Altering the way you eat, rather than what you eat could be the answer to fat loss you’ve been looking for!
If you’re aiming to lower your percentage of body fat, but aren’t so keen on making massive alterations to your lifestyle, intermittent fasting could be perfect for you! A lot of the diets out there require us to cut out things we love, say no to lunch dates, or leave us feeling hungry and irritated. Intermittent fasting isn’t so much a diet, but more so an eating pattern.
There are great benefits to this strategy, and it works well to eliminate unwanted weight, whilst maintaining muscle mass and definition.
How Intermittent Fasting Works
The intermittent fasting plan allows your body to enter a fat burning state that it would not normally experience during a normal eating schedule. Our bodies have a fed and a fasted stated. During the fed state, which lasts for 3 to 5 hours after a meal, our body is digesting and absorbing food. It’s hard to burn fat in this state because insulin levels are high. Our bodies won’t complete the processing of our last meal for 8 to 12 hours.
Once the clock strikes 12, our bodies enter the fasting state, aka the best time to burn fat! In this state, our insulin levels are low and our bodies take the opportunity to burn fat that is inaccessible during the fed state.
Due to the rarity of this state, you don’t necessarily need to alter what you’re eating, but rather when you’re eating it. By fasting for 16 hours a day, and eating over the span of 8 hours, our bodies have ample time to burn fat after the last meal is absorbed and digested.
How will it benefit you?
Getting rid of fat and unwanted weight is an obvious winner, however intermittent fasting benefits don’t stop there. It’s said to increase our lifespan, it adds simplicity to our lives, and is easy on the wallet. Unlike fad diets, intermittent fasting won’t drive you to the point of binging. It trains the mind and body to practice restrictive eating, and reduces the desire for emotional eating.
How to get started
This eating pattern is easy to adapt to, and once you overcome the initial idea of going without food, it’s a breeze! The best place to start is with a 16-hour daily fast, followed by an 8-hour eating period. Deciding how to break up your day is totally up to you. Weekly intermittent fasting is also a great option, which requires you to fast once per week. This option is ideal for those looking to build muscle or keep weight on, whilst reducing body fat percentage.
Fasting for 24 hours is a great way to overcome mental barriers! It allows you to realise that you will survive a day without food, and that it’s a realistic ideal.
Intermittent fasting results will speak for themselves! If you’re sick and tired of unsuccessful diets, give it a shot!
