There is a new crave in the diet and exercise world. It’s called intermittent fasting (IF) and a lot youtubers and celebrities are catching on.
So what is intermittent fasting? It is diet plan that has cycles of fasting ( abstaining from food) and eating for a defined period of time. For example, within 24 hours an individual on an IF plan can eat for a 4 hour block between 6:00pm to 10:00pm, and abstain from eating from 12:00 am to 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm to 12:00am. In short, this individual ate within a 4 hour block , and a total of 20 hours of not eating (fasting). See Testimonies:
Fasting will vary with every individual and it is recommended you speak to your doctor before trying it out. For instance, you may fast for 20 hours and eat for 4 hours, or fast for 16 hours and eat within a 8 hour block. The key is to eat during your block and not multiple times throughout the day. For example, if you eat on average 2,500 calories per day, but have multiple eating periods , you won’t lose weight. But if you eat 2,500 calories in ONE defined eating period you will lose weight.
What is the Science behind Intermittent fasting:
- You enter the fat burning stage quickly. Once your body has depleted glucose from your food storage it will start to burn your body fat for energy.
- Intermittent fasting increases your Metabolism. Studies have revealed animals burn fat during fasting. Researchers also found fasting increases fat, protein, and glucose metabolism.
How to Get Started:
- Consult with your doctor about it.
- Decide your eating time period and fasting time period.
- Record your starting weigh and decide how many days you will fast for.
- During your fasting period try to exercise to increase weight loss.
- Drink lots of water
Sources:
https://blog.bulletproof.com/intermittent-fasting-weight-loss/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8238506
https://www.davinadiaries.com/how-to-get-the-best-weight-loss-results-from-running/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2405717