You may have heard of intermittent fasting and wanted to try it but couldn’t due to lack of information. This weight loss method is on the rise today, with actresses like Jenifer Aniston, models like Gisele Bundchen and even Kourtney Kardashian swearing by it. 

The best part about intermittent fasting is that anyone can do it, even you! 

• Intermittent fasting can enhance brain function by increasing the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
• Fasting may improve your body’s response to insulin, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Studies indicate that intermittent fasting can lead to a significant reduction in inflammation markers.
• The process of autophagy, triggered by fasting, helps in cellular repair and regeneration.
• Some research suggests that intermittent fasting may promote longevity and extend lifespan.
• Intermittent fasting can simplify meal planning, reducing time spent on grocery shopping and cooking

Before you hop on the bandwagon, you must know what it is. Intermittent fasting is a diet regimen that includes brief phases of fasting. Most people don’t know that fasting differs greatly from starvation. Starvation is the absence of food for long periods and can lead to death. 

In contrast, fasting is voluntarily avoiding food for health or spiritual reasons. 

Most diet plans are about what to eat, but this popular plan is about when to eat. Intermittent fasting switches between eating and fasting at regular intervals. 

Our bodies burn fat by fasting for several hours of fasting on alternate days. In the prehistoric period, hunters used to hunt for animals and fruits. It took time and energy to do so. 

So they would fast when they were not hunting. Our bodies are hard-wired to survive without eating for hours. 

When you eat, your body uses the energy from ingested food immediately. It carries out the normal functions but also stores some energy for later use, especially if you eat too much. Insulin converts food into energy packets and stores it as fat. 

This fat is mainly stored in your liver, but there is limited storage space. If that space is filled, the fat packets are deposited in other body parts. Even though this may seem like a complicated process, there is no limit on how much fat can be created and stored. 

But the question remains, how does intermittent fasting work? 

When you fast, your insulin hormone level falls because no food needs to be converted to fat. This signals to the brain and makes your body burn down the stored fat energy to ensure that your normal functions are not disturbed.

While doing this, you lose weight and get in shape over time. Now there is a balance between fasting and eating, which must be maintained during intermittent fasting; for this reason, you must know the different types of intermittent fasting. 

To start your fasting regimen, you must know about the different kinds of intermittent fasting and choose as per your ease. 

This diet plan offers flexibility, and you can choose the plan most ideal for your needs and enjoy fasting today. 

Most people prefer shorter fasts since they are easier to handle. There are two short fasting timeframes; 20:4 and 16:8. In 20:4, you only have a 4-hour eating window and fast for 20 hours straight. 

This means you can eat between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm and fast for the rest of the day. You can eat one large meal or two small meals, whatever you like. 

16:8 fasting time frame is another way of intermittent fasting. You can have an 8-hour eating window and fast for the rest of the 16 hours. 

This means you can eat freely and fast from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm for the rest of the time. In this method, you will end up either skipping breakfast or dinner, but you can squeeze in three meals if you like. 

Another way of intermittent fasting is by opting for longer fasting time frames. This means that you fast for either 24 hours or a 5:2 timeframe. In a 24-hour fast, you avoid eating lunch and then do not eat anything the entire day; you only get to eat lunch the next day. 

This fast is called “one meal a day” and can be done a week thrice.  

In the 5:2 fasting time frame, you have five eating days and two fasting days. However, this does not mean you stay hungry the entire two days; you can eat a maximum of 500 calories on the two days and not more than that. 

You can either consume these calories anytime you want, consume them as a single meal, or spread them throughout the day. 5:2 fast is an effective fasting method for weight loss.

Alternate fasting is an approach related to 5:2, but it allows you to fast while consuming 500 calories every other day. 

So instead of fasting for two days only, you eat properly one day and then fast the next while consuming only 500 calories. 

Extended fasts include two types, 36-hour fasts and even fasts greater than 48 hours. In 36 hours fasts, you eat dinner one day, then fast for two days straight, and eat breakfast on day 3. It provides substantial weight loss benefits and even helps control overeating. 

There are 48-hour fasts, and even though it is also effective, there are risks associated with extended fasting methods.

 If you want to hop on this method, check with your doctor if this is ideal for you. Try to take a multivitamin, so there are no nutritional deficiencies.

Even though fasting has many benefits and may seem like an ideal way to lose weight, this method is not great for everyone. Some people must not use this method, and some need medical supervision if they are carrying it out. 

This is because intermittent fasting has some side effects, such as hunger, constipation, nutritional deficiency, muscle cramps, dizziness, and even heartburn. Due to this reason, kids, pregnant women, and people with health issues are advised to consult their dietitians. 

Read below to learn more about who can fast and who needs supervision while fasting. 

Intermittent fasting is a great way to lose weight since it doesn’t require you to limit what you eat or starve. This diet plan allows you to eat whatever you want and still lose weight. Try this method today and switch to a healthier lifestyle.