With intermittent fasting gaining in popularity due to its ability to help people lose weight and inches, it also has other things going for it as well. For instance, it is not a one-size-fits-all program as the routine is flexible enough to meet virtually anyone’s schedule or needs. The variations that can be made to an intermittent fasting program is one of the significant advantages of it over a typical diet.
What Is Intermittent Fasting and the Benefits Associated with It?
By now, you have at least a rudimentary idea of how to approach intermittent fasting and the benefits that go along with it. As an example, most people commit to fasting for anywhere from 12 to 16 hours followed by eight hours or so of being able to consume your normal foods and calories.
This type of schedule will enable the person to eat less calories than normal. And as the body turns to the stored fat for energy throughout the day, the person will generally lose pounds and considerable inches as the metabolism adjusts.
But the benefits just don’t end with losing pounds. As the body goes without food for a considerable amount of time, blood pressure and bad cholesterol generally lower. Insulin and sugars are essentially leveled out with less spikes and valleys. Also, cellular regeneration happens as the damaged cells are replaced with newer and healthier ones[1]. This can lead to a decrease in many types of diseases, including cancer.
The Popular Types of Intermittent Fasting: The Pros and Cons
There are a few common types of intermittent fasting that you should be aware of as you may determine one of these will work better for you than the rest.
- 5:2 Fasting: Think of it as a weekly schedule for intermittent fasting where you eat like normal for five days a week and mix in two days where you choose to fast and limit your calories. Whether you choose to fast for 12 hours or 20 hours is up to you!
- Time Restricted: This seems like a pretty popular choice for many people. Essentially, you restrict yourself to eating only for a certain number of hours a day. A common fasting schedule could be 7 pm to 10 am of fasting and then the rest of the day you can eat your normal meals.
- Eat Stop Eat: This requires fasting for a complete 24 hours twice a week. The good news is that you can eat your normal meals the other five days during the week. Just be responsible.
- Alternate Day Fasting: Instead of sticking with an intermittent fasting schedule every single day, just alternate every other day. For those following difficult work schedules, this may be one to check out and see what results you earn from it.
Find the Type that Gives You Results
It all comes down to results. If your goal is to lose weight, experiment with what fasting type produces the most weight loss. However, be responsible and in the days and hours you can eat, stay with a healthy and nutritional diet.
FOLLOW US
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3106288/
- How to Do Intermittent Fasting Based on a Shift Work Schedule
- Do Nuts Break a Fast and a List of Nuts on Calories
- 5 Steps Starter Pack to Combine Mindful Eating with Intermittent Fasting
- Mindful eating
- Warrior Diet
