Intermittent fasting is a buzzworthy lifestyle pattern in which you schedule when you eat and when you don’t eat.
Two terms: eating and fasting.
Do you think about how and when you want to eat? Or do you just wake and open the refrigerator and start eating? Or vice versa, do you start off your day on a fast and wait until mid-day to eat?
Julia Zumpano RDN, LD of Cleveland Clinic explained the critical facts about intermittent fasting.
Let’s get into it this high value health and wellness cycle.
Does intermittent fasting work?
The most important facts of intermittent fasting are:
- “It can reduce blood triglyceride values and insulin to support weight loss”; and
- “It can aid in the reduction of inflammation” in the body, Zumpano explains.
What is intermittent fasting not?
- A way to diet by starving yourself.
- Omitting all drinks during the fasting period (beverages like tea, water and black coffee).
When diving into intermittent fasting, the initial decision you have to make is the schedule that makes the most sense for your lifestyle.
What are the 3 most common types of intermittent fasting?
#1 The 5:2 method
This is “where individuals eat normally for five days a week and restrict their calorie intake to 500–600 calories on the remaining two non-consecutive days.”
#2 Alternate day fasting
“This involves alternating between days of eating normally and days of complete fasting or consuming only a small meal (approx. 500 calories).”
#3 Time-restricted eating
This involves “fasting 16 hours and having an 8-hour eating window.”
What is the most successful type of intermittent fasting?
“Time restricted eating is the most popular,” Zumpano sad. “This involves a daily fast of 16 hours and an 8-hour eating window.”
“I find this one to be the easiest for patients to adjust to and stick to long term with the least amount of side effects,” she said.
How long does it take for the average person to adjust to intermittent fasting?
This is highly relative depending on where you’re starting (what your typical day of eating looks like).
“Anywhere from a few days to a few weeks,” Zumpano explained.
What are the top 3 most common side effects of intermittent fasting?
#1 Fatigue
#2 Hunger
#3 Poor concentration
The major benefit of following the time-restricted eating pattern is it “tends to have the least amount of side effects and most clinical outcomes data,” Zumpano said.
Her advice if you are about to start intermittent fasting? Go at it smart and gradual.
“I suggest my patients begin with a 12-hour fast overnight and increase their fasting window to 14-18 hours depending on their health history and health goals,” Zumpano explained.
As we know in many areas of health, wellness and life, working our way up to a desired goal or outcome tends to have the best long-term success.
When we go from 0 to 100 it can be overwhelming, stressful, and easy to shift back to unhealthy habits.
What is the #1 reason to try intermittent fasting?
“It helps decrease unnecessary evening snacking and helps create a eating schedule,” she said.
For individuals with chronic disease (such as diabetes) “it can be if done under supervision of a health professional. It is not advised for certain chronic diseases such as Cancer, Malnutrition, Underweight, or Type 1 or poorly managed Type 2 DM,” Zumpano explains.
Learning these facts from an expert on intermittent fasting are so important in order to best educate yourself on if this is something that could be beneficial to you and align with your current or future health goals.
This website does not provide medical advice. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a medical professional or other qualified health care provider on any health matter or question.