How intermittent fasting can help your weight loss journey comes down to something relatively simple: creating a consistent eating schedule that may make it easier to manage how much and how often you eat.
Intermittent fasting isn’t a specific diet or a list of foods you can and can’t eat. Instead, it’s an eating pattern that alternates between periods of eating and fasting. One of the most popular approaches is the 16:8 method, where you eat during an eight-hour window and fast for the remaining 16 hours.
For some people, limiting the hours in which they eat can make it easier to reduce snacking, control overall calorie intake and maintain a more consistent routine. But intermittent fasting isn’t a shortcut to weight loss. What you eat, how much you eat, your activity level and your ability to maintain the routine still matter.
Let’s look at how intermittent fasting works and how it may fit into a healthy weight-loss plan.
WHAT IS INTERMITTENT FASTING?
Intermittent fasting is a voluntary fasting method in which people abstain from eating meals for the major part of the day. There are several variations of intermittent fasting, where people choose different time slots for eating meals. The most popular form of intermittent fasting is the 16:8 method. People who practice this method have an 8-hour window during the day to consume their meals. They fast for the rest of the 16 hours.
HOW INTERMITTENT FASTING CAN HELP YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY
When you consume food for only 8 hours of the day, your body uses this food to produce energy for the rest of the 16 hours. As you will not be eating anything during the remaining 16 hours of the day, your body will also have to use the excess fat that is stored in your body to convert it into energy. As the extra fat in your body gets burned, you lose weight and slowly start to get back in shape.
However, you must keep the following points in mind to see the best results of intermittent fasting for weight loss:
- During the 8-hour eating window, restrict yourself to eating healthy meals.
- During the 8-hour eating window, please do not overeat or stuff yourself with junk food.
- During the 16 hours in which you are barred from eating meals, do not drink sugary beverages like milkshakes, smoothies, fruit juices, and caramel lattes.
- You can drink tea and coffee, but it should be sugar-free.
- Keep your body hydrated throughout the day because fasting can lead to dizziness. Water will help you stay fresh and active.
- It is best to choose your 8-hour eating window during breakfast and lunchtime. For example, you can take your breakfast at 8 am, a light brunch (preferably fruit salad) at 11 am, and healthy lunch at 2 pm. After 2 pm you should stop eating and skip your dinner.
- Before you set out to try intermittent fasting, it is best to consult your physician first. There are a few medical conditions like low blood pressure and anemia for which doctors don’t recommend intermittent fasting. You should also avoid intermittent fasting during pregnancy.
So, now that you know how intermittent fasting can help your weight loss journey, do some more research to see if it makes sense for you. If you do try it out please let us know if saw positive results in your body weight and physique!
Ready to Explore Body Sculpting?
Understanding the different body-sculpting technologies can help you determine which approach best fits your goals. You can also see how other TushToners customers have approached their body-sculpting journey before deciding whether at-home or in-person treatment is right for you.
