Fasting Regimes Support Fat Metabolism In Two Keys Ways
Firstly, they significantly change the calorie loads and timing of our meals, which has a follow on effect of forcing our cells to work harder. When our cells have to work harder it appears to have beneficial effects for our metabolism as well as the hormones that control fat metabolism. This means that there is the potential to get difficult fat loss results from the ones you are used to getting and hence target fat stores that may have previously not seemed to budge.
Image: iStock.
The second way in which fasting regimes work is that they inevitably slash calorie intake. Whether it is via time restricted eating in which you only eat 2-3 meals over an 8-hour period, or incorporating two low calorie days into your weekly diet , this calorie restriction gives your metabolism a boost, and may force the body to mobilise fat stores it has not previously needed to in order to fuel the muscles and the brain.
Avoid Trans Fat & Hydrogenated Oils
Those trans fats on your menu are hiding out in plain sight and sabotaging your lean belly plans every time you eat them. If a food product says it contains partially hydrogenated oils, you’re eating trans fat, which can increase your risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, and obesity with every bite. In fact, research conducted at Wake Forest University reveals that monkeys whose diets contained eight percent trans fat upped their body fat by 7.2 percent over a six-year study, while those who ate monounsaturated fat gained just a fraction of that amount. Instead of letting harmful trans fat take up space on your menu, fill up with these healthy fats.
Mix Up Your Movements
When you lift, perform supersets in which you alternate between sets of lower-body exercises and upper-body exercises. That way your lower body rests while your upper body is working. This allows you to work your muscles maximally with very little downtime between sets for a faster, more effective workout, says Craig Ballantyne, C.S.C.S.
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/5common Side Effects Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting has various side effects, which also includes rebound overeating, bad sleep and muscle loss. As per a new study published in the journal Cell reports, there can be another side effect of intermittent fasting, your visceral fat also called belly fat may potentially not go away and may build resistance to fasting.
Why Belly Fat Is So Hard To Lose
Ask anybody who has stubborn fat and theyll tell you the belly fat is the worst. Belly fat is incredibly stubborn to lose and most people never end up losing it. The last of the abdominal fat will hang on for dear life despite your best efforts at dieting and exercising. And there are a few physiological reasons why its so hard to lose.
Your genetics play a big role in your ability to lose stubborn fat . Some people are genetically wired to store fat more easily and have a harder time burning it off . Ask any man with an apple-shaped body or a woman with a pear-shaped body just how hard it is to slim down these areas . And we all know those naturally skinny people who seem to be able to eat whatever they want and not gain any weight. But when you eat a slice of cake it goes right to your belly and love handles.
But just because your genetics have an impact on your stubborn fat it doesnt mean youre doomed forever. As long as youre willing to make some changes and push yourself harder you can lose this stubborn fat despite your genetics. Youre going to have to approach it with a different strategy. Doing the same diet and exercise plan isnt going to end up losing the last of the stubborn fat on your belly. Instead, youre going to have to approach it from multiple angles.
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Why Visceral Fat Can Be Resistant To Weight Loss
While most people would think that all fat tissue is the same, in fact, the location makes a big difference.
During fasting, fat tissue provides energy to the rest of the body by releasing fatty acid molecules.
However, the researchers found visceral fat became resistant to this release of fatty acids during fasting.
There were also signs that visceral and subcutaneous fat increased their ability to store energy as fat, likely to rapidly rebuild the fat store before the next fasting period.
Dr Larance said it was possible that a history of repeated fasting periods triggered a preservation signalling pathway in visceral fat.
This suggests the visceral fat can adapt to repeated fasting bouts and protect its energy store, he said.
This type of adaptation may be the reason why visceral fat can be resistant to weight loss after long periods of dieting.
Dr Larance said using a mouse model was a useful analogue ahead of studies in humans.
Mouse physiology is similar to humans, but their metabolism is much faster, allowing us to observe changes more rapidly than in human trials, and examine tissues difficult to sample in humans, he said.
Future research in mice and humans could uncover the mechanisms by which this resistance occurs and also which types of diet and other interventions may be best at tackling belly fat.
What Is The Best Intermittent Fasting Window To Lose Belly Fat
If youre trying to lose weight, when you eat might be as important as the foods you choose.
While intermittent fasting is not new, the trend is beginning to gather more attention. As part of a 2019 study, researchers followed 19 adults with metabolic syndrome whose meals were spread over a 14-hour window and found limiting meals to a 10-hour window was associated with weight loss, smaller waist circumference, lower blood pressure and LDL bad cholesterol.
The study also showed time-restricted eating helped decrease visceral fat, the dangerous fat stored in the stomach that has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Although participants were not asked to change their diets, they consumed 9% fewer calories.
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When Does The Body Oxidize Fat During Fasting
As your intermittent fast progresses, its possible for fat oxidation to occur. This is when your body consumes fuel, especially during athletic pursuits. The fat becomes energy without the need for intermittent fasting. Instead, its all about your level of physical activity.
You can trigger fat oxidation during a fast, too, just that its not always necessary. According to a 2004 study in the journal Nutrition, exercise intensity and duration are important determinants of fat oxidation.
If your intensity of exercise hits an oxygen consumption rate of 59 to 64 percent as an athlete, your fat oxidation is maximized. Even an oxygen consumption rate of 47 to 52 percent should be okay for the general population.
The journal also notes that fat oxidation happens more with certain exercises than others, such as running and endurance training instead of cycling.
What about when youre fasting? Nutrition says this: Ingestion of carbohydrate in the hours before or on commencement of exercise reduces the rate of fat oxidation significantly compared with fasted conditions, whereas fasting longer than 6 h optimizes fat oxidation.
In other words, avoid carbohydrates, since theyre a source of glucose. Also, it takes six hours or more of consistent fasting to maximize the effectiveness of fat oxidation.
Intermittent Fasting: Surprising Update
- By Monique Tello, MD, MPH, Contributor
Theres a ton of incredibly promising intermittent fasting research done on fat rats. They lose weight, their blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugars improve but theyre rats. Studies in humans, almost across the board, have shown that IF is safe and effective, but really no more effective than any other diet. In addition, many people find it difficult to fast.
But a growing body of research suggests that the timing of the fast is key, and can make IF a more realistic, sustainable, and effective approach for weight loss, as well as for diabetes prevention.
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Where Can I Learn More About This
Neil blogs more about Fat Loss, Muscle Gain and improving Body Recomposition over at his website LeanMassGains.com. His approach uses a 16 hour fast, 8 hour feed approach, coupled with weight training, nutrient and calorie timing to deliver lightning fast changes in body composition. Head on over to check out even more benefits of Intermittent Fasting. When not blogging, Neil spends his time training for local strongman competitions.
Eat Plenty Of Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber absorbs water and forms a gel that helps slow down food as it passes through your digestive system.
Studies show that this type of fiber promotes weight loss by helping you feel full, so you naturally eat less. It may also decrease the number of calories your body absorbs from food .
Whats more, soluble fiber may help fight belly fat.
An observational study in over 1,100 adults found that for every 10-gram increase in soluble fiber intake, belly fat gain decreased by 3.7% over a 5-year period (
Make an effort to consume high fiber foods every day. Excellent include:
- flax seeds
- blackberries
SUMMARY
Soluble fiber may help you to lose weight by increasing fullness and reducing calorie absorption. Try to include plenty of high fiber foods in your weight loss diet.
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Why You Dont Need A Detox Diet
It sounds logical that fasting could cleanse your body of harmful substances that could cause a host of ailments like obesity, fatigue, and headaches. But there is no scientific evidence that you need to fast to “cleanse” your body or remove toxins.
Your body – specifically, the kidneys, liver, lungs, colon, and skin — is perfectly capable of removing toxins itself.
Avoid Eating After Dinner
Stop treating your kitchen like an all-night diner and you’ll stop seeing those unwanted pounds piling onto your frame, too. The results of a study published in Cell Metabolism found that mice who only had access to food during an eight-hour period stayed slim over the course of the study, while those who ate the same number of calories over a 16-hour period gained significantly more weight, particularly around their middle. When you’re finished with dinner at night, shut the fridge and don’t look back until morning your belly will thank you. When you do head back to the kitchen in the A.M., make sure the best healthy kitchen staples for cooking are there waiting for you.
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Fasting Is Different Than Eating Less Throughout The Day
When we eat, we create more energy than we can use. This excess energy gets stored for later use. There are two places to store this energy.
First, theres the liver, where the energy is stored as glycogen. The problem is that there is not a lot of storage in the liver. So when it is full, liver turns the excess into fat, which can be exported all over the body. The body has unlimited storage space. But it takes about 10-12 hours for the energy stored in the liver to be used up. So when we fast for longer than that, this lowers our level of insulin, the hormone that helps store energy. This tells the body to begin to release the energy that is stored as fat. The benefits may go beyond weight loss.When the body switches to use the fat stored for energy, it produces compounds called ketones.
Ketones have been found to have benefits for brain health.One theory is that Intermittent fasting is beneficial because fasting produces a mild form of stress that activates our cellular Immune system to release protective proteins.
Fasting Can Even Slow Down The Aging Process
Im seeing more and more science showing major benefits of intermittent fasting, so this way of eating is definitely more than a trend. Its also fascinating that so many animal studies have consistently shown that caloric restriction, which includes fasting, slows aging and extends life span.
No wonder scientists became so curious about the effects of fasting in humans!
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Lose Belly Fat Naturally With These Effective Tips
- Your belly fat can put you at risk of several health issues from diabetes to cardiac diseases. Here are easy tips to get rid of it.
Deeper belly fat poses a greater health hazard than any other kind of fat that lurks beneath the skin. Not just obese, deep belly fat or visceral fat can be accumulated in the bodies of even those who look relatively thin otherwise.
Men tend to struggle with belly fat more than women but as the latter hit menopause, they are at a greater risk of expanding their waistline considering the body fat redistributes during this time.
Visceral fat can put you at risk of several diseases like cardiac diseases, diabetes, blood pressure, breathing problems etc as it surrounds your internal organs. The only way to deal with this kind of fat is leading a healthy lifestyle including balanced diet and physical exercise.
Ayurveda expert Dr Dixa Bhavsar who regularly shares tips to manage diseases and several home remedies took to social media to share tips to lose belly fat naturally.
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According to her, belly fat is one of the signs of hormonal imbalance, poor metabolism, genetics and poor lifestyle choices and following a set of yoga and pranayama exercise, changing dietary habits and fixing sleep routine could help you burn this most stubborn kind of fat.
1. 12 Suryanamaskars daily
2. 1000 Kapalbhati pranayam
3. Circadian intermittent fasting
4. Drinking warm water
5. Sound Sleep
How Intermittent Fasting And Modified Fasting Reduce Belly Fat
Now, many people will say you cannot spot target fat. However, it is true that fat cells in your hips and belly tend to receive fatty acids faster than around your face and arms . The key to losing belly fat is losing fat all over your body, firming up your core and the metabolic switchover that occurs when you practice intermittent fasting.
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Intermittent Fasting Improves Digestion
Another big advantage of intermittent fasting is how it heals and resets your digestive process. In researching my own digestive issues, Ive learned that a really important part of digestion can only occur when youre in a fasting state.
During this time, the migrating motor complex in the smooth muscle of the small intestine acts like a sweeper to clear food out of it and into the large intestine. If youre eating too frequently , this process stalls. And that contributes to bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, where very few bugs should normally reside. Bacterial overgrowth leads to inflammation that damages the microvilli responsible for absorbing important nutrients from your food. This is a big factor in the development of leaky gut syndrome, and intermittent fasting helps that heal.
Why The Experts Say If Works
Now for the science talk. Why has intermittent fasting been so successful for me when everything else I’ve tried has failed me? Aside from this being a sustainable lifestyle, certified dietitian Leslie Langevin, MS, RD, CD, of Whole Health Nutrition says that intermittent fasting “gets your body out of ‘storage mode’ and mobilizes fat stores for energy.” This means that without having a constant food source, your body will dip into the fat it already has stored as its energy source, and in my case, that fat was in my belly.
Dr. Daryl Gioffre, a celebrity nutritionist and longevity expert who specializes in the alkaline diet, adds that when you fast for 16 hours, “Your blood sugar and insulin levels lower,” and the human growth hormone increases. He says this increases your metabolic rate , and when this happens, your body has no other choice but to start burning your body’s stored fat for energy.
He goes on to say that “belly fat can be stubborn to lose because the abdominal area contains more alpha-2 receptors that slow down your ability to burn fat, compared to beta-2 receptors that increase your fat burning potential.” IF is powerful because lower insulin levels “activate your b-2 receptors and shut down your a-2 receptors, allowing you to burn targeted fat in your belly area.”
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Diet Myth Or Truth: Fasting Is Effective For Weight Loss
Fasting is an age-old practice, often done for religious reasons, but fasting for weight loss is still capturing the public imagination. You can find dozens of do-it-yourself plans touting the unproven benefits of fasting, ranging from flushing “poisons” from the body to purging 30 pounds of fat in 30 days.
It’s true that fasting — that is, eating little to no food — will result in weight loss, at least in the short term. But the risks far outweigh any benefits, and ultimately, fasting can cause more harm than good.
Trying To Lose Belly Fat Here Are Three Things You Might Be Doing Wrong
To lose belly fat, you need to eat smart, fast smart and train smart. Weve consulted the experts to show you how its done.
So youve cut back your calories, youre in the gym five times a week and youve even scaled down the nights out. You want to lose weight and you want to lose belly fat. The weight is falling, but your waistline wont budge.
Its frustrating. After all, committing to eating well and exercising is a pretty major lifestyle shift youre doing your bit, so why wont your body co-operate?
So whats going on?
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