Intermittent Fasting (IF) was the #1 searched for diet on Google in 2019. Celebrities like Jennifer Aniston tout its benefits and Janet at your work won’t shut up about it.
There are SIX common types of IF
1. The 16/8 Method: Fast for 16 hours each day
2. The 5:2 diet: Fast for 2 days per week
3. Eat-Stop-Eat: Do a 24-hour fast, once or twice a week
4. Alternate-day fasting: Fast every other day
5. The Warrior Diet: Fast during the day, eat a huge meal at night
6. Spontaneous meal skipping: Skip meals when convenient
Watch this video as I break them down and list the pros (if applicable) and cons of each.
Now that we've covered the types, lets get into the science of it all.
Studies in rats 🐀 show that IF is effective for weight loss, reducing blood pressure, lowering cholesterol and improving blood sugar regulation. BUT you’re not a 🐀 so…. In humans, most studies have shown that it’s safe and effective, BUT NO MORE EFFECTIVE THAN ANY OTHER DIET. Any diet will work IF you follow it, fasting however for most people is extremely difficult to sustain long term. Fasting allows our insulin levels to go down, so that our fat cells can release their stored sugar to be used as energy. If we allow insulin levels to go down far enough & for long enough, we in theory burn off our fat.
POSES HEIGHTENED RISKS FOR WOMEN * A study showed that blood sugar control actually worsened in women after three weeks of intermittent fasting * Some women have experienced changes to their menstrual cycles * Potential for reduced ovary size and irregular reproductive cycles based on a study of female 🐀who did 3–6 months of alternate-day fasting * Low calorie intake affects the hypothalamus which can disrupt the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which affects: luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)
IT’S ALSO NOT RECOMMENDED for those with advanced diabetes or who are on medications for diabetes, people with a history of eating disorders, and pregnant or breastfeeding women. The biggest issue with IF for most people is it’s not actually changing WHAT you eat it’s changing WHEN you eat. You’re better off doing these 4 things: 1️⃣Limit added sugars and refined grains. 2️⃣Let your body burn fat between meals. Limit snacking. Be active. Build muscle tone through regular resistance training. 3️⃣Limit the hours of the day when you eat to earlier in the day (between 7 am to 3 pm, or even 10 am to 6 pm) 4️⃣Limit large evening meals and late night snacking. Have you tried intermittent fasting? Did it work? Why or why not? 👇🏻