What Is Intermittent Fasting?

The intermittent fasting diet has become fashionable, as those who have followed it claim that it works to lose weight. And without stopping eating what we like! Talking about fasting does not mean not eating or starving. Rather, it is a different feeding protocol than what you have known before.

As we are sure that you have already heard about this ‘diet’, we want to tell you everything about it and how to put it into practice. In case you dare! You already know that exercise, although it is a good way to stay healthy, must be accompanied by a good diet. One without the other is not as effective. Well, let’s go to what interests us.

What is intermittent fasting?

Well, this ‘diet’ -to call it somehow- consists of fasting at intervals. That is, eat several hours a day and not do it during the rest. It has been presented as an effective way to lose weight, and also to have the necessary energy while maintaining the kilos, for athletes.

Actually, it cannot be said that it is a diet, since there are no prohibited foods, but rather a program of meals. There are several ways to do intermittent fasting:

8/16. This is the strongest but the one that most people follow because it is more effective, especially for weight loss. It’s about eating for eight hours, and resting for 16. Actually, although 16 hours seems like a lot, it all depends on the schedule you set. It includes the hours of sleep and some more. It is not so difficult! In this format, intervals of 10/14, or 12/12 can be created.

5:2. For the most daring, it is about reducing your calorie intake for 2 days a week (they do not have to be consecutive). Normally you have to go down to 500 or 600. The rest of the days you can eat whatever you want.

Eat, stop, and eat. This variant is all about eating whatever you want for 24 hours, and then nothing the next day. You must do it a couple of times a week for it to work. Of course, drinks are allowed, but only without calories or sugar.

Benefits of intermittent fasting

This way of eating changes the function of the body’s hormones so that it makes better use of our body’s fat stores. In fact, it even causes benefits such as:

• It improves insulin sensitivity, especially when we play sports. This point is really important for diabetics or people with a tendency to be overweight.

• Insulin resistance. This is also a strong point for weight loss, since it is believed that one of the reasons for being overweight is the ability of insulin to reduce blood sugar levels. This promotes fat storage.

•Growth hormone. It increases by synthesizing protein, so that it leaves fat as the main source of energy. In this way, we eliminate fat from our body and grow our muscle mass.

Therefore, intermittent fasting is a good way to be healthy, especially if we combine it with moderate exercise based on our needs.

Is it used to lose weight?

In intermittent fasting there is a drop in calorie intake, which means that yes, you lose weight. This, of course, as long as you do not compensate for the hours of ‘not fasting’ with junk food or food full of calories. Although you can eat anything in this way of eating, it is better to have healthy foods and without excess calories to achieve our goals.

It is also believed that fasting 16/8, along with strength training with weights, can eliminate a lot of fat from the body, increasing muscle mass and therefore losing weight.

Of course, we must bear in mind that it is not suitable for pregnant women, and that for people with diabetes it may not be as effective as we would like. Always, before starting any new type of diet, it is better to talk to a doctor or nutritionist to guide you. And remember: Your health should always come first!