Intermittent fasting has been used by generations of people throughout history. Fasting is present in most religions as the time of cleaning one’s body and mind. However, with the plethora of diets and lifestyles people created to lose weight and improve their health, many have forgotten this basic and useful technique.
Intermittent fasting can help you shed excess weight, get rid of type 2 diabetes, save a lot of finances and time.
What Intermittent Fasting Is
Many people falsely believe that IF is starvation, but in fact it’s controllable fasting within a certain period of time. There are many different ways to implement this technique, some fast for a week, some for a month. However, general IF nowadays mean creating an, say, eight-hour window during which you can consume food, and voluntarily avoiding it during the rest of the time.
This helps you restrict the amount of calories you consume, helping you lose weight by being in the calorie deficit. It also gives your body time to have a rest and boost other processes.
Almost all people fast every day, we just don’t notice it, because we sleep or work during that time. Have you ever thought of the word “breakfast”? “Break fast” – you’re breaking your 12-14-hour fast during which you prepared for sleep, slept, woke up, etc. IF allows your body to use stored energy to support itself, and if done correctly, it will improve your appearance and health.
How Intermittent Fasting Works
Many of the people who take on a challenge towards healthier life choose IF as a way to discipline themselves and get into their calorie deficit. The latter is the essence of weight loss, because if you eat less than your body burns, it will use its own storages that are created when you’re eating more.
Insulin is to blame for creating energy storages, as when we eat, the level of the hormone increases, which leads to storing the excess food energy in two ways. One of them is breaking down carbohydrates to create glycogen chains that go to our muscle tissue and liver. Once the glycogen limit is reached, the excess calories start forming fat cells and storing them in the liver, being transported all around the body afterwards.
So, intermittent fasting helps by giving the body an impulse to burn the stored fat. There are a lot more details to our bodies’ response, but this is the basics. The most important thing is to fast and eat in moderation. However, if you plan to fast for several days or more, you can also do it, but only under medical supervision.
Who Shouldn’t Try Intermittent Fasting
If you have any medical conditions that require eating before or after taking medication, you shouldn’t try this method or adapt the fasting time. Also, if you are underweight or suffer from an eating disorder, don’t reduce the amount of calories you consume. Besides, if you are used to eating a little bit many times in a day and it works well for you, don’t break the habit for there’s no need. There are some more cases in which IF isn’t your thing, so make sure you know about them before diving into it.
