Intermittent Fasting- A weight loss myth

So how many of us consider intermittent fasting as credible weapon for weight loss? The internet is full of buzz with lot of me too fitness models & so called fitness specialists inviting fitness aspirants to subscribe to their intermittent fasting program & loose more than 5 kgs in a month. So how does it fare up? What is mechanics of such unconventional fasting? Is this method a sustainable way of weight loss? What happens when you come back to your normal diet? And what happens to metabolism? I am sure a lot of fitness aspirants would be eager to know the answer to these questions! 

So what does this actually mean?

Intermittent fasting is alternate intervals of extreme calorie reduction with periods of normal eating. It can be restricting calories during some hours in a day or a few days a week. Most of the proponents of intermittent fasting propagate concept of  5:2 which essentially means eating normal diet on 5 days & reducing calorie consumption to 500 to 600 for 2 fasting days. Some may follow alternate fasting where in which you consume 25% less than your daily calorie requirement with feast days during which you eat whatever you choose.

No doubt, this helps in reducing your appetite, but it also slows down your metabolism 

Intermittent fasting has its own flaws & is never a sustainable way of weight loss regime. In line with dynamism of fitness, it is not for every individual or every human body:

1. It is human nature to reward themselves after doing a lot of hard work, so there is a high probability of indulging into unhealthy eating practices during non-fasting days. Having a cheat meal once a week does help in weight loss however having unhealthy foods on non-fasting days regularly due to food cravings increases LDL level of cholesterol 
2. Although having calorie deficit on fasting days may lead to weight loss, having junk stuff on non-fasting days results in missing out healthy benefits of good nutrition
3. High dropout rate among intermittent fasters suggesting that it is not a sustainable long term weight loss strategy
4. There is a strong biological push to overeat following fasting days. Your hunger center in your brain go into overdrive when you are deprived of food. 
5. It slows your metabolism & reduces capacity of the body to burn calories. You will soon come to normal course of diet, which shall result in weight gain since your body is now accustomed to burn less calories
6. Companies have started selling packaged meal plans designed for intermittent fasting. These products tend to be expensive—around $300 for a week’s worth of food.
7. Skipping meals and limiting calories can be detrimental for people suffering from lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure or heart disease

We would always recommend carb cycling & normal diet ( with one cheat meal per week) as a sustainable weight loss strategy. To meet your weight loss goals, sign up for our comprehensive range of fitness plans & carb cycling program.