Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is a popular health trend that people are using to lose weight and improve their health. Essentially, intermittent fasting is an eating pattern
that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. It doesn’t specify what foods you are eating but rather when you eat them. The most common intermittent fasting method involves daily 16-hour fasts or fasting for 24 hours twice a week.
What are the intermittent fasting methods?
There are several different ways that you can incorporate intermittent fasting into your eating pattern. All of the methods involve splitting the day or week into
eating and fasting periods. During the fasting period, you eat either very little or nothing at all. The most popular methods include:
• The 16/8 method – Also known as the Leangains protocol, it involves skipping breakfast and restricting your eating to 8 hours, such as 12-8pm. Then you fast for 16 hours in between.
• Eat-stop-eat – This involves fasting for 24 hours once or twice per week. For example, you can eat dinner and not eat again until dinner the next night.
• The 5:2 diet – With this method, you consume only 500–600 calories on two nonconsecutive days of the week but eat normally the other 5 days.
By reducing your caloric intake. all of these methods should result in weight loss as long as you don’t compensate by eating more during the eating periods.
How does intermittent fasting affect my cells and hormones?
Image Credit: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Human-growth-hormone-_4-15
Fasting can cause several changes in your body at a cellular level. For example, your body adjusts hormone levels to make stored body fat more accessible. Cells also initiate important repair processes and change the expressions of genes. Some of the changes that occur include:
• Human Growth Hormone (HGH) – The levels of HGH increase as much a 5-fold, which benefits fat loss and muscle gain.
• Insulin – Insulin sensitivity improves and levels of insulin drop. Lower insulin levels make stored body fat more accessible.
• Cellular repair – When fasted, cells initiate cellular repair processes. This
includes autophagy, where cells digest and remove old and dysfunctional proteins that build up inside cells.
• Gene expression – There are changes in the function of genes related to longevity and protection against disease.
How does intermittent fasting help with weight loss?
Most people who try intermittent fasting are doing so to lose weight. By reducing the number of meals that you are eating, intermittent fasting can lead to a reduction in your caloric intake. The changes in hormones that are brought on by fasting may also facilitate weight loss. In addition to lowering insulin and increasing HGH, it can also increase the release of norepinephrine, a fat-burning hormone. Short-term fasting may lead to an increase in your metabolic rate. Intermittent fasting will only work if you reduce your intake of calories. If you binge eat during your eating periods, then you may not lose any weight at all.
Who shouldn’t try intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting may not be for everyone. In particular, people who are underweight or have a history of eating disorders should not fast without consulting a
healthcare provider. There is also some evidence that intermittent fasting may not be as beneficial for women as it is for men. There have been some anecdotal
evidence of women whose menstrual cycle has stopped when doing intermittent fasting and having it return once they resumed their previous eating pattern.
When starting intermittent fasting, you may feel hunger as your body adjusts. You may also feel weak, and your brain may not be performing as well. If you have any of the following medical conditions, please consult with your healthcare provider before starting intermittent fasting. Conditions include:
• Diabetes
• Problems with blood sugar regulation
• Low blood pressure
• Take medications
• Underweight
• History of eating disorders
• Are a woman trying to conceive
• Are a woman with a history of amenorrhea (absence of menstruation)
• Are pregnant/breastfeeding.
What are the most frequently asked questions about intermittent fasting?
• Can I drink liquids during the fast?
Yes. Water, coffee, tea and other non-caloric beverages are fine. Do not add sugar to your coffee. Small amounts of milk or cream may be okay. Coffee can be
particularly beneficial during a fast, as it can blunt hunger.
• Can I take supplements while fasting?
Yes, but fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K) may not absorb as well without meals.
• Can I work out while fasting?
Yes, fasted workouts are fine. Some people recommend taking branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) before a fasted workout.
• Will fasting cause muscle loss?
All weight loss methods can cause muscle loss, which is why it’s important to lift weights and keep your protein intake high. One study showed that intermittent fasting causes less muscle loss than regular calorie restriction.
Overall, intermittent fasting has an outstanding safety profile. If you are healthy and overall well-nourished, then fasting should not be dangerous for you.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide