What is INTERMITTENT FASTING?
Updated: Oct 17, 2021
Intermittent Fasting has been looked at as the holy grail for fat loss, weight loss and reversing diabetes. It is scientifically proven to work on every one of us. More and more people are choosing intermittent fasting as a lifestyle choice. Most people agree that it is the easiest method to follow for weight management. Intermittent fasting does not require any exceptional food to be eaten and only helps for scheduling our meals. With intermittent fasting gaining so much popularity and scientific importance, let's understand What is Intermittent Fasting, its benefits, how it helps in fat loss/ weight loss, and how we control type 2 diabetes using intermittent fasting. Read on to find out!
WHAT is Intermittent Fasting?
For any efficient diet plan, there are two key things:
What to eat?
When to eat?
Intermittent Fasting, popular in India as Dr Dixit Diet, addresses the when to eat part and not the what to eat piece.
INTERMITTENT FASTING is not a diet plan but a pattern of eating.
It gives us an idea of when to eat but no idea of what to eat. It highlights that we should give equal importance to what to eat and when to eat in any diet plan.
What are the BENEFITS of Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent Fasting may have the following benefits:
Increase in metabolic rate.
Fat loss resulting in weight loss.
Lowering insulin resistance and helping manage blood sugar.
Reducing risks associated with insulin spikes.
Reducing inflammation and free radical attacks.
Improve heart health by helping manage triglycerides, cholesterol and blood pressure.
Induce cellular repair.
Longevity.
How Intermittent Fasting Helps in FAT LOSS, WEIGHT LOSS & Reversing TYPE 2 DIABETES?
The prime cause of Type 2 Diabetes is prolonged insulin spikes eventually, leading to cellular resistance to insulin. Eating a carbohydrate-rich meal every few hours will keep our insulin levels high as high insulin levels are required to bring down blood glucose levels. A high blood glucose level will never let the body use fat for energy production as there is excess glucose already present in the blood. Glucose is stored as glycogen in the human body. Excess glucose is stored as adipose tissue or fat.
Once the glycogen stores are depleted, the body kicks in several mechanisms to initiate burning fat for energy production. In intermittent fasting, we deliberately deplete the body of its glycogen stores and force it to tap into its fat stores for energy production. It is done by having calculated gaps between two meals. Over a period, there is a noticeable fat loss resulting in weight loss and lesser dependence on insulin resulting in diabetes reversal.
Intermittent Fasting SUCCESS Factor:
The key to successful intermittent fasting is a continuation for a prolonged period (at least four months or more) to see significant drops in fat percentage. Unfortunately, for most people, sustaining for extended periods is a big challenge.
Also, with each day, we should graduate to a more challenging pattern of eating. For example, if we consume two meals and one snack a day, we should steadily graduate to one snack a day, ultimately fasting every alternate day. Of course, we still need to maintain the micronutrient dosage and have enough first-class protein in our diet, depending on our lifestyle and other factors.
Recommended APPROACH to Intermittent Fasting:
If we combine intermittent fasting with the Ketogenic Diet and strength training & cardio, the results will be phenomenal. The ketogenic diet + intermittent fasting + strength training & cardio are the ultimate combos for fat loss and muscle gain.
If we combine intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet, it's recommended to go on a ketogenic diet first and get fat-adapted. Then, once we are fat-adapted, we can begin intermittent fasting. It will help maintain stable energy levels and reducing hunger cravings. Undoubtedly, intermittent fasting will give results, but ideally, we should consider intermittent fasting as icing over the cake. What we eat is as important as when we eat.
Key Takeaways:
Intermittent fasting is not a diet plan but just a pattern of eating.
Intermittent fasting has several health benefits, including fat loss and weight loss.
Intermittent fasting helps control blood sugar and makes the body burn fat for fuel.
It's recommended to get onto a ketogenic diet first and then start intermittent fasting.
Now we understand what intermittent fasting is, its benefits, how it helps in fat loss/ weight loss, and how we control type 2 diabetes.
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