What is Intermittent Fasting | Benefits of Intermittent Fasting | How To Start Intermittent Fasting | Intermittent Fasting Tips
Here is your 2023 Guide to intermittent fasting! We are here to help you start your journey to a healthier life!
Are you feeling sluggish and weighed down by constant snacking and meal times? Do you want to improve your physical and mental performance? If yes, then intermittent fasting is something you need to practice. It is a simple and effective way to improve your overall health and well-being.
Intermittent fasting is a popular eating pattern that involves cycling between eating and fasting. It increases your body’s natural fat-burning abilities and improves mental clarity. With intermittent fasting, your body taps into the stored energy and promotes various health benefits.
This article gives you all you need to know about this hot, new dieting plan and helps you understand the benefits of intermittent fasting from a layman’s perspective. So, even if you are new to fasting, you’ll find a lot of interesting information here, along with tips and tricks to get the best out of intermittent fasting. Let’s get started!
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting (IF) is a diet program that involves alternate periods of eating and fasting. There are many types of intermittent fasting, and each requires fasting and eating windows that vary according to your plan. Make no mistake about it: intermittent fasting is a trend that has become extremely popular lately because of the host of health benefits attached to it.
What are the Benefits of Intermittent Fasting?
There have been many studies on intermittent fasting, and the results are awe-inspiring. Here are the benefits you can accrue from following intermittent fasting:
1. Weight Loss
Intermittent fasting is directly associated with weight loss and helps burn belly fat remarkably. You can achieve this without restricting your calorie intake. However, one should always try to eat healthy and nutritious foods for longer-term health goals.
2. Insulin Resistance
Intermittent fasting can help you to reduce resistance to insulin. It can lower blood sugar by as much as 3–6% and reduce fasting insulin levels by 20—31%. This safeguards you from developing Type 2 Diabetes. People with pre-existing diabetes should not practice IF without the supervision of a medical practitioner.
3. Reduces Inflammation
Studies done on intermittent fasting have shown a reduction in inflammation. Inflammation is one of the critical markers for many diseases of a chronic nature. This, in turn, leads to better management of many chronic diseases such as high BP, blood sugar, etc.
4. Improves Heart Health
The heart disease risk factors are LDL cholesterol, inflammation, blood triglycerides, insulin resistance, and blood sugar. Intermittent fasting helps reduce these factors significantly, as found through studies.
5. May Prevent Cancer
Studies done on animals have shown that intermittent fasting may help to prevent cancer. Studies have not been conducted on humans yet, but there is reason to be hopeful.
6. Improves Brain Health
With intermittent fasting, there is an increase in the hormone BDNF in the brain. This induces the growth and formation of new brain/nerve cells. Intermittent fasting can also help to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
7. Anti-aging Properties
Studies have shown that intermittent fasting increases the lifespan of rats by as much as 36–83%. It is not illogical to expect this in humans as well. Intermittent fasting promotes autophagy (a process where your body is repaired at the cellular level).
You should remember that research on the benefits of intermittent fasting is still in its early stages. However, we can be optimistic about it.
How To Start Intermittent Fasting?
While intermittent fasting is considered a safe practice, some sections of the population should not practice this diet plan. Do not do intermittent fasting if you are:
- A child or an adolescent
- If you are pregnant or breastfeeding an infant
- If you have diabetes
- If you take certain medications that do not agree with fasting
- If you have an eating disorder
It would be best if you consult a healthcare professional or a dietitian before embarking on intermittent fasting. That being said, here is how to start the fasting diet when you are a newbie to intermittent fasting:
There are several ways in which you, as a beginner, can start with intermittent fasting. Here are some common ways how to start a fasting diet.
- The 16/8 method: This involves fasting for 16 hours and eating during an 8-hour window. For example, you can eat from noon to 8 PM and then fast from 8 PM to noon the next day.
- The 5:2 diet: With this method, you eat normally for five days and then restrict your calories to 500–600 for the other two days of the week. See RESULTS of 5:2 Intermittent Fasting.
- The Eat-Stop-Eat plan: This involves fasting for 24 hours once or twice a week; for example, not eating dinner one day and dinner the next day.
When starting a weight loss fast, listening to your body and adjusting the fasting schedule to what suits you best are essential. As a beginner, you can start with something simple like the 16/8 method, fasting for 12 hours and gradually increasing by 30 minutes to an hour each week until you reach 16 hours. Or, you could start with the 5:2 diet, picking two non-consecutive days to fast and gradually increasing the fast time each week.
It is important to note that you should never feel deprived or starving, and it’s equally important to eat nutritious food to replenish your body during the feeding windows of your fast.
Tips to Make Intermittent Fasting Successful
Here are some tried and tested tips to ensure you get the maximum benefits from intermittent fasting. These tips will enable you to ace intermittent fasting like a true pro.
Always Start Slow
Do not get overexcited with IF. Always remember that in the beginning, you must start small and slowly. Go for a fasting method suited to your bodily needs and gradually work up to increased fast times. For example, you can begin with a 12-hour fast and then increase the fasting time to 16 hours slowly and methodically. There is no rush; it is not a race.
Know Why You Are Fasting
You should have a concrete reason for fasting. It could be to lose weight. Or you may want to do IF for the other benefits listed above. Know that intermittent fasting will be challenging to follow through on if you do not have a well-defined reason for doing it.
Have a Late Breakfast
You will find it easier to fast overnight and then have a delayed breakfast. This means you do not have to feel hungry throughout the day and can utilize your sleep time for the fast. Besides, it is healthy if you sleep on an empty stomach. A late breakfast fuels you for the day and keeps you satiated for longer.
Drink lots of Water
We cannot stress this point enough. It is imperative to keep yourself hydrated throughout your fast. If you consume sparkling water, unsweetened tea, or coffee, you will not be adding to the calorie count but also feel less hungry. A reachable goal is consuming a gallon of water each day.
Adjust IF With Your Schedule
It will benefit you if you choose a fasting program that is conducive to your busy schedule. Choosing the daytime for eating may interfere with your other tasks and make you less productive. That is why you should find something that works with your schedule. Fasting through the day and eating a full dinner at night will be okay for most working folks.
Don’t Compare With Others
You are not fasting intermittently to compete with others. Your body is unique and will respond to IF in its own way. Keep up the practice of intermittent fasting zealously, and only compare yourself with yourself. If you’re feeling better compared to the last day, that is a win-win situation for you, no matter what other fasters are achieving.
Have Ginger Tea
This is a neat trick. If you are hungry during fasting, make it a point to have ginger tea. It will help subdue feelings of craving for food and sustain you through your fast without adding calories to your body. You can also consume ginger tea at night and in the morning for satiety.
Conclusion
I hope Your 2023 Guide To Intermittent Fasting has helped, and can get your year kickstarted! If practiced correctly, IF can bestow various health benefits, including weight loss and a lot more. Find an intermittent fasting program suitable for you among the different methods out there and stick to it for health gains.
As time passes and you get into the groove of intermittent fasting, you will find this natural state where you can function at your best without feeling ravenous. Keep practicing this excellent fasting method to reap its maximum long-term benefits.
I recommend starting here to learn more about these types of fasting which are the MOST popular, starting with 16/8 Fasting, click on these guides below to learn more:
16/8 Fasting Guide, 14/10 Fasting Guide, 18/6 Fasting Guide, One Meal a Day Guide.
Also need help fasting? Check out these Top 6 Fasting Mobile Apps we recommend to help you on your journey. Happy Fasting!
