Guide to intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is a skyrocket popular way of eating nowadays. Fasting includes periods of week or day in which you don't consume food.
It is believed that fasting has a positive impact on weight loss and overall health, but before you decide to try this, you should know the basics.
History
Fasting is not a new thing, fasting is actually rooted in human history. As humans were hunters and food collectors in early history, it was somewhat logical that there were times they simply didn't have what to eat. The hunter couldn't go to the market when he wanted to eat, so if he didn't manage to catch something, or collect some fruits, roots, or berries, he would skip eating, sometimes even for days. It is believed that it was nature's way to make us stronger and able to go without food for some time. Fasting is also a part of the practice of various religions such as Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam.
This modern type of fasting is not exactly considered a diet because there are not 'forbidden' foods and measuring portions. It is not so much about what you eat, but about when you eat.
Types of intermittent fasting
1) 16/8 model
The first and the most popular is the so-called 16/8 model. What does that mean to you? The instructions are simple - you skip breakfast and eat in the closed period of 8 hours of the day, the rest 16 are breaks from food. According to advocates of this way of eating, this is the most popular variant, because it is easy for planning and executing.
2) Eat-stop-eat
This one is different, and it's based on 'total' fasting for one or two days a week. That means you don't eat anything for 24-48h a week. In the meantime, you regularly eat how many meals you usually do in a day.
3) The 5:2 diet
The rules for this type of fasting include calorie deficient eating for 2 days of the week, and eating normally for the rest 5. It is your choice on which days you will have the restriction. What's important is that they are not consecutive, so there's a day in between. The calorie intake for one day of fasting is 500 cal for women and 600 for men.
You are allowed to drink water, unsweetened tea and/or coffee, and other zero-calorie drinks, which will help you with your hunger. Have in mind that eating healthy during a non-fasting period is essential!
Weight loss and metabolism boost are mostly proven to be the results of intermittent fasting, but there are a lot of grey areas still unclear.
What you need to know
Intermittent fasting is not for everyone. If you have a history of eating disorders or you are underweight, you should probably skip this. There are certain categories of people who shouldn't try fasting without consultation with a health provider. This includes people who have diabetes, low blood pressure, take medication, are trying to conceive, are pregnant, or currently breastfeeding. It is very important to consult your doctor before trying this method even if you feel healthy! Fasting is proven to be safe for healthy and well-nourished people, but you can never be too careful.
If your doc says you are ready for this, here are some bonus tips for you:
Feeling hungry will be common and it's quite normal given the fact you won't be eating for hours or days. The key is to make your body burn calories from the 'storage' you've made for years - stored fats, and that's what makes fasting great for weight loss.
You can also feel weak and deconcentrated, which will eventually stop when your body adapts to this new regime.
Fasting won't make sense if you munch on unhealthy foods in your eating time window. Make sure to have healthy, balanced meals when you do eat.
Listen to your body. If eating like this makes you miserable for too long, stop and find another alternative to be more healthy and lose weight.
*Content and products on Holistic Living are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
