Health
Marisa HeinzeOctober 9, 2020
How intermittent fasting works
Many diets focus on the type of food you are allowed to consume. With intermittent fasting, on the other hand, only one time window is given for your meals. You decide what these meals look like. Fasting between these time slots can help your body burn fat. Scientific evidence also points to some health benefits. Let's start with the basics: How do you actually lose weight? To lose weight, you need to achieve a calorie deficit. In plain language, this means that you consume fewer calories per day than you need. To gain weight, you have to achieve an surplus of calories by increasing your daily calorie intake. Intermittent fasting can help you to achieve a calorie deficit, as you can only eat for a very short period of time. Because you have less time to eat, you are more likely to consume fewer calories. The body then draws on the body's fat reserves and you lose weight. This means that intermittent fasting can help you to regulate your weight better.
How does intermittent fasting work?
There are several ways to do intermittent fasting. All are based on choosing regular periods of eating and fasting. For example, you can try to eat only eight hours a day and fast for the rest. That would then be the most common variation: 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of eating. Or you could eat only one meal a day two days a week, while eating normaly over the rest of the week. There are many different intermittent fasting plans.
After hours without food, our body starts to use up its sugar reserves and burn fat. Intermittent fasting is in contrast to the normal eating habits of most people, who eat three to four meals a day. If you eat three meals a day plus snacks and do not exercise, your body does not use up its fat reserves, but first the calories you have consumed. Intermittent fasting extends the time your body burns the calories consumed during the last meal and begins to burn fat.
Intermittent fasting plans
It is important that you consult your doctor before you start intermittent fasting. Once you have his approval, the actual fasting is easy. You can choose a daily approach that limits your daily food to a period of six to eight hours a day. For example, you can try 16/8 fasting: eight hours of eating and 16 fasting.
Another method is the 5:2 approach. This involves eating regularly five days a week. The other two days are then fasted. Limit yourself to a meal with 500 to 600 calories. Longer periods without food, such as fasting for 24, 36, 48 and 72 hours, are not necessarily better for you and can be dangerous. Lack of food over such long periods can logically have negative health consequences and should be avoided. Intermittent fasting should therefore not be exaggerated and is not the best option for everyone. It will certainly take several weeks for the body to get used to intermittent fasting. You might feel hungry or moody as you get used to the new eating routine.
What can you eat during intermittent fasting?
During the periods you fast, water or tea and generally calorie-free drinks are allowed. Exceptionally, low-calorie drinks, such as juices with no extra sugar added, are also allowed. As far as food is concerned, the nice thing about intermittent fasting is that nothing is forbidden. As soon as the fasting period of the day is over, you can eat what you want.
But there are two things you should keep in mind: Firstly, intermittent fasting is not a panacea. Here too, you should make sure you eat a balanced diet. You should eat enough proteins, carbohydrates and fats and make sure that your micronutrient requirements are met. To do so, you should have a portion of fruit or vegetables with each meal. The second point is counting calories. If you want to lose weight, you should also count your calories during intermittent fasting to make sure that you do not eat more than you need. The practical thing about this type of diet is that you can eat and enjoy a range of different foods.
Advantages of intermittent fasting
We have already clarified that intermittent fasting can be very helpful in losing weight. In addition, this form of nutrition is said to have many other positive effects on body and mind. For example, intermittent fasting is said to protect your organs from chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, age-related neurodegenerative diseases, even inflammatory gut diseases and many types of cancer.
During the phases of fasting, the body does not need to expend energy for digestion, so this energy can be used elsewhere. Many people therefore feel more motivated and efficient after a few weeks of settling in. Both at work and during other mental activities. In addition, intermittent fasting is said to help with healthier digestion, improve your skin condition and even be useful as an anti-aging remedy. Admittedly, not everyone will benefit from all these things. You should also be careful with articles about intermittent fasting: Not all the benefits are really scientifically proven and many authors seem to be a bit too convinced about the dietary form.
Disadvantages
When fasting intermittently, it is important that you talk to your family doctor beforehand. This type of diet is not for everyone and can also have a negative effect on your health. Of course, this is especially true for people who regularly take medication or are undergoing some form of treatment.
Some groups of people should avoid intermittent fasting. Children and young people should avoid intermittent fasting because the body is still developing. Adolescents are dependent on a constant supply of food. The situation is similar for pregnant women. They need enough nutrients, which they can best get from regular meals. People with diabetes or blood sugar problems always need to keep a close eye on their blood sugar levels. Regular food and a few snacks will help you control your blood sugar levels better.
People who have to operate heavy machinery or lift heavy loads at work also need a lot of strength and energy. Intermittent fasting is not suitable for them either, as a constant supply of calories is necessary to provide the energy needed for physically demanding activities.
How does intermittent fasting work?
There are several ways to do intermittent fasting. All are based on choosing regular periods of eating and fasting. For example, you can try to eat only eight hours a day and fast for the rest. That would then be the most common variation: 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of eating. Or you could eat only one meal a day two days a week, while eating normaly over the rest of the week. There are many different intermittent fasting plans.
After hours without food, our body starts to use up its sugar reserves and burn fat. Intermittent fasting is in contrast to the normal eating habits of most people, who eat three to four meals a day. If you eat three meals a day plus snacks and do not exercise, your body does not use up its fat reserves, but first the calories you have consumed. Intermittent fasting extends the time your body burns the calories consumed during the last meal and begins to burn fat.
Intermittent fasting plans
It is important that you consult your doctor before you start intermittent fasting. Once you have his approval, the actual fasting is easy. You can choose a daily approach that limits your daily food to a period of six to eight hours a day. For example, you can try 16/8 fasting: eight hours of eating and 16 fasting.
Another method is the 5:2 approach. This involves eating regularly five days a week. The other two days are then fasted. Limit yourself to a meal with 500 to 600 calories. Longer periods without food, such as fasting for 24, 36, 48 and 72 hours, are not necessarily better for you and can be dangerous. Lack of food over such long periods can logically have negative health consequences and should be avoided. Intermittent fasting should therefore not be exaggerated and is not the best option for everyone. It will certainly take several weeks for the body to get used to intermittent fasting. You might feel hungry or moody as you get used to the new eating routine.
What can you eat during intermittent fasting?
During the periods you fast, water or tea and generally calorie-free drinks are allowed. Exceptionally, low-calorie drinks, such as juices with no extra sugar added, are also allowed. As far as food is concerned, the nice thing about intermittent fasting is that nothing is forbidden. As soon as the fasting period of the day is over, you can eat what you want.
But there are two things you should keep in mind: Firstly, intermittent fasting is not a panacea. Here too, you should make sure you eat a balanced diet. You should eat enough proteins, carbohydrates and fats and make sure that your micronutrient requirements are met. To do so, you should have a portion of fruit or vegetables with each meal. The second point is counting calories. If you want to lose weight, you should also count your calories during intermittent fasting to make sure that you do not eat more than you need. The practical thing about this type of diet is that you can eat and enjoy a range of different foods.
Advantages of intermittent fasting
We have already clarified that intermittent fasting can be very helpful in losing weight. In addition, this form of nutrition is said to have many other positive effects on body and mind. For example, intermittent fasting is said to protect your organs from chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, age-related neurodegenerative diseases, even inflammatory gut diseases and many types of cancer.
During the phases of fasting, the body does not need to expend energy for digestion, so this energy can be used elsewhere. Many people therefore feel more motivated and efficient after a few weeks of settling in. Both at work and during other mental activities. In addition, intermittent fasting is said to help with healthier digestion, improve your skin condition and even be useful as an anti-aging remedy. Admittedly, not everyone will benefit from all these things. You should also be careful with articles about intermittent fasting: Not all the benefits are really scientifically proven and many authors seem to be a bit too convinced about the dietary form.
Disadvantages
When fasting intermittently, it is important that you talk to your family doctor beforehand. This type of diet is not for everyone and can also have a negative effect on your health. Of course, this is especially true for people who regularly take medication or are undergoing some form of treatment.
Some groups of people should avoid intermittent fasting. Children and young people should avoid intermittent fasting because the body is still developing. Adolescents are dependent on a constant supply of food. The situation is similar for pregnant women. They need enough nutrients, which they can best get from regular meals. People with diabetes or blood sugar problems always need to keep a close eye on their blood sugar levels. Regular food and a few snacks will help you control your blood sugar levels better.
People who have to operate heavy machinery or lift heavy loads at work also need a lot of strength and energy. Intermittent fasting is not suitable for them either, as a constant supply of calories is necessary to provide the energy needed for physically demanding activities.