What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is a very popular practice these days. Some people do it to try and lose weight, other people believe it helps them improve their overall level of fitness.

There are also those who think intermittent fasting is a more natural eating pattern for the body and that it will deliver health benefits and have an anti-aging effect.

Some of the health benefits attributed to Intermittent Fasting include:

• Improved insulin sensitivity (may protect against type 2 diabetes).
• Increased levels of human growth hormone.
• Lower cholesterol levels.
• Improved cellular repair.
• Protection from disease.
• Improved mental function and protection against Alzheimer’s disease.

Many of the claims made about the health benefits of intermittent fasting can be backed by scientific evidence, but it is important to bear in mind further study is warranted. It is equally important to remember intermittent fasting is not so much a modern fad as it is a reversion to a more natural eating pattern.

Intermittent Fasting in a Nutshell

Although it is often considered so, intermittent fasting is not a diet. It is an eating pattern. Diets are more about what people eat, how much they eat, and leveraging the calorie intake in a manner that results in weight loss. Intermittent fasting is not about how much people eat it is more concerned with how often they eat. People who practice intermittent fasting can use a variety of different intermittent eating patterns.

The two most common ones are:

• The 16-hour fast (16/8 Method): Eating is restricted to an 8-hour time-slot each day.
• The 5:2 Diet: People have to fast for two days every week, but a normal eating pattern is allowed on the other five days.

Arguments For Intermittent Fasting

Most of the arguments for intermittent fasting are related to the health benefits this kind of eating pattern can provide. However, perhaps the most important argument may be, although most people are accustomed to receiving a regular supply of food, the body is not designed to handle such an abundance. Early man was a hunter and gatherer. Some days the environment he lived in failed to provide opportunities for regular eating. An intermittent eating pattern was normal and the human body became used to it. The fact that obesity levels continue to grow on a worldwide scale is perhaps the most obvious proof of how much times have changed.

The fact that food is so readily available, and such a large and enticing variety exists, may be good on the one hand, but eating so regularly may not be so good for a species that adapted to intermittent fasting over a period of thousands of years.

Is Intermittent Fasting Hard to Do?

Although the idea of going without food may seem so alien many people may consider intermittent fasting too difficult an option to consider it does not have to be as hard as it sounds. For most 16-hour fasters it is often just a case of skipping breakfast because any time spent sleeping counts towards the fast. So anyone who eats a light supper at 8pm, goes to bed, wakes up and skips breakfast (as many people often do anyway), and then eats lunch at 12 noon, will have spent 16 hours fasting.

Even the more severe-sounding 5:2 diet is less drastic than it appears because fasters are not expected to avoid food completely. During fast days, women are permitted to eat 500 calories and men 100 calories more. A typical fast day may involve two 300 calorie meals. A light breakfast, consisting of two scrambled eggs, followed by a small amount of grilled fish and some steamed vegetable at lunch. It must be remembered that it does not take much food to provide 300 calories. A standard Big Mac can deliver 257 calories without any fries or an accompanying drink. Even a 100g apple will provide 52 calories.

How Will I Feel During the Fast?

It may sound surprising, but many people who practice intermittent fasting say they find it quite easy to do and state they feel better in themselves during the fasting period. Some people even say they feel more energetic than normal.

Is Drinking Allowed While Fasting?

It is important that the body remain hydrated so intermittent fasters are allowed to drink water or any other beverage that is unlikely to provide extra calories, such as tea or coffee (without sugar or milk). Green tea can be a particularly good option because it is rich in antioxidants that are good for the health.

Is Intermittent Fasting Worth the Effort and is it Safe to Do?

Anyone who spends a little time doing online research should be able to find numerous studies that support the health benefits claimed for intermittent fasting, but such an eating pattern is not suitable for everyone. People who are diabetic, for example, would be very unwise to attempt depriving their body of food for extended periods of time. It is also possible the fasting process may aggravate certain other medical conditions, so anyone who has existing health problems would do well to consult a doctor prior to attempting any form of fasting.

Health permitting, many people may find Intermittent Fasting a worthwhile endeavor. Others may find such a change in lifestyle too hard to take. Everyone is different. The only way to discover if intermittent fasting is right for you is to give it a try. The proof is in the pudding, as the old saying goes. Just remember pudding is forbidden on fast days.

What is Intermittent Fasting? Explained in Human Terms

A phenomenon called intermittent fasting is currently one of the world’s most popular health and fitness trends.

It involves alternating cycles of fasting and eating.

Many studies show that this can cause weight loss, improve metabolic health, protect against disease and perhaps help you live longer (1, 2).

This article explains what intermittent fasting is, and why you should care.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting.

It does not say anything about which foods to eat, but rather when you should eat them.

There are several different intermittent fasting methods, all of which split the day or week into eating periods and fasting periods.

Most people already “fast” every day, while they sleep. Intermittent fasting can be as simple as extending that fast a little longer.

You can do this by skipping breakfast, eating your first meal at noon and your last meal at 8 pm.

Then you’re technically fasting for 16 hours every day, and restricting your eating to an 8-hour eating window. This is the most popular form of intermittent fasting, known as the 16/8 method.

Despite what you may think, intermittent fasting is actually fairly easy to do. Many people report feeling better and having more energy during a fast.

Hunger is usually not that big of an issue, although it can be a problem in the beginning, while your body is getting used to not eating for extended periods of time.

No food is allowed during the fasting period, but you can drink water, coffee, tea and other non-caloric beverages.

Some forms of intermittent fasting allow small amounts of low-calorie foods during the fasting period.

Taking supplements is generally allowed while fasting, as long as there are no calories in them.

Why Fast?

Humans have actually been fasting for thousands of years.

Sometimes it was done out of necessity, when there simply wasn’t any food available.

In other instances, it was done for religious reasons. Various religions, including Islam, Christianity and Buddhism, mandate some form of fasting.

Humans and other animals also often instinctively fast when sick.

Clearly, there is nothing “unnatural” about fasting, and our bodies are very well equipped to handle extended periods of not eating.

All sorts of processes in the body change when we don’t eat for a while, in order to allow our bodies to thrive during a period of famine. It has to do with hormones, genes and important cellular repair processes (3).

When fasted, we get significant reductions in blood sugar and insulin levels, as well as a drastic increase in human growth hormone (4, 5).

Many people do intermittent fasting in order to lose weight, as it is a very simple and effective way to restrict calories and burn fat (6, 7, 8).

Others do it for the metabolic health benefits, as it can improve various different risk factors and health markers (1).

There is also some evidence that intermittent fasting can help you live longer. Studies in rodents show that it can extend lifespan as effectively as calorie restriction (9, 10).

Some research also suggests that it can help protect against diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and others (11, 12).

Other people simply like the convenience of intermittent fasting.

It is an effective “life hack” that makes your life simpler, while improving your health at the same time. The fewer meals you need to plan for, the simpler your life will be.

Not having to eat 3-4+ times per day (with the preparation and cleaning involved) also saves time. A lot of it.

Bottom Line: Humans are well adapted to fasting from time to time. Modern research shows that it has benefits for weight loss, metabolic health, disease prevention and may even help you live longer.

Types of Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting has become very trendy in the past few years, and several different types/methods have emerged.

Here are some of the most popular ones:

• The 16/8 Method: Fast for 16 hours each day, for example by only eating between noon and 8pm.
• Eat-Stop-Eat: Once or twice a week, don’t eat anything from dinner one day, until dinner the next day (a 24 hour fast).
• The 5:2 Diet: During 2 days of the week, eat only about 500-600 calories
• 
  
• Then there are many other variations.
  I am personally a fan of the 16/8 method (popularised by Martin Berkhan of LeanGains), as I find it to be the simplest and the easiest to stick to.
  In fact, I pretty much naturally eat this way. I am usually not very hungry in the morning, and don’t feel compelled to eat until about 1 pm.
  Then I eat my last meal somewhere between 6-9pm, so I end up instinctively fasting for 16-19 hours every day.
  Bottom Line: There are many different intermittent fasting methods. The most popular ones are the 16/8 method, Eat-Stop-Eat and the 5:2 diet..

Take Home Message

As long as you stick to healthy foods, restricting your eating window and fasting from time to time can have some very impressive health benefits.

It is an effective way to lose fat and improve metabolic health, while simplifying your life at the same time.