Feeling stuck in your weight loss journey? Well, if you are always on a search for some good tips to lose weight, we bet you must have heard about intermittent fasting.
Intermittent fasting (IF) is clearly one of the most popular health and nourishment plans that can help you get the desired weight. In fact, multiple studies claim that IF can help people lose weight fast and promote good mental hygiene.
However, cracking intermittent fasting can often be challenging, especially if you don’t know where to start. So, if you are up for your next challenge on your weight loss journey, here are some 7 tips on cracking intermittent fasting and what exactly you need to keep in mind to achieve healthy and long-term weight loss.
The Hype On Intermittent Fasting (IF)
While many of you might know what it means, here’s a simple version. Intermittent fasting is a kind of eating pattern that defines periods of fasting and eating for you. So, while other diets like a Keto diet might tell you what to eat, an intermittent fasting plan will tell you when you should be eating.
Usually, the fasting vs eating window of the OG intermittent fasting comes in a ratio of 16:8, some people even fast for 24 hours for two days straight, while following their daily routine for the remaining 5 days.
And, while this might seem like a more modern concept, this fasting diet has been around for ages. Considered a common practice throughout human evolution, fasting is quite a common practice in Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism.
3 Common Intermittent Fasting Methods
Now that you know what intermittent fasting is, let’s talk about the three different methods to crack this diet.
As stated above, intermittent fasting involves a fasting period, where you won’t be eating anything. The only things you can consume are zero-calorie beverages like water, black coffee, or herbal tea.
Below is the breakdown of three different intermittent fasting methods:
The 16/8 Technique
This one is perhaps the most common IF fasting diet technique. The diet involves an 8-hour eating period, followed by a 16-hour fasting period. While most people do this kind of fasting diet by skipping breakfast, you can modify the plan according to you. The main focus is, however, to ensure you fast for at least 16 hours.
Eat-Stop-Eat
Okay, this one can get a bit complex. Unlike the above method, this plan involves having a fasting period of full 24 hours, for two days. Note that the fasting days can not be consecutive. You can eat normally for one day, have a 24-hour fasting period for the next day, and resume normal eating patterns the next day. The 2 slabs of 24 hours should be completed in a week. So, in short, in a week, you get 5 days of eating normal, healthy food, and two days of fasting period. Just make sure not to fast for two consecutive days.
5:2 Diet
If you are looking for a challenge but still not ready for the eat-stop-eat method, you can try this one out. This method to help lose weight fast involves 5 days of eating normal food and 2 days of a low-carb diet. During the two, non-consecutive days, your calorie limit should not exceed 500-600 calories.
Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
IF can help lose weight fast. However, it comes with added benefits. Here’s how this fasting diet can help-
Weight Loss
This one is perhaps the most common and best benefit. An Intermittent Fasting diet can help restrict calories and trigger loss of body fat, without causing any harm to your health, if done right.
Insulin Balance
Apart from helping you lose weight fast, IF can also help reduce your insulin levels and might help avoid certain health conditions like type-2 Diabetes.
Reduced Inflammation
IF is also considered a food anti-inflammatory diet, which can help reduce bloating, and inflammation and promote activeness.
Enhanced Brain Health
This diet literally helps increase your brain cells. Many studies suggest that such diets can help trigger production levels of BDNF, which is a brain hormone, responsible for the growth of new nerve cells.
What To Keep In Mind?- Side Effects of Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting has been proven to be beneficial for health and fast weight loss. However, if we are talking about side effects, hunger is perhaps the first side effect to appear. Moreover, if you are new to us, you may also feel a bit weak or lazy. However, these side effects are temporary and can improve once your body gets used to new eating patterns.
Lastly, if you have a history or are currently dealing with conditions like diabetes, blood sugar regulation, being underweight, currently under medication, eating disorders, pregnant, or trying to conceive, it is best to get in touch with a medical professional before adapting to Intermittent Fasting.