The research around intermittent fasting offers results that often contradict each other. There is no doubt that it can have certain health benefits and it definitely helps one lose weight. However, more studies emerge, which prove that the efficiency of fasting isn’t very different from other diets (CMAJ). If you want to try ‘going without’ be sure to take all necessary precautions to make this experience safe for your health.
Intermittent Fasting and Health: Should You Risk It?
According to research published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietics, even a single cycle of intermittent fasting can reduce biomarkers for chronic disease. It can improve your metabolic profile. And it can definitely help you lose weight. Therefore, you should take your chances with fasting.
However, there are also undeniable risks associated with this kind of diet. First of all, you run the risk of developing anemia, dizziness and nutritional deficiencies. You will also struggle with hunger and might trigger a binge eating episode if you have a history of those. This means that you should be very careful about your intermittent fasting plan.
There is also a matter of research, which clearly shows that despite its efficiency, intermittent fasting isn’t more effective than a well-balanced weight loss diet. In fact, you might get more benefits from the 14-day fat burn diet plan in the long run. This is because this program is easier to follow and thus, it won’t have a negative impact on your motivation.
Fasting, on the other hand, is legitimately difficult for the majority of people. And when they become stressed because of the hunger, they often break their diet. This becomes a huge blow to one’s motivation to continue trying with weight loss diets.
The conclusion is that intermittent fasting can do you a lot of good. However, this will happen only if you do it right.
Intermittent Fasting Types: Top 4 Most Popular Options
1. The 16/8 plan
This type of intermittent fasting is rather straightforward. It requires you to not eat for 16 hours a day. Meaning if you have breakfast at 7 a.m., you should have your last daily meal no later than 3 p.m. This method can be the easiest type of fasting to start with, but only if you use a bigger ‘eating window’ at the beginning. For example, start with 12/12. Note that you can drink during the fasting hours…
