Team CreativeRituWhile many diets are popular these days, Intermittent fasting or shortly called IF has gained quiet popularity among everyone including celebrities in the past few years. During this pandemic when people had no access to gym and fitness clubs they have focused more on their eating patterns and diet changes.
What exactly is intermittent fasting?
According to wikipedia,”Intermittent fasting, also known as intermittent energy restriction, is an umbrella term for various meal timing schedules that cycle between voluntary fasting and non-fasting over a given period. Methods of intermittent fasting include alternate-day fasting, periodic fasting, and daily time-restricted feeding”
During your fasting periods it is recommended to sip on water but that is really not feasible so mostly people sip on coffee, green tea, lemon water or any calorie free liquids. There are many windows to it which people follow but the most popular one is 16:8 where you fast for 16 hours and eat for only 8 hours. It depends on you which 8 hours you prefer to eat and you can simply manage all your nutrition and calories in that window. Now, remember food plays a major role in your eating window. You can’t eat all junk foods just because you are eating for 8 hours in a day. Never ever forget that food matters a lot and you can never ever see fat loss if you are playing with your nutrition.
How to do the 16/8 rule?
To follow the 16/8 rule you need to stay in fasting for 16 hours and in the rest 8 hours you can eat your food and take care of your nutrition. Mostly people skip their breakfast and start their eating window late like around 12 pm or 1 pm and in the next 8 hours they just eat at regular intervals.
I personally make it 12-8 pm and look after every nutrition that my body needs and it helps. There is no way i prefer eating junk food or eating less calories as my body already is following a window. Eating early dinner also helps me to fall asleep at a proper time and my body feels much healthier.
How much weight can I lose with Intermittent fasting?
If you correctly follow the window of intermittent fasting and eat healthy foods then your body loses fat quickly and yes you can see a drop in numbers too. People who are obese would see a major loss than the ones who are with normal body weight. In a month you can see a difference of 2-6 kgs easily and what else do you want.
Drawbacks of Intermittent fasting?
Initially it’s very tough to follow such a window as your body looks for constant food and you may end up craving sweets and people who aren’t that disciplined fail easily. It increases the stress hormone cortisol which makes people eat more than they should consume in the 8 hours eating window which ultimately increases their weight gain.
Who can’t do intermittent fasting?
People with low blood sugar levels where they need to eat at regular intervals, pregnant ladies, breastfeeding mothers, kids even though they are obese or for that matter anyone under the age of 18. If you are suffering from any disease you should always consult your doctor before trying Intermittent fasting window.
How can I start Intermittent fasting?
While it sounds fun to follow the 16/8 rule of intermittent fasting I know it is not and it is really tough to start with. So, Initially you should start with something practical like 12/12 where you eat for 12 hours and fast for 12 hours and gradually you can increase your fasting window. You can start eating at 8 am and end the window at 8 pm or if you are really a morning person and sleep early at night then start at 6 am and end at 6pm. It’s about you and how you are comfortable with it.
Does Intermittent fasting help to lose belly fat?
There is nothing called spot reduction with diet or exercise. When you lose fat, your entire body loses it and yes if all your fat is stored only on your belly area that would be the first place you would notice a change. So, don’t look for miracles but yes IF does help.
