Intermittent Fasting and Its Benefits on the Body

Have you ever heard of intermittent fasting? If you have ever struggled with weight management, maybe intermittent fasting can help you with that! Scroll down for more! For many years, intermittent fasting is one of the most controversial diets. Some say that it only provides short-term effects; some say that it is unhealthy to your body. Others claim that it offers significant changes to their life.  In this article, we are going to dissect all different aspects of intermittent fasting: what it is, different styles of intermittent fasting, its benefits, how to start, etc. Let’s start! 

What Is It? 

Intermittent fasting may sound quite technical, but i we have all been there at least once or twice. Have you ever skipped meals to get skinnier? Have you ever exhausted yourself at the gym? Have you ever gone to online websites to buy the best pedal exercisers you can afford?  Well, then you are somehow applying intermittent fasting into your routine!   So, intermittent fasting is all about  eating in a short period of the day, which usually lasts for only 8-10 hours. You may:

• Skip your meals, either breakfast or dinner 
• Eat your first meal at noon
• Eat dinner followed with a dessert 

So then, how does it work actually? We are all aware that when we eat, the blood sugar will rise, especially when you eat a lot of sugar and carbs. Bad things happen when you overeat carbs or sugar  but don't exercise enough to burn excess calories. You are likely to gain weight and prone to fatal diseases such as cancer or diabetes.  So, what does intermittent fasting have to do with all of this? Well, intermittent fasting helps your body reset. When you skip meals and give your body a break, your blood sugar will remain stable, giving your body the time to rest. This can lead to long-term effects on longevity and weight loss.  This  is also the reason why so many people choose fasting. Weight management is a hard thing which requires lots of discipline and will power. However, with intermittent fasting, it becomes so much easier.  It's not a diet that stops you from eating this or that thing. Instead, you can still eat the food you love in a shortened time. Then the rest of the day, you will rely on water or coffee or tea to have energy. 

Types of Intermittent Fasting 

One of the best things about Intermittent fasting is that it has many different styles for you to choose from. Depending on your routine and your preferences, you can select the style that fits the most: 5:2: meaning you will eat your regular diets for five days per week; in the other two days, you will only consume 500-600 calories per day.  One day per meal: well, this style is self-explanatory. You can eat whatever you like, but you will only eat one meal per day.  16:8: you will eat for 8 hours and fast for the rest 16 hours. For example, your last meal happens at 9 PM. Then the next day, you will skip breakfast and have your first meal at 1 PM.  For newbies, if you are not used to this fasting routine, you can have coffee or tea during fasting time. However, after a short period of time, your body is adapting to this new habit, and you will only need water in these hours. 

Its Effect on the Body 

Weight loss 

Apparently, this is the main reason why most people love intermittent fasting so much. However,  one thing you should take into account is that intermittent fasting does not result in significant weight loss. To be specific, the effect it has on your body is not so significant compared to other common weight loss methods.  Intermittent fasting allows you to save time for meal planning and weight management But the reason why it is still popular is that it does not require much effort. You can still eat what you love. When your body gets used to this new routine, you would not feel any difference when skipping meals.  This diet is also loved by people who lead a busy life. Planning meals for the day usually takes up lots of time. Luckily, intermittent fasting allows you to reduce the number of meals in a day and save lots of time. 

Reduce blood pressure 

Another benefit of intermittent fasting is that it decreases your blood pressure. We are all aware that having stable blood pressure is very important. If it increases too much, you are likely to experience a stroke, kidney, or even heart disease.  Intermittent fasting helps people maintain their blood pressure. When you go back to your normal routine, your blood pressure will return to initial levels. 

Lower cholesterol 

The next benefit of intermittent fasting is it helps you lower the level of cholesterol when you do regular exercise. High cholesterol may result in many fatal heart diseases. As such, having a special diet that allows your body to clean excess calories on a frequent basis will do good to your overall health. 

Let’s Wrap It Up, 

Intermittent fasting is a good routine that brings about many benefits to your health without much effort. Unlike other diets that require strict discipline, intermittent fasting allows you to eat whatever you like in a required time frame. You can apply intermittent fasting alternatively with your ordinary diets to maintain your weight.  However, please note that not everybody can try this method. As it involves starving your body in a short period of time, it is highly recommended for you to consult with your doctor first before incorporating this method into your life.