How to Properly Apply Intermittent Fasting to your Lifestyle
/The concept of intermittent fasting has been thrown around a lot in light of recent studies exploring the health benefits and its effects for weight loss. Let’s explore what exactly this method entails. Intermittent fasting is not a diet, consider it a dieting pattern. In simple terms, you make a conscious decision to skip certain meals. There’s no doubt that this concept has taken off, becoming the latest diet trend among celebrities, trickling down to every tired dieter, who’s been dying try something new, that’s sure to shed those extra pounds. Evidence does show that these fasting methods can be a safe weight loss strategy if done correctly, but they’re not a superior method to traditional diet and exercise approaches.
Three of the most popular fasting approaches are 24-hour Fasts, 16/8 Fasts and 5:2. The first stems from author Brad Pilon’s book Eat, Stop, Eat. The method is simple enough: don’t eat for two non-consecutive 24-hour periods each week. The second fasting protocol, 16/8, requires a shorter eating window each day, leading to a fasting period of 16 hours per day and eating hours totaling to 8. The way most people do this is by eating breakfast at noon, and halt eating around 8 or 9 p.m. each day. The third is the 5:2 diet, where you would eat normally five days a week and for two non-consecutive days, you would only take in 500-600 calories.
Experts have debated the benefits of intermittent fasting versus 6 small meals per day, examining the optimal approach for weight loss. Both of these meal-timing trends have their benefits, and the answer is one method might not work for everyone. Fasting by nature will help you cut calories, which inevitably leads to weight loss. Experts estimate that these fasting methods can help people cut about 20-25% of overall calorie intake. Success with this dieting pattern largely depends on not binge-eating during normal days, which will lead to weight gain.
Running on empty for a period of time, no matter how big or small, can have serious effects. Many people feel sick when they skip a meal and their energy levels drop. Those who tend to experience low blood sugar when they don’t eat would probably do better with eating six small meals a day.
Some health concerns have been brought to the surface as suggested in a 2015 study from Ohio State University, where scientists found skipping meals increases blood sugar and insulin spikes. What does this do? It sets the stage for insulin resistance which leads to Type 2 Diabetes. Another 2014 review of research from the University of Illinois-Chicago showed that decreasing daily calorie intake increased fat loss among participants than fasting.
Nevertheless, more evidence continues to be brought forth on the potential positive effects of these fasting methods, but this time centered on aging. This week, a study was released from the University of Southern California, analyzing intermittent fasting’s effects on mice. Researchers found that periodic fasting could actually help slow aging. More specifically, they identified that cycles of a four-day low-calorie diet which mimics fasting actually reduced visceral belly fat, one of the most dangerous forms of fat on the body. This dieting pattern actually increased the number of progenitor and stem cells the mice’s organs, including the brain, boosting neural regeneration and even improving learning and memory.
When it comes to any intermittent fasting pattern, the question is how does it teach you to eat healthy long-term? Sure with discipline, the weight will come off, but will it stay off? Will you be able to maintain your goal weight once you reach it? I always tell my patients to find what works for them and focus on the long-term, versus a quick fix for weight loss. Instilling healthy habits during a diet period that teach you how to eat well (try the Mediterranean diet- a well-balanced way of eating) and incorporate daily physical activity will be far more beneficial to your overall health and life.
Tips for healthy intermittent fasting:
1. Don't binge-eat: Once the fasting period is over, the key is not to over-indulge in the unhealthiest food options. This will lead to weight gain.
2. Skip dinner, not breakfast. We've talked about the importance of fueling your body the moment you wake up. But skipping heavy eating in the later hours of the day is a better option as your internal body clock generally and naturally winds down.
3. Drink green tea: It helps to keep cravings at bay, burn belly fat. A chemical called theanine helps keep you calm when you haven't eaten in 15 hours.
4. Don't focus heavily on what you're going to eat: Overthinking what and how you're going eat during these fasting periods can trick your brain to eventually eat more. Try to relax and remember the fasting period is a short-term.