Intermittent fasting has become quite the phenomenon these days. Recent studies showed that people who tried it have lost weight, increased health, and believed to have a long lifespan. Basically, intermittent fasting is a pattern of eating that alternates between periods of fasting, usually consuming only water, and non-fasting, usually eating anything a person want no matter how fattening. In other words, a person can eat anything he wants during a 24-hour period and fast for the next 24 hours. This approach to weight control seems to be supported by science, as well as religious and cultural practices around the globe. Adherents of intermittent fasting claim that this practice is a way to become more circumspect about food.
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There are many different popular intermittent fasts and hundreds more possible variations. There are two kinds of intermittent fasts that are most basic and frequently used. First is the daily fasting in which the person only gets to eat once every 20-28 hours within a 4-hour period. The second is fasting for 1-3x a week, also called alternate day fasting, in which a person eats anything he wants on one day and fast the whole of next day.
Intermittent fasting has many beneficial effects as tested on animals like rodents and primates. One study found that there has been a "reduced serum glucose and insulin levels and increased resistance of neurons in the brain to excitotoxic stress". In 2008, a study on intermittent fasting showed that lifespan increases of 40.4% and 56.6% in C. elegans for alternate day (24 hour) and two-of-each-three day (48 hour) fasting, respectively, as compared to an ad libitum diet. And a 2009 study showed that intermittent fasting on rats improved long-term survival after chronic 14/10 intermittent fasting heart failure via pro-angiogenic, anti-apoptotic and anti-remodeling effects.
Researchers caution that only a few studies have been done on humans who are practicing intermittent fasts. The effects of exercise and meal frequency on body composition are an interesting but largely unexplored area of research. However, there are some positive results. Just last month, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a study showing that reducing calories 30% a day increased the memory function of the elderly. In 2007, the journal Free Radical Biology & Medicine published a study that showed asthma patients who fasted had fewer symptoms, better airway function and a decrease in the markers of inflammation in the blood than those who didn't fast.
With so many diet trends out there, it is hard to determine which one to try. Many of use spend more time on the yo-yo that we actually gain most of the weight back thus counteracting our desired results. Fasting may or may not be tried by many of us. When we do try this type of dieting, we don't usually do this correctly or become frustrated by the restrictions that we give up. We end up feeling as though we wasted our time, effort and energy only to end up empty handed with the results.
Intermittent fasting is not something very many have heard about. This is due to the fact that it is a fairly new way of eating. I am sure this new form of eating is soon to sweep the nation with benefits we could all enjoy. With this diet, one can be expected to not only lose weight but you could possibly live longer as well. When this diet is done properly, your body can become better equipped to deal with the health conditions it may or not face in the future. This diet is very simple but the rewards are nothing but. You will lose weight, burn that stubborn fat, hold on to lean muscle and even boost your growth hormone. After all that time you spent on the yo-yo, why not give this a try?
There are no restrictions with what you are able to eat while on the Intermittent Fasting Diet. Yep, reach for that greasy hamburger or fattening fries, have at it. You will only be limited on the periods between eating and fasting. For the first twenty four hours, you are let loose to eat as much and want of your favorite things. However, the next twenty four hours consist of nothing but water. Your likely to be so stuffed that you won't want anything but water anyway. Continue this cycle and that is it. This eat stop eat method of dieting is sure to work for you.
You will lose fat with this diet but, not because you're eating less. You are actually consuming the same about of calories as if you didn't fast with water on the second day. This process allows you the best of both worlds. You still get to eat all your favorites while losing the weight you want. It should be fairly easy to introduce intermittent fasting into you're your lifestyle if you already have fairly good eating habits. The only difference is that you don't eat some days. You are still able to go about your business as usual and still reap the benefits.
Doctors and scientists have agreed for years that the one true form of weight management is calorie restriction. Calorie restriction will work for you each and every time if you are able to stick with it. Most people who try calorie restricted diets often fall off the wagon because they are hungry all the time. Despite the fact that you're eating everyday on a calorie restricted diet, you usually don't care for what you're eating. Intermittent fasting however, gives you the control of what you are eating thus leaving you satisfied when you leave the dinner table. If you don't feel like you are dieting, you're more likely to stick with it.