Intermittent fasting is very different from any other diet because instead of restricting what you can eat, it restricts when you can eat it.
I am a big believer in consistently having healthy habits for long term results and I have never believed in fad diets but intermittent fasting is something that caught my attention.
What Is Intermittent Fasting?
It involves cycling between periods of fasting and when you can eat without restricting what you can eat. That being said you can not binge out on a large pizza and fries and expect to loose weight but it doesn’t restrict you to certain food groups or force you to make drastic changes to your usual calorie intake.
Body fat is nothing more than food energy that has been stored away. If you don’t eat, your body will simply “eat” its own fat for energy. Intermittent fasting allows you to do this in a way that promotes the fat burning process.
How Does It Work?
Insulin rises when we eat, this helps to store the excess energy in two separate ways. Carbohydrates are broken down into smaller glucose units, this is then stored in the liver or muscles.
Once the liver cannot store any more carbohydrates it starts the process of turning the glucose in to new fat. Some of this new fat is then deposited around the body.
The process goes in reverse when we do not eat (intermittent fasting). Insulin levels drop and the body begins to burn fat for fuel. Blood glucose also drops so the body uses stored supplies for energy.
Why It Causes Weight Loss
- Fasting boosts levels of Human Growth Human, this helps to build muscle mass, boosts metabolism and burns fat
- Increases Insulin Sensitivity, which helps to reduce fat storage.
- Boosts Muscle Mass, this is turn helps to boost metabolism.
- Restricts your eating window to 6-8 hours so you will naturally consume less calories
- Boosts a process known as autophagy which is the bodies mechanism clearing out proteins and cells that no longer needed. It’s like your Body’s way to detox itself.
Other Benefits
- Boosts Energy
- Increases Concentration
- Longevity
- Reduces Blood cholesterol levels
How To Do It Correctly
- Choose a 6-8 hours window in which you will be consuming calories, this could be from 12pm-8pm or 9am-5pm, this really depends on your daily routine.
- Outside of these hours you cannot consume calories, this means stick to water, tea (without sugar or milk) and some coffees.
- During the eating hours eat foods that are nutrient dense and that will keep you filled up, I usually go for high protein foods as these keep you fuller for longer.
- Don’t over indulge in your eating hours with the mentality that you have been deprived during the fasting hours.
- When hunger strikes drink water, often our bodies confuse dehydration for hunger and drinking enough can keep feelings of hunger at bay.
