It feels like diet trends are changing every day. One day we’re told to eat low-fat foods, and the next day nutrition experts are praising the keto diet. Now, people are raving about intermittent fasting, claiming that it helps you drop weight without restricting what foods you can eat. Thinking of trying it out? Keep reading for the good and the bad of intermittent fasting.
Basics
Intermittent fasting involves restricting your food intake to a certain window of time each day. There are a few different methods of intermittent fasting, including fasting for 24 hours once a week and consuming only 500-600 calories twice a week. The most popular, however, is the 16/8 method, which splits each day into a 16 hour fasting period and an 8 hour eating period, such as 12-8 p.m. The logic is the same for every method: by reducing the amount of time spent eating each day, you reduce overall calorie intake and lose weight. In addition, fasting causes changes in your hormone levels, which speeds up your metabolism and promotes weight loss even further.
Pros
Besides being a powerful weight-loss method, intermittent fasting has benefits over other diets. For one, many people are attracted to intermittent fasting because it’s more of an eating pattern than a restrictive diet. So, you can still enjoy all your favorite foods, given that it falls within your eating period. It also makes living a healthy lifestyle more simple because you don’t need to plan and cook certain foods or track what you’re putting into your body. For these reasons, many people find intermittent fasting easy to stick to, so you can maintain a healthy lifestyle and see results.
Cons
As with every diet, intermittent fasting is not for everyone. There are a few specific groups of people who should avoid fasting, including pregnant women, people with diabetes, and people with a history of eating disorders. If you’re in the clear, the major disadvantage of intermittent fasting is that it may make you feel much hungrier and less energetic, especially in the mornings. Skipping meals can also lower your blood sugar, which could cause nausea and headaches.
Note: Water, tea, and black coffee are allowed during the fasting period, which should help relieve hunger and fatigue, and means that you can still keep up with your daily dose of Nourage supplements!
Takeaway
Intermittent fasting can be a great weight-loss strategy for people who want to enjoy their favorite foods and don’t have the time to plan and cook healthy meals. Many people find that it makes sticking to a healthy lifestyle easier by simplifying their eating schedule to a strict window of time each day. While this diet is not for everyone, it can be an effective way to lose weight and commit to healthy living.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/a28905278/intermittent-fasting-pros-and-cons/
https://www.today.com/health/how-lose-weight-intermittent-fasting-16-8-diet-t132608