In this article, we discuss the role of intermittent fasting to facilitate weight loss including the science behind intermittent fasting how it works in practice side effects and tips for what you could eat, and also foods to try and avoid.
What is Intermittent Fasting:
what intermittent fasting is well put quite simply intermittent fasting involves cycling between periods of fasting and eating and there are two main ways of doing this in practice and we'll discuss these in more detail later in the article. These are essentially called the 5 2 or 16 8 diets we'll discuss the specific science behind intermittent fasting in the next section of the article, but in a nutshell when only fast to use up stored energy by burning excess body fat and this results in weight loss.
The science behind intermittent fasting:
so now that we have a basic understanding of what intermittent fasting is why don't we briefly look at the science behind intermittent fasting because I do think that it's worth trying to understand what the theory behind intermittent fasting is to try help us make sense of how this particular form of dieting does help us to lose weight, so when we we take in more energy from food then can immediately be used by the body a hormone called insulin is produced when we eat which breaks down carbohydrates into glucose glucose can then be used by the cells for energy or it can be stored in the liver or muscle as glycogen when we need a quick source of energy or the body's not getting glucose from food the glycogen is released from the liver and broken down into glucose and sent into the bloodstream however there's limited storage space for glycogen and once stores are full the liver will turn excess glucose into fat now some of this fat will be stored in the liver or it will be exported to other fat deposits in the body now when you fast the insulin levels fall this signals the body to start burning stored energy and one of these stored energy sources that the body can use is glycogen in the liver and the body will use that first as it's most accessible after the glycogen has been used up the body will start to break down fat to get the energy that it needs if we start to burn the stores of energy such as the glycogen or fat then in theory we should lose weight.
Different methods for fasting:
so now we know a little bit more about the science behind intermittent fasting well what are the different methods for fasting well the two most well-known methods for intermittent fasting are the 5-2 diet this is where you normally eat for five days a week then eat only around 500 to 600 calories on the other two days the second option is time restricted eating where you have a long period in the day when you don't eat with the time restricted eating most people choose something called a 16 8 cycle this involves not eating for 16 hours of the day then having an eight hour eating window and generally this diet form is done daily or almost daily intermittent fasting can help you lose body fat as it works out to approximately a 25 total calorie deficit for the week however you do need to be mindful of the foods that you're eating in the FED state if you overeat or you're eating high calorie foods then you won't see the weight reduction that you're looking for so now we know a little bit more about the two main practical methods for intermittent fasting why don't we look at.
5 Foods to Consider Eating:
Five foods that you might want to consider incorporating into your diet and also five foods to try and avoid, so for the days and times that you're not fasting you're going to want to try and keep your diet in line with General Health eating guidelines and to help you with this. I'm going to highlight some key food groups that you might want to consider so the first are whole grains these come onto your starchy carbohydrates and these will provide slow release of glucose into the bloodstream they're also an important source of fiber vitamins and minerals and examples are.
Oats whole grain bread and pasta:
oats whole grain bread whole grain pasta as well as brown rice now the second food group are lean meats and fish and these are important because they're packed full of protein and this is essential for the growth and repair of muscles and tissues the best kinds are lean meats such as skinless chicken and low-fat turkey white fish such as haddock or Cod are lean sources of protein and oily fish like salmon sardines tuna mackerel they're full of omega-3 fatty acids which are important for brain and heart health now the third food group to consider are dairy products which can be a rich source of calcium which is really important for bone health but you should try to choose low-fat varieties of dairy products things like skimmed milk and low-fat Greek yogurt fourth group are obviously fruits and vegetables these provide us with an important source of vitamins minerals as well as fiber and finally lentils beans and pulses are also good because they're low in fat and they're an important source of protein fiber as well as vitamins and minerals.
5 Food to try to avoid:
Now those are the five food groups that I think you should try and incorporate into your diet but some people will ask well what food should I avoid well on an intermittent fasting diet foods that you should avoid are things like refined carbohydrates this means carbohydrates that have been highly processed and they contain little of the original grain and this is important because these foods are going to cause a rapid spike in your blood glucose levels and these are things like white flour white bread white rice white pasta many breakfast cereals they're usually packed full of unrefined sugars the next one is obviously sugar and this includes simple sugars like table sugar maple syrup but also foods that contain added sugar things like sugary drinks sweets chocolates ice creams and biscuits now the other food group to try and avoid are calm complex animal fats these are things like dripping and lard and these should be avoided on a low fat diet because they're high in saturated fat you should also try avoid too much red or processed meat so Meats like bacon and sausages these contain lots of saturated fats and try to stick to lean meats or try to cut any visible fats off if you're eating meat finally processed foods these are foods that have been altered in some way during preparation things like cakes pastries and biscuits as well as pies and convenience Foods they tend to be high in calories due to the amount of saturated fat as well as added sugar.
Possible side effects of intermittent fasting:
So what are the possible side effects of an intermittent fasting diet well some people might experience headaches and constipation but the risk of this can be minimized by making sure you're drinking plenty of fluids on the fasting days as well as eating plenty of vegetables and fruits again I do want to stress that if you're considering the intermittent fasting style of dieting then please consider this in the risk of your own personal health and medical conditions and if if you've got any questions or concerns before starting this diet then please do try to speak to a trained and registered dietitian or your doctor who will be able to advise you on the sustainability as well as suitability of this in relation to your own personal medical history.
0 Comments