For those who are attempting to reduce weight, get in shape, or just live a better lifestyle, Intermittent Fasting is a familiar term.
Finding truth in the avalanche of information that constantly bombards us is the most challenging part of following any trend.
Anyone who has a blog, podcast, or social media platform and wants to write regarding intermittent fasting can do so without the fear of being called out on their misinformation about the practice.
This results in an assault of half-accurate and partially fraudulent material, which may be intimidating if you have a sincere interest in the subject matter. It is essential to know the myths and facts about Intermittent Fasting.
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What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a technique that includes juggling between times of fasting and eating – and has lately gained popularity. It entails more than simply refraining from eating for a while. It’s more like a pattern of eating, to be honest.
During intermittent fasting, you pick spells to eat and extended stretches to refrain from eating. For example, the 16/8 technique, also known as early time-restricted feeding (eTRF) and early time-restricted eating, is a common style of fasting.
You fast for 16 hrs and eat only within an 8-hour window throughout the day. Each day when you sleep, you are already putting yourself through a form of fasting.
Intermittent Fasting Myths You Should Know
It is starvation
Intermittent fasting is not the same as being hungry; instead, it is a scheduled pause in food consumption for relatively brief periods, undertaken willingly for the sake of health and wellness.
One prevalent misconception about intermittent fasting is that it causes your body to go into famine mode, causing your metabolism to slow down.
When food is limited, such as during famine or conflict, those starving do so out of need. Extended calorie restriction can make the body get used to the lack of nutrients and enter a state of famine. Meaning the body drastically slows metabolic rate as a strategy of preserving its life.
Intermittent fasting is a long cry from being on a diet of deprivation.
It Slows Down Your Metabolism
The good thing is science has proven that Intermittent Fasting doesn’t slow down your metabolism.
The proportion of lean (muscle) mass you have is the primary engine of your metabolism. More importantly, intermittent fasting results in a minimal loss of lean mass compared to fat mass.
On the other hand, research has demonstrated that you may lose weight by restricting your calorie intake over a sustained time; however, around one-third of the weight lost comes from lean muscle tissue.
As you may assume, this might result in a decreased metabolic rate over time, encouraging weight regaining.
Also, there is evidence proving that maintaining an alternate day fasting diet for just 21 days results in a significant increase in the number of fat grams burnt over a 24-hour period, going from 64 grams per day to 101 grams per day after implementing this program.
There is only one type of intermittent fasting
We can divide the Intermittent fasting regimens into numerous categories. For instance, in the case of TRE patterns, your day is divided into periods of eating and fasting.
According to health experts, 16:8 is the most prevalent variety of TRE. You fast for 16 hours and consume the whole of your daily calories during an 8-hour eating window.
Aside from regular eating windows varying from 12 hours to one hour, other popular TRE routines provide one meal a day (OMAD) fasting.
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Skipping breakfast makes you fat
An essential meal of the day is breakfast with which we start our day. The truth is, although some individuals believe that breakfast is necessary for their health, research has revealed it is not.
According to fitness experts and coaches, there is no difference in weight reduction between those who have breakfast and those who do not.
Fasting makes it difficult to focus
There’s no compelling evidence to confirm that Intermittent Fasting has a deleterious impact on cognitive processes.
Studies have shown that fasting for brief periods, either during Ramadan or for health purposes, can actually increase cognitive performance by encouraging faster learning and improved memory.
You need Protein in every meal for muscle growth
According to research, taking your protein in smaller, more frequent quantities has no effect on muscle mass.
To grow muscle, you do not need to consume protein every couple of hours or to consume 20 to 30 grams of protein with every meal and snack, as is commonly believed.
Intermittent fasting helps people grow muscle while also losing body fat. The goal is to consume enough total calories (and protein) before and after your strength-training activities to grow muscle.
Some of the Significant Intermittent Fasting Facts
Insulin resistance
By reducing leptin, the hormone produced by fat cells to control appetite, and boosting adiponectin, a hormone that plays a significant part in glucose and lipid metabolism, intermittent fasting and weight reduction may significantly minimize fasting blood glucose & increase insulin sensitivity.
People who occasionally fasted had reduced blood glucose levels. It happens to be a fundamental objective in the prevention and treatment of diabetes.
In several studies, fasting was employed as a weight-loss intervention and a method for maintaining a healthy weight. The results were positive.
Intermittent Fasting reduces calorie intake. Hence, these potential benefits might well be driven by decreased body weight and fat percentage due to low calories.
Research has shown that intermittent fasting positively affects blood sugar levels, too, when done consistently.
Weight Loss
The practice of intermittent fasting can be a very effective technique for weight reduction. It allows your metabolism to switch from burning carbs for energy to fat-burning stored in your body.
In fact, according to a comprehensive assessment of research, intermittent fasting can result in an average weight reduction of 7 to 10 pounds for 10 weeks.
Furthermore, those who practice intermittent fasting naturally consume fewer calories. This is because their eating period is squeezed into eight hours or less, instead of the typical 14-hour (or longer!) meal window.
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Brain Health and Function
Intermittent fasting may aid in the improvement of memory and mental performance. Also, it maintains the brain health and function by shielding neurons in the brain from degradation and malfunction.
Evidence suggests intermittent fasting may be a beneficial intervention in neurodegenerative disorders such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke, among other conditions.
It’s important to remember that it’s not only the act of fasting that may have these potential advantages.
Other factors such as reduced inflammation, weight loss, and improved blood sugar levels have all been related to enhanced brain function.
Healthier Aging
A process known as autophagy occurs when the body is fasting and is responsible for the breakdown and removal of damaged cells.
In turn, this makes room for cellular regeneration, which can aid in promoting improved skin and hair health and defending against degenerative illnesses like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Conclusion
Well, being healthy and fit is not very challenging if you have the right information available. No matter the type of diet or fitness regime you follow, you must always debunk the myths and learn facts about them. I hope this article has let you understand Intermittent Fasting in detail while helping you avoid the myths going around it.
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