We have discussed intermittent fasting in our earlier blog . This blog will evaluate whether intermittent fasting is for everyone. Briefly, intermittent fasting is consuming your daily required calories during a specific time window of the day & choosing not to consume anything during the rest. However, a lot of us consider this as a diet plan- which it is not! It is a diet pattern which can be followed in a variety of ways while maintaining a particular window for fasting. It is not a fad diet & neither it is easier than you think
It is important to note that fasting window includes the time you go for sleep. For instance if your last meal of the day is at 7 pm, then you go to sleep & during the next day you just have water & green tea/coffee followed by a meal at 7 pm, then you are following intermittent fasting. However, this is one way to look at intermittent fasting. The eating window can be 8, 12 or 16 hours. It is not something which you have to follow daily as a ritual but a strategy of limiting your calorie intake & learning when your body is actually hungry rather than when you perceive it to be. The biggest reason people gain weight is they are not able to ascertain the right quality & quantity of food they should consume. By adopting intermittent fasting you will be mindful of what portions & quality of food should you consume. Therefore you will end up having food which is healthier & keeps you full. However, this is not true for everyone specifically those who follow a 5:2 diet where they have restricted calorie consumption of 5 days & have 2 days of full & junk eating.
As shared earlier, there are numerous ways to follow this diet pattern. You can follow a 24 hour fasting plan or eating on specific times during the day & skip a meal. So instead of having regular 3 to 4 meals, you may miss breakfast & have lunch & dinner or have breakfast & lunch & skip dinner( without snacking). Another way of intermittent fasting is 5:2 of 6:1( as discussed in the previous paragraph).
Let us discuss how intermittent fasting works
Our body converts the food we have consumed into glucose which is transported to different tissues & used as energy to carry out various activities. When we constantly eat/consume calories our glucose level remains elevated & even before it comes down, we again grab something to satisfy our hunger/cravings. Therefore we have glucose in abundance & our body uses this source to generate energy. However besides glucose, fat can also be used as an energy source. When glucose supply is in deficit, our body resorts to our fat stores to generate energy. Apart from Ketosis, intermittent fasting is another way to switch this metabolism. When we are in an intermittent fasting state, our body first resorts to glucose available & then uses other sources of energy production with the major energy generator being- stored fat. Leveraging these fat stores is a perfect recipe to promote healthy & sustainable weight loss. Besides fasting improves insulin sensitivity which essentially means more energy from the food is absorbed when needed rather than being stored as fat in the fat cells.
There have been mixed responses when it comes to benefits from this kind of eating pattern. One study indicated that intermittent fasting can reduce oxidative damage & increase cellular stress resistance. It also affects energy & oxygen radical metabolism & cellular cell response systems in ways that protect neurons against genetic & environmental factors which they otherwise would be impacted during aging.
So the million dollar question is- can Intermittent fasting work for everyone? The answer is “ NO”. The trick is to figure out if it works for your body. Intermittent is not constant. This diet pattern is used to teach you how to better control your quality of food & portions. A lot of us may not be able to manage such a type of fasting method. So it is just another way of approaching your health & wellness & making nutrition your priority. You should not feel bad if it does not work for you. You will eventually be able to figure out what kind of diet strategy would work for you that will help you meet your fitness goals.
Discover your personal traits & learn about your specific genetic predisposition to nutrition & workout. By subscribing to our membership & personalised fitness programs, you will not only receive information about genetic response to nutrition & fitness but also be coached by an international fitness coach who will cover both genetics powered nutrition & exercise aspects of the program that will help you maximise your fitness potential & improve your mental health. Sign up for our membership here.
