Intermittent fasting, currently the most popular health and fitness method globally, is also known as IF. People are using this method as a way to reduce weight, improve their overall health, and also to simplify their lifestyle. Most studies suggest that it can have powerful effects on different systems of the body and brain and allow the practice to last longer. Through the following guide, you will learn the most basic things and concepts about intermittent fasting.

What is intermittent fasting essentially?

Intermittent fasting is a certain pattern of eating that cycles between fasting and eating sessions. It does not necessarily specify which foods you should eat in the feeding cycle. Instead, it lets you know what times you should eat. In this way, it is not a diet in the real meanings, but rather an eating pattern. The most common intermittent fasting includes 16 hours of fasting or having 24 hours of fasting twice a week.

Fasting has always been involved in the common practices of the human evolution period. Ancient hunter-gatherers never had refrigerators, supermarkets, or food that was available year-round. And many times they could not find anything to eat. And as a result, humans evolved to live their lives without food for long periods. Occasional fasting is a natural method of overeating for 3-4 meals a day. Fasting is also done mainly in religious practices that include religions like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism.

What are some intermittent fasting methods?

There are many different methods of practicing intermittent fasting, most of which involve dividing the day or week into periods of fasting and eating. During fasting sessions, you may eat little or nothing. The most popular methods of intermittent fasting are the following:

The 16/8 Method: This is also called the Leangains protocol which involves skipping breakfast and restricting your daily eating pattern to just 8 hours, such as 1-9pm. You then need to fast for 16 hours during the session.

Eat stop eat: This is the process of fasting for 24 hours only once or twice a week, that is, not eating from one dinner to another dinner. And the rest of the week you spend is normal like your daily life.

The 5:2 diet: This method involves eating only 500 to 600 calories on non-consecutive days of a week. You normally eat for the rest of the 5 days.

By reducing total calorie intake, all of these methods should cause weight loss as long as it is not offset by overeating in feeding sessions. Many people also find the 16/8 method to be the simplest to follow. It is also the most sustainable and easy to adhere to. Therefore, it is the most popular method of intermittent fasting.

How does intermittent fasting affect our cells and hormones?

When you are fasting, many things happen to the body on a molecular and cellular level. For example, the body begins to adjust to hormone levels so that stored body fat is much more accessible. Your cells also initiate the important repair process and change the expression of genes. Some changes that occur in the body are as follows:

Human Growth Hormone, ie HGH: The growth of humans, increases to folds on intermittent fasting. This has many benefits including rapid fat loss and not to mention muscle gain.

Insulin: Insulin sensitivity is greatly improved and insulin levels are increased with intermittent fasting. Lower insulin levels make stored body fat more accessible.

Cellular repair: When you have been fasting for a while, your cells begin the process of cell repair. This also includes autophagy, where these cells digest and remove old protein that begins to accumulate.

Gene expression: There are many changes in the functioning of the genera linked to protection and longevity against a disease.

Knowing that intermittent fasting helps your body systems improve in many ways, are you ready to start doing it in your life? MuscleTech Hydroxycut Hardcore