FIT INDIAN WOMAN: INTERMITTENT FASTING AND WEIGHT LOSS

INTERMITTENT FASTING AND WEIGHT LOSS

WHAT IS THIS?

Fasting has been a practice throughout human evolution. Ancient humans who were predominantly hunters and nomads didn't have the privileges of supermarkets, refrigerators or food availability throughout the year. Sometimes they couldn't find anything to eat and had to sleep empty stomach as well. As a result, humans evolved to be able to function without food for extended periods of time. Using their own body fat and muscle glycogen as source of energy whenever required.

Inspired by our ancient human practices, intermittent fasting in this respect is not a diet in the conventional sense but more accurately described as an eating pattern. Commonly it involves the subject (that’s brutal), I mean the person needs to do daily 12-16 hour fasts or fasting for 24 hours, twice per week (ouch!).

In fact, fasting from time to time is more natural than always eating 3-4 (or more) meals per day.

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WHAT DO WE DO IN IT?

Intermittent fasting is thankfully not of only one type but has a few variations to keep us going with it for a considerable period (until of course you get for what you began doing it!). Some of them are as follows: -

· The 5:2 diet: With this method, you consume only 500–600 calories on two non-consecutive days of the week but eat normally the other 5 days. So, you split your 7-day week in this way.

· The 16/8 method: Also called the Lean gains protocol, it involves skipping breakfast and restricting your daily eating period to 8 hours, such as 1–9 p.m. In this way you fast for 16 hours in between. You can reduce this time to 12 hours fasting when you begin with it.

· Eat-Stop-Eat: This involves fasting for 24 hours, once or twice a week, for example by not eating from dinner one day until dinner the next day.

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BENEFITS OF INTERMITTENT FASTING

Weight loss: If I have not mentioned it then here it is why you are here, intermittent fasting can help you lose weight and belly fat, without having to consciously restrict calories.
Insulin resistance: Intermittent fasting can reduce insulin resistance, lowering blood sugar by 3–6% and fasting insulin levels by 20–31%, which should protect against type 2 diabetes.
Inflammation: Some studies show reduction in inflammation, which can be usually seen in some chronic diseases.
Heart health: Intermittent fasting helps to reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol, blood triglycerides, blood sugar and insulin resistance, all of them being risk factors for heart disease.
Cancer: Animal studies suggest that intermittent fasting may prevent cancer by reducing free radicals and getting them flushed out of the body with water during the fasting hours detoxification procedure.
Brain health: Intermittent fasting increases the brain hormone BDNF and may aid the growth of new nerve cells. It may also protect against Alzheimer’s disease.

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Should Women try Intermittent Fasting?

There is some evidence that intermittent fasting may not be as beneficial for women as it is for men. One study showed that its improved insulin sensitivity in men, but worsened blood sugar control in women.

Though human studies on this topic are unavailable, studies on rats have found that intermittent fasting can make female rats emaciated, infertile and cause them to miss their cycles.

There are numbers of anecdotal reports of women whose menstrual period stopped when they started doing IF and went back to normal when they resumed their previous eating patterns.

For the foresaid reason’s women should be careful with intermittent fasting.

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4 ways to use this information for better health

· Avoid sugars and processed refined grains such as sooji(semolina), Maida (flour). Instead, eat fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. They will keep you full for a long duration of time and prevent hunger pangs.

· Please allow your body to burn fat between the meals. Don’t snack. Be active throughout your day.

· Begin with a simple form of intermittent fasting. Limit the hours of the day when you eat, as per your schedule you can chose the hours. Between 7 am to 3 pm, or even 10 am to 6 pm, but not in the evening before bed).

· Avoid snacking or eating at nighttime, all the time.

· Water is vital when you're intermittent fasting, because "all that junk and free radicals has to be flushed out." Your intermittent fasting regimen might have you refraining from food, but water should always be there with you at hand, especially since you're missing out on the hydration you often get from foods like fruits and veggies.

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TAKE CARE OF SOME STUFF

· Remember that it takes time to adjust to any new regime, so start things gradually. If you go too fast, your body will produce the stress hormone 'cortisol’, which will slow down the rate of weight loss. As well as that, cortisol can impair your immune system, making you prone to infections.

· The biggest reason most diets fail is because they are such an extreme departure from our normal, natural ways of eating. If you're the kind of person who's used to eating every other second and needs to eat first thing in the morning, you will need to give your body time to adapt to the to the new schedule.

· Allowing time to get used to this new eating protocol is optimal to your success." So how do you do this? "Start with a simple 12-hour fast where you stop eating at 8 p.m. and start eating at 8 a.m. the next day.

· And if you have ever had or suspect that you may have an eating disorder, I do not suggest intermittent fasting.