Words Hiranmayii Mohanen | Photo Aris Rovas
It’s pretty evident that intermittent fasting has gathered a loyal following with the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Gisele Bündchen, Halle Berry and Chris Hemsworth’s wife, Elsa Pataky jumping on its bandwagon. Why this cultship? Various studies have shown thatintermittent fasting can actually be healthful as it helps with weight loss, aids in cholesterol regulation and helps you live longer. If you’re one who typically skips breakfast altogether, eats lunch as your first meal and has an early dinner, you are unconsciously on an intermittent fasting routine. We lay down theneed-to-know for those of you who are curious and looking to lose a healthy kg or more.
HOW DOES INTERMITTENT FASTING WORK
Intermittent fasting (IF), as its name indicates entails abstaining from food for the most part and changing your eating patterns throughout the day and night, limiting it to an eight hour window. Research has shown that the benefits of this method is tenfold and dieticians claim that it improves fat loss, reduces inflammation and improves your general health. People who engage in intermittent fasting can prolong a typical overnight fast to anywhere between eight to 24 hours, and subsequently break the fast with a meal. The first meal doesn’t technically have to be breakfast or in the morning, it’s up to the person and the method of their choice.
There are several ways to practise intermittent fasting but there are two popular ones — the 16/8 method and the 5/2 diet. The former involves fasting everyday for a period of 14 to 16 hours and constricting your eating to an 8 to 10 hour window. It’s recommended men fast for 16 hours while women for 14 hours. In the 8-10 hour eating period, you’ll probably have two or three meals (lunch, dinner and maybe a snack in between). The 5/2 diet, on the other hand, entails normal (when we say normal we mean healthy) eating five days of the week and on the remaining two days, you limit your calories to 500 or 600.
WHAT ARE THE RESTRICTIONS?
The primary restriction in intermittent fasting and predominant goal is curbing all food and drinks (with the exception of coffee, tea and water) strictly during the fast. There are assorted templates that you can follow to suit your body and preference. The beauty of the diet is that it doesn’t specify what you should be eating, only when. Pick a schedule that works for you and there isn’t much more to it than that. Many people find that easier than cutting out certain foods or counting calories. Research has shown that people end up cutting out between 300 to 500 calories each day without even counting them by practising IF.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN BENEFITS?
Diets that are carb-loaded provide glucose to the body, which serve as fuel. While fuel is necessary for body function, a spiking glucose is accompanied by a rise in insulin, which the body uses to process blood sugars. This is why you feel sluggish as the day goes on. Proponents of IF suggest that fasting for 16 hours balances the spikes out and readjusts the body. When there’s no ingestion of glucose, the body switches into fat burning mode and as the body releases more fat into the bloodstream, the level of insulin drops accordingly. Subsequently, this gives our cells a break. In addition, a longer fast leads to lower blood pressure so this would be great for those with hypertension. Some research has also shown its benefits and improvements on cardiovascular health (because the body burns more fat for fuel), reduces total cholesterol as well as inflammation. Essentially, fasting tricks the body into thinking that it has to conserve its resources.
HOW DO YOU CURB HUNGER?
An easy and practised life-hack is to time your fast during your normal sleeping hours. Should you want to fast beyond the sleeping cycle, extend the fast to three or four hours after you wake up and before you hit the sack, giving you a remaining eight-hour window (given that you sleep an estimate of eight hours a night). The safest bet would be to consult with a dietitian who can help you come up with an intermittent fasting plan that is right for your health goals.
