Intermittent fasting is a weight loss technique that involves limiting food and drink intake to certain hours of the day that usually ranges from 14 to 48 hours of the day. Apart from its benefit of weight loss, intermittent fasting can offer a boost to many areas including muscle building and increased energy. The recommended hours for fasting is generally 14 to 18 hours for beginners, above that the body systems may become stressed.
How does it work
When you fast, you tend to put the body system in catabolic state rather than anabolic state. In this state the body has no food or resources for energy so as a compensation, it starts breaking down fats. As the fats are broken to be used in respiration that’s when you start losing weight.
How and when to use intermittent fasting
The best way when one starts to learn fasting is easing the process! It is better to start with longer eating window. During the first week, you can first 12 hours and then to 16 hours in the second week, in the third week you can move to 20 hours since the body is already conditioned. On a 20-hour fasting frame you just have a 4-hour eating window of consuming the needed calories.
Healthy benefits of intermittent fasting
The benefits of intermittent are wide ranging from the most known role of weight loss. Apart from that it protects memory, improves digestion and mental clarity.
- It protects memory. During fasting the body is deprived off from food and starts using fats. During this process, some fatty acids knowns as ketones are released in the blood stream. These Ketones are one of the vital compounds needed for better brain functioning.
- It improves digestion and mental clarity. During fasting the body is not breaking down nutrients as usual and is left to rest. This gives it ability to hone in on any given task with much more clarity and efficiency. Moreover, depriving water from the digestive tract tends to clean up the gut by not allowing the moisture thriving bacteria to form or sustain existence within the body.
Final thought
In short, if you want to lose weight, improve mental health and overall well being, consider intermittent fasting, but as mentioned, start gradually and work your way to longer fasting periods as time goes on.
The main benefit of fasting is arguable and varies depending on an individual’s goals. But if you want to lose weight, improve metabolic efficiency, or improve overall energy levels whatever your overarching goals, intermittent fasting can help.
