Intermittent fasting is a common and effective way to lose weight. This diet is suitable for those who want to lose weight quickly before an important date or event. Jennifer Aniston and Miranda Kerr sit down periodically, their personalities can be envied.
In short, you can eat whatever you want (within reason) for 8 hours, but you still have to starve.
Intermittent fasting: The right plan to lose weight
For most people, the word diet is associated with severe food restrictions. Thoughts immediately arise that you will have to not only give up your favorite goodies but also starve. Therefore, intermittent fasting has been created for women (and men too).
This is not a diet in its purest form, but close to it. It is convenient that a specific menu is not attached to it, and you can choose dishes yourself.
Although the method has its own nuances, we will talk about them in detail.
What is the essence of intermittent fasting?
- The essence of intermittent fasting is that you starve for 16 consecutive hours a day, and the rest of the time (you have as much as 8 hours left!) You can eat whatever you want.
- You have different products at your disposal, but to get the effect, it is advisable to give up simple carbohydrates. These are the ones that digest very quickly and have a high glycemic index.
- Immediately, we note that doctors object to fasting and recommend adhering to proper nutrition always and not overeating.
- However, many nutritionists support this particular regimen, giving it preference over, for example, a more rigid diet for rapid weight loss.
- Intermittent fasting requires adherence to a special scheme. That is, if you have breakfast at 9 am, then the last meal should be before 5 pm.
- At the same time, it should be understood that if you do not limit yourself to fast food and soda, then this diet is unlikely to work.
- Therefore, be reasonable and do not lean on sweets, pastries, and fried wings at the right time.
Is intermittent fasting effective?
Nutritionists believe that this diet is very effective, but not for everyone. Intermittent fasting has its undeniable advantages, but it also has its drawbacks.
For example, if a girl has problems with the digestive system (gastritis or peptic ulcer), then she should not take long breaks between meals.
And one more thing the first meal after a long break should be the most satisfying, the calorie content should decrease by the end of the day.
Intermittent fasting relies on hours of eating and a huge break from it. As a result, the body adapts to the scheme, forming the amount of energy necessary for itself.
When choosing your intermittent fasting time, keep in mind that it can be difficult at first. There will be a constant desire to have a snack or even a hearty dinner.
Out of habit, you may feel hungry (16 hours is not a joke!). To overcome it and not break loose, we advise you to drink green tea, a glass of kefir, or water.
Contraindications for intermittent fasting
We briefly mentioned the problems of the gastrointestinal tract, which are in the first place in the list of contraindications.
If you have to eat by the hour, no longer eating breaks can be talked about. Even if the menu for beginners is thoughtful and balanced, intermittent fasting is not suitable in the following cases:
- Pregnancy and lactation
- Diabetes
- Age up to 18 years
- Cholelithiasis
- Deficiency of vitamins and minerals in the body
- Eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia)
- Anemia
- Thrombophlebitis
Even if you notice that the body responds positively to long breaks in food, you should not stick to the regimen for longer.
Studies show that the effects may be different over time after long-term experiments. But often on the forums, you can find real reviews that intermittent fasting brought not only a feeling of lightness and a surge of strength.
At the beginning or in the middle of the journey, the girls felt weak and dizzy. In this case, it is better to postpone the hunger strike, slightly change the method of intermittent fasting (reducing the break between meals) and eat something healthy, such as a vegetable salad.
Women over 40 should try intermittent fasting with caution. Blood sugar control may worsen or glucose tolerance may decrease.
After such a diet, the menstrual cycle may be disrupted or other hormonal disruptions may occur. Before embarking on an experiment with food, at any age, you should consult a doctor.
Not only is there a risk of earning health problems that were not there (or an exacerbation of diseases), but also to come to an eating disorder.
How do I stop intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting has certain schemes, the menu of which is suitable for women who are ready to give up heavy meat dinners and pizza.
Exit the mode should be very careful you can not pounce on fatty high-calorie foods, fill a narrowed stomach. Otherwise, everything superfluous will immediately return to its place.
Gradually reduce the time intervals between meals, and add easily digestible foods to the diet salads, puree soups, vegetables, and fruits.
In addition to the fact that during intermittent fasting the body takes energy through the breakdown of fats (thanks to this, you quickly lose weight), detoxification (cleansing) also occurs, concentration improves, and blood sugar and cholesterol levels decrease.
Before you start practicing intermittent fasting, take a photo to compare the result before and after your marathon.
Types of intermittent fasting
There are different intermittent fasting schemes that are suitable for women starting their weight loss journey.
Each order implies a simple schedule. It indicates the hours during which you can eat food and when to refuse it completely.
16/8 Intermittent fasting
- 16/8 is a classic intermittent fasting regimen for beginners. It is generally accepted that it is a sparing regimen that the body can confidently cope with.
- It's very simple for eight hours you eat, and for the next 16 hours, you starve. Half of that time is spent sleeping, which makes things a little easier.
- In the hours of refusal to eat, there is a decrease in the level of insulin in the blood. For this reason, body fat can release stored sugar to use as missing energy.
- The menu for intermittent fasting according to the 16/8 scheme is easy to choose, fitting into breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- For example, you can have breakfast at 10 o'clock and have dinner at 18. By the way, for beginners, the 14/12 option may also be suitable so as not to experience a strong feeling of hunger.
18/6 Intermittent fasting
- This period is stricter than the previous one and is suitable for those who are already familiar with the principles of fasting. The body burns fat stores even more because you leave it hungry longer.
- You can choose the most convenient intermittent fasting interval when you are most comfortable without food.
20/4 Intermittent fasting
- Nutritionists consider this scheme dangerous. Even the strongest and healthiest organisms can suffer from such a scheme due to a lack of calories.
- As a rule, in 4 hours it is really possible to have time to eat only once. Still, to facilitate a difficult task, it is recommended to take a break between the first and last meal of no more than 10 hours.
What is a good menu for intermittent fasting?
Choosing for yourself the optimal period of intermittent fasting, it is important to take care of the menu for the next week it's comfortable.
As we already mentioned, you don’t have to run around the shops in search of rare products, but the more healthy food you have in your diet, the better the result.
Nutritionists suggested what foods must be present so that you can get the necessary vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and fiber.
- Any fresh fruit.
- Any fresh vegetables.
- Porridge.
- Muesli.
- Chicken or turkey.
- Fish.
- Dairy and dairy products.
Intermittent fasting reviews
In general, nutritionists do not recommend sitting on any of the suggested regimens for more than two weeks.
During the first week of intermittent fasting, you can lose about 2-3 extra pounds. True, at first, excess fluid usually goes away, especially if you try to avoid too salty foods, smoked foods, fast food, and sweets. As a result, in 14 days you can lose about five kilograms.
Reviews of real people speak of the pronounced effect of intermittent fasting. Many note that they were able to quickly get rid of extra pounds.
However, this fact depends on a number of circumstances - age, initial weight, and physical activity. The more weight, the stronger the result will be noticeable at first because a lot of water will go away.
In general, nutritionists do not recommend sitting on any of the suggested regimens for more than two weeks.
During the first week of intermittent fasting, you can lose about 2-3 extra pounds. True, at first, excess fluid usually goes away, especially if you try to avoid too salty foods, smoked foods, fast food, and sweets. As a result, in 14 days you can lose about five kilograms.
Reviews of real people speak of the pronounced effect of intermittent fasting. Many note that they were able to quickly get rid of extra pounds.
However, this fact depends on a number of circumstances - age, initial weight, and physical activity. The more weight, the stronger the result will be noticeable at first because a lot of water will go away.
Most of the reviews about intermittent fasting relate to the 16/8 scheme since it looks more or less sparing.
So, Donna W. Valdes from North Charleston (34 years old) wrote on one of the forums that the diet suited her, but she planned to hold out for a month. She did not succeed, because the work schedule (night shifts) did not allow it. The body couldn't adjust.
She found a way out and began to eat according to the scheme during the holidays. However, in four weeks she lost only 4 kg, although she practically did not use the “prohibition”. The girl came to the conclusion that the regime is suitable for those who need to throw off quite a bit.