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More and more good things are being heard about intermittent fasting. The use of an eating window during the day shows quite a few advantages. But it is worth mentioning at the outset – it is not a type of nutrition for everyone. Although the body is able to adapt flexibly after time to the rigors it imposes, some inconveniences, especially at the beginning, cannot be jumped over – you have to face them. What are the characteristics of intermittent fasting, what are its types, and is it a temporary trend or a valuable and beneficial way of eating?
IF diet – rules
The Intermittent Fasting diet involves eating meals during specific gaps – food windows throughout the day. The remaining hours of the day are a period of fasting, which is interrupted by another window. The main purpose of following such a diet is to reduce (lose weight) or feel better and more comfortable on a daily basis. The best way to present the principles of this diet is through a basic and most commonly used example:
IF 16/8
Fasting IF 16/8 is based on the fact that 8 hours in to lasts the eating window, during which one must consume all the meals planned for the day with the appropriate energy balance, while 16 is the number of hours during which no food or beverages that provide energy to the body can be taken in. As can be seen from the example, a person undertaking the IF16/8 diet fasts for 16 hours a day and during this time can only drink beverages that have no calories.
Food windows and their types
Of course, IF 16/8 is not the only type of this diet. In fact, the advantage of this diet is that the type of eating window can be tailored to you individually. What are the other types of Intermittent Fasting diet?
Intermittent fasting by day (time-restricted feeding):
14/10, 16/8, 20/4 or 19/5 – these are the types of possible intermittent fasting diet models, where the first value is the duration of fasting, while the second value is the time of eating. Some dietary windows are simpler to follow, while others are quite strict, so when deciding to embark on this style of eating, it is worth choosing the optimal model to suit your own lifestyle.
Intermittent fasting by week (alternate-day fasting):
This diet can also function in the form of fasting based on all-day starvation (one day without eating and 6 days of normal nutrition) or half-starvation, that is, alternating one day of normal nutrition and one day based on taking meals with a total caloric intake of 500 kcal.
Is IF a fad or a diet worth following?
Although the Intermittent Fasting diet has become louder relatively recently, it is taking the hearts of more people by storm. And the reason for this is the benefits of intermittent fasting outlined from everywhere. The use of this type of starvation affects weight reduction, regulates the body’s sugar balance, helps burn body fat and regulates cholesterol. However, in fact, many of these advantages can be attributed primarily to the fact that during the self-imposed rigor of fasting, snacks, both sweet and salty, as well as not infrequently alcohol, are restricted, which is precisely due to the inability to take them outside of food windows.
Unfortunately, the use of fasting also has disadvantages – and can be rather difficult for most people to implement. Starvation can cause:
-decreased concentration and lack of energy,
-taking in too few calories in the dietary window, which can also affect the reduction of lean body mass, not just body fat content,
-consuming too many unhealthy and highly processed products in the food window.
In addition, the use of intermittent fasting is also not recommended for people struggling with diabetes, and kidney and liver diseases, also it should not be used by women who are nursing or pregnant, or people who are very physically active.
Intermittent Fasting determines the rhythm of eating meals, but not their caloric balance or macronutrient composition. The positive impact of such a diet will be noticeable only if the meals are properly balanced and have the right energy value for the body.
