Intermittent fasting is one of the health and fitness trends that is trending at the moment. Practitioners are utilizing it to improve their health, lose weight, and generally regulate their lifestyle. It not only can help you to lose weight, it can also have significant effects on your mind and hormones.
What is Intermittent Fasting
Although intermittent fasting is primarily utilized to lose weight, it shouldn’t be confused with a diet. A diet determines what you eat in terms of quantity and actual food items. Intermittent fasting is actually an eating pattern; it determines when you eat. The most common intermittent fasting eating cycle typically involves either fasting for 16-hour periods every day or for 24 hours twice a week. In theory, it is meant to mimic eating patterns of Ancient hunter-gatherer societies. Ancient man did not have access to super markets; food wasn’t guaranteed so they had no choice but to evolve in order to go extended periods of time without food. Due to this, fasting can be considered to be more natural than eating 3 square meals a day.
How Fasting Affects Insulin in Body
Fasting can affect your body in a few different ways that can affect your weight. The most significant way is it actually adjusts your hormones and insulin sensitive. Specifically, it affects the human growth hormone which can help with fat loss and muscle gain. And the changes to insulin sensitivity increases the release of the fat burning hormone, norepinephrine.
The most significant way it helps you lose weight is by adjusting your caloric intake. Intermittent fasting by default helps you to eat fewer meals. Fasting also works to adjust your metabolism by changing up your eating schedule. It is a great way to reduce belly fat.
Eating high fiber foods will suppress hunger during fast time. Fruits, nuts and protein rich foods work best as a meal when you have fasted for long hours and broken it. Drinking water from a water bottle, herbal tea, tea and beverages that won’t add to calories work well to keep your hunger pangs at bay while you are fasting long hours.
