Everything You Need To Know About Intermittent Fasting

It’s a lifestyle

Intermittent fasting, while frequently used as a weight loss tool, is less of a diet and more of a method of eating. This is because intermittent fasting does not put any restrictions on what you eat but rather when you eat.

Intermittent fasting has become popularized in more recent culture with proponents of the method citing the hunter-gatherer lifestyles of early humans. Back then, we certainly were not eating the full three meals a day we have become used to in our modern lives.

Because we evolved over centuries without access to regular food, some experts say that the human body was designed to go longer between meals. There is some evidence to back up these claims, with many health benefits outside of weight loss associated with intermittent fasting.

The benefits are internal

The benefits of fasting occur at a cellular level. Your body responds to the absence of food in a few ways with changes to hormone levels and improved cellular repair.

First, when you fast, levels of human growth hormone (HGH) increase as much as five times their baseline level. This hormone triggers your body to burn through stored fat and increase muscle mass, helpful for all of those strength training exercises.

Second, studies show that intermittent fasting can actually reduce insulin levels in the body and improve insulin sensitivity. Like HGH, lower insulin levels free up stored fat to be more accessible, causing your body to burn more. This can be particularly beneficial for people with diabetes or at risk of developing diabetes.

The third benefit of intermittent fasting is that during the fasting period, your cells begin a sort of digestion of their own, clearing out old proteins in a process called cellular repair.

Some other benefits of fasting that we are just beginning to understand are its potential for increasing brain function and even that it could help with gene expression, helping you to live longer.

Is there a right way to fast?

The short answer is, it depends on your lifestyle! There are a few different methods of intermittent fasting, and while each will ultimately lead to the same results, the most important question is, which method can you maintain over time?

Let’s go over three popular methods of intermittent fasting:

16/8 method

Probably the most popular method of intermittent fasting is the 16/8 method, where you limit your eating hours to eight hours per day, fasting for the remaining 16 hours.

Many people who follow this protocol skip breakfast and consume all of their calories between lunch and dinner. Others do the opposite, starting the day with a big breakfast and skipping dinner. What works for you will depend entirely on your body, so make sure to follow its natural inclinations.

The 16/8 method can be easier to fit into your lifestyle, since many of your fasting hours are spent sleeping. Additionally, cooking one less meal per day saves time, helpful for those of us who are busy juggling work, parenting, school, and more.

Eat-stop-eat

In this method, people fast for a full 24 hours one to two times per week. In practice, this looks like a normal week of eating and on one day, you would fast from dinner until dinner the following day.

This method could be easier for some, because you don’t have to maintain the protocol all week long. A drawback is that the adjustment to a full 24 hour fast can be much harder for many people. You may be more likely to experience hunger pains, fatigue, or weakness during the fasting day.

5/2 method

The 5/2 method breaks your eating into days as well, eating normally for 5 days out of the week, and then consuming only 500 calories on two non-consecutive days.

When following this protocol, many people choose to schedule their fasting days into their week. For example, you may choose Tuesday and Friday, giving yourself a few days in between to eat normally before fasting again.

How intermittent fasting can aid weight loss

The fact still remains that the only way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than you burn. So, intermittent fasting certainly will not make you lose weight if you are binging on excessive calories during eating periods.

Intermittent fasting does generally lead to weight loss because for most people, the time restriction automatically leads to fewer calories consumed. It can also help you to learn to eat more satiating foods that keep you fuller longer.

An example of calorie dense eating would be if you used all of your calories on potato chips. You may have consumed 1800 calories, but you will very likely feel hungry and weak during your fasting period. Conversely, if you fill up on nutrient dense foods, lean proteins, and whole grains, your body will have all it needs to sustain itself during your fast.

Fasting can also help your body to build more muscle, which ultimately leads to a higher overall metabolism that will continue to burn through fat even when your body is at rest.

What is most important is that you choose a method of eating that you can maintain over time. If your method is difficult for you, you are at higher risk of falling out of the lifestyle and dealing with bounce-back weight gain.

What are the risks?

As with any diet-related lifestyle changes there can be some risks. While intermittent fasting is generally thought to be safe and effective, studies have shown it might be less effective for women than for men.

For example, intermittent fasting has been found to cause blood sugar issues in women. Women have also self reported issues with menstruation and even missed or stopped periods when doing intermittent fasting.

Additionally, intermittent fasting is not a suitable lifestyle for people who have experienced disordered eating. This type of restriction can be high risk for those who have suffered from restrictive dieting in the past, or for those who are already underweight.

Finally, there is a risk for binging when coming out of a fasting period. If you are not eating enough nutrients, your body will respond with uncomfortable hunger cues or weakness and fatigue. This method of eating should be done in conjunction with a nutrient dense diet during your eating periods to ensure you are still getting all that your body needs to thrive.