Fasting properly can be very beneficial for improving health and speeding up fat loss. There are many different types of fasting, but the most popular and practical is intermittent fasting.
The most popular way to do intermittent fasting is also known as time-restricted eating, where you limit your daily food intake to a specific window of time — usually six to eight hours a day.
For example, if you skip breakfast and make lunch the first meal of your day, you can limit your food intake to noon and 8 p.m. If you like breakfast, open your window between 8am and 4pm. It is also important to eat the last meal at least three hours before bedtime, as the body’s circadian rhythm is negatively affected by eating before bedtime. , which negatively affects sleep and help.
By fasting for about 14 to 16 hours a day, you give your body enough time to drain your glycogen stores (a storage form of blood sugar) and switch to fat-burning mode. This forces your body to use fat as fuel. Since fat is a slow-burning fuel, you not only have a more balanced energy supply, but you also avoid the typical “highs” and “lows” of sugar that come with typical diets.
While you will no doubt feel hungry from time to time, this is completely normal. Once your body adjusts, you may be surprised to find how much less food you will consume to be completely satisfied. In many cases, your food cravings literally disappear as soon as you are able to burn fat as fuel again.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting offers a number of health benefits, including:
Forcing the body to become efficient at burning fat as the primary fuel which can eliminate sugar cravings Increased Growth Hormone which aids in fat burning and the maintenance and growth of lean tissue such as muscles and organs! Improves brain health and helps prevent neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease Reduces oxidative stress and fights aging and diseases such as cancer Lowers triglycerides and reduces inflammation. Dramatically increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which activates brain stem cells to convert into new neurons. Dramatically increases the process of autophagy
Benefits of Autophagy
Autophagy means “eating itself” and refers to processes your body uses to clear and detoxify various types of dirt, while also recycling damaged cell components. It is literally the same as your body’s recycling program. It improves metabolic efficiency, removes defective cell parts and slows the development of cancer in early stages. It also helps to drastically reduce inflammation throughout the body.
During the bioenergetic challenge of exercise or fasting, autophagy is increased. This stimulates stem cells, including muscle stem cells, which can help prevent sarcopenia (muscle loss with aging). Thus, intermittent fasting can help maintain the regenerative ability of muscle stem cells.
There are three ways to stimulate autophagy: exercise, fasting and dietary ketosis.
Who Can Benefit From Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting can benefit almost anyone, but athletes can benefit even more. A 2016 study that tracked the effects of intermittent fasting on 34 resistance-trained men found that restricting their food to an eight-hour period had a positive effect on several health-related biomarkers, while reducing fat mass and preserving muscle mass. .
For eight weeks, the participants divided their daily caloric intake into three meals eaten at 1:00 PM, 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM. They fasted for the remaining 16 hours of the day and completed three weekly sessions of resistance training on non-consecutive days. Among the noted biomarkers, there was a significant decrease in blood sugar levels for the intermittent fasting group compared to the normal diet group.
While additional studies need to be completed to further investigate the effects of intermittent fasting on athletes, it appears that intermittent fasting can be used during maintenance phases of exercise when the goal is to maintain muscle mass and reduce fat mass.
The Importance of Good Food Choices During Intermittent Fasting
During intermittent fasting and reduced food intake, your food choices are very important. Since you will eat less, it is vital that you get the right nutrition from your food. Healthy fats are essential because intermittent fasting prompts your body to switch to burning fat. Especially if you start to feel tired and sluggish, it could be a sign that you need to increase the amount of healthy fat in your diet.
Reducing net carbs (total carbs minus fiber) is equally important. Concentrate on:
High-quality fat absorption in the form of avocados, coconut oil, organic grass-fed butter, organic egg yolks and nuts. High-quality proteins from organically grown grass or meadow animals, eggs, chicken and fish. Large amounts of fresh, low-carb vegetables, preferably organic
Contraindications to Fasting
While most people can safely benefit from intermittent fasting, it is important to exercise caution if you have certain health conditions. DO NOT fast unless approved by your doctor if any of the following are true:
You are underweight with a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 or less You are malnourished
Children are NOT allowed to fast!
They need nutrients for continued growth; if your child is obese, consider cutting him or her down on refined grains and sugar to promote weight loss
Pregnant and breastfeeding women should NOT fast because a constant flow of nutrients must be shared with the baby to ensure its well-being
If you are taking any medications that need to be taken with food, be very careful about fasting and consult your doctor first. This is especially true for diabetics and people with gout.
This post Intermittent Fasting for Health and Fat Loss! was original published at “http://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2022/02/intermittent-fasting-for-health-and-fat.html”
