With so many ways of losing weight, you may find it challenging to choose the right method. Intermittent fasting is one method that has become quite popular in the recent past. This method of losing weight includes several short-term fasts. The latest research shows that fasting or dieting for short periods helps an individual to eat fewer calories and optimize essential hormones for weight loss. As long as an individual doesn't compensate by eating way too much during the non-fasting periods, this method is found to lose weight effectively. This article highlights the benefits of intermittent fasting for weight loss.
Methods Of Intermittent Fasting
Although there are several methods of intermittent fasting diet, the following techniques are considered three of the most effective.
- The 16/8 Method Of Fasting - In this method, one should skip his or her breakfast and eat only during the eight-hour feeding window starting from 12.00PM to 8.00PM.
- The 5:2 Diet - Consume only 500 calories on two days of the week and eat normally for the remaining 5 days.
- The Eat-Stop-Eat Method - Perform two 24-hour fasts every week and eat normally for the rest of the week. For example, you can skip dinner one day until dinner time the next day.
The Importance Of Intermittent Fasting To Optimize Weight Loss Hormones
Your body stores energy or calories by way of body fat. When a person doesn't consume food, the body will change several processes to access the energy stored in fat cells. Changes in nervous activity and metabolic hormones are some of the changes your body makes under such circumstances. When a person fasts, the insulin levels in his or her body will decrease drastically. Lower insulin levels are essential for the fat burning process. When you starve, the nervous system will send norepinephrine to the fat cells. This hormone will break down body fats into free fatty acids - which can be quickly burned for energy.
On the other hand, HGH or human growth hormone levels will skyrocket when you fast. HGH is critical to aid in fat loss and muscle growth. Fasting can increase HGH levels by at least 5 to 6 fold. That's why short-term fasting can help with effective weight loss more than any other method.
Reduce Calories And Lose Weight With Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting helps a person to consume fewer calories. Unless you eat way too much during the non-fasting periods, you will eat only a few calories when you practice intermittent fasting. A recent study showed this method could lead to significant weight loss - it reduced 3-8% body fat of people who participated in the study over a period of 3 to 24 weeks. These people lost 4-7% of belly fat during this study. The results are quite impressive compared to most of the other weight loss methods. An overall reduction in calorie intake achieves weight loss from intermittent fasting.
Intermittent Fasting Helps With Muscle Growth While Dieting
A negative effect of dieting is the loss of muscle mass. Your body tends to burn muscle with fat when you start to diet. However, intermittent fasting is found to hold on to your muscles while the body burns fat. Under normal dieting conditions, more than 25% of the weight loss is muscle mass. This is reduced to 10% during intermittent fasting sessions. The latest studies show that people lost body fat and increased muscle mass during intermittent fasting sessions. That's why you need to consider intermittent fasting to lose weight fast and effectively.
Healthy Eating With Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is quite simple compared to most of the other weight loss or dieting methods out there. You can start the process by eating 2 meals a day instead of the traditional 3 large meals a day routine. This makes it a lot simpler to maintain a healthy lifestyle in the long run. You don't have to forgo your favorite foods with this method. However, you should reduce processed foods as much as possible for the method to work best. The best diet for you is one that you can stick to in the long run. This method makes it simpler for you to stick with a healthy diet over the rest of your lifetime. That's why you need to choose intermittent fasting to lose weight fast and effectively.
If you are a healthy and well-nourished individual, intermittent fasting will offer a very few side effects. However, women who are breastfeeding, pregnant, and on medications shouldn't fast without consulting a qualified medical practitioner. The method doesn't affect the way you exercise unless during the period when the body is adjusting to the diet technique. These are the essential things you need to consider when choosing intermittent fasting to lose weight fast.
