We all have gone through “I want to lose weight” or “I don’t want to be fat anymore”. Well, how have we tried to do that? Did we succeed? If yes, then we are too lucky, if no, then we have a plan. Ever heard of something called intermittent fasting? Read on to know more about it and learn some impressive facts about it.

(People Also Like To Read: Know the Best Diet for Elderly people)

What is Intermittent fasting?

Like Keto and other diets, this is a pattern of losing weight. It involves a number of types or let us say variation as per your choices.

As said earlier intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that maintains a certain period of fasting and eating. It doesn’t specify which foods you should eat but the focus is more on when you should eat them.

In this respect, it’s not a diet in the conventional sense but more accurately described as an eating pattern. Common intermittent fasting methods involve daily 16-hour fasts or fasting for 24 hours, twice per week.

What is the different patter in Intermittent fasting?

There are a few patterns that you can follow as per your choice of the number of hours of fasting. Instead of calling it a pattern, let us just call it schedules.

The 16/8 method: Also called the Leangains protocol, it describes the skipping of breakfast. It involves restricting your daily eating period to 8 hours, such as 1–9 p.m. Then you fast for 16 hours in between.

Eat-Stop-Eat: This involves fasting for 24 hours, once or twice a week, for example by not eating from dinner one day until dinner the next day.

The 5:2 diet: In this schedule, you consume only 500–600 calories on two non-consecutive days of the wee. You can eat as per your wish the other 5 days.

By reducing your calorie intake, all of these methods should cause weight loss as long as you don’t compensate by eating much more during the eating periods.

(You Might Also Like To Read: Diet for Hemorrhoid Sufferers – Best and Worst Foods Included)

What can be the benefits of Intermittent fasting?

Studies done in Oxford academics have shown that people have benefited a lot by following this method of weight loss. Some of the very common benefits are as follows.

1) Lowers blood sugar level

Your blood sugar level, if it is high can be easily managed. The fasting helps the body to use the extra sugar that otherwise would have been deposited later and caused the blood sugar to increase.

2) Increases your growth hormone

Your growth hormone might increase almost 5- fold. This helps in faster metabolism and then you see your self lose weight at a faster rate than expected.

3) Cellular repair increases

When fasted, your cells initiate cellular repair processes. This includes autophagy, where cells digest and remove old and dysfunctional proteins that build up inside cells.

4) Gene expression

There are changes in the function of genes related to longevity and protection against disease.

5) Weight loss

Well, the entire purpose of the plan is to reduce your weight. However, we would also mention that do not try this diet without consulting other doctors if you are suffering from a condition.

6) Heart health

Intermittent fasting may reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol, blood triglycerides, inflammatory markers, blood sugar and insulin resistance, all risk factors for heart disease.

There is a lot more coming with time on Intermittent fasting. If you try, you can get results. For more information, you can visit our website.

(People Also Like To Read: A Balanced and Nutritionist Diet Keeps Blood Vessels Healthy)