The 7 Best Methods of Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting decreases oxidative damage and inflammation in the body, thus preventing aging and systemic inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis.
Your metabolism needs a break from the constant influx of food.

Intermittent fasting also triggers a metabolic pathway called autophagy, this comes from the Latin word “auto” meaning self, and “phagy” meaning consume.
Cells that are too old, badly damaged, or do not function properly undergo this metabolic pathway, to be replaced by new able and potent cells.
The results can be great, not only regarding weight loss but also giving you protection against diseases such as Alzheimer’s or even cancer.

What is Intermittent Fasting all about?

Intermittent fasting is just a re-branding of something that you have already been doing, as your body enters a fasting state every time you sleep.
Some people might be doing intermittent fasting and not even know it.
Fasting is not starving, because when you are fasting your body uses stored nutrients and stored energy forms in order to make your body continue to function.
Starving, on the other hand, means that you run out of your usual energy sources and are breaking down vital tissues like organs to get that same energy.

The different types of Intermittent Fasting

There are many different ways to go about embarking on an IF diet, such as:

Overnight Fasting is the simplest and easiest type to implement and involves fasting for a 12-hour period every day.

The 16/8 Method requires fasting for 16 hours each day.

The 5:2 Diet involves fasting for 2 days per week.

Eat-Stop-Eat entails doing a 24-hour fast, once or twice a week.

Alternate-Day Fasting requires fasting every other day.

The Warrior Diet involves fasting during the day and eating a big meal at night.

Spontaneous Meal Skipping involves skipping meals when it is convenient for you.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting include:

Increase mental sharpness
Favorable hormonal profile
Weight loss
Decreased inflammation within the body
Decreased chance of certain diseases within the body

How can Intermittent Fasting help you lose weight?

You will have an increase in growth hormone and a decrease in insulin and that alone will help you lose weight.
Also, because you are skipping meals or even going a day without eating, it’s very likely that when you take this approach over a week, you will be consuming fewer calories.

Other health benefits of Intermittent Fasting:

Chronic stress is not good for the body, it causes higher heart rates and higher blood pressure.
Intermittent fasting by comparison is really a form of acute short-term mild stress.
This type of acute short-term stress is actually good for the body.
The benefits include the removal of cellular waste, more production of neurotrophic factors which protect your brain, and a favorable hormonal profile with increases in human growth hormone and norepinephrine.

Cons of Intermittent Fasting:

The IB diet would not be recommended if you are going through menopause and already gaining weight
Your nervous system is already stressed from all the hormonal changes it is going through
Depriving your body of food, will trigger a panic response, causing your body to hold onto food even more and you might actually gain weight instead of losing weight
There is not enough guidance as to what you should eat
Not knowing how much you should eat
Not knowing what food to eat on the days or times that you are actually eating
Not knowing how many calories you should consume
Not knowing which form of IF diet is best suited for you
There are some side effects that you might experience, such as:
- Headaches
- Mental fog
- Heartburn
Not enough research has been done on the consequences of following an intermittent fasting diet long-term
Most of the studies done so far, are on the short-term effects of intermittent fasting