What Is Intermittent Fasting ?

Intermittent Fasting is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating.

It doesn’t specify which foods you should eat but rather when you should eat them.

In this respect, it’s not a diet in the conventional sense but more accurately described as an eating pattern.

Common intermittent fasting methods involve daily 16-hour fasts or fasting for 24 hours, twice per week.

Fasting has been a practice throughout human evolution. Ancient hunter-gatherers didn’t have supermarkets, refrigerators or food available year-round. Sometimes they couldn’t find anything to eat.

As a result, humans evolved to be able to function without food for extended periods of time.

In fact, fasting from time to time is more natural than always eating 3–4 (or more) meals per day.

Fasting is also often done for religious or spiritual reasons, including in Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism.

Intermittent Fasting ​is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating

Intermittent Fasting Methods

There are several different ways of doing intermittent fasting — all of which involve splitting the day or week into eating and fasting periods.

During the fasting periods, you eat either very little or nothing at all.

These are the most popular methods:

• The 16/8 method: Also called the Leangains protocol, it involves skipping breakfast and restricting your daily eating period to 8 hours, such as 1–9 p.m. Then you fast for 16 hours in between.
• Eat-Stop-Eat: This involves fasting for 24 hours, once or twice a week, for example by not eating from dinner one day until dinner the next day.
• The 5:2 diet: With this methods, you consume only 500–600 calories on two non-consecutive days of the week, but eat normally the other 5 days.

By reducing your calorie intake, all of these methods should cause weight loss as long as you don’t compensate by eating much more during the eating periods.

Many people find the 16/8 method to be the simplest, most sustainable and easiest to stick to. It’s also the most popular.​

How It Affects Your Cells and Hormones

When you fast, several things happen in your body on the cellular and molecular level.

For example, your body adjusts hormone levels to make stored body fat more accessible.

Your cells also initiate important repair processes and change the expression of genes.

Here are some changes that occur in your body when you fast:

• Human Growth Hormone (HGH): The levels of growth hormone skyrocket, increasing as much as 5-fold. This has benefits for fat loss and muscle gain, to name a few.
• Insulin: Insulin sensitivity improves and levels of insulin drop dramatically. Lower insulin levels make stored body fat more accessible.
• Cellular repair: When fasted, your cells initiate cellular repair processes. This includes autophagy, where cells digest and remove old and dysfunctional proteins that build up inside cells.
• Gene expression: There are changes in the function of genes related to longevity and protection against disease.

These changes in hormone levels, cell function and gene expression are responsible for the health benefits of intermittent fasting.

​​Intermittent Fasting: Many people find the 16/8 method to be the simplest, most sustainable and easiest to stick to​

A Very Powerful Weight Loss Tool

Weight loss is the most common reason for people to try intermittent fasting.

By making you eat fewer meals, intermittent fasting can lead to an automatic reduction in calorie intake.

Additionally, intermittent fasting changes hormone levels to facilitate weight loss.

In addition to lowering insulin and increasing growth hormone levels, it increases the release of the fat burning hormone norepinephrine (noradrenaline).

Because of these changes in hormones, short-term fasting may increase your metabolic rate by 3.6–14%.

By helping you eat fewer and burn more calories, intermittent fasting causes weight loss by changing both sides of the calorie equation.

Studies show that intermittent fasting can be a very powerful weight loss tool.

A 2014 review study found that this eating pattern can cause 3–8% weight loss over 3–24 weeks, which is a significant amount, compared to most weight loss studies.

According to the same study, people also lost 4–7% of their waist circumference, indicating a significant loss of harmful belly fat that builds up around your organs and causes disease.

Another study showed that intermittent fasting causes less muscle loss than the more standard method of continuous calorie restriction.

However, keep in mind that the main reason for its success is that intermittent fasting helps you eat fewer calories overall. If you binge and eat massive amounts during your eating periods, you may not lose any weight at all.​

​Health Benefits

Many studies have been done on intermittent fasting, in both animals and humans.

These studies have shown that it can have powerful benefits for weight control and the health of your body and brain. It may even help you live longer.

Here are the main health benefits of intermittent fasting:

• Weight loss: As mentioned above, intermittent fasting can help you lose weight and belly fat, without having to consciously restrict calories.
• Insulin resistance: Intermittent fasting can reduce insulin resistance, lowering blood sugar by 3–6% and fasting insulin levels by 20–31%, which should protect against type 2 diabetes.
• Inflammation: Some studies show reductions in markers of inflammation, a key driver of many chronic diseases.
• Heart health: Intermittent fasting may reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol, blood triglycerides, inflammatory markers, blood sugar and insulin resistance — all risk factors for heart disease.
• Cancer: Animal studies suggest that intermittent fasting may prevent cancer.
• Brain health: Intermittent fasting increases the brain hormone BDNF and may aid the growth of new nerve cells. It may also protect against Alzheimer’s disease.
• Anti-aging: Intermittent fasting can extend lifespan in rats. Studies showed that fasted rats lived 36–83% longer.

Keep in mind that research is still in its early stages. Many of the studies were small, short-term or conducted in animals. Many questions have yet to be answered in higher quality human studies.

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​​Weight loss is the most common reason for people to try intermittent fasting

​​Intermittent fasting is one of the most popular and effective weight loss strategies, but your success is dependent on your commitment to following its strict guidelines. There are so many resources online, each one promising to help bring you closer to your weight loss goals. Truth be told, intermittent fasting is no easy feat because, generally, it means you can only eat something during your open window. But, once you understand what you cannot and can do while at it, the experience becomes easier to manage.

Regardless of the type of IF plan you are adopting, the rules are the same. Here are intermittent fasting guidelines that you should never forget when on this type of weight loss diet.

1. Choose an open window that best works with your lifestyle.

Don’t just randomly choose a 20:4 IF diet if you know you can’t cope. To be safe (and if it’s your first time), start with the 16:8 plan, which means fasting for 16 hours and giving yourself 8 hours to eat. If you work during the day, the best time to schedule your 8-hour window is 12 noon to 8 p.m., so that you are asleep and unaffected for most of the hours during the fast. You can definitely adjust the start times to match your usual schedule.

2. Load up on fluids during your fasting times.

The best drinks to consume during fasting hours is water, black coffee and unsweetened tea. You can have as much as you want of these without breaking your IF diet. Hold off on milk and other types of sweeteners.

3. Feasting on your open window means eating healthy.

Just because you’re given a window to eat, that doesn’t mean that it’s time to feast and binge on anything. The point of the window is to load up on essential nutrients to help keep you going for the rest of the day. While you shouldn’t be depriving yourself of good food, be sure that it has less refined carbs and sugars and more of the complex types of carbs and protein. You can definitely consume as much fruits and veggies as you want.

4. You don’t have to work out if you do not have the energy, but you will have to squeeze some moves in from time to time.

Fasted workouts are a recipe for disaster—and it’s also not a good feeling. Weight loss is largely a factor of what you eat, so exercise and getting your heart rate up is a means of support. Work out when your body has grown accustomed to the IF life and don’t push it until you are truly ready.

5. The key is to stay consistent.

IF is a serious commitment and will deliver amazing results if you really stick to the program. It’s not a miracle weight loss method, though you will see that the pounds will drop faster than the other types of diet plans. Intermittent fasting will succeed if the rules are followed and you continue to take care of your body (and your sanity) while at it.

6. Keep yourself busy and distracted.

When you are preoccupied about other things, the less likely you are to think about food—so the temptation to munch on something will be smaller. Often, the snacking habit is just that—a habit— and is not related to hunger. Stay focused and amply distracted during your fasting period so you don’t find yourself reaching out for a brownie.

​Truth be told, intermittent fasting is no easy feat because, generally, it means you can only eat something during your open window

The 16/8 Method involves fasting every day for 14-16 hours, and restricting your daily "eating window" to 8-10 hours.

Within the eating window, you can fit in 2, 3 or more meals.This method is also known as the Leangains protocol, and was popularized by fitness expert Martin Berkhan.

Doing this method of fasting can actually be as simple as not eating anything after dinner, and skipping breakfast.

For example, if you finish your last meal at 8 pm and then don't eat until 12 noon the next day, then you are technically fasting for 16 hours between meals.

It is generally recommended that women only fast 14-15 hours, because they seem to do better with slightly shorter fasts.

For people who get hungry in the morning and like to eat breakfast, then this can be hard to get used to at first.

However, many breakfast skippers actually instinctively eat this way.

You can drink water, coffee and other non-caloric beverages during the fast, and this can help reduce hunger levels.

It is very important to eat mostly healthy foods during your eating window. This won't work if you eat lots of junk food or excessive amounts of calories.

I personally find this to be the most "natural" way to do intermittent fasting. I eat this way myself and find it to be 100% effortless.

I eat a low-carb diet, so my appetite is blunted somewhat. I simply do not feel hungry until around 1 pm in the afternoon. Then I eat my last meal around 6-9 pm, so I end up fasting for 16-19 hours.

Planning for intermittent fasting

​​If you are a beginner who is getting started with intermittent fasting, you can follow the following steps as you get started.

• Begin by fasting for about 12 hours per day depending on the method you have chosen for fasting. You can begin by skipping breakfast then work your way up to about 14 – 20 hours as you get to adapt to the process of fasting. You can increase that by adding at least 15 to 30 minutes in your daily fasting time.
• Once you are able to fast for about16 – 20 hours then you will be in that nice range where you can burn fat much faster.
• To schedule your daily fast in a better way, you can plan at least 14 – 20 hours for fasting and 4 -10 hours for eating. For best results ensure that you eat the last meal about 2 -3 hours early before going to bed as that will enable you to spend less hours awake as you continue with fasting.
• Here is an example where one fasts for 16 hours with an 8 hour window.
• Finish eating the last meal at 8pm on Sunday night.
• Go to bed by 11pm Sunday night which means you have fasted for 3 hours.
• When you wake up at 7am on Monday you shall have fasted for 11 hours.
• ​​From 7am to 12pm you shall have spent 5 hours fasting while awake.
• From 12pm to 8pm eat one or more meals during the period and ensure you restrict the required calorie intake.
• By Monday night 8pm you again begin your 16 hour fast.
• If you are focusing on weight loss then you should eat less than 1000 calories with 4 hour eating period.
• If you are on muscle gain then you may eat 1600 calories per day so you can have about 10 hour fasting period with more than two meals so that you can consume all the required carbs, protein and fats that you need to build the muscles.
• If you find yourself struggling with hunger and cravings then you can consider doing the following.
• You should be aware of the fact that it may take some time before the body gets used to the changes that come with intermittent fasting. That’s why it’s advisable that you begin by skipping only breakfast as you slowly adapt to the process. The feelings of hunger may last for about 2 – 7 days or even more.
• If in case the cravings and hunger become intense or if you experience headaches and dizziness then you can break your fast for some time and eat something. You don’t have to feel bad, instead just try to fast longer until you reach the set time of 16 hours.
• Remember to also take water in the process of fasting and zero calories coffee or herbal tea. It might help in doing away with the hunger and cravings as you continue with fasting.
• You can drink as much water as you want during the 16 hour fasting period it can also help in quenching the feelings of hunger. Intake of tea and coffee is allowed during the fasting period as long as it’s free of calories. Remember not to take any calorie during the 16 hour fasting period.
• The caffeine that’s found in coffee and green tea helps in increasing fat burning metabolism and also forces the body to burn more fat while also curbing appetite. It then helps in offsetting any more calories that you can derive from consuming coffee and tea.
• If in case you are working out during the fasting period then you should be aware of the fact that when the level of blood sugar, glycogen and the levels of insulin are lower as a result of fasting then you will naturally be burning more fat for energy. It therefore means that you will burn increased amount of fat when you are working out especially during the fasting period.
• If you are to be strong for the work out, you can take some low calorie coffee or tea 30 minutes earlier before you start off with the work outs so that you can gain some extra energy and some fat burning boost.
• If you find working out while fasting to be scary then you can schedule the work outs after taking your meals during the 4- 10 eating period.
  

What Is Intermittent Fasting ?

Intermittent Fasting ​is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating.

It doesn’t specify which foods you should eat but rather when you should eat them.

In this respect, it’s not a diet in the conventional sense but more accurately described as an eating pattern.

Common intermittent fasting methods involve daily 16-hour fasts or fasting for 24 hours, twice per week.

​Fasting has been a practice throughout human evolution. Ancient hunter-gatherers didn’t have supermarkets, refrigerators or food available year-round. Sometimes they couldn’t find anything to eat.

As a result, humans evolved to be able to function without food for extended periods of time.

In fact, fasting from time to time is more natural than always eating 3–4 (or more) meals per day.

Fasting is also often done for religious or spiritual reasons, including in Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism.

It is easy to implement, it is inexpensive and flexible​

​​Intermittent fasting can help ​to lose weight effectively. And can have profound impact on bio-physical profiles, but also improved self esteem and interpersonal relationships. 

It can level up your brain, including positively counteracting conditions like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and dementia.

As explained here in this TEDx talk by Mark Mattson, Professor at Johns Hopkins University and Chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging, fasting is grounded in serious research and more studies are coming out showing the benefits

​​Intermittent fasting can help ​to lose weight effectively. And can have profound impact on bio-physical profiles, but also improved self esteem and interpersonal relationships

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