These days as people are becoming more health and fitness conscious, they are looking for different methods of doing that, one of which is Intermittent fasting. Have you ever wondered what intermittent fasting is and why you should try it? In this blog post, we’ll talk about the basics of Intermittent Fasting and some of the possible benefits to expound on.
Intermittent Fasting
It is a cycle of eating between periods of fasting and eating with more focus on when you are eating rather than what you are eating. It is a regular schedule of eating during a specific time. It has been scientifically proven that intermittent fasting can help in reducing not only weight but also helped in preventing some forms of diseases.
In the 1940s, laboratory experiments on mice showed that calorie restriction in form of IF extended the animals’ life span without leaving it malnutritional. Common fasting has been done by humans for a long involving day-time fasting and night meals for religious or spiritual reasons.
Methods Of Intermittent Fasting
There are many Intermittent Fasting methods that can help you in weight loss or have benefits. Most people schedule 8 hrs period of eating during the day and fast for the remainder, also known as the 16:8 approach. Below are mentioned most common methods used but you must check first is your body is capable of doing the IF or not-
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5:2 Approach
It involves limiting yourself to one 500-600 calorie meal for two non-consecutive days a week. For example, you eat normally 3 meals a day every day of the week except Tuesday and Friday, which includes one meal of 500-600 calories. Within a month it is seen that the body gets accustomed to the fasting method and you won’t feel hungry on the fasting days anymore.
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Eat-Stop-Eat
It involves fasting for 24 hrs and starting it from the evening of a day till the evening of the next day. It can be done once or twice a week and you can drink any non-calorie drink in between the schedule.
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Warrior Diet
It is based on the eating pattern of warriors in ancient times when they were able to eat less during the day and have their proper meals at night. In this food from the supermarket and plastic box contained are avoided and only healthy and organic food is preferred.
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Leangains
It is also known as 16:8 as mentioned above in which you eat between 8 hrs and fast for the remaining 16hrs. For better results, you should skip breakfast and can start from brunch time to evening.
Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting
Calorie restriction in your body using these above-mentioned methods can help you in improving the health of your body and brain.
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Weight Loss
Most people adopt IF for weight loss and it does help as Intermittent Fasting restricted the input of calories in your body by scheduling fewer meals in a day. Along this, you should also take note of how many calories you are taking in a meal for methods like 5:2 only then it will be beneficial.
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Control Of Blood Sugar Level
Intermittent Fasting helps in keeping the blood sugar level low by reducing insulin resistance which lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes in one’s body.
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Beneficial For Heart
As it helps in controlling blood sugar levels, with this the input of cholesterol is also maintained and also improves the blood pressure of the body.
Risk Related To Intermittent Fasting
As IF has its own benefits but if someone overdoes it, it can be harmful and can affect different males and females. Some people can have headaches or feel dizzy during fasting time as their body won’t allow them with sudden reduction of calorie intake.
For precautions, you must visit your health counselor for the method which will suit your body and doctor if you have any uneasiness in your body.