The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Why Intermittent Fasting Is Right for You

With intermittent fasting gaining in popularity due to its ability to help people lose weight and inches without increasing their time exercising or having to diet, it seems like a perfect solution for those interested in getting healthier. Plus, its flexibility to fit into anyone’s lifestyle is an added bonus.  

Intermittent Fasting and the Benefits Associated with It

By now, you have probably heard enough about intermittent fasting from health professionals or people online to at least have an understanding of how it works. For instance, most people commit to fasting for anywhere from 12 to 16 hours followed by eight hours or so of being able to consume your normal foods and calories. Doesn’t sound so bad, does it?

You could start your fasting right after dinner at 7 pm and then sleep through a good portion of it. At 10 am, you could start eating again. This would give you 15 hours of fasting where your body would be using excess fat for energy. This would result in losing pounds and inches rather quickly. In addition, you would be consuming less calories than normal since you are limited to only eating certain hours of the day. This is a win-win across the board for weight loss. 

But the benefits just don’t end with losing pounds. As the body goes without food for a considerable amount of time, blood pressure and bad cholesterol generally lower. Insulin and sugars are essentially leveled out with fewer spikes and valleys. Also, cellular regeneration happens as the damaged cells are replaced with newer and healthier ones. This may lead to a decrease in many types of diseases some studies have found.

The Popular Types of Intermittent Fasting

There are a few common types of intermittent fasting that you should be aware of. Take a look at the list below to  determine which one of these will work best for your schedule.

• 5:2 Fasting: Think of it as a weekly schedule for intermittent fasting where you eat like normal for five days a week and mix in two days where you choose to fast and limit your calories. Whether you choose to fast for 12 hours or 20 hours is your choice.
• Time-Restricted: This seems like a pretty popular choice for many people. Essentially, you restrict yourself to eating only for a certain number of hours a day. As mentioned above, a common fasting schedule could be 7 pm to 10 am of fasting and then the rest of the day you can eat your normal meals. 
• Eat Stop Eat: This requires fasting for a complete 24 hours twice a week. The good news is that you can eat your normal meals the other five days during the week. Just be responsible.
• Alternate Day Fasting: Instead of sticking with an intermittent fasting schedule every single day, just alternate every other day. For those following difficult work schedules, this may be one to check out.

Find the Type that Gives You Results

It all comes down to results. If your goal is to lose weight, experiment with which fasting type produces the most healthy weight loss. However, be responsible and in the days and hours you can eat, stay with a healthy and nutritional diet. It will not do you any good to fast for 12 hours and then still cram in your 2,000 calories in the remaining parts of your day. After all, you are fasting, not binge eating.