Intermittent fasting is one of the most commonly heard and used diet methods on the market right now. The way of eating promotes voluntary periods of fasting and non-fasting periods. This means that there are times where you will fast and times in which you can eat, rather than just being able to eat all day. There are many different periods and methods, some of which include 24-hour fasting periods followed by a 24-hour period of eating. Additionally, some people do 16 hours of fasting and 8 of eating, or 18 of fasting and 6 of eating. This is the ultimate beginner’s guide that will discuss the methods and benefits.
The Intermittent Fasting Fad And Its Facts
16/8
16/8 is also referred to as the Leangains method, this refers to ideally skipping breakfast and then only eating for an 8 hour period, and fasting for the remaining 16 hours. This is the most common way of intermittent fasting. This is primarily because it is the easiest to conform to which makes it sustainable. be sure to not overeat in the time periods.
Eat-Stop-Eat
This is the 24 hours on and 24 hours off method. You will in turn stop eating at a specific time from one day to the next and then begin again, humans are able to fast and have been developed in order to do so. This is due to prehistoric and pre-civilization times where humans did not have the ability to always find food or something viable to eat.
5:2
This method is when an individual consumes between 500-600 calories on two days that are not in a row, the other 5 days of the week you eat normally. However, it is important to note that normally doe not mean overdoing it with an unhealthy diet or foods that are high in calories. These methods only work if you still maintain a decent diet of some sort.
2 Weeks On 2 Weeks Off
Some choose to do the 16/8 method for 2 weeks and then do 2 weeks off on a regular diet of some sort. The reasoning behind this is due to it shocking your system which in turn boosts fat-burning and leads to quicker weight-loss, as well as more weight-loss. The adjustment does not allow for the body to hit a plateau or get too comfortable.
Additional Information
Human Growth Hormone increases majorly when intermittent fasting, this results in fat loss and muscle gain which assists the entire process. Additionally, insulin levels lower and are not affected as easily which allows for stored fats to be released easier. When fasting your cells begin a reparation process which results in the removal of old and dysfunctional components. Lastly, changes in gene expression leads to protection against disease. Thus, there are supposedly multiple benefits besides the fat-burning and weight-loss components, this is a major reason the methods are being sought out. It is important to note when fasting you are allowed natural teas, water, as well as black coffee. Black coffee is a great way to curb cravings and is also a natural fat burner.