How If Helps You In Losing Weight
The science behind intermittent fasting makes sense. It is like basic that when you have savings you use them during your financial problems. So that was the basic concept behind it and if I say it in scientific terms then, here it is:
When we eat food, it gets broken down by enzymes in our gut and it ends up by molecules in our bloodstream.
The carbohydrates get quickly break down into sugar which our cells use for energy. When we do any physical activities that energy gets utilized and if we are not that much active that energy gets stored in our fat cells. But sugar can only enter our cells with insulin, its a hormone that brings the sugar into the fat cells and keeps it there.
Between Meals, if do not snack our insulin level will go down and as I have given an example of savings, Our fat cells release their stored sugar to be used as energy and thats how our fat gets utilized as energy.
We lose weight if we let our insulin level go down for long enough, it will help to burn fat.
How Often Should You Do 1: 8 Intermittent Fasting
Unlike other intermittent fasting diets, each day of the 16:8 works independently to the other days. This means that you can do anywhere from one day of intermittent 16:8 fasting to seven days a week, depending on your goals and the advice from your GP.
Evidence differs, however, on whether its healthy to do intermittent fasting all the time for a number of reasons. While one study suggests that fasting helps your vital organs by giving metabolic functions a break, other research suggests the fasting can lead to an increased level of cholesterol and can lead to feelings of nausea, along with causing spells of low-blood sugar and dehydration.
The Science Behind Intermittent Fasting
Fasting is nothing new in fact, the concept dates back to ancient times. But the structured method of intermittent fasting , in which you restrict eating to within a specific timeframe , has gained popularity recently with the rise of the keto diet. The idea is that abstaining from food for longer-than-normal periods of time helps put your body into a state of ketosis, prompting it to burn fat for energy rather than carbohydrates.
But not everyone who practices IF follows the keto diet. Other purported benefits of IF on its own include weight loss, lower blood pressure, improved mental state, reduced inflammation and improved cellular repair, according to a December 2019 review published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The review notes that human studies on IF are limited, and much more research needs to be done, but the evidence so far shows that the protocol may also improve insulin sensitivity and reduce belly fat.
Dr. Crupain attributes the IF movement to the evolving science supporting the idea that our bodies’ circadian rhythm aka our internal clock influences our health.
“Our circadian rhythm isn’t just about sleep. It actually changes our metabolism throughout the day, so that when we eat can make a big difference,” he explains. “By eating in line with when our body is best primed to use food, we basically hack our metabolism and optimize health. By contrast, eating out of sync with our circadian rhythm can lead to weight gain and other health issues.”
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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.
Intermittent Fasting: How It Can Help You Lose Weight And Even Save Money
My experience with fasting revealed some surprising benefits, including fewer potentially risky trips to the grocery store.
Is it time to eat yet?
By now you’ve probably heard of intermittent fasting, arguably the hottest health trend of the last couple years. It’s been heralded as not only a foolproof weight-loss method, but also a potential cure for things like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, poor sleep, insulin resistance, even cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. A 2019 study in The New England Journal of Medicine links fasting to “increased stress resistance, increased longevity and a decreased incidence of diseases, including cancer and obesity.”
Want to learn more? And maybe try it yourself? Here’s everything you need to know about intermittent fasting , including some of my own experiences with it.
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Editors’ note: You should always consult with a doctor before making changes to your diet or eating behaviors.
Read more: The health risks of intermittent fasting: It’s not for everyone
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Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting
Dr. Juan compares IF to switching from a standard vehicle burning toxic gasoline to a clean electric car.
Promotes weight loss
Studies have shown that IF can increase your metabolism. Without a steady stream of glucose from food to convert to energy, your body has to burn energy from a different source. First, it accesses the carbs stored in the liver. Next, the body starts breaking down fat into energy, a process called ketosis.
A recent review of nearly 30 intermittent fasting studies showed that participants lost between 0.8% and 13% of their baseline weight.
Intermittent fasting can be effective because it supports weight loss on both ends: eating fewer calories overall and boosting your metabolism. Just make sure that you stick to healthy foods during your eating time.
Reduces inflammation and insulin resistance
Studies also suggest that intermittent fasting can help fight inflammation and reduce insulin resistance, which are precursors to alarming conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Keeping inflammation at bay will improve your health long-term.
Protect against Alzheimers
Researchers have conducted animal studies to look at the effect of IF on brain function. In one experiment, a control group of mice could eat whenever they wanted. The other group was put on an intermittent fasting schedule. When compared with the control group, the IF group experienced less neurodegeneration and fewer clinical symptoms of Alzheimers.
How Much Should You Eat During Non
When you do eat during IF, you dont have to worry about being super restrictive. Of course, eating like every day is Thanksgiving doesnt make a lot of sense if you are trying to lose weight, whether youre fasting intermittently or not. Instead, focus on eating enough that you dont feel physically hungry between meals.
Some researchers note that people generally dont overeat during the non-fasting hours, especially once it becomes part of a routine. You should always make sure you continue to drink plenty of water, which not only keeps your system hydrated but also helps you feel less hungry.
Before you get started, check with your healthcare practitioner to see if intermittent fasting is a good idea for you. This is especially important if youre severely underweight, taking blood sugar-lowering drugs, or are experiencing adrenal insufficiency. Right now, I know my adrenal health is not where it should be. If I go a long time without eating, my blood sugar drops too low and I can get spacey, shaky and irritable. Thats why, for now, Im holding off on more rigorous fasting than time-restricted eating.
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Cut Way Back On Carbs
Start by eliminating foods high in carbs: sweets, bread, pasta, fruit, and similar foods. Going low carb can significantly speed up weight loss, for several reasons.
First, according to high-quality research, very-low-carb diets also known as keto diets reduce hunger.8This allows you to eat less and lose weight quickly without deliberately restricting calories and without feeling hungry or deprived.9
Several studies have shown that low-carb eating is more effective than other diets for losing fat quickly.10
This impressive fat loss may be partly due to the drop in insulin levels that occur during keto eating. When insulin levels are low, your body is primed to burn rather than store fat.11
Finally, some research suggests that continuing to eat low carb to maintain your new weight may help keep your metabolic rate up, increasing the likelihood that youll keep the weight off.12
How many carbs should you eat to lose weight quickly? Sticking to 20 or fewer grams of net carbs per day may produce the fastest results.13
But instead of counting every carb, you can simply choose foods from our ketogenic diet foods list below and avoid any foods that arent on it.
Note: Be sure to read our tips to avoid or minimize symptoms of the keto flubefore going low carb.
The Best Part About Intermittent Fasting
No food is “off limits” with IF, you can eat whatever you want during your window.
Gin Stephens is the author of Delay, Don’t Deny: Living an Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle. Those first three words of the book are the key to what makes this WOE worthwhile: You’re not denying yourself anything, you’re merely delaying it. You don’t have to give up, say, pizza because of the carbs or ice cream because of the sugar. You just have to wait until your window opens then you can eat what you want to eat. No, not the entire pizza or a whole pint of ice cream you still have to be reasonable. But there are no exclusions. And that’s incredibly liberating.
Think about nearly every other diet in history: Atkins, South Beach, paleo, keto. They all require you to either cut out certain things entirely or eat an excess of something else . The reason these diets typically fail is they’re not sustainable.
Stephens is fond of this saying: “‘Diets are easy in contemplation and hard in execution. Fasting is hard in contemplation but easy in execution.’ I absolutely love that quote, because it’s so true,” she says. “We’ve all started a new diet and we’re all in. Then, as the days go by, the diet gets harder and harder to stick to. Intermittent fasting is the exact opposite. Instead of getting harder and harder, it gets easier and easier.”
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It Helps Maximize Digestion Hormone Secretion
When you fast, you can sync your eating schedule with your body’s circadian rhythm: the natural, internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. By doing this, you can optimize your body’s metabolism, helping it run more efficiently:
“When you synchronize intermittent fasting with your body’s natural circadian rhythm, you eat during the day to take advantage of the way the body has evolved to maximize hormone secretion for digestion. By doing this, your body can more efficiently use food during the daytime to fuel activities,” say The Nutrition Twins.
On top of weight loss, there’s another health advantage to this method: it can help reduce your risk of diabetes. Part of the human circadian rhythm is to decrease insulin sensitivity throughout the day. Insulin is a hormone responsible for pulling glucose out of your bloodstream and into your cells. This means that when you eat a carb-rich meal at night, your body is exposed to more insulin, which can lead to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes over time. By fasting during this time, you can avoid this problem.
Dangers Of Fasting For Weight Loss
When you dramatically reduce your calorie intake, you will lose weight. But it can also cause all kinds of health problems, including muscle loss. Further, when you start fasting, your body goes into conservation mode, burning calories more slowly.
Keep in mind that the initial weight lost on a fast is primarily fluid or “water weight,” not fat. And when you go back to eating, any lost weight usually gets a return ticket back. Not only do most people regain weight lost on a fast, they tend to add a few extra pounds because a slower metabolism makes it easier to gain weight. Worse, the weight that is regained is likely to be all fat — lost muscle has to be added back at the gym.
Continued
Side effects of fasting include dizziness, headaches, low blood sugar, muscle aches, weakness, and fatigue. Prolonged fasting can lead to anemia, a weakened immune system, liver and kidney problems, and irregular heartbeat. Fasting can also result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies, muscle breakdown, and diarrhea. When you drink laxative concoctions during a fast, there is an increased risk of fluid imbalance and dehydration.
The risks get more complicated and severe the longer you stay on a fast, or if you repeatedly go on fasts.
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How Much Weight Can You Lose On 1: 8 Diet
To lose weight on the 16:8 diet, its important to match the fasting with healthy eating and exercise. If done so correctly, theres a typical weight loss of around seven to 11 pounds over a ten week period. This is according to a review of 40 different studies published in Molecular and Cellular Endocrincology who found that on average, someone weighing just over 90kg would lose 5% of their total body weight in the ten week period.
A 2018 study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Healthy Eating revealed that the 16:8 diet plan can help people lose weight, without having to count calories as the 8-hour fast produces the same kind of calorific restriction and weight loss.
However, whether theres a distinct weight loss advantage achieved on the 16:8 diet compared to other diets remains to be seen. Some studies have demonstrated that theres almost no difference between people who do intermittent fasting compared those who count calories and cut back on unhealthy food.
Are Fasting Workouts Effective
While some fitness industry professionals follow the fasted cardio method and note that it has some fat-burning benefits, scientific research has not fully supported the theory’s effectiveness.
Take a look below at some of the notable research on fasted cardio:
While the recently published research on fasted cardio is limited, it’s important to remember that exercise offers benefits whether it is done in a fasted state or after eating. The fasted cardio theory argues that if you can exercise on an empty stomach, you may be able to leverage greater fat-burning effects. Overall, weight loss and reduction of body mass is likely a result of an overall calorie deficit, whether exercise is completed on an empty stomach or not.
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Meal Planning Ideas For Quick Weight Loss
Putting together very-low-carb meals can be simple:
- Start with a generous serving of protein
- Add as many low-carb vegetables as you like
- Use fat as needed for cooking or in salad dressing
- Season with salt, pepper, and spices
- Drink water, coffee, or tea
What about calories? We dont recommend counting calories when trying to lose weight. However, we suggest that you eat only when hungry and stop as soon as you begin to feel full.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Work For Weight Loss
Intermittent fasting was working perfectly for me, and it was easy to follow. I began to think more deeply about why it was working. Was my body changing because I was fasting for those 16 hours each day, or was it simply a trick I was playing on my mind to eat fewer calories? And if it was a trick, would my mind eventually figure it out?
In general, I think intermittent fasting helps people get more in touch with their needs, Varady says. Weve become accustomed to eating or drinking something every couple of hours. Wed never even noticed when were actually hungry or full. So when you go for longer stretches of time without eating, all of a sudden, your body becomes more attuned to it.
In my case, intermittent fasting made me more aware of my tendency to emotionally eat. Getting up early to get my young son to school, it wasnt as if I wanted to have that bagel and soda. I felt I needed that sugar rush to wake me up and get me going. Exercise replaced that without my needing to ride a sugar roller coaster every day.
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Getting A Good Nights Sleep
Numerous studies have shown that getting less than 56 hours of sleep per night is associated with increased incidence of
Research suggests that insufficient or poor-quality sleep slows down the process in which the body converts calories to energy, called metabolism. When metabolism is less effective, the body may store unused energy as fat. In addition, poor sleep can increase the production of insulin and cortisol , which also prompt fat storage.
How long someone sleeps also affects the regulation of the appetite-controlling hormones leptin and ghrelin. Leptin sends signals of fullness to the brain.
