Intermittent fasting is a pattern of eating that runs from time to time. It does not indicate which foods to eat, but rather when to eat them.
In this way, it is more accurately described as a part of normal daily life. Maybe it is the oldest and most powerful method possible.
Common intermittent fasting practices involve 16- to 24-hour fasts daily or twice a week. People from ancient times did not have all-year-round supermarkets, fridges, or food.
They couldn’t find anything to eat sometimes. People have evolved over time to be able to go long periods without food.
Actually, it is more natural to fast from time to time rather than eat 3 to 4 meals a day. Fasting is often practiced in Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism.
There are many methods available for intermittent fasting. Therefore, the 16/8 intermittent fasting rule is one of those.
This means you skip the meal for 16 hours, from morning until evening, or even for 20 hours.
Table of Contents
Fasting and weight loss
Intermittent fasting is an effective weight loss tool. Intermittent fasting allows you to reduce your calorie intake by stopping eating.
In addition, intermittent fasting changes the hormone level to make weight loss easier. It increases the release of the fat-burning hormone norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and growth hormone (1, 2, 3).
Because of these hormonal changes, your metabolic rate can increase by up to 14%.
Intermittent fasting promotes weight loss by forcing you to ingest fewer calories and burn more calories.
According to some studies, intermittent fasting can be a powerful weight loss tool.
A study found that up to 8 percent of body weight was lost over 3 to 12 weeks, which is impressive compared to most weight loss studies (4).
Fasting causes less lean muscle loss compared to other methods. However, fasting helps you eat fewer calories (5).
It is the primary reason for its success. You cannot lose weight in any way when you eat a lot of food during the day.
Increases Growth Hormone
Fasting has some significant effects on your body. For example, your body may alter hormone levels in order to enhance the ease of access to stored body fat (3).
Cells frequently initiate critical processes of gene restoration and modification. Here are some changes happening in your body while you’re fasting:
- Human growth hormone increases
- Insulin sensitivity increases
- Cells launch repair procedures
The hormonal changes and cell function caused by fasting contribute to these health benefits, which include:
- weight loss without limiting calories
- can help reduce blood sugar
- can decrease inflammation
- decreases LDL cholesterol,
- fasting can prevent cancer
- can prevent Alzheimer’s disease,
- fasting can increase lifespan
Intermittent fasting methods
With some of these methods, you can achieve outstanding results. Many people have tried these methods.
However, all of these can be effective, depending on which method suits you best. These methods include:
- the 16/8 method
- the warrior diet,
- eat-stop-eat method
- the 5:2 diet
- fasting every other day
Intermittent fasting isn’t for everyone. It’s not something everybody needs to do; it’s just another tool that can benefit those who really want to improve their overall well-being.
Fasting releases norepinephrine and growth hormone, which can boost the metabolic rate by up to 14%. Fasting also improves insulin sensitivity and cell function, leading to health benefits such as weight loss without limiting calories. Intermittent fasting is not for everyone, but it can be beneficial for people looking to improve their overall health. Some evidence indicates that fasting might not help women. Females who are skinny, pregnant, or nursing should refrain from fasting.
Risk factors and side effects
The primary side effect of intermittent fasting is hunger. This may only take a few days because your body needs some time to adjust to the alternative meal plan.
You should consult your doctor before trying fasting if you have a medical condition. If you’re overall healthy and well-fed, then there is nothing dangerous about not eating for a while.
If you are underweight or have a history of an eating problem, you should not fast without consulting a doctor.
Some evidence suggests that fasting might not help women. In addition, fasting may increase some risks for women.
One study showed that insulin sensitivity improved in males but blood sugar control worsened in females (6).
While human research on this topic is not available, a study in rats shows that fasting can emaciate female rats and cause them to miss cycles, which may increase the risk of infertility (7).
People who have a history of eating disorders or are underweight should not fast. Females who are skinny, pregnant, or lactating should not be fasting.
Fasting has the most common side effect of hunger. People with certain medical conditions should not fast without consulting a doctor.
Conclusion
Unlike diets, which can be costly, intermittent fasting is free. In addition, fasting saves time, and diets can take time.
Intermittent fasting can facilitate things because you don’t have to plan or cook as many meals as before.
Intermittent fasting is common among those who hack their lives in order to improve their health.