The Truth About Intermittent Fasting & Weight Loss

Intermittent fasting is quickly becoming of the world’s most popular health trends and I am finding more and more people are asking me about fasting all the time!

For those of you who are new to the term, intermittent fasting is a style of eating that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. It is known as an “eating pattern” not a “diet”

There are 3 Main Types of Intermittent Fasting

1. The 5:2 Diet: (this is the one I get asked about most!)This method of fasting has you restricting your calories to approximately 500 per day and eat normally on the other 5 days – fasting days must not be consecutive. For more information on this method of fasting CLICK HERE
2. The 16/8 Method: This method involves skipping breakfast and restricting your daily eating period to 8 hours. For example from 11 am to 7 pm. Then you fast over night for the following 16 hours. This is the best method of fasting for beginners.
3. 24 hour fasting: This involves fasting for 24 hours, once or twice a week. This method of fasting is not recommended without supervision. Always seek professional advice before fasting for long periods of time.

Fasting For Weight Loss

All fasting methods can promote weight loss by reducing total calories consumed – providing you don’t make up for lost calories during your periods of eating!!

The goal to lose weight is the most common reason why people try intermittent fasting.

Fasting methods can increase your metabolic rate by up to 14% and studies have shown that intermittent fasting can in fact be a very powerful weight loss tool. In a review study from 2014, fasting was shown to cause weight loss of 3-8% over periods of 3-24 weeks, which is actually a very large amount compared to most weight loss studies.

Health benefits of Fasting

Not only is fasting beneficial for weight loss, it also has some amazing health benefits too.

Fasting can help you to improve your insulin sensitivity, increase human growth hormone, repair cells faster and protect your body against disease.

However, the positive benefits to fasting can only be achieved when you follow a fasting protocol correctly. This means, breaking the fast safely and eating plenty of fresh healthy foods during your eating periods. It may also be necessary to seek digestive support during the initial stages of fasting.

Who shouldn’t fast?

Intermittent fasting is not for everyone.

If you are underweight, or have a history of eating disorders, then you should not try intermittent fasting without consulting with a health professional first.

Fasting is also not advised if you have trouble maintaining healthy blood sugar levels or if you experience high levels of cortisol.

Blood sugar imbalances and high cortisol levels can be corrected and reversed and you may need to follow a “pre-fasting diet” before you commence this way of eating. Contact me for more information regarding the “pre-fasting” phase.

To learn more see my blog on Fasting For Weight Loss - What You Need to Know Before You Fast

Fasting Side effects

Some mild side effects that may occur during fasting include hunger, dizziness and indigestion (when breaking the fast) if any of these side effects occur, seek professional help for an effective solution.

Is fasting safe for women?

There is some evidence that intermittent fasting may not be as beneficial for women, as it is for men.
For example, one study showed that it improved insulin sensitivity in men, but worsened blood sugar control in women. Click here to see the study.

Intermittent fasting has also been known to cause amenorrhea (absence of a menstrual bleed).
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If you have problems with fertility and/or are trying to conceive, I would not recommend you try intermittent fasting just yet. Intermittent fasting is not advised when pregnant or breastfeeding.

How do I know if intermittent fasting is the magic solution I have been looking for?

The simple answer is, you won’t know until you try it!

My experience has shown me that no “diet” or “way of eating” works the same for any two people. A customised approach must be used at all times to ensure the best results can be achieved.

Intermittent fasting is absolutely something you can try for yourself at home, and it does have the ability to assist you in reaching your weight loss goal, but for best results, seek professional help.

For further information or guidance, contact me using the form below.

Happy fasting!!