Friday, March 22, 2024
HomeShould I Try Intermittent Fasting

Should I Try Intermittent Fasting

- Advertisment -

Weight Loss 101all About The : 2 Intermittent Fasting Diet

Should I Try Intermittent Fasting? IMF protocol vs. a Standard Calorie Deficit

Beyond this, theres a behavioral component at play. Late night snacking can be a common practice , and putting rules in place to offset this helps limit overeating.

Jamie I. Baum, PhD, Associate Professor of Nutrition Director, Center for Human Nutrition at the Department of Food Science, University of Arkansas, says that many plans, including intermittent fasting, are effective for weight loss, and that cutting calories seems to be the main factor behind the slimdown. In fact, one study published in JAMA comparing people who participated in alternate day fasting to those who were just on a standard, reduced-calorie diet found that there was no difference in weight loss or weight maintenance over the course of one year between the two groups.

It Helps You Stick To Your Diet

It is hard to resist food when you are eating. When people are eating, they think about food more. But if you dont eat for a while, the cravings will go away. Research shows that people who alternate between feasting and fasting are less likely to have desires than those who do not fast at all.

If youre ready to try intermittent fasting, now is the time. This essay has covered all of the details youll need to create an effective diet plan for yourself!.

Sharing is caring

Who Shouldnt Try Intermittent Fasting

Not everyone should try IF. A few groups who shouldnt: women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant , those taking diabetes medication , or anyone on multiple drugs , says Kumar. Also, if you have a history of eating disorders, introducing periods where youre not allowed to eat can put you on a dangerous path to a relapse.

Know that IF has some side effects. You may be cranky hanger is real during fasting periods because low blood sugar can mess with your mood. You also still need to have a healthy diet when you do eat. One thought is that it would be difficult to make up a calorie deficit if you fasted for two days, but in our society with access to calorie-dense items, you could probably do it, says Kumar. Focus on balanced, nutrient-packed choices, like fruits, vegetables, lean meats, legumes, and whole grains . Expect that for the first couple of weeks you may deal with lower energy, bloating, and cravings until your body adjusts, says Shemek.

RELATED: More Evidence Supports Intermittent Fasting for MS

Also Check: Is 119 High For Fasting Blood Sugar

Intermittent Fasting Can Help Weight Loss

IF makes intuitive sense. The food we eat is broken down by enzymes in our gut and eventually ends up as molecules in our bloodstream. Carbohydrates, particularly sugars and refined grains , are quickly broken down into sugar, which our cells use for energy. If our cells dont use it all, we store it in our fat cells as, well, fat. But sugar can only enter our cells with insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas. Insulin brings sugar into the fat cells and keeps it there.

Between meals, as long as we dont snack, our insulin levels will go down and our fat cells can then release their stored sugar, to be used as energy. We lose weight if we let our insulin levels go down. The entire idea of IF is to allow the insulin levels to go down far enough and for long enough that we burn off our fat.

Give Your Body Time To Adjust

Should I Try Intermittent Fasting?

Adjusting to an intermittent eating pattern may take some time. Once you get used to it, you can feel much better than before.

Many people report that intermittent fasting is easier to maintain than a standard diet where you try to decrease the number of calories every day by trying to eat less.

Many fitness vloggers are especially interested in the effects of fasting on the production of HGH, Human Growth Hormone. The production of this hormone skyrockets during certain moments of the fast but hormone levels return to normal after a while. HGH is an essential hormone for your body and helps you build and maintain muscle. However, Ive never read any research on how having more HGH in your blood for a couple of hours is better for you.

Read Also: Do I Have To Fast For An A1c Test

What Are The Dos And Donts Of Intermittent Fasting

When it comes to the dos and donts of intermittent fasting, the rules are fairly flexible. But achieving your goal does require you to do certain things that will improve your chances of getting to the promised land.

Use these dos and donts as tips for intermittent fasting as well.

Okay here are some of the dos of intermittent fasting:

1. Do your exercise or workout close to your feeding time. This has been shown to be very effective producing really good results especially for people who want to build muscle. Some people use BCAAs or Bang energy drinks to break their fast.

2. The follow up to that is that you should have your main meal after your workout or exercise routine. You may have another meal afterwards. But must be within the eating window of the intermittent fasting plan.

3. You can take bcaa supplement just before your exercise. Its not going to hurt your results. If anything, it is actually a good thing as bcaas contain essential amino acids. BCAAs help with muscle building and muscle bulk maintenance. See article on the advantages of using BCAAs.

4. On fast days, one way of coping is to have warm beverages. But absolutely calorie-free sweeteners only are allowed in your beverage. This is particularly important in the evenings. The time you will be most tempted to cheat.

6. Having proteins on fast days can also be a good idea. White meat like Turkey, Chicken, Goose or Broad beans for vegetarians can let you hold up the fast more effectively.

Should You Try Intermittent Fasting If You Have Crohns

Given the possible drawbacks of IF, experts are hesitant to recommend it for people with Crohns disease. This is especially true for people with severe Crohns who are unable to eat as much as they need to during a flare, explains Jeff D. Scott, MD, a gastroenterologist with Digestive Disease Specialists, Inc., and in private practice in Oklahoma.

Sabine Hazan, MD, a gastroenterologist and creator of ProgenaBiome a genetic sequencing research lab says that if people with Crohns want to try IF to see if it reduces their symptoms, they should alert their doctor first.

If a Crohns patient is trying intermittent fasting, I would certainly recommend working with a registered dietitian nutritionist who specializes in digestive conditions, says Kennedy. Its important that their weight and diet be tracked even more closely than usually recommended while on IF.

If fasting is causing you to lose out on vitamins and minerals or complicating your Crohns symptoms, you should stop, she says.

Even if you are modifying your diet to better control your symptoms, keep in mind that its not a substitute for medications and shouldnt be used to treat intestinal inflammation, Dr. Gaidos says.

Rather than fast, Gaidos tells people who have Crohns to eat a well-balanced, healthy diet that is low in processed foods and sugar. Diets lower in indigestible fiber may also be easier for your body to digest, says Dr. Scott.

Don’t Miss: Does Pickle Juice Break Autophagy

May Smooth Your Path To Ketosis

Intermittent fasting may help your body reach ketosis quicker than the keto diet alone.

Thats because your body, when fasting, maintains its energy balance by shifting its fuel source from carbs to fats the exact premise of the keto diet .

During fasting, insulin levels and glycogen stores decrease, leading your body to naturally start burning fat for fuel .

For anyone who struggles to reach ketosis while on a keto diet, adding intermittent fasting may effectively jumpstart your process.

What Is The Keto Diet

Ask a PhD: Should WOMEN Try Intermittent Fasting?

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, very low-carb way of eating.

Carbs are typically reduced to 20 to 50 grams per day, which forces your body to rely on fats instead of glucose for its main energy source .

In the metabolic process known as ketosis, your body breaks down fats to form substances called ketones that serve as an alternate fuel source .

This diet is an effective way to shed pounds, but it has several other benefits as well.

The keto diet has been used for nearly a century to treat epilepsy and also demonstrates promise for other neurological disorders (

8 ).

Whats more, it may reduce blood sugar, improve insulin resistance and lower heart disease risk factors like triglyceride levels .

Summary

The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet linked to potential health benefits, such as weight loss and improved blood sugar control.

If you commit to the ketogenic diet while doing intermittent fasting as well, it could offer the following benefits.

Don’t Miss: Do Fasting App Cost

Additional Intermittent Fasting Resources

Several people focus on intermittent fasting and can offer more resources to you.

Amy MD focuses on circadian fasting. Her review of the bodys natural tendency to sync with the sun rising and the sun setting and timing our meals to this natural cycle is explained with circadian fasting. I really enjoyed her take on IF and how to implement it with womens menstrual cycles.

Jenn Pike did a great podcast cast episode via The Simplicity Sessions about intermittent fasting. She explains in detail how intermittent fasting lets your liver do its job more efficiently. She also recognizes that intermittent fasting is not necessarily for everyone, and especially not for all women.

Another view I appreciated is from Jessica Ash, who has an objection to intermittent fasting. I think its important to look at both sides of the argument to recognize that one dietary trend is not a solution for everyone. I think she makes great points about why its important to focus on nutrition first and foremost.

You cant share IF resources without naming Dr. Jason Fung. He has written extensively about the benefits of intermittent fasting, and you can find a number of his books here.

Will I Lose Weight

Most likely.64 If you have weight to lose, it is extremely likely that you will lose weight if you do not eat.

In theory, its possible to eat more after fasting, of course, cancelling out the weight lost. But studies generally show that most people tend to eat significantly less overall.65

I call intermittent fasting the ancient secret of weight loss because it might be one of the most powerful dietary interventions for weight loss, yet it has been mostly ignored by doctors and dietitians for a long time.66

Recommended Reading: Can You Drink Alcohol While Intermittent Fasting

Is Fasting Safe Why You Should Try Intermittent Fasting

2 Minute Read

Intermittent fasting is a trend that has existed in the various health-conscious corners of the internet for a while now. Is fasting safe? Do fasting diets work?

Intermittent fasting is more like an eating schedule than an actual diet. While doing IF, people only eat within a relatively narrow range of hours during the day.

There are several styles of intermittent fasting. The primary and most popular way to do IF is the 16:8 style. This style pairs 16 hours of fasting with 8 hours of eating. For example, you would stop eating at 8 p.m. and wait to eat again until noon the next day. While fasting, you may consume only water, coffee, and tea.

So, is it safe to fast from food? Most people who try intermittent fasting only intend to restrict their eating hours but often reduce their caloric intake as a result. Calorie restriction isnt the point of IF, though it tends to be a side effect. Rather, the point of IF is for the body to switch from burning glycogen to burning fat stored during the fasting period.

Those who do IF should focus on eating higher-quality foods, avoiding junk food and processed carbohydrates. Large quantities of carbs may undermine your progress. Instead, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Intermittent Fasting And Keto: Should You Combine The Two

Should I Try Intermittent Fasting? By Dr. Jason Dave, ND ...

The keto diet and intermittent fasting are two of the hottest current health trends.

Many health-conscious people use these methods to drop weight and control certain health conditions.

While both have solid research backing their purported benefits, many people wonder if its safe and effective to combine the two.

This article defines intermittent fasting and the keto diet and explains whether combining the two is a good idea.

1 ).

There are many different types of intermittent fasting routines, including the 5:2 method, the Warrior Diet and alternate-day fasting.

Perhaps the most popular kind of intermittent fasting is the 16/8 method, which involves eating during an eight-hour timeframe before fasting for 16.

Intermittent fasting is mainly used as a weight loss technique.

However, studies found that it may benefit health in many other ways.

For example, intermittent fasting has been shown to reduce inflammation and improve brain function and blood sugar control .

Summary

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves rotating between periods of fasting and normal eating. Popular methods include the 5:2 and 16/8 methods.

Recommended Reading: 14/10 Fasting

How To Eat On Fasting Days

There is no rule for what or when to eat on fasting days.

Some people function best by beginning the day with a small breakfast, while others find it best to start eating as late as possible.

Generally, there are two meal patterns that people follow:

  • Three small meals: Usually breakfast, lunch and dinner.
  • Two slightly bigger meals: Only lunch and dinner.
  • Since calorie intake is limited 500 calories for women and 600 calories for men it makes sense to use your calorie budget wisely.

    Try to focus on nutritious, high-fiber, high-protein foods that will make you feel full without consuming too many calories.

    Soups are a great option on fast days. Studies have shown that they may make you feel more full than the same ingredients in original form, or foods with the same calorie content (

    There is no specific, correct way to eat on fasting days. You have to experiment and figure out what works best for you.

    What Are The Negative Effects Of Intermittent Fasting

    In my own experimentation with Intermittent Fasting since 2014, I have found very few negative side effects with Intermittent Fasting.

    The biggest concern most people have is that Intermittent Fasting will lead to lower energy, focus, and the holy crap I am hungry feeling during the fasting period and ruin them.

    People are concerned that they will spend all morning being miserable because they havent consumed any food, and thus will be miserable at work and ineffective at whatever task it is they are working on.

    The following are my thoughts and experiences, and your results may vary:

    Yes, the initial transition from EATING ALL THE TIME, to intermittent fasting MIGHT be a bit of a jolt to your system it was for me.

    However, once I got through the transition after a few days, my body quickly adapted and learned to function just as well only eating a few times a day.

    Although I fast for 16 hours per day with no issues, the following might help assuage your fears that skipping breakfast will cause your body to eat itself and your brain to implode:

    After 48-hours of fasting in a recent study , cognitive performance, activity, sleep, and mood are not adversely affected in healthy humans by two days of calorie-deprivation. Youll be fasting for far less time than that.

    So why do I feel grouchy and lethargic when I skip breakfast?

    If you eat breakfast every morning, your body expects to wake up and eat food.

    Don’t Miss: 119 Blood Sugar

    S Of Intermittent Fasting

    There are several methods to intermittent fast – all of which involve splitting up the day or week into periods of eating and fasting. During the fasting periods you either eat very little, or nothing at all.

    • The 16/8 Method: This protocol involves skipping breakfast and restricting all eating into an 8 hour period, for example 12:00PM – 8:00PM. Then fasting for 16 hours in between.
    • Eat-Stop-Eat: This practice would involve fasting for 24 hours a few days of the week, and eating on a regular schedule the rest of the week.
    • The 5:2 Method: This method involves eating only 500 calories a day 2 non-consecutive days out of the week, and eating normally the rest of the week.

    When practiced correctly, all of these methods should reduce your calorie intake, which can lead to weight loss. That is, as long as youre not cramming extra calories in during your eating periods.

    Health Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting

    My Experience With INTERMITTENT FASTING: Should YOU Try It?

    There are very few studies on the 5:2 diet specifically.

    However, there are plenty of studies on intermittent fasting in general, which show impressive health benefits (

    After 12 weeks, the fasting group had:

    • Reduced body weight by more than 11 pounds .
    • Reduced fat mass by 7.7 pounds , with no change in muscle mass.
    • Reduced blood levels of triglycerides by 20%.
    • Increased LDL particle size, which is a good thing.
    • Reduced levels of CRP, an important marker of inflammation.

    Summary

    The 5:2 diet may have several impressive health benefits, including weight loss, reduced insulin resistance and decreased inflammation. It may also improve blood lipids.

    You May Like: Can You Drink Alcohol While Intermittent Fasting

    What Happens Physiologically To The Body When We Fast

    A number of things. After a typical meal, your body will break down starches and sugars into glucose, which is what the body usually uses for energy. When we use up our glucose stores, the body uses fat for energy. The last resort following that process is when the body breaks down muscle for protein. Keep in mind that when you dont eat for a long period of time, you might feel hungry, fatigued and maybe even irritable. Fasting can also cause our metabolism to slow down, making weight loss harder in the long-term.

    RELATED ARTICLES
    - Advertisment -

    Most Popular

    - Advertisment -