Intermittent fasting is a term for meal timing schedules that involve voluntary fasting or reduced calories intake and non-fasting over a given period. Also called intermittent energy restriction, this controlled cycling between fasting and eating is a popular method to lose weight.
That being said, there is nothing new about it; intermittent fasting is a part of religious practices across the world, including Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism. Practised throughout human history, intermittent fasting might be the secret to health! Read on to know more.
Intermittent fasting is not similar to juicing or eating raw or whole foods because it's not a diet, rather, a pattern of eating. When practising intermittent fasting, you simply schedule your meals to get the most out of them, not changing what you eat, but when you eat.
In this type of intermittent fasting, you alternate between a 24-hour fast day and a 24-hour non-fast day or feasting period. Complete alternate-day fasting or total intermittent energy restriction requires no calories to be consumed on fast days. On the other hand, in modified alternate-day fasting or partial intermittent energy restriction, consumption of up to 25 per cent of daily calorie needs is allowed on fasting days. In simple words, this type of intermittent fasting is alternating days with normal eating and a low-calorie diet.
Periodic fasting is whole-day fasting and it involves a period of consecutive fasting thats more than 24 hours. In the 5:2 diet, for example, you fast one or two days per week. Theres also the extreme version with several days or weeks of fasting! Again, during fasting days, one can go for complete fasting or consume 25 per cent of daily caloric intake.
This involves eating food only during a particular number of hours each day; examples include skipping a meal or following the 16:8 diet, which is a cycle of 16 fasting hours and eight non-fasting hours.
Tip: Understand what intermittent fasting is before changing your diet plan and meal times.
A. Intermittent fasting is a diet plan that comes with bothpros and cons, so depending on your current health and health goals, you can pick a diet or meal plan that works for you.
Avoid intermittent fasting if you:
In women, fasting can cause sleeplessness, anxiety, and hormone dysregulation indicated by irregular periods, among others. So while females should start easy with intermittent fasting, also be cautious if you:
Intermittent fasting is said to bring about positive results for people have a job that allows low-performance periods, are already into dieting and exercising, or are able to monitor calorie and food intake well.
A. Follow these tips:
Identify Your Personal Goals
Whether your goal is to lose weight or improve overall health, identify your needs before getting started on any diet or exercise plan. Consider your lifestyle and design your diet plan and meal schedules accordingly. Remember to set small, realistic goals that you can easily achieve and progress towards instead of setting unattainable goals. Not being able to meet goals will only make youupset, so take it to step by step.
Determine Caloric Needs
With intermittent fasting, simply not eating for a certain period of time wont help you lose weight; you need to create a calorie deficit so youre burning more calories than youre consuming. On the other hand, if you want to gain weight, you need to be consuming more calories than you're burning. So figure out the calories and nutrients you consume and what changes you need to makethere are several tools available for the same. You can also speak to a dietitian for guidance.
Once you figure out your goals and caloric needs, consider how you want to go about meeting your daily and short or long-term goals. Understand the basics of each type of intermittent fasting plan and select one that you think will work for you. Typically, you should stick with any method for at least a month or longer to see if it works for you or not, before trying another one.
In addition to this, remember to start slowyou want to become a healthier version of yourself, not fall ill following extreme diet plans!
A. Keep in mind that hunger passes like a wave. Don't worry about your hunger becoming intolerable; if you ignore it and divert your mind to work or other activities, you'll be okay. When you fast for an extended period of time, hunger often increases on the second day, but it starts to recede gradually. By the third or fourth day, you can expect a complete loss of hunger sensation as your body stays powered by stored body fat!
Most importantly, remember to stay hydrated as more often than not, what you perceive to be hunger is just thirst. Drink up to eight glasses of water a day and sip on juices or teas. Prefer natural sweetenersand flavour enhancers like spices and herbs over sugar or you'll simply be intaking more calories.
Also, avoid looking at pictures and videos offood to keep yourself from temptation!
Read more:
Your Guide To Intermittent Fasting Is Here! - Femina
