Is skipping breakfast with intermittent fasting the key to reaching your goals?
What exactly is intermittent fasting? Intermittent fasting is a type of eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting, and it is incredibly popular in the health and fitness industry more recently than it ever has been. There are three types of methods of intermittent fasting.
One method is called the 16:8 method. This involves fasting every day for 14 to 16 hours and restricting your daily eating window for 8 to 10 hours. Between these times you can fit in two, three, or even more meals. The 5:2 diet involves eating completely normal, five days a week and restricting your calorie intake two days of the week to just 500 to 600 cal. The last method is called eat stop eat. It involves a 24 hour fasting period once or twice per week. So what are the actual benefits?
When you don’t eat for a while, your body will initiate important cellular repair processes while also changing your hormone levels. This makes stored fat more accessible.
Most people who adopt this diet do so with the goal of weight loss. Intermittent fasting will generally make you eat fewer meals. Unless you overcompensate other meals by eating more, you will eat fewer calories, resulting in weight loss.
The main feature of type two diabetes is high blood sugar levels in the context of insulin resistance. Intermittent fasting has been shown to reduce blood levels by 3 to 6%.
More often than not, if something is good for your body, it is bound to be good for your brain as well. Intermittent fasting can reduce oxidative stress, reduce inflammation, and reduce blood sugar levels. Additionally, it also increases levels of a brain hormone called BDNF. This is a deficiency called brain-derived neurotrophic factor which has been implicated in depression. It may also help increase the growth of new neurons in the brain for damage.
Before you decide to start any new lifestyle change, you should absolutely consult your primary care physician or even a nutritionist. Intermittent fasting has proven really effective for thousands of people around the world with reason. However, not every diet is created equal for each human. Find what works for you and you’ll start to reach your fitness and health goals in no time.
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