Are you tired of starving yourself for weeks or months on end, just to lose only a couple of pounds? Intermittent fasting may be right for you.
When it comes right down to it, you have to burn more calories than you consume to lose weight. Specifically, you have to burn 3,500 calories more than you consume to lose one pound of fat. Over the long term, that means you have to burn about 500 calories than you take in over the course of a week to lose one pound.
The big problem with this approach, though, is that the human body is very good at adapting to change. This is especially true when it comes to losing weight – the human body can alter its own metabolism to slow down weight loss, as a natural protection against starvation when food supply is limited.
This is where intermittent fasting comes in. Unlike conventional diets that call for extended periods of low-calorie meals, intermittent fasting does not slow the metabolism.
Intermittent fasting is easy and effective. In fact, a 2014 study found that an intermittent eating pattern can cause a 3 to 8 percent weight loss over 3 to 24 weeks.
INTERMITTENT FASTING WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Humans have practiced intermittent fasting since the dawn of time. Sometimes intermittent fasting was part of an ancient ritual. In other cases, early hunter/gatherers simply could not find enough to eat. The human body then evolved so that it could function without food for an extended time. Because of this, it is healthier to fast now and again than it is to eat three, four or more meals every day.
People still fast as part of religious or cultural rituals. They also practiced intermittent fasting to lose weight caused by overeating, something ancient man rarely had to deal with.
Intermittent fasting does not detail which foods you should consume, but rather when you should eat them. In fact, intermittent fasting is more of an eating pattern than a conventional diet.
There are several intermittent fasting schedules. A few of the most popular include:
- The 16/8 method: Also known as the Leangains protocol, the 16/8 method involves fasting for 16 hours and eating only during an 8-hour period; you will also skip breakfast
- Eat-Stop-Eat: Simply stop eating for a 24-hour period once or twice a week; the fasting period might start when you skip dinner one day and fast until dinner the next day
- The 5:2 diet: This diet has you eating only 500 to 600 calories daily on two non-consecutive days and eating normally on the other five days of the week.
Choose the schedule that seems easiest for you to maintain. Any one of these intermittent fasting schedules should help you lose weight as long as you do not overeat on the “normal eating” days. To help you optimize your weight loss, combine intermittent fasting with another weight loss program.
Intermittent fasting affects your body in several ways. First, your body adjusts hormone levels to make the energy in fat more accessible, which means you burn fat quicker. Human growth hormone (HGH) levels rise when you fast, and high HGH levels trigger fat loss and muscle gain. Intermittent fasting also activates cellular repair processes and gene expression in ways that help your body protect itself from disease.
COMBINING INTERMITTENT FASTING & WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMS
While intermittent fasting seems simple at first glance, getting the most out of intermittent fasting does require planning and support. For best results, plan on fasting on specific days of the week or during specific hours of the day. Purchase food that is low in calories but high in nutrition, so that you can maintain good health while you optimize your weight loss schedule.
Dr. Urshan from Dr. Urshan Health & Weight Loss Center offers weight loss programs that help each patient optimize the results of their intermittent fasting. Dr. Urshan provides support focus, advice on techniques and provides medical weight loss strategies. Each patient receives Dr. Urshan’s undivided attention and personalized care. The Dr. Urshan Weight Loss Program is a safe and effective way to lose weight in just 40 days. The program focuses on enhancing health on a cellular level, addressing adrenal fatigue, supporting thyroid inefficiencies and positively influencing hormonal stability to help you lose weight and keep it off.
Intermittent fasting is one of the most popular health and fitness trends, according to Healthline, with many people using it to lose weight and improve their health. Intermittent fasting can help you lose weight and keep it off – no more yo-yoing up and down the scale!
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