What Is Intermittent Fasting?

Fasting has been happening throughout evolution. Back in the day, hunters and gatherers went through prolonged periods of time when they were unable to find or hunt anything to eat. This forced our bodies to evolve so we would be able to function without food for extended periods of time.

In modern times, people generally do intermittent fasting for one of two reasons: as a weight-loss tool or for gut health. The majority of people trying to lose weight choose intermittent fasting as it restricts when you should eat, as opposed to what you should eat. This works well for those who find it hard to stick to a specific meal plan.

There are many different versions of fasting. Let's look at the main ones.

The 16/8 method involves fasting every day for about 16 hours and restricting your daily eating window to approximately 8 hours.

The 5:2 diet involves eating what you typically eat 5 days of the week and restricting your calorie intake to 500 to 600 calories for 2 days of the week.

The 24-hour fast involves a full-day fast once or twice per week. It does not matter if it runs from midnight to midnight or from lunchtime to the following day's lunchtime, it just needs to be a complete 24 hours.

In alternate-day fasting, you fast every other day (one day on, one day off).

Many studies have looked at intermittent fasting as an eating pattern. Some findings worth knowing about:

Breaking it down, fasting works for weight management because it is a tool to restrict your daily or weekly calorie intake. We all know people who have trialled intermittent fasting and lost weight. While they lost weight during the fasting period, it boils down to the fact that they were simply eating less. The first rule of fat loss is that if we burn more calories than we consume, this puts us in a calorie deficit and causes a reduction in body fat.

Intermittent fasting is certainly not for everyone and is especially not recommended if you:

• Are diabetic
• Have problems with blood sugar regulation
• Have low blood pressure
• Are underweight
• Have a history of eating disorders
• Are a woman who is trying to conceive
• Are pregnant or breastfeeding

If any of the above applies to you, talk to your doctor before changing your eating pattern.

All that being said, intermittent fasting is generally considered safer and more sustainable than other popular diets or plans, such as the ketogenic diet, and similar diets that restrict you from eating a balanced range of foods. There is nothing inherently harmful about not eating for a while if you are healthy and well-nourished overall.

Intermittent fasting is not something that everyone needs to do. It is simply one of many lifestyle strategies that can support your health goals. Eating real food, exercising, and making sure you get enough sleep are still the most important factors to focus on.