A Beginners Guide to Intermittent Fasting

For many people, a significant amount of decrease in their weight marks the starting point of their journey to fitness and this can only be possible when the right techniques are employed. In recent years, Intermittent Fasting has been one of the effective ways to lose weight or shed stubborn body fat. This weight-loss strategy revolves around fasting and eating. It requires you to skip meals for a particular period of time and then eat at a specific time. This helps to make sure that your calorie consumption is limited to a specific time of the day. This weight-loss strategy has two major factors which is referred to as the eating window and fasting window. The eating window is when you are allowed to eat while the fasting window is when you don’t eat at all.

                                                 

Amazing Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Apart from being used to lose weight, intermittent fasting can also wield a lot of advantages.

1. Slows down the Aging Process: intermittent fasting helps to promote autophagy which is a process whereby a cell recycles itself to perform better. This weight loss strategy helps the body to recycle cells better thereby increasing the replacement of damaged cells which therefore helps you to look younger.
2. Elevates Brain Function: intermittent fasting can promote the production of BDNF, which is a vital protein in the brain that helps in enhancing memory and learning.
3. Insulin Resistance: another advantage of fasting intermittently is that it supports the speedy processing of fat thereby helping your body to keep its  insulin levels low till for when you start eating again.
4. Slows down Cancer Progression: intermittent fasting can help decrease cancer cells by helping to boost your body’s immune system.
5. Improved Muscles: intermittent fasting do not affect your muscles, it rather helps in increasing the human growth hormones which in turns will help you yo develop better muscles.

However, although intermittent fasting is an effective way by which one can lose weight, it is not totally risk-free. This weight-loss strategy can have effect on a woman’s menstrual cycle, cause bloating or constipation and can reduce the body’s sugar level which can upset your body’s balance. It can also make the person fasting have dull headaches since you are at a high risk of experiencing dehydration.

                                                    How to Fast Intermittently

There are a quite a number of ways to fast intermittently but to effectively utilize this weight-loss strategy, you need to decide on the plan that bests suits you. The commonly known intermittent fasting plans are the 16-8 hours, 20-4 hours and the alternate day intermittent fasting schedule. How to decide on the one that works for you is to take a note of the duration that is convenient for you to fast; for example if you like snacking between meals, do not go for 20 hours fasting plan and if you like date nights, don’t go for the 16 hours fasting plan. Although it is not important that you stick to a certain fasting schedule but it is recommend that you go with what bests suits your body and schedule.