Intermittent Fasting
Written by Harzin Jaf, RPN MEPN
Chances are if you’re following any health and beauty accounts, Intermittent Fasting has been popping up in your feed more and more lately.
What is it exactly? Intermittent Fasting is the practise of going prolonged periods without eating.
Not eating for an extended period of time might sound brutal, but with the proper method and timeframe in place, there are some great health benefits.
There are several methods practised:
Alternate day fasting
(Fasting every other day, while enjoying whatever you would like to eat on non-fasting days)16-hour fasts
(16:8 – You have a specific 8-hour window during the day for eating and fast for the next 16 hours.)24-hour fasts, twice a week
(Also known as the eat-stop-eat method. Details very, but typically this method calls for eating regularly on 5 days of the week, and 2 days a week limiting to 500 to 600 calories.)
Changes that occur during fasting
The most notable function of fasting is how it effects your insulin levels. Fasting affects your insulin levels, decreasing them, so that your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose more efficiently. By lowering our insulin levels, our body turns to fat cells for the sugar and energy to burn. This is especially notable as it relates to that stubborn and frustrating belly fat.
There are also other benefits to fasting. It is known to affect your brain health and cellular repair. Removing waste material from cells, reducing stress and inflammation in the body. Fasting even effects our genes! With positive effects on disease protection. Fasting even offers heart health benefits, improving blood pressure, cholesterol and more.
“After 3 weeks of Intermittent Fasting, I noticed my skin had improved and I had lost that stubborn “last 5 pounds” in my belly and hips.”
My Experience with IF
I tried Intermittent Fasting using the 16-hour method. Beginning my eating period at noon each day, and not eating from 8pm each night, until lunch the next morning. This meant my eating window was 12pm to 8pm.
It wasn’t as bad as it sounds! I could still enjoy my morning coffee or tea, without milk, cream, or sugar. Water was also fine to drink throughout the day.
My first meal of the day would be a healthy lunch. I aimed to eat healthy, balanced meals, with more simple and fresh ingredients such as whole grains, rich proteins, and so on. The less packaged or processed, the better.
My Results
After 3 weeks of Intermittent Fasting, I noticed my skin had improved and I had lost that stubborn “last 5 pounds” in my belly and hips.
I felt less sluggish and more energetic in the morning. I also experienced a more positive mindset, with less mood swings and experienced less brain fog. My mental state was much sharper.
Is Intermittent Fasting for you?
No doubt, this can be a helpful tool to lose weight and transform your health.
If you’re thinking of giving Intermittent Fasting a try, we recommend some research first. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach. You’ll want to experiment with different approaches to figure out which method best for you and suits your lifestyle.
