What Types Of Intermittent Fasting Plans Lead To Weight Loss
The review included studies on three types of intermittent fasting:
- Alternate day fasting , which typically involves a day of unrestricted eating alternated with a fasting day where 500 calories consumed in one meal account for the total daily calorie intake
- The 5:2 diet, a modified version of alternate day fasting that involves five feasting days and two fasting days per week.
- Time-restricted eating , which limits eating to a specified number of hours per day , followed by 16 hours of fasting
Its worth noting that the review wasnt designed to compare the effectiveness of different types of intermittent fasting plans because the studies were done in different groups of people and using different parameters. But the results did indicate that individuals who followed either the alternate-day diet or the 5:2 plan both averaged a loss of around 7 percent of their body weight , and were able to maintain that loss for a year. Despite fasting much less frequently than alternate-day fasters, subjects who participated in the 5:2 diet lost an equivalent amount of weight, a finding that surprised researchers.
While all plans led to some weight loss, following a time-restricted eating plan was the least effective plan for shedding pounds. In total, participants with obesity who followed a time-restricted eating plan lost an average of 3 percent of their body weight.
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Types Of Intermittent Fasting
Common types of intermittent fasting include: Complete alternate day fasting – this method involves alternating days of fasting, where no energy/calorie-containing foods or beverages are consumed with eating days .
Modified fasting or 5:2 diet – this method involves consuming 20-25% of energy needs on non-consecutive fasting days and eating ad-libitum the other five days.
Time-restricted feeding – this method allows ad-libitum food consumption during specific feeding windows of the day. Fasting windows can range from 12-20 hours, with people most commonly fasting for 16 hours/day.
Religious Fasting – A wide variety of fasting regimes undertaken for spiritual or religious purposes.
The Backstory On Intermittent Fasting
IF as a weight loss approach has been around in various forms for ages but was highly popularized in 2012 by BBC broadcast journalist Dr. Michael Mosleys TV documentary Eat Fast, Live Longer and book The Fast Diet, followed by journalist Kate Harrisons book The 5:2 Diet based on her own experience, and subsequently by Dr. Jason Fungs 2016 bestseller The Obesity Code. IF generated a steady positive buzz as anecdotes of its effectiveness proliferated.
In the Obesity Code, Fung successfully combines plenty of research, his clinical experience, and sensible nutrition advice, and also addresses the socioeconomic forces conspiring to make us fat. He is very clear that we should eat more fruits and veggies, fiber, healthy protein, and fats, and avoid sugar, refined grains, processed foods, and for Gods sake, stop snacking.
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Who Shouldnt Try Intermittent Fasting Because Of Safety Concerns
The following types of people should avoid IF:
Also, people who need to take medication with food should eat at regular intervals so as not to miss a dose, according to Harvard Health.
Its a good idea for everyone whether you have any of the conditions listed above or not to check with a doctor before starting to fast, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Does Intermittent Fasting Work For Weight Loss
I dont intermittently fast to lose weight. I do it because studies have linked intermittent fasting with a longer lifespan .
However, I do believe that it helped me on my weight loss journey. Let me explain
Sometimes I would get the munchies at night. But because my fasting period had started, I would stop myself from eating anything. Its a mental game I played with myself.
I have avoided eating so many late-night snacks and therefore reduced my daily calorie intake this way.
On average, intermittent fasting will help you lose around 0.55 pounds/0.25 kg per week. You can also lose inches .
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Does Working Out While Fasting Help With Fat Loss Or Is It Better To Exercise During Eating Windows
When partaking in exercise fasted, a greater amount of fat is broken down and used for energy. This process is commonly known as lipolysis. However, this does not equate to more fat burning. It just means more fat is being utilized to provide the body with energy for exercise.
During fasted workouts, the body will break down stored energy in the body to supply muscles with energy to perform the activity. If optimizing performance is your primary goal, fasted workouts may not be advisable since you are further depleting your body and not providing your muscles with ample energy to perform.
Additionally, eating within an hour after exercise becomes more crucial to promote recovery and stimulate muscle protein synthesis. The best recommendation would to always perform exercise close to or during feeding periods to promote optimal muscle recovery.
How Much Weight Can You Lose Intermittent Fasting
In this review, intermittent fasting was found toreduce body weight by 3-8% over a period of 3-24 weeks .When examining the rate of weight loss, people lost about0.55 pounds per week with intermittent fasting,but 1.65 pounds per week with alternate-dayfasting .
Beside this, does intermittent fasting help you lose weight?
The Research So Far. A systematic review of 40 studiesfound that intermittent fasting was effective for weightloss, with a typical loss of 7-11 pounds over 10weeks.
Also, does intermittent fasting work? According to Perlman, the potential benefits ofintermittent fasting include weight loss and increasedmuscle mass. During the fasting state, the body burnsmore stored fat for energy, he said. Intermittentfasting can also enhance metabolism, he said, allowing you tomore efficiently utilize food for energy.
Furthermore, how long should you do intermittent fasting?
Then I eat my last meal around 6-9 pm, so I end upfasting for 16-19 hours. Bottom Line: The 16/8 methodinvolves daily fasts of 16 hours for men, and 14-15 hoursfor women. On each day, you restrict your eating toan 8-10 hour eating window where youcan fit in 2-3 or more meals.
How much weight can you lose in a week on intermittent fasting?
Weight loss studies of intermittentfasting have typically investigated the 5:2 diet oralternate day fasting interventions lasting three to sixmonths. For most people in such studies, it takes two to threemonths to lose 10 pounds.
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How Effective Is The Regime In Achieving Wl Does It Work In The Long Term
Similar to experiments performed in rodents, 2 weeks of ADF had no effect on body weight in normal-weight human subjects. Nevertheless, when the intervention period was extended to 3 weeks for normal-weight subjects, a decrease in body weight was noted. This decrease in body weight was likely to have resulted from an inability to consume an adequate amount of food on the re-feed day to sustain body weight. Only a handful of studies have been performed to test the effects of ADF on body weight and coronary heart disease risk reduction, and almost all of these studies have been undertaken in obese populations ., , Results from these initial trials indicate that ADF is effective for WL and visceral fat mass loss during 812 weeks of treatment in overweight subjects. These reports also suggest that ADF may aid in the retention of lean mass in obese individuals., , In addition to these favourable body composition changes, improvements in CHD risk have also been noted. For instance, decreases in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations , and increases in low-density lipoprotein particle size, are often observed with short-term ADF ., , Beneficial changes in blood pressure and adipokine profile have also been reported., , Taken together, this preliminary work suggests that ADF may be effective for WL and CHD risk reduction in obese adults.
Keep Your Cholesterol In Check
A short preliminary human study found that fasting reduced cholesterol and blood pressure levels, while another study found it to increase good cholesterol and decrease the bad cholesterol levels in men. Unfortunately, a recent expert report on IF suggested that due to some inconsistencies in the data and preliminary study methodology, we still need a lot more research to confirm IF’s heart health potential.
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What Are The Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting
Heres what the science says about the ways IF might help you get healthier.
Weight loss
One study with 150 participants for 50 weeks showed IF to be as effective as a diet that restricts calories other small studies have shown that IF will help you lose weight in the short-term. A review of 27 trials found that weight loss from .8 percent to 13 percent of baseline body weight occurred with IF, though the researchers pointed out that larger studies of longer duration are needed. In 16 of the studies that measured BMI, the participants BMI decreased by 4.3 percent, says Kelly. Reducing the daily eating window may also decrease caloric intake for the whole day, resulting in weight loss without restrictive calorie counting.
Heart health
Inflammation
Chronic inflammation is associated with a long list of health conditions, including dementia, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease, says Cohen. While mice studies have demonstrated that short periods of fasting show a reduction in inflammatory markers, a small human study showed IF reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory factors such as homocysteine and C reactive protein, which contribute to the development of plaque in the arteries. Another small eight-week study in overweight patients showed an improvement of asthma symptoms including better pulmonary function.
Immunity
Longevity
Intermittent Fasting: What Is It And Is It Safe
Intermittent fasting may seem like a recent trend, but actually, humans have periodically refrained from eating for millennia for a host of reasons: Believe it or not, physicians of yesteryear used to prescribe fasting to treat a host of ailments, while ancient philosophers pushed their plates away in attempts to boost their mental clarity. Fasting has also been a form of political protestthink: the hunger strikes of Mahatma Gandhi, Irish Republican prisoners in the 1980s, or British and American suffragettes in the early 1900s.
To this day, avoiding food is a regular part of many religions. Traditionally, Muslims forgo food and beverage during daylight throughout Ramadan Jews skip eating and drinking on Yom Kippur and Hindus and Buddhists fast weekly.
Now fasting is trickling into the secular spotlight due to media coverage that claims intermittent fasting not only leads to weight loss and boosts metabolism but that it may also curtail cancer risk and even extend lifespan.
But is intermittent fasting, a practice thats both ancient and newly trendy, as effective as some attest? Below, we take a closer look.
What is intermittent fasting? The ultimate guide
The theory is that this process may strengthen some cells ability to withstand additional stressors, which explains the potential link between IF and delayed aging as well as a reduced risk of cancer risk. But the benefits have yet to be proven.
Different types of intermittent fasting
16/8 fasting:
5:2 diet:
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Can Anyone Try Intermittent Fasting
Still, most experts agree that some people should steer clear of IF altogether. That includes kids and adolescents because they have higher calorie needs due to ongoing growth and development women who are pregnant or breastfeeding people with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and anyone with a history of eating disorders, says Cohen.
How Effective Is Intermittent Fasting For Weight Loss
Im guessing you already heard all the raves about intermittent fasting. When it comes to losing weight, we are willing to try everything and anything.
I usually ignore all the fad diets that come out as I have already found the secret to losing weight.
But intermittent fasting is not a diet. And it is definitely something I practice every day since I discovered it.
This post will explore how intermittent fasting for weight loss can be effective, including pros and cons.
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Plasma Lipid And Ldl Particle Size Determination
Plasma total cholesterol, direct LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations were measured in duplicate by enzymatic kits . The interassay coefficient of variations for total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides were 2.4%, 3.7%, 4.0%, and 3.5%, respectively. LDL particle size was measured by linear polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis . High-resolution 3% polyacrylamide gel tubes were used for electrophoresis. Briefly, 25 L of sample was mixed with 200 L of liquid loading gel containing Sudan black, and added to the gel tubes. After photopolymerization at room temperature for 30 min, samples were electrophoresed for 1 h . Lipoware computer software was then used to divide LDL into small , medium , and large particles .
Diet Quality Still Matters When Youre Not Fasting
While many human studies in the article have had encouraging results, much of the research cited is from studies that are too small and too brief to draw broad conclusions about long-term outcomes, the article authors caution.
We dont have long-term studies looking at adherence, which we know is absolutely key to successful lifestyle change, says Steger.
We also dont have nuanced results to individualize recommendations or clinical care, Steger adds. For instance, we dont know if healthy individuals gain any benefit to restricting the eating window in terms of preventing disease.
Its also important to keep in mind that IF does not give you permission to binge on pizza, doughnuts, cheeseburgers, and hot fudge sundaes.
While intermittent fasting can lead to modest weight loss, changing when you eat is probably not as effective as changing what you eat because losing weight ultimately depends on eating fewer calories than your body needs, Steger says. Intermittent fasting can lead to modest weight loss alone but will be more effective when combined with traditional weight management recommendations to reduce calories and increase exercise.
IF is not distinct necessarily from a Mediterranean diet or other eating plans, says Susan Roberts, PhD, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University in Massachusetts, and founder of the iDiet weight loss program. You can do them both together.
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How Do I Try Intermittent Fasting
There are four popular fasting approaches: periodic fasting, time-restricted feeding, alternate-day fasting and the 5:2 diet. Time-restricted feeding, sometimes called daily intermittent fasting, is perhaps the easiest and most popular fasting method. Daily intermittent fasters restrict eating to certain time periods each day, say 11 in the morning to 7 at night. The fasting period is usually around 12 or more hours that, helpfully, includes time spent sleeping overnight. Periodic fasting will feel most familiar: no food or drinks with calories for 24-hour periods. Another type of fast, alternate-day fasting requires severe calorie reduction every other day. Lastly, the 5:2 method was popularized by author Kate Harrisons book The 5:2 Diet” and requires fasting on two nonconsecutive days a week.
If I Didnt Eat For 24 Hours Id Die
Medical practitioners have noted the health benefits of fasting for thousands of years. In other words, fasting isnt some new fad or a crazy marketing ploy. Its been around for a long time and it actually works. Youve probably already fasted many times, even though you dont know it. Have you ever slept in late on the weekends and then had a late brunch? Some people do this every weekend. In situations like these, we often eat dinner the night before and then dont eat until 11 am or noon or even later. Theres your 16hour fast and you didnt even think about it.
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Fasting For Religious Reasons
One of the most cited religious events associated with fasting is the period of Ramadan. During the fasting month of Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise until sunset. Although Ramadan does not involve a continual fast, it provides a useful insight into short-term food restriction in otherwise healthy humans. There is a misconception that this religious fast results in decreased energy intake , as investigators have found either increases in EI or comparable levels of EI before, during and after Ramadan, despite a decrease in meal frequency. Similarly, Finch et al. reported no change in body weight during the period of Ramadan. Thus, although the physiological effects of sleep deprivation and dehydration occurring during Ramadan may provide concern, there is no evidence for restricted EI during this religious fast. Thus, these data would suggest that adult humans are capable of making compensatory changes in food intake in response to a short-term fast in order to maintain body weight.
What Is An Intermittent Fasting Diet
In general, intermittent fasting refers to any eating schedule that alternates periods of going without food with meals. There are many different types of plans, including those that restrict calories for only certain hours of each day or certain days of the week. The main difference between IF and traditional calorie-restriction diets is that IF doesnt limit portions or foods, only when you eat them.
The review, which included more than 25 studies that looked at intermittent fasting in humans, found that IF consistently resulted in people consuming fewer total calories between 10 and 30 percent fewer than they had been eating at the onset of the studies which led to weight loss.
The review also included safety considerations and practical advice for how these diets should be implemented in everyday life.
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Intermittent Fasting Is Nothing Special For Weight Loss
BATH, United Kingdom Intermittent fasting approaches to weight loss such as alternate day fasting or the 5:2 diet have exploded in popularity in recent years. Now, a new study is challenging intermittent fastings claim as the most effective weight loss avenue. Researchers from the University of Bath report that at the end of the dieting day theres nothing special about the restrictive diet.
Youve probably seen miraculous body transformations attributed to fasting on social media, or perhaps noticed a celebrity or two endorsing some variety of intermittent fasting. On the scientific side of things, however, research supporting intermittent fasting as a cut above all other traditional diets is lacking.
Consequently, the team at UB set up a randomized control trial with 36 volunteers separated into three experimental groups:
- Group 1 fasted on alternate days, with researchers asking them to eat 50 percent more than usual on eating days.
- Group 2 reduced calories across all meals every day by 25 percent. This group represented more traditional dieting strategies.
- Group 3 fasted on alternating days like group 1, but ate a full 100 percent more food than usual on eating days.
Ultimately, both groups 1 and 3 ended up losing less weight than participants in group 2. This held up even when calorie intake was virtually identical across groups.
