Intermittent fasting is a great way to slim down, become more focused and stay fit without changing the way you’ve been eating or even changing the diet you are currently on.
When you’re intermittent fasting, you will eat much less because your appetite will decrease over time. It is great option for those that want to reduce the number of calories you consume.
You fast by only eating during a specified duration (eating window) which can last anywhere from 5 to 8 hours. Any other time outside this window will mean that you’re fasting and can’t eat anything.
There are two basic protocols that people work from – the 16/8 protocol, where you fast for 16 hours and eat during an 8-hour window… or the 24-hour protocol where you don’t eat for 24 hours.
There are people who have lost up to 12 pounds just by fasting. While a lot of it will be water weight, you would have lost quite a bit of fat too.
For the remainder of this chapter we will refer to intermittent fasting as IF.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Besides losing weight, IF does come with the following benefits.
- Insulin levels drop – During ketosis there is a low level of insulin in your blood. This results in fat burning. Couple this with IF and you are a walking, talking fat-burning machine.
- Weight loss – When you’re in a fasted state, you’ll notice that your stomach “shrinks”, which results in you eating less and losing more fat.
- Lower risk of Type 2 Diabetes – As your insulin decreases due to IF, it will also lower your blood sugar levels. IF has been used in clinical studies which have proven this to be true.
- Reduce Stress – Not just any stress but oxidative stress which causes aging. People who fast intermittently look younger.
- Healthy Heart – IF can reduce risks for heart disease such as cholesterol and blood pressure.
- Activate cellular repair – Your body begins to dump a lot of waste including water and starts to repair itself.
- Fights cancer –Fasting can slow down the growth of cancer cells and even stop cancer from taking root in your body.
These benefits are only scratching the surface as to what can be achieved with intermittent fasting.
