Currently, intermittent fasting is one of the most popular health and fitness trends in the world. People use it to lose weight and improve their health. Many studies show that intermittent fasting has a positive effect on the body and mind, and thus a longer healthy life.
For thousands of years, for spiritual or religious reasons, people have practiced fasting and legalized eating.
Today, after discovering the benefits of fasting on its health and spiritual types, according to the heavenly and non-heavenly religions, fasting has become a popular and popular doctrine in the world for multiple goals, most notably weight loss, and it has become known as intermittent fasting.
The purpose of intermittent fasting is to purify the body from junk food and toxins that negatively affect the liver, kidneys and skin.
There is a lot of promising and surprising research on intermittent fasting in obese mice. They lost weight and their blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugars improved.
Studies in humans have shown, in almost all areas, that intermittent fasting is an incredibly safe and effective diet method, but no more effective than any other diet for weight loss. In addition, many people find it difficult to practice fasting, especially those who were not used to it before, as a religious or spiritual ritual.
What is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a pattern of eating in which periods of fasting and eating alternate at fixed hours. It does not specify the types of foods you should eat, but rather when you should eat them.
Thus, it is not a diet in the traditional sense, but more accurately described as an eating pattern.
The principle in intermittent fasting is not to eat for a maximum of 12 to 16 hours, which is like skipping a meal.
How does intermittent fasting affect the body?
During this fasting, the body uses glucose in the blood or in the liver to continue to function well. And if the fasting continues for more than 3 days, the body begins to consume reserves of fats and proteins, especially muscles. The goal is to clean and rejuvenate the body, but also lose weight and fight certain diseases.
The key to intermittent fasting success
A body of research suggests that the timing of fasting is key. Choosing the right timing makes intermittent fasting a more realistic, sustainable and effective approach to weight loss and diabetes prevention.
Intermittent fasting system:
During periods of fasting, some methods allow very little food to be eaten, and others do not. But in both cases, it is necessary to drink water at a rate of 1.5 to 2.0 liters in addition to hot drinks such as tea and sugar-free flowers.
Some doctors prefer not to drink coffee during the fasting period, because it is digested by the liver. Others do not consider eating it harmful.
The most common intermittent fasting diet:
1- 16/8 method:
Also called the Leangains protocol, it involves skipping breakfast and limiting your daily eating period to 8 hours, such as 1-9 p.m. Then you fast for 16 hours.
2- eat - fast - eat:
This method involves fasting for 24 hours, once or twice a week, for example, not eating dinner one day until dinner the next.
3- Diet 5/2:
This way, you consume 500-600 calories on two non-consecutive days of the week, but eat normally on the remaining 5 days.
By reducing calorie intake, all of these methods should lead to weight loss, as long as it is not compensated by eating more during eating periods.
Many people find the 16/8 method to be the simplest, most sustainable, and easiest way to stick to. It is also the most famous.
What are the benefits of intermittent fasting?
When intermittent fasting, many responses occur in the body at the cellular and molecular level.
For example, the body adjusts hormone levels to make it easier to access the fat stored in it.
Cells also initiate important repair processes and alter gene expression.
Some of the changes that occur in the body during fasting:
Human Growth Hormone (HGH):
Growth hormone levels rise dramatically, increasing by 5 times. This has benefits for fat loss and muscle gain, to name a few.
Insulin:
One of the benefits of intermittent fasting is that it improves insulin sensitivity and leads to significantly lower insulin levels. When insulin levels drop, the body's fat stores become easier to consume.
cellular repair:
When fasting, cells begin cellular repair processes. This includes a process known as "autophagy," in which cells digest and expel old and dysfunctional proteins that build up inside cells. It reduces cell oxidation and premature aging of cells.
gene expression:
There are changes in the function of genes related to longevity and protection against disease.
Changes in hormone levels, cell function, and gene expression demonstrate the health benefits of intermittent fasting.
Among the benefits of intermittent fasting are:
Weight loss is the most common reason for intermittent fasting. It prevents weight gain and some related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc.
By eating fewer meals, intermittent fasting can lead to an automatic decrease in calorie intake.
Additionally, intermittent fasting modulates hormone levels to facilitate weight loss. It leads to a decrease in insulin and an increase in growth hormone levels, and increases the secretion of the fat-burning hormone (Noradrenaline).
Because of these changes in hormones, intermittent fasting increases your metabolic rate by 3.6-14%.
Studies show that intermittent fasting can be a very effective way to lose weight.
One 2014 study found that this eating pattern (intermittent fasting) can cause a 3-8% weight loss in 3-24 weeks. This is a very large percentage compared to most other weight loss studies.
According to the same study, people also lost 4-7% of their waist circumference. This means a significant loss of harmful belly fat, which accumulates around the organs and causes disease.
Another study showed that intermittent fasting causes less muscle loss, compared to the standard method of continuous calorie reduction.
Important note:
It must be stressed that the main reason for the success of intermittent fasting is that it helps to reduce calories in general. However, if food is eaten during the permitted period in excess, intermittent fasting may not lead to weight loss.
Intermittent fasting eating program
The intermittent fasting diet is based on good nutritional principles, and avoiding certain types of processed and processed foods, in this way fat is lost quickly.
The basic rules that must be followed in the intermittent fasting diet are to consume:
2- Lean protein.
3- A large amount of vegetables and fruits.
4- Carbohydrates in reasonable quantities and good fats.
5- Water, coffee and other calorie-free beverages during the fasting period to help reduce the feeling of hunger.
6- Healthy foods and not overeating during the meal period.
note:
The goal of intermittent fasting will not be achieved if you eat a lot of fast food or eat dishes that contain a lot of calories.
What foods are allowed?
Dietitian Raphael Grumman says that during the eating period all foods are allowed:
Grains, legumes, meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, and even pastries and sweets.
During the fasting period, only:
With water, broth and sugar-free herbal tea.
What are the prohibited foods?
During the fasting meal, solid food is prohibited, and coffee is not recommended “because it requires digestion in the liver.”
The importance of timing in intermittent fasting
Man has evolved through the ages to adapt to the cycle of day and night, ie the circadian rhythm. Our metabolism has adapted to eating during the day and sleeping early at night. Eating at night is also associated with a higher risk of obesity and diabetes.
Based on this, researchers from the University of Alabama conducted a study on a small group of obese men with prediabetes.
The researchers compared a form of intermittent fasting called "early-set feeding", in which all meals were appropriated eight hours early in the day, the first group from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m., and the second group spread out over 12 hours, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
The subjects in both groups maintained their weight, did not gain or lose weight. But after 5 weeks, insulin levels dropped significantly in the first group (8 hours) and their insulin sensitivity improved. In addition to a significant decrease in blood pressure. Their appetites were greatly reduced, and they did not starve.
Simply changing the timing of meals by eating earlier in the day, extending the period of fasting between evening and morning and going to bed earlier, significantly improved metabolism, even in people who had not lost a single kilogram.
Who are the people who are prohibited from intermittent fasting?
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However, intermittent fasting is prohibited for:
1- People with advanced diabetes.
2- People who take medicines for diabetes.
3- People with a history of eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia.
4- Pregnant or breastfeeding women.
5- Children and adolescents because it may lead to a delay in growth.
6- The elderly, because it may weaken their strength.
note:
These people should not apply the intermittent fasting system, except under the strict supervision of a specialized doctor or therapist.
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