What Is Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting is basically an eating pattern. Its pretty simple really, as you have periods when you eat and periods when you dont eat .
I dont call it a diet, even though this regimen can help you to lose unwanted pounds. Its more of a lifestyle change to be honest, and a change that pays off when you make it a regular thing.
Choose an IF plan that fits in with your day and your habits. Thats the best way to make it work for you.
Keeps Cells Healthy And Vibrant
When we fast we give our body time to rest and repair, tending to natural processes put in place to keep our cells healthy. Autophagy is an example of a process our body naturally undergoes to keep our cells healthy and in turn, keep us healthy!
Autophagy is the process our cells go through to remove waste and dysfunctional cells to help our body clean out damaged cells and regenerate new and healthier cells. Evidence suggests when we intermittent fast, we increase the frequency of this process, so our body works harder to remove any unwanted junk and dysfunctioning cells .
Increased autophagy may play a role in protecting us from several diseases including neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, inflammatory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases .
How To Get Started With Intermittent Fasting
There are several types of intermittent fasting you can follow:
- The 16/8 or Leangains Method: Fast for 16 hours per day and eat in the remaining 8-hour window. Most people will skip breakfast and eat from 1pm to 9pm for example.
- The 5:2 Diet: Eat normally for 5 days of the week, but only eat up to 600 calories on the other two days.
- Eat-Stop-Eat or Spontaneous Fasting: Fast for a 12 or 24 hour period multiple times per week. There is no real schedule for this one.
- Alternate Day Fasting: Fast for one day and eat normally the next day. Continue to alternate days of fasting and normal eating.
You can view a more detailed description of each type here.
Also Check: What Should I Eat When Fasting
Not Drinking Enough Water
When using Intermittent Fasting, insulin levels naturally start to decrease. This natural reduction in insulin can cause the body to release water and promote a state of dehydration. Dehydration, aside from leading to issues such as fatigue and headaches, can also cause an increase in sugar cravings and likely lead to consumption of sugary foods that work against weight loss goals.
Fasting Hack To Avoid #: Keeping A Rigid Timeframe
The most popular fasting schedule is called 16:8.
A 16:8 fast might work great for some people, but if youre not seeing the results you want from fasting this way, you might want to experiment.
For example, you might want to try a shorter eating window, like an 18:6 plan.
This isnt a punishment or a way to overly restrict your calories, of course.
Rather, playing around with your fasting times can counteract the tendency to overeat before a fast.
SPECIAL:
With a too-long eating window, you might fall into that tricky feast or famine mentality and overeat during your eight hour window.
Of course, the 16:8 plan works great for some. So dont feel as if you have to follow a rigid formula!
Try different fasting practices to see what works for you, and dont be afraid to change it up.
Fasting can be a great way to lose weight without going on a restricted diet. If you practice healthy eating habits during your eating window, you can see great results!
Dont be afraid to experiment to find the right fasting formula for you. A little trial and error goes a long way.
Let your body, and your sense of wellbeing, be your guide!
You May Like: What Can I Have When Fasting
Can Intermittent Fasting Cause Weight Gain
Can Intermittent Fasting cause you to gain weight? When it comes to weight loss, Intermittent Fasting can be an excellent tool. It has been found to help the body preferentially burn fat as a fuel source and can help naturally reduce the fat storing hormone insulin. But can Intermittent Fasting ever cause you to gain weight? If you’re gaining weight with Intermittent Fasting, there are 10 very common mistakes you might be making. Today, I’m diving into the 10 most common Intermittent Fasting mistakes so that you can start achieving your wellness goals!
What Causes Menopause Weight Gain
Weight gain in women over 40 is extremely common, though the exact cause and effect is still under debate. Lower estrogen levels may mean a lower metabolic rate, which can result in weight gain even when our diet hasnt changed. We may be less able to utilize starches and sugars due to increased insulin resistance. Or its those two enzymes that store and synthesize fat, which are more active in postmenopausal women contributing to menopause weight gain. Or its the loss of muscle mass causing us to burn fewer calories, even at rest. Frustratingly, many women deal with an increase in ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and/or a decrease in leptin, the hormone that alerts us when we’re sated.
So one of the first things to realize it that weight gain in this time of life is not “failure” or lack of will power. Hormones exercise a much greater power over our emotions and actions than we give them credit for, and fluctuations in estrogen, followed by a decline in estrogen levels can make weight management a whole lot harder. Beating yourself up over it not only isn’t accurate, it also doesn’t burn calories, so please don’t.
If you want a personalized diet and fasting plan, a menopause-certified health coach can be helpful. Book 30 minutes for your personal consultation with a health coach.
Don’t Miss: How Long To Intermittent Fasting
What Can I Do To Reduce Water Retention
- Eat less salt. It is important that you eat less salt, junk food, and processed foods to reduce edema. Read labels and stay away from foods that are high in salt. Take the salt shaker off the table. Do you really need that extra salt on your food?
- Calcium supplements. It is believed that calcium supplements taken during meals can help reduce the retention of water.
- Magnesium. A study found that women who took 200 mg of magnesium daily had less water retention during PMS. Magnesium is found naturally in dark chocolate, green vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.
- Exercise. Working out during your period will help you avoid weight gain and water retention. It increases the flow of blood to your kidneys and helps carry excess water out of your body.
- Stay hydrated. It may sound counter-intuitive, but one of the best ways to avoid water retention is to stay hydrated by drinking a lot of fluid. This fluid helps the kidneys remove excess water out of your body.
- Natural diuretics. Another way to reduce water retention is to drink a natural diuretic such as lemon water and eat grapefruit.
But Why Does Eating Less Put Our Bodies On Alert
For many years, scientists believed a womans body fat percentage regulated her reproductive system.
The idea was this: If your fat stores dipped below a certain percentagesomewhere around 11 percenthormones would get messed up and your period would stop.
Boom: no chance of pregnancy.
From an evolutionary standpoint, this made a lot of sense. For our ancestors, who didnt have access to Costco and Amazon, a low food supply would be cause for major concern.
So if you were losing body fat, your body might assume there isnt much to eat, and try to prevent reproduction.
But the situation is actually more complicated than that. Female bodies seem to go on alert even before body fat drops.
As a result, women who arent especially lean can also stop ovulating and lose their periods.
Thats why scientists now suspect that overall energy balancehow many calories youre eating versus how many youre burningmay be more important to this process than body fat percentage.
Don’t Miss: How To Lose Weight With Intermittent Fasting 16 8
Restricting Certain Nutrients Like Protein May Also Have Different Effects On Women Compared To Men
In general, women tend to eat less protein than men.13 And usually, women who fast will eat even less protein .
Thats a problem because protein provides amino acids, which are critical for the reproduction process.
If amino acids get too low, it can negatively affect both your estrogen receptors and a hormone called insulin-like growth factor .14 Both are needed to thicken the lining of the uterus during the menstrual cycle. If the uterus lining doesnt thicken, an egg cant implant, and pregnancy cant occur.
Hence, low protein-diets can reduce fertility.
Skipping Meals Can Cause Headaches Dizziness And Nausea
Long periods of fasting can lower your blood sugar levels and leave you feeling lightheaded, dizzy, with headaches, and/or nausea.
If you have a medical condition, talk to your doctor to make sure it’s safe to try intermittent fasting. People with type 1 diabetes and/or on diabetic medications may be more susceptible to unwanted side effects or struggle with controlling their blood sugar levels .
Your body will also need some time to adjust, so try choosing a day of the week or period of time that you dont need to be very active or deeply concentrate when first starting a fasting practice.
Don’t Miss: How To Lose 20 Pounds With Intermittent Fasting
Beginning To Heal My Relationship With Food
After a few months of intermittent fasting, I found that NOT restricting calories or specific foods led me to naturally make healthier food choices. Which ultimately helped me start the process of healing my relationship with food.
And after more than 2 decades of dieting and chasing the thin ideal, my relationship with food needed some serious work.
I realized that in allowing all foodsinstead of bingeing on all the previously forbidden foodsI naturally started to tune into what foods made me feel my best.
It naturally led me to healthier food choices and gradually changing habits about food. And I started to tune into my true hunger signalssomething dieting encourages you to actively ignore.
Intermittent Fasting Is Useful When We Gain The Most Weight
Weight gain occurs gradually over years or decades.
The amount we gain in a year isnt consistent though it spikes sharply over the Thanksgiving and Christmas break.
In fact, research shows the period from mid-November to mid-January is responsible for around 50% of weight gained in a 12-month period .
Therefore minimizing Christmas weight gain each year will go a long way on the scales.
Problem is following a restrictive diet during the festive period means you have to track calories, macronutrients or miss out on all the good things. And nobody is going to do that.
However, what does work is alternating periods of eating lots with periods of eating very little a.k.a. intermittent fasting.
If you know lunch at your in-laws will be epic, skip breakfast entirely, and even consider just a light dinner the night before.
Alternatively, choose to miss a meal or two the day after feasting, that way you dont have to miss out on any of your favorite treats.
Summary: Most weight is gained around the Christmas holiday period. Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that minimizes your excess calorie intake yet allows you to enjoy festive feasts without restrictions.
Recommended Reading: How To Reduce Fasting Glucose Levels
It May Increase Human Growth Hormone
Intermittent fasting can encourage fat burn and protect lean muscle in an alternative wayby raising your levels of human growth hormone .
Levels start to decline in our twenties or thirties, leading to dry skin, thinning hair, increased belly fat and wrinkles, says Kellyann Petrucci, M.S., a naturopathic doctor and author of Dr. Kellyanns Bone Broth Diet. Research shows that HGH may help decrease body fat and improve lean muscle mass.
She points to 2011 research from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute, which found that HGH increased an average of 1,300% in women and nearly 2,000% in men during a 24-hour fastRoutine periodic fasting is good for your health, and your heart, study suggests. Intermountain Medical Center. Accessed 6/21/2021. . When fasting causes hunger or stress, the body responds by releasing more cholesterolthe researchers notedencouraging it to burn fat instead of glucose as fuel and decreasing the number of fat cells in the body.
Does Intermittent Fasting Cause Weight Gain
The answer is no. When we start fasting, it reduces insulin level and profoundly burns fats as an energy source. Therefore, you must lose weight while following intermittent fasting. But do you also feel the same while doing fasting? If yes, then you must be doing it in the wrong way. Let see how it works on your body function.
Also Check: Does Fasting Make Your Metabolism Faster
Are There Any Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting For Women
Based on what we know, intermittent fasting probably affects reproductive health if the body sees it as a significant stressor.
Anything that affects your reproductive health affects your overall health and fitness.
Even if you dont plan to have biological kids.
But intermittent fasting protocols vary, with some being much more extreme than others. And factors such as your age, your nutritional status, the length of time you fast, and the other stressors in your lifeincluding exerciseare also likely relevant.
And, as we mentioned in the research update box above, there may be some support for trying intermittent fasting in women who have PCOS.
But for most women, intermittent fasting is probably not the best approach.
How Intermittent Fasting Can Help You Lose Weight
There are many different ways to lose weight.
One strategy that has become popular in recent years is called intermittent fasting .
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves regular, short-term fasts or periods of minimal or no food consumption.
Most people understand intermittent fasting as a weight loss intervention. Fasting for short periods of time helps people eat fewer calories, which may result in weight loss over time .
However, intermittent fasting may also help modify risk factors for health conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, such as lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels 30002-0/fulltext” rel=”nofollow”> 2,
There are several different intermittent fasting methods. The most popular ones include:
- the 16:8 method
- Eat Stop Eat
- alternate-day fasting
All methods can be effective, but figuring out which one works best depends on the individual.
To help you choose the method that fits your lifestyle, heres a breakdown of the pros and cons of each.
Don’t Miss: How To Do Intermittent Fasting
Day Fast Before And After
Join my Email List: https://www.thomasdelauer.comTry Thrive Market to Get the Groceries that I Recommend: http://ThriveMarket.com/Thomas
My Website: http://ThomasDeLauer.com
Intermittent Fasting Mistakes that Make You GAIN Weight Thomas DeLauer
1) Fats and Carbs Upon Breaking the Fast
Fat Storing Hormones
Insulin is a fat storing hormone because it increases the major fat storing enzyme in the body called lipoprotein lipase and decreases hormone sensitive lipase
Insulin becomes lowered during a fast, and catecholamines elevate this is a good thing, but it means youre highly insulin sensitive upon breaking your fast, and your body is more receptive to the types of foods consumed
Another storing hormone is a gut produced signaling molecule called glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide
GIP is induced by both carbs & fat and to a much lesser extent, protein and fiber GIP has its own fat storing action on LPL and causes more insulin to be released
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10355026
2) Fasting Too Much and slowing down Metabolism
Your body requires calories to function and uses them to sustain 3 main processes
Basal metabolic rate : This refers to the number of calories needed to cover your basic functions, including the proper functioning of your brain, kidneys, heart, lungs and nervous system
Digestion: Your body uses a certain number of calories to digest and metabolize the foods you eat. This is also known as the thermic effect of food
4) Malnutrition
Intermittent Fasting Helps You Lose Actual Fat Unlike Most Diets
When someone says they want to lose weight, they actually mean they want to lose body fat.
Ideally you dont want to lose muscle mass, nor do you want to lose much water . This type of weight loss does not reduce fat stores and serves no good purpose.
Research indicates that fasting helps you lose more fat mass and less muscle mass or water weight than very low calorie diets or weight loss cleanses and detoxes.
This review study found that intermittent fasting helped people cut 4-7% from their waist circumference over a period of 24 weeks. That means they lost actual belly fat, which is the harmful fat around the organs .
These findings are in line with a more recent review study that looked at all the current evidence.
The researchers found that compared to following a very low calorie diet a type of intermittent fasting called alternate day fasting caused an average of 8.4 lb extra fat loss .
Summary: When you lose weight, you want it t come from fat stores and not muscle or water. Research indicates that intermittent fasting causes more fat loss than a very low calorie diet.
Recommended Reading: What Is The Best Form Of Intermittent Fasting
Fasting Is An Ancient And Modern Tradition To Maintain Health And Belief
As we all know, fasting is a well-known religious tradition of various religions like Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Parallel to this, it is a popular tool for weight management too. With the increase in awareness of wellness and healthy living, many natural and ancient ways are now in practice to maintain human health. Though there are various forms and tradition of fasting, the famous one is Ramadan fasting.
For Muslim, it is the most important ritual and part of Islamic belief. Ramadan fasting is part of intermittent fasting, and it brings various physical and spiritual health benefits and weight loss. Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and refrain from any drinking and eating. Besides, they also follow different other traditions during Ramadan. It is part of their belief and makes them self-discipline and obedient. Contrary to this, anyone can follow intermittent fasting in any month to maintain his health and fitness.
