5 intermittent fasting methods reviewed

Intermittent fasting is a widely popular way to lose weight. For the last ten years, this health trend has steadily become popular among health-conscious people. This is a type of fasting that provides a specific eating window, while the rest is dedicated to fasting. Intermittent fasting is widely recommended for a lot of people, but not everybody is suitable for it.

People and intermittent fasting

A lot of people seem to affirm that intermittent fasting is a very effective way of losing weight. This type of fasting can be used to manage weight and appetite. It is this used by many people because it supports their health. On the other hand, other people may not take to the diet – which could be because of is inappropriate or for medical reasons.

Who is intermittent fasting suitable for?

A generally safe way to fast, intermittent fasting is suitable for most healthy people. People should be cautious as they start or follow their eating routine. Since intermittent fasting involves calorie restriction for a long time, it may not be recommended for:

• Adolescents and children
• Breastfeeding or pregnant women
• People who are diabetic
• People who are on drugs
• People who have suffered from eating disorders

It is important that people looking to start intermittent fasting or trying to change their diets drastically should speak with their doctors.

What is intermittent fasting?

By intermittent fasting, you create a simple eating plan that prevents you from eating any calories within a specific window. This period can last from 12 to 40 hours.

During the period of intermittent fasting, you can take coffee, water, and any beverage (calorie-free), however, you ate not allowed to take drinks (containing calories) or solid foods.

A review of the 5 intermittent fasting methods

Intermittent fasting comes with 5 main fasting methods. They are:

• The 16/8 method: This is a time-sensitive fasting method that involves fasting for 16 hours straight. You are then free to eat your meals within the remaining 8-hour period. Another variation of the 16/8 method is the 12/12 approach where you fast for 12 hours and you have a 12-hour window to eat. Within the eating window, you are free to fit in 2 or more meals.
• The eat-stop-eat method: This is a fasting method that means that you have to fast once or twice a week for 24 hours.
• The 5:2 diet: This is a unique fasting diet that involves eating fully for 5 days and fasting for the remaining two days. On the two days of fasting your calorie intake should be between 500 and 600 calories.
• Alternate-day fasting: This is a special fasting schedule that involves fasting every two-day cycle. It is a one-day rotational fasting period that alternates between fasting days and fast-free days.
• The Warrior fasting diet: This is a special diet plan that suits those using intermittent fasting to lose weight. This type of fasting involves consuming little amounts of raw vegetables and fruits in the daytime and eating a large meal during the night.

Importance of intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting can be linked to numerous health benefits. This is evidenced by the various importance of intermittent fasting. They are:

1. Support for weight loss: Studies have shown that intermittent fasting can help support weight management. It can also help to improve metabolism in the body. The metabolic function of the body indicates the degree to which it can metabolize or process energy. This can be measured using blood fat levels, blood sugar, and blood pressure. Research has also shown that intermittent fasting comes with an eating plan that can help improve health. This health improvement includes:

• Protection of the brain health
• Repairing all cells that have been damaged.
• Improving the sugar in the blood.
• Lowering blood pressure.

2. A good change of lifestyle: While people may think that intermittent fasting is intimidating and complex, it is rather simple. With fasting, your days are less stressful since you get to eat just a few meals. Intermittent fasting does not need you to count calories or watch what you eat. There are many ways to adjust your eating window to suit your lifestyle.
3. Works properly with nutritious diets: Intermittent fasting is more focused on eating time and not the type of food that you eat. It can work with a wide range of nutritious meals – and you don’t have to cook any special food. But you should make a conscious effort to ensure that your diet comes with nutritious food to enhance the effectiveness of fasting.

Setbacks to intermittent fasting

1. Can be difficult to get used to Intermittent fasting is not easy to get used to: To get used to this pattern of diet, you need to restrain, discipline, and plan before time. While some people may easily take to these tactics to curb their calorie intake, others may find this difficult at first. If you are usually busy during the day, it can be challenging to stick to the schedule of the diet plan.
2. You will certainly feel the hunger pangs: If you are not accustomed to staying without food for hours, you will find intermittent fasting quite challenging. You will find out that at first, you may likely go hungry a lot of the time. This can be unpleasant and distracting when you first start. But, eventually, many people tend to get accustomed to intermittent fasting and never feel hungry as they should.
3. It has side effects that can affect the mood: When you first begin to fast, you will notice that your mood will fluctuate easily. This is an expected reaction that goes with fasting. Then again, apart from initially increasing your hunger, fasting can also have various other side effects such as sleep disturbance, fatigue, constipation, headaches, and more.

Final Thoughts

Intermittent fasting is a very popular way for people to lose weight. It is done usually for various purposes. It involves a dietary routine that introduces long periods of fasting during the day. People usually have an eating window, which is usually shorter. Intermittent fasting can be done in 5 possible ways. All 5 intermittent fasting methods are fully described in this post. Intermittent fasting is an effective weight management practice that also helps to improve metabolic health. It features a holistic eating routine that works to lower blood fat, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels. Some people prefer intermittent fasting as part of a healthy diet pattern for the long term.