Intermittent fasting involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting. Intermittent fasting specifically limits your daily eating window to a certain number of hours per day. A popular time window would be eating your normal daily calorie intake from 10am-6pm (8hrs) and then performing a fast from 6pm-10am the following morning (16hrs). This is more popularly known as the 16:8 method. The 16:8 method is a form of time restricted feeding and is widely practised as being the most sustainable form of intermittent fasting.
Intermittent fasting doesn’t specify which foods you should eat, but rather when you should eat them. A number of studies have shown that intermittent fasting has led to elevated weight loss.
The science behind it:
In a fasted state our bodies will naturally burn fat as its primary fuel source instead of carbohydrates. Research published in the National Library of Medicine in 2019 found an 8% reduction in fat mass when participants used intermittent fasting. Many of these studies further demonstrated that intermittent fasting affects metabolic processes in the body that may work to decrease inflammation, as well as improve blood sugar regulation and physical stress response. Some research shows this may improve conditions associated with inflammation like arthritis, asthma and multiple sclerosis.
Fact
A National health survey in England found in 2021 that 25% of adults are obese and a further 37% are overweight.
Getting Started:
First of all before you do anything I would always recommend you speak to your GP if you are unsure or have any medical conditions before deciding to try intermittent fasting. Once you are confident to go ahead and give it a shot the next step would be to choose what type of intermittent fasting to try. There are several methods of Intermittent fasting you could try. Here a the most popular ones:
16:8 method - A popular time window would be eating your normal daily calorie intake from 10am-6pm (8hrs) and then performing a fast from 6pm-10am the following morning (16hrs)
5:2 diet - Five days per week, you eat normally and don’t restrict calories. Then, on the other two days of the week, you reduce your calorie intake to one-quarter of your daily needs. For someone who regularly consumes 2,000 calories per day, this would mean reducing their calorie intake to just 500 calories per day, two days per week. Restricting yourself to just 500 calories per day isn’t easy, even if it’s only for two days per week. Plus, consuming too few calories may make you feel ill or faint.The 5:2 diet can be effective, but it’s not for everyone. Talk to your doctor to see if the 5:2 diet may be right for you.
Alternate-day fasting - Alternate-day fasting is an intermittent fasting plan with an easy-to-remember structure. On this diet, you fast every other day but can eat whatever you want on the non-fasting days. Some versions of this diet embrace a “modified” fasting strategy that involves eating around 500 calories on fasting days.
Now that you have decided what type of fast suits you best you can get started. I would initially recommend starting off smaller with any fast i.e start off trying it once or twice a week and building it up if you are feeling good. If you aren’t feeling great or you don’t notice any benefit then maybe it isn’t for you, that's ok, everyone responds differently to different dietary changes. At this point you could try a different type of intermittent fasting or a less aggressive approach.
What to eat when intermittent fasting?
During the times when you’re not eating, water and zero-calorie beverages such as black coffee and tea are permitted. During your eating periods, “eating normally” does not mean going crazy. Research shows that you’re not likely to lose weight or get healthier if you pack your feeding times with high-calorie junk food, super-sized fried items and treats. But what some experts like about intermittent fasting is that it allows for a range of different foods to be eaten — and enjoyed. Sharing good, nutritious food with others and savouring the mealtime experience adds satisfaction and supports good health. Most nutrition experts regard the Mediterranean diet as a good blueprint of what to eat, whether you’re trying intermittent fasting or not. You can hardly go wrong when you pick leafy greens, healthy fats, lean protein and complex, unrefined carbohydrates such as whole grains.
Some extra tips
Start slow - Don’t start off too aggressively with it, ease into it by just trying it once or twice a week initially to see how your body copes.
Define a reason for doing it - Why are you doing this in the first place? What is your goal? If you can clearly identify this reason then when it gets tough you will have a strong motivation to keep going.
Drink plenty of water - this will help not only boost metabolism but keep you feeling fuller during fasting periods.
Find a type of intermittent fasting that suits your schedule - Find an eating window that works best for you around your own busy day.
Focus on your own results, not others - it can be easy to lose focus of your own progress and goals when we see others progressing quicker. Forget about them and focus on your own progress.
コメント