BODY by BRUNEAU: TIP OF THE WEEK
INTERMITTENT FASTING. WHAT IS IT? DOES IT IMPROVE WEIGHT LOSS?
INTERMITTENT FASTING (“I.F.”) IS SHORT TERM REGULAR FASTING, TYPICALLY FOR WEIGHT LOSS BUT ALSO CONTAINING OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS. THIS TYPICALLY TAKES THE FORM OF FASTING FOR A PERIOD OF TIME BETWEEN 16-48 HOURS IN REGULAR INTERVALS. NOT ONLY CAN THIS TACTIC PUT YOU IN A CALORIC DEFICIT DEPENDING ON WHICH I.F. STRATEGY YOU CHOOSE, IT’S ALSO DESIGNED TO SPEED UP YOUR METABOLISM FOR THE PERIODS OF TIME YOU DO EAT FOOD.
VARIOUS DIFFERENT I.F. STRATEGIES THAT HAVE GAINED POPULARITY OVER THE YEARS. WHICH VERSION AN INDIVIDUAL DECIDES UPON DEPENDS ON THE PERSONS GOAL AND ALSO WHAT WORKS BEST FOR THEIR LIFE SCHEDULE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIP TO FOOD AND EATING.
HERE IS A QUICK LIST OF THE MOST COMMON I.F. SCHEDULES:
16/8 – THIS IS WHEN YOU FAST FOR 16 HOURS AND THEN EAT YOUR FULL MEALS WITHIN AN 8 HOUR PERIOD. THIS IS DONE EVERYDAY.
22 DAY WEEKEND FASTING – THIS IS WHEN YOU EAT NORMALLY MONDAY THRU FRIDAY. ON THE WEEKEND, YOU LIMIT YOUR CALORIE INTAKE TO 400-500 CALORIES.
24 HOUR FASTING – THIS IS WHEN YOU SKIP A FULL 24 HOUR OF EATING, ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK.
ALTERNATING FASTING – THIS IS WHEN YOU FAST FOR A FULL 24 HOURS, THEN EAT NORMALLY FOR A DAY, THEN FAST FOR ANOTHER 24 HOURS. THIS ALTERNATES EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. OVERALL, I.F. IS SEEN BY THE PUBLIC AS A MORE SUCCESSFUL WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT. HOWEVER, STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT I.F. RARELY IMPROVES WEIGHT LOSS COMPARED TO “TRADITIONAL” CALORIE RESTRICTION DIETS.