Intermittent Fasting
What is it?
Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern cycle that is repeated over a period of time to better support your body's needs. IF is common for weight loss purposes but there are several other health benefits to this lifestyle change. There are many different techniques for fasting safely but the two I am most familiar with are the 16/8 method and fasting with the circadian rhythm. These are the same concept, the time period of fasting is just different between the two. There are many other methods that I haven't tried but may work better for you!
The 16/8 method has you fasting for 16 hours and eating only during the 8 hour window. I did this for about a month and a half. My last meal would be at 6pm and then I wouldn’t eat again until 10am the next day. The other one I have done is fasting with the circadian rhythm which just means you stop eating when the sun sets and wait to have your next meal after the sun rises. Typically, this method gives you a larger time frame to eat during (depending on the season). I found both to be beneficial because by having my last meal so early, my stomach had time to digest while I was still awake and moving around instead of while I was asleep. This was easier on my stomach but definitely got complicated because some nights I would be working until midnight and didn't have time to have my last meal that early. It’s important to be mindful of your schedule with the fasting, some nights it may not work out as well as other nights which is okay. Keeping yourself nourished is more important.
Benefits
Intermittent fasting has many benefits. I have done it as an attempt to help heal my stomach discomfort and aid in digestion. I had a very positive outcome in this area of my life, thanks to IF. This is also popular for weight loss and I’ve seen a lot of success stories with that. Some other benefits include but are not limited to:
Lower blood sugar levels
Increased fat burning
And possibly:
Reversal of type 2 diabetes
Improved mental clarity
Increase in energy
Decrease in inflammation
And more
Don't Push Your Limits
Intermittent fasting is not for everyone. The length of time and ratios that you should do this for definitely depend on your overall health prior to beginning this lifestyle change. I personally didn’t eat nearly enough calories each day when I first discovered IF because I was dealing with other digestive issues which made my appetite really minimal. Because of this, sometimes I couldn’t completely follow the fasting timeline because if I finally felt hungry, I had to take advantage of being able to eat without making myself feel sick for once. My stomach is much healthier now (I cut a lot of things out of my diet) so I am able to fast more regularly. This can also sometimes get complicated if you work late at night or early in the morning and aren’t able to eat at the specific times the fasting allows. If this is your situation, try to work the hours around your schedule differently or try a different method. There are some that have you fasting only for a few days a week and eating regularly the other days. I'm sure one of the IF methods will work for your schedule.
Other Things to Note
I really like intermittent fasting because it forces me to be more aware of how much I am eating. At night, it is really easy to wander into the kitchen and mindlessly start snacking on things. It’s easy to eat more than necessary without noticing which often results in stomach discomfort. While fasting, I am always more aware of my food intake and it is a lot easier to maintain healthy habits.
This isn’t something that I do 365 days a year. I would do this for about a month then stop for a month or two. It kind of just depends on your health at the time. Sometimes I will feel my stomach needing extra support and it becomes clear that I need to start fasting again.
This may not be for everyone. Anyone who tries it may have a different experience than other people do. It’s very important to listen to your body and honor it’s limits. There are healthy ways to do this, make sure it’s done right and I’m sure you will benefit greatly!
Resources:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/intermittent-fasting
