A Beginners Guide to Intermittent Fasting - What You Need To Know
It’s no secret that intermittent fasting has been taking the world by storm over the past few years. From helping individuals lose weight, to preventing diabetes and improving heart health, the benefits of fasting seem to be endless. This article will help you get started with intermittent fasting. How It Works Intermittent fasting work by restricting the amount of food you eat to certain periods. It doesn’t mean you won’t eat for the entire day. On the contrary, you can eat as much as you want in certain times. The only difference is that you don’t eat for extended periods. This is why it’s sometimes referred to as “cyclic” or “randomized” fasting. There are several different variations of intermittent fasting.
They all have the same goal, which is to help you lose weight by restricting your calorie intake. Another benefit of fasting is that it suppresses your appetite. This means you’re less likely to overeat and gain weight. This makes it a good option for people who have weight to lose. The most common types of intermittent fasting include:
- Time-restricted Dieting. Involves fasting on a daily basis for twelve hours or longer and eating within the remaining hours. a well-liked example is known as the 16/8 method. It Has a daily 16-hour fast and an 8-hour eating window in which you'll be able to fix in 2, 3, or even more meals.
- The 5:2 diet. The 5:2 diet involves eating as you usually do 5 days of the week and limiting your calorie intake to 500–600 on the remaining 2 days.
- Eat Stop Eat. Eat Stop Eat involves a 24-hour fast once or two times per week.
- Alternate-day fasting. With alternate-day fasting, the goal is to fast every other day.
- The Warrior Diet. The warrior Diet was among the first popular diets to incorporate a style of intermittent fasting. It involves feeding little amounts of raw fruits and vegetables throughout the day and eating one big meal at night.
What Is Intermittent Fasting?
Fasting is usually synonymous with not eating food. However, fasting could mean a lot more than just skipping a meal. Intermittent fasting (IF) is a dieting pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. It doesn’t specify what foods you must eat but rather at what time you should eat them. in this respect, it’s not a diet within the typical sense but may be accurately described as an eating pattern.
Common intermittent fasting strategies involve daily 16-hour fasts or fasting for twenty-four hours, two times per week. fasting has been a used throughout human evolution. Ancient hunter-gatherers didn’t have supermarkets, refrigerators or food accessible year-round. most times they couldn’t get something to eat. As a result, humans evolved to be able to operate while not food for extended periods of time.
In fact, fast from time to time is additional natural than continually consumption 3–4 (or more) meals per day.
The Pros of Intermittent Fasting
- Weight Loss - If you’re overweight or obese, intermittent fasting might be able to help you lose weight. The reason for this is because it suppresses your appetite. So you’re less likely to overeat and gain weight.
- Preventative Medicine - Another reason intermittent fasting is becoming more popular is because it can prevent a variety of diseases. Many people follow a fasting diet to prevent diabetes.
- Increased Energy - Many people report feeling more energetic on an intermittent fasting diet. This is because fasting causes your body to burn fat instead of glucose (sugar).
- Preventative Dentistry - Some people experience improved dental health when they fast. Researchers in Israel found that intermittent fasting causes the liver to produce proteins that fill up teeth cavities.
- Stronger Bones - Intermittent fasting can also help prevent conditions like osteoporosis.
- Better Sleep - Intermittent fasting can also make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.
- Better Mood - Restricting your calories can lead to improvements in your mood.
- Lower Risk of Cardiovascular Disease - Another reason intermittent fasting is beneficial is because it can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Lower Risk of Diabetes - Fasting can also help prevent and control diabetes.
The Cons of Intermittent Fasting
- Increased Risk for Certain Diseases - If you fast too long, you could experience muscle cramps and keto fatique.
- Headaches and lightheadedness
- Digestive issues — including constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and bloating — are symptoms you might experience if you do intermittent fasting.
N:B these may only occur if you don't fast correctly.
How to get started with intermittent fasting
If you’re interested in trying intermittent fasting, the first step is to research it. Then you can decide if it’s something you’re interested in trying. Next you’ll want to find a diet that works best for you. To do this, you can use the Internet, talk to people, or read diet books.
How to intermittent fast
You’ll want to start out by fasting for the same amount of time each day. For example, if you’re only able to do the 16:8 fast that means you 8 hours will be your eating window and 18 hours will be your fasting time. its as simple as that. this post contains just a summary of each subheading but I will creat individual posts for some important sub headings. during your fasting period you are only allowed to drink water -with lemon, lime or Apple cider vinegar - or herbal tea.
Which Type of Intermittent Fasting is Right for You?
You can decide which type of intermittent fasting is best for you based on a few factors. One thing to keep in mind is that the longer you fast, the greater the benefits. Depending on your ability you should start with a shorter fasting period and build your way up to longer hours. its also advisable to consult your physician to give you the proper approval if you have ome kinds of illneses
How long can you intermittent fast for?
aside from the typical intermittent fasting hours you can fast for a longer period of time like 24hrs -72hrs. the longest avisable fasting time is 72hrs and you should make sure you are in peak health before trying it.
Conclusion
intermittent Fasting can be a beneficial part of your diet if you do it the right way. Intermittent fasting involves limiting your food intake to certain periods of time, and not eating for longer periods of time.
There are several different types of intermittent fasting. You can choose the one that works best for you. The key is to research it, and make sure it’s something you can handle.
