Intermittent fasting is a trend that has increased in popularity over the years. It is beneficial for some, but there are also a few risks associated with the diet. If you consider this eating style, you might wonder what some of the good and bad things are with intermittent fasting.
There are many benefits and disadvantages of fasting, including:
| Benefits of Fasting | Disadvantages of Fasting |
|---|---|
| Easy to start | Can cause overeating |
| No counting calories | Might spur lack of exercise |
| Can help with healthy weight loss | No value in healthy eating |
These are just a few of the good and bad things associated with this form of eating.
Keep on reading to learn more about intermittent fasting. It is a unique diet that might work for you, or it might not. It is up to you to decide if this is a plan that will work for you.
Article Contents
What is Intermittent Fasting?
So, what exactly is intermittent fasting? It is vital to have a complete understanding of this eating style. This knowledge should happen before you try it out in any method. You cannot start anything without knowing what it is.
Intermittent fasting is a type of eating pattern that has grown in popularity over the past few years. During this diet, there are two major components. You will:
- Fast: Someone using the intermittent fasting plan will refrain from eating for a certain period during the day. This length is often sixteen hours, though some fast for twenty-four. The second is a more extreme version.
- Eat: When the fasting period is not happening, the dieter can eat as much as they want to. This is often done within an eight-hour time frame.
Fasting and eating are the only two components that go into this diet. These are the only two major skills that you need to possess to go here.
Intermittent fasting is great because it does not focus on a diet plan. You don’t have to cook special meals, and you don’t need to double-check your list at the grocery store. All you need to worry about is the time that you are eating. You should also be thinking about the time that you are going to stop.
How Long Should You Do Intermittent Fasting For?
Intermittent fasting is a form of time-based fasting. The amount of time that you fast is vital to understand. If done improperly, the whole diet can be thrown off balance and rendered useless. Beginners should know the exact time frame that they should be operating under when they first start.
There are three major methods that intermittent fasters use. These include:
- The 5:2 Method: The 5:2 Method involves only eating about 600 calories on two nonconsecutive days of the week. On all of the other ones, you can eat like you would on a normal day.
- Eat-Stop-Eat: Eat-stop-eat is the most extreme form of intermittent fasting on this list. It’s not for everyone, so do not try this if you are inexperienced. The person using this one will fast for twenty-four hours twice a week. They eat normally on the other days.
- The 16/8 Method: In this version, the user will skip breakfast. The fast is broken somewhere between 11:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M. From this point, the person can eat for eight hours. After that time is up, they fast until the same time the next day.
These are the three most popular ways that people incorporate intermittent fasting into their lives. They are all incredibly different from each other.
Though all of these are great options, the most popular one in use is the 16/8 Method. This one gives your body the chance to recover without starving it, ideal for spacing out your meals and taking on a manageable form of weight loss.
What Does Intermittent Fasting Do to Your Body?
Those intrigued by the intermittent fasting diet might wonder what it does to the body. How can depriving your body of food for a specified period benefit the average human being? What does this method of eating do to your body?
There are a few things that happen to your body when you decide to take on intermittent fasting. Your body will:
- Burn fat: After your body has fasted for a long time, you will stop burning sugars and start burning fat. This shift will help the extra pounds drift away in no time at all.
- Normalize an internal schedule: Eating at the same time every day is good for you. Your body will start adjusting to this new schedule, getting hungry at the time that you tell it to and not the other way around.
These items will happen if you are accurately using intermittent fasting.
Of course, if you eat incorrectly or over ingest unhealthy food, these items may not happen to you. It is up to you to ensure that your body is properly fueled. If it’s not, this format of eating might be useless to you.
Why is Intermittent Fasting Risky to Some?
Some feel that intermittent fasting is risky. There are a ton of reasons why this may be the case. We will go over a few of these so that you can understand why some people are a little bit skeptical of this one-of-a-kind diet.
Some people who should not take on intermittent fasting include:
- Diabetics: If you are diabetic, intermittent fasting could kill you. Irregular blood sugar should not be toyed around with.
- Those trying pregnancy: Women attempting to get pregnant should not do this fast. It could harm both the baby and your chances of getting pregnant.
- Those on medication: if you are on any kind of medication that regulates your body, you should check with a doctor before doing this diet.
All of these are people that intermittent fasting could harm. If you have a disease, the chances are high that you should not take on intermittent fasting.
Those whose lives center around the food that they eat should not do intermittent fasting. Pregnant women could harm their children. Diabetics could destroy their blood sugar. It is critical to be smart if possible. If you should not be doing this diet, do not do it.
How Much Weight Can You Lose in a Month with Intermittent Fasting?
Those doing this diet might wonder how much weight they can lose with this system. Is it worth the effort, or are there much better ways to lose weight? The number on the scale is ultimately the judge of us all.
According to a Harvard study, most participants in intermittent weight loss get rid of between seven and eleven pounds by utilizing this strategy. How much you lose overall is ultimately affected by the food that you put inside of your body.
The Top Benefits and Risks of Intermittent Fasting
There are both benefits and risks that are associated with intermittent fasting. Both of these are vital to an understanding before trying out this diet. You should know both the good and the bad, so you understand what you are getting into overall.
We will dive headfirst into the best part at first and then the bad. You will develop a well-rounded understanding of this fasting system and be able to decide if it works for your lifestyle.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
There are many good things about intermittent fasting. Many people rely on this diet, and it has continued to increase in popularity over the years. We’ll go over a few of the best things so that you can see the good that can come out of eating this way.
We will go over some of the greatest benefits. These are great to know before you begin intermittent fasting.
It’s Easy to Start
Intermittent fasting is easy to begin. All you need is something to tell time, your hands, and a mouth to eat with when the time comes. As long as you are familiar with the time, you are all set. These minimal tools set intermittent fasting apart from other diet forms.
You can begin this diet:
- In the middle of the day
- First thing in the morning
- Late in the evening
Any time will work.
Its ease of access means that you don’t need to pay a ton of money as with other eating strategies. Anyone can try it.
Calories Don’t Matter
In your window of eating, you are not counting calories. You eat. This solution means that you can enjoy foods that you once did before.
Not counting calories is a release that many do not get to experience. This is one of the greatest things about intermittent fasting.
Weight Loss Can Happen
There is solid evidence that intermittent fasting can help with weight loss. This success should be encouraging to anyone who is looking to slim down a little bit.
Though this might not work for everyone, it’s a good way to try. Intermittent fasting can provide very healthy weight loss for those who want it.
Risks of Intermittent Fasting
Unfortunately, many risks come with intermittent fasting. These should be considered before you take on this diet. If you feel concerned about any of these, you should not attempt to try this diet. Consult a doctor to find another method that will work best for you.
We will dive right into each risk. These are vital to an understanding before trying this method of eating.
Eating Too Much
If you fast, the chances are high that you will be hungry when the time comes to eat. If you don’t have self-control, this could cause a weight gain rather than a weight loss.
Eating too much can also:
- Create an unhealthy relationship with food
- Decrease your overall health and well-being
Eating too much is not fun.
When using this diet, it is vital that you stay on top of your eating. You should plan your meals out so that you are not eating too much or too little.
Not Working Out
Those who are hungry might not have a desire to work out. Spending your entire day hungry might drain you. Your body could shift away from the world of working out due to the fatigue from not eating.
The less you move your body, the unhealthier you will get. Fasting in this manner should not be done if you aren’t taking care of yourself in other ways.
Ignoring Healthy Eating
There are not diet requirements for intermittent fasting. You can eat whatever you want in your time period, whether that is a bucket of donuts or a barrel of broccoli. This lack of nutritional value can cause weight gain rather than weight loss.
You should make sure to incorporate these items into your eating period:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Protein
- Carbohydrates
- Fibers
All of these will keep you healthy and strong.
Keeping your body well-nourished is vital when eating in this manner. You should listen to your interior carefully to make sure that you are staying healthy.
Outro
Intermittent fasting is a unique form of dieting. It has grown in popularity over the years. For some, it has assisted them in achieving a great amount of weight loss. For others, nothing has been achieved but an empty stomach and a desire to attend a local buffet.
This form of eating might seem appealing to some. If you want to try it, you should first make sure that your doctor will allow it. If they do, you can take on whatever form of fasting seems the most appealing to you. It is sure to bring about a change in your life that you will never forget.
