Intermittent Fasting For Weight Loss

Have you ever tried intermittent fasting for losing weight? No, you must follow to see fast and steady results. Even though there are many different ways to lose weight, intermittent fasting gained popularity in recent years. Many people believe it is a weight loss intervention and fasting for short periods helps people to eat fewer calories which results in losing weight over time.

What Is Exactly Called Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is a diet plan that allows people to eat their meals in 12 hour wide intervals. Well, it depends on the individual priority because some people may fast for longer periods than others like 14 or 18 hours.

There are different types of intermittent fasting and some people also practice alternate day fasting where they fast for three days in a week and eat just one meal which meets 25% of their nutritional needs, while the rest of the days have no food restrictions.

Some people fast for two days a week and don't last for the rest of the days of the week. An intermittent fasting diet offers many benefits including weight loss and some other metabolic changes in the body. But, it is always better to consult your doctor or dietitian before attempting this diet.

Intermittent Fasting For Weight Loss:

Intermittent fasting is one of the effective ways to lose weight by helping the insulin, the fat-storage hormone, to function effectively by preventing sugar spikes and inflammation in the body.

It also heals your body by giving a break to your digestive system and redirecting the blood flow to all parts of the body.

It also stimulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor which is a protein that plays an important role to create new neurons and protect existing ones.

Here are few things you need to know before including intermittent fasting in your routine especially to lose weight:

Eat food that is high in protein, carbohydrates, and fiber such as quinoa, oats, jowar, and brown rice.
Proteins such as eggs, chicken, fish, pulses, nuts, and seeds
Healthy fats such as ghee, olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds
Exercise, sleep and have adequate water throughout the day.

Remember that indulging in high-calorie foods such as high sugar, high fat, and processed foods during the eating window will still lead to inflammation and give you zero results in your weight loss journey.

How Much Weight You Can Lose With Intermittent Fasting?

If you keep complete efforts on losing weight through intermittent fasting, you can easily expect good weight loss between 2 to 6 kgs a month with excellent inch loss and an increase in energy levels.

Other Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting:

Reduce Insulin Resistance And Lowers The Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes:

Type 2 diabetes is the most common health issue faced by many people for decades. Insulin resistance is the main cause for high blood sugar levels and anything that reduces insulin resistance has major benefits and leads to an impressive reduction in blood sugar levels.

Intermittent fasting has shown improved survival rates and protects against diabetic retinopathy. One study in 2005 showed that blood sugar management worsened after 22 days of intermittent fasting.

Reduces Oxidative Stress And Inflammation:

Oxidative stress involves unstable molecules called free radicals which react with other molecules such as protein and DNA and damage them. Many studies have shown that intermittent fasting enhances the body's resistance and even helps fight against inflammation.

Beneficial For Your Heart:

Intermittent fasting is also shown to improve numerous risk factors like blood pressure, blood sugar levels, inflammatory markers, and blood triglycerides.

Changes The Functions Of Hormones, Cells, And Genes:

Many things happen in your body when you stop eating or start fasting. Below are few changes you can absorb in your body when fasting:

The blood levels of human growth hormone can increase dramatically when you do not eat and higher levels of this hormone results in fat burning and muscle gain.
The body induces cellular processes and removes waste material from cells.
It is also beneficial for changes in several genes and molecules related to longevity and protection against disease.
It facilitates fat burning by dropping insulin levels significantly.

Extend Your Lifespan And Help You Live Longer:

Intermittent fasting also has the ability to extend our lifespan for us too. According to a study on rats, daily fasting is shown to improve the overall health of male mice which helps to delay the onset of conditions such as fatty liver diseases and hepatocellular carcinoma which are both common issues in aging mice.

Take Away

Even though this is far from being determined in humans, intermittent fasting has become popular among the aging crowd. Given the known benefits of metabolism, it makes sense that intermittent fasting might help you to live longer than expected.