting. To understand the concept behind this is to be aware, conscious, and convenient with your body. Likely, your body has had enough and you do not feel hungry thus you skip the meal.
This can be proven the best trick for beginners by trying to skip a meal per day before fasting a whole day.
The 5-2 Strategy
This strategy of a 5-2 eating plan refers to set-up your week in such a way that eating a healthy diet regularly for 5 days and fasting for two days. But must be sure that you have to fast with limited calories. Mark the adequate number of calories bestowing to your body’s requirement.
For instance, 600 calories, you have to eat only 600 calories a day for two days whether you consume 600 calories in one go and keep fasting the rest of the day. On the other hand, you divide your calorie consumption as per the timing whenever you get attacked by hunger pangs.
If you are consuming 2500 calories each day for 5 days then you have to restrict your calorie consumption to 550 a day for two days. This restricting calorie idea would surely lead you to a weight loss of around 3 to 4 pounds in 3 weeks. (2)
Most large studies showed much proven shreds of evidence on a 5-2 eating plan and suggested it as the effective and splendid way to lose weight.
There is a list of studies that showed the effectiveness of this plan and its benefits to the body and overall health.
- Aid in weight loss
- Prevent blood glucose
- Aid people with 2 types of diabetes
- Avert metabolic health
- Protect from heart diseases
- Provide flexibility
The best perspective about this plan is that there are no rules and regulations. You can easily choose your 5-2 days as per your convenience and restrict your calorie consumption as per your requirement too.
But it does not mean that in an open window for eating, you can eat anything whatever you love to eat. It may affect your two days fasting results.
Regular Fasting
Regular fasting refers to fasting for 24 hours on any non-following days during a week.
If you are an experienced person in fasting then you can easily go for it. On the rest of the days, you can eat what you want to eat. Must be aware that you do not overconsume and have a healthy diet.
This can lead to reduce in calorie intake and help in weight loss.
Alternate Fasting
An alternate fasting method refers to every other day of fasting. A full day of eating in which you can eat enough as per your body’s requirement and fast for 24 hours on an alternate day.
This fasting method net seems to be easy for everyone. You have to maintain a proper diet plan for eating days so that you do not lack the nutrient value on fasting days. (3)
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Most of the studies and evidence came to people that using this trick for weight loss may be proven effective. But its results depend solitary on you. If you have had enough nutrients, vitamins, and protein in your diet, then only your body can allow you to do fasting. Otherwise, you may lack nutritional content in the body and fall sickening or unconscious.
Intermittent fasting not only helps in weight loss but also aids in many health benefits. It can overcome the risk factors of health, for instance, it can improve your overall digestion system, cure diabetes, aid in cardiovascular health, enhance blood sugar levels, and low down the level of cholesterol.
Wrap Up
When you opt to fast for weight loss, it’s highly recommended that on non-fasting days you are having a complete nutrition-rich diet, keep yourself hydrated, and perform moderate exercise.
