Intermittent Fasting: No Muscle Loss And Increased Metabolic Rate
Intermittent fasting doesn’t restrict the foods you eat but controls when you eat them. Hence, it is more natural to consider this an eating pattern rather than a diet.
The most popular ways to do intermittent fasting are:
- The 16/8 method: Involves skipping breakfast and restricting your daily eating period to eight hours, subsequently fasting for the remaining 16 hours of the day.
- The eat-stop-eat method: Involves 24-hour fasts once or twice per week on non-consecutive days.
- The 5:2 diet: On two non-consecutive days of the week, you restrict your intake to 500–600 calories. You do not restrict intake on the five remaining days.
- The Warrior Diet: Eat small amounts of raw fruits and vegetables during the day and one huge meal at night.
How it works: Most people follow the intermittent fasting regime to lose weight because it is another way of restricting their calorie intake. But, for losing weight to kick in, you mustn’t overcompensate by eating much more during the eating periods.
Weight loss: Intermittent fasting is generally very successful for weight loss. It has been shown to cause weight loss of 3–8% over a period of 3–24 weeks, which is a lot compared to most weight-loss diets. However, it won’t cause significant muscle loss and may increase your metabolic rate by 3.6–14% in the short term.
Other benefits: Intermittent fasting may reduce markers of inflammation, cholesterol levels, blood triglycerides and blood sugar levels.
Furthermore, intermittent fasting has been linked to increased human growth hormone levels (HGH), improved insulin sensitivity, cellular repair and altered gene expressions.
Animal studies suggest that it may help new brain cells grow, lengthen lifespan, and protect against Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.
The downside: Intermittent fasting is safe for well-nourished and healthy people, but the undernourished may not benefit from it in the long run. Some studies have shown that it does not suit everyone and is not as beneficial for women as it is for men.
Moreover, if you’re among those sensitive to drops in blood sugar levels, pregnant women, breastfeeding moms, teenagers, children, and people who are malnourished, underweight, or nutrient deficient, this diet is not right up your alley.
SUMMARY
Intermittent fasting lets your body cycle between fasting and eating. It is very effective for weight loss and has been linked to numerous health benefits.
