Your diet for a given period or what you eat every day has a significant effect on your weight and overall health. This is why diet plans or food programs have become ever so popular recently. Intermittent fasting is arguably the most popular diet program in the market today, and for a good reason.
If done right, fasting intermittently can provide exceptional health benefits, which include weight loss, regulation of blood sugar levels, and improvement of overall well-being.
If you happen to be searching for a diet program for quite some time now, below are essential things you need to know about intermittent fasting.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent Fasting or (IF) is a diet program wherein you will have periods of eating regularly and periods of fasting, according to an article. During periods of fasting, a person either eats little food or no food at all. Intermittent fasting provides you with an eating pattern that will help you achieve your health goals.
What are the different Intermittent Fasting Methods?
There are numerous methods for intermittent fasting, which usually differ depending on the number of days and the time of fasting periods. The most popular methods include the following:
Lean Gains Method
Lean gains method, which is also known as the “16/8” method, involves a restriction of daily eating to a period of 8 hours only. The typical schedule for the eating period is between 1-9 p.m. The eating period is then followed by a fasting period of 16 hours. Breakfast is usually skipped, and lunch or dinner will be the source of calories.
Eat-Stop-Eat Diet
According to an article by Women’s Health Magazine, the “Eat-Stop-Eat Diet” involves eating nothing for 24 hours, two times a week. The remaining five days a week is a period of regular and responsible eating of the usual meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The 5:2 Method
In a nutshell, the 5:2 method involves eating responsibly for five days a week and then fasting for two days. The significant difference between the 5:2 plan and eat-stop-eat diet is that you are allowed to eat a little bit of food for the former.
The 5:2 method is one of the most effective diets because it will help you to lose weight. Several studies have been published wherein individuals that tried the 5:2 diet experienced weight loss and lost more fat, compared to those who didn’t.
Why Does Intermittent Fasting Work?
According to an article by Science Direct, glucose and glycogen are sources of energy for the body, which are used when you have periods of fasting. When glucose and glycogen are all used up, the body then burns fat for energy; resulting in weight loss.
Things to Consider When Doing Intermittent Fasting
Sticking to an intermittent fasting method will not guarantee that you will have weight loss if you don’t consider your calorie intake. Periods of fasting will all come to waste if you still eat a lot of food during regular eating periods. Subscribing for a meal delivery service can make your diet even more useful because you are only given healthy foods with the appropriate calorie count. You will save up more time in the process as well because you no longer have to cook your food.
Intermittent fasting is one of the most effective diet programs that you can use to regulate your cravings and food hunger. It can help increase your metabolism and make you lose weight faster, improving your overall health in the process.
Author Bio:
Mark is a passionate; creative as well as technical writer experienced in writing on various niches including technology, business, lifestyle, entertainment, health and finance. Apart from writing he’s a great fan of Leonel Messi and Soccer is his hobby.
