One of the most popular health trends is intermittent fasting (IF), which involves alternating cycles of eating and fasting (starvation).
Some studies show intermittent fasting helps promote weight loss, protects against disease and can improve overall metabolic health.
Let’s further explore what this phenomenon involves.

What exactly is intermittent fasting?

An eating pattern that has alternative cycles of eating and fasting is what defines intermittent fasting. This type of “diet” doesn’t focus on what types of foods to eat and not eat, but rather about when to eat them.
There are many different types of fasting methods, which involve splitting the day into different periods for eating and a different one for fasting.
Our sleep cycle is one way our bodies naturally fast. Some intermittent fasting diets are as simple as just extending that cycle a little longer. This may be accomplished by skipping breakfast and only eating between noon and 8:00 PM every day.
When the body fasts for 16 hours and only eats during an eight-hour window, this is known as the 16/8 method.
While intermittent fasting may seem complicated, it is not, and is in fact rather easy to accomplish. Most people report that they feel better and have more energy during their fast, which is contrary to popular myths that surround fasting diets.
When people first begin fasting, they may report initially feeling hungry, but over time, the body adapts and gets used to not eating for extended periods.
While no food is allowed during fasts, there are no restrictions on non-caloric beverages, such as water, coffee and tea. In fact, some types of intermittent fasting allow small amounts of very low-calorie foods.Additionally, it is acceptable to take supplements during a fast as long as they do not contain any calories.

The Benefits of intermittent fasting

For nearly as long as humankind, humans have fasted. Sometimes this was a product of necessity because no food was available.
In other cases, it was done for religious reasons. Many religions, such as Christianity, Buddhism and Islam mandate forms of fasting.
In nature, both humans and animals naturally fast if they are sick.
Fasting is natural, as our bodies are designed to handle extended periods without eating.
When you fast, your body undergoes several different processes and changes, which involves a variety of factors, such as hormones and genes, which contribute to cellular repair processes.
While many people fast to lose weight and efficiently restrict their calories to force their bodies to burn more fat, others fast to reduce blood sugar and insulin levels. Additionally, fasting also increases the Human Growth Hormone (HGH). Other studies show that intermittent fasting may protect against different types of diseases, such as type II diabetes, heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, to name a few.

Types of intermittent fasting

There are three main types of intermittent fasting.

• The 16/8 Method – We briefly touched on this one. It involves fasting for 16 hours each day and only eating between noon and 8:00 PM. However, you can easily adjust this window to accommodate your life’s schedule better. Just make sure to fast for 16 hours straight.
• The 5:2 Diet – This involves eating normally every day, except for two days of each week restricting caloric intake to 500 to 600 calories.
• Eat-Stop-Eat – This fast requires once or twice a week not eating anything from dinner one day until dinner the following day, which is essentially a 24-hour fast.

How does intermittent fasting work?

Because the body operates differently when it’s in “feast” versus “famine” mode, fasting may be beneficial for weight loss.
After eating a meal, the body takes several hours to process the food, while burning what it just consumed. When you continually fuel your body, it burns that fuel instead of your fat fuel reserves. This is especially true if you consume considerable qualities of carbohydrates or sugars, as your body will naturally burn this as a source of energy over stored fat.
When your body is fasting, your body does not pull from its recent food reserves for energy, which means that it relies on your fat storage. It will then pull from this storage for energy to fuel your body.
The same is true when you workout while fasting. If the body doesn’t have a readily available supply of glucose and glycogen to pull from, it draws from the fat stored in your cells.
Because our bodies react to eating food by producing insulin, when your body isn’t always flooded with large amounts of this hormone, it’s more likely to consume it efficiently. The body is most sensitive to this hormone after fasting. By changing the amount of insulin production, you can theoretically improve your body’s sensitivity to insulin, which can help you lose weight and build more muscle.

Why explore intermittent fasting?

If you’re interested in exploring Intermittent fasting but aren’t sure if it’s right for you, consider these key points.

• Meet Your Goals –Not all calories are equal, and caloric restriction plays a significant role in losing weight. When people fast, it makes it easier for them to restrict their overall caloric intake over the course of a day or week.
• Simplify Your Day – Instead of preparing up to six small meals a day, by skipping one or two, people can save valuable time making fewer decisions, doing less shopping and eating out.
• Better Hormones – Intermittent fasting can help promote stronger insulin sensitivity while increasing the growth hormone, both of which are essential components for weight loss and muscle gain.
• Boost Your Brain – There are many Ted talks about how fasting can help counteract conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

As always, before embarking on a weight loss journey, it is best to first consult with a medical professional.