What is fasting | What is intermittent fasting | Intermittent fasting hours | Benefits of intermittent fasting |
What is fasting?
Fasting is a willful refrain from eating and sometimes drinking(1).
There are many reasons why individuals would take part in fasting, like health, spiritual and even political. It is also important to note that fasting is different from starving.
What is intermittent fasting?
This is a concept that suggests you skip 1 or 2 meals in a row in order to tap into your own body fat stores and to achieve a greater level of metabolic flexibility.
It is very popular with individuals that are on the keto diet(2).
Examples could be eating two meals a day in a short period of time called a “window”, which can vary in hours.
Hundreds of animal studies and scores of human clinical trials have shown that intermittent fasting can lead to improvements in health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers and neurological disorders. (3)
Intermittent fasting hours.
The number of hours that you choose to fast depends on you because it is important to remember that each individual is different and their tolerance levels will differ as well.
That said there is a popular recommended number to start.
12 / 12
This is usually the mark that is recommended for beginners. You will fast for 12 and eat within a 12-hour window. It also helps you learn about food awareness(when you are eating and when you are not) and helps you keep your calories in check. (4)
It can also help with mitochondrial health and gut health. (5)
16 / 8
The 16/8 is more of an intermediate level, where you fast for 16 hours and an 8-hour window of eating. This type of fasting has many more fasting benefits compared to the 12-hour fasting mentioned above.
Some of the benefits are Insulin levels drop(6), metabolic flexibility(7), calorie restriction(8), Autophagy(9) and the list goes on.
24 - 36
We are now in the more advanced section, and in this part, you fast for 24 hours, 36 hours or even more.
This should not be done continuously, but maybe once a month, because it can lead to muscle loss.
Benefits of intermittent fasting.
For people trying to lose weight, the main purpose of intermittent fasting is to help restrict their calories, but it has many more health benefits.
Metabolic Flexibility
Our bodies have two main energy sources, Fats and Carbohydrates. With metabolic flexibility, your body is able to use both sources, which is not the case for most people. (10)
Because of the extended periods of no eating, the body will tap into the fat stores for energy when the energy from the crabs has been depleted.
Calorie restriction
Eating food in a given window helps you pay close attention to what you are eating and the times you are eating. This can also prevent you from snacking on food that can add to your calories. (11)
Don’t get it twisted, eating in caloric surplus while intermittent fasting will not lead to weight loss. Instead, you can think of intermittent fasting as a measure to prevent overeating and snacking because you can only eat so much in a short period of time.
Insulin regulation
Insulin is a hormone that helps convert carbs into glycogen and fats, and if your diet is fairly high in carbs, the insulin tends to spike and if your meals are frequent for a long period of time this can lead to craving causing you to eat even more. (12)
If your food is scheduled within a short window this limits the number of insulin spikes you can have in a day, preventing graving and being able to use the stored fat in the body.
Finally
It is important to note that when starting intermittent fasting, start slow by maybe skipping breakfast and having lunch and dinner, or whichever meal you feel will be easier for you to start with. And if it doesn’t work for you, then just don’t do it, it’s not the end of the world.
Instead, try to find something that works for you.
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