Intermittent Fasting (I.F.) is a trending choice today for weight loss all over the world and for good reason. It works on the simple principle that by fasting for a set number of hours everyday the total calorie intake per day automatically reduces thus helping in losing weight.
The most commonly followed I.F. plan is having meals within an 8 hour window and fasting for the remaining 16 hours. For example, if you have your last meal by 5 PM, you will fast till 9 AM the next day. This basically means that you will skip dinner. Likewise, if your last meal ends by 10 PM, you skip breakfast and you have your next meal at 2 PM. You can choose your fasting plan accordingly to your convenience.
There is a common belief that skipping breakfast could cause lethargy and lack of energy for the rest of the day. This is a common fallacy. Most meals that you consume are carbohydrate heavy, implying that the body needs to deal with the glucose load post the meal. During I.F., your body isn't burdened with this excess glucose. So it uses up stores of glycogen in the liver and muscle, followed by fat from your tissues making you feel more energized in the long run. Without I.F., when we keep on eating meals, our glycogen stores continue to be full, causing the additional glucose from these meals to be converted into fat.
Ghrelin is the hormone responsible for the feeling of hunger. The sensation of hunger, typically lasts for 20 - 30 minutes, and in a while the sensation disappears. The moment you decide that two meals a day is going to be be your normal eating pattern, your body will gradually tune itself and you will find yourself feeling fresh and active in spite of skipping a meal.
Also, whether one eats 3 big meals or 6 small meals, if the total calorie intake is approximately the same, it doesn't really impact weight loss because the net input is more or less similar.
Another factor to be kept in mind is that skipping a meal cannot mean that you indulge in any kind of food in huge quantities, especially carbs and added sugar to compensate for the missed meal. This is detrimental,will have the opposite effect and is one of the key reasons why most diets fail. Have well portioned low carb meals focusing more on greens and other fibre rich foods to keep you full and going during the fasting period.
Studies have shown that for women, I.F. on a regular basis might affect sleep patterns and glucose response in the long run. To avoid this, it is best for women to try to have early dinner (by 7 PM) and follow a general low carb, moderate protein and fat diet along with exercise (including strength training). I.F. can be followed for a short period of time while being observant of any changes in overall health and sleep patterns.
In many cultures, people (including women) fast due to religious reasons at least once a week. In such fasts, they refrain from consuming solid food and only drink plain water for upto 24 hours. This works well in getting over excessive glucose in the body and improving insulin sensitivity apart from increasing metabolism. Intermittent fasting too has similar benefits and has been proven to be a highly effective method to reduce metabolic syndrome (diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and obesity) and losing weight in a healthy manner.
