What about “intermittent fasting” ?
“I can feel the difference. I literally can put pictures of myself now versus pictures of myself at 22 years old, and I look and feel much better right now.”
Terry Crews, 2017 speaking about intermittent fasting (https://www.businessinsider.com/terry-crews-intermittent-fasting-fit-shape-autophagy-diet-exercise-netflix-2017-2?amp)
Maybe some colleagues or friends of yours feel good and have plenty of energy but in the same time others are complaining that they are hungry all the time and they lack energy and good mood … So you begin to have questions about intermittent fasting like is it good or bad for you, is it recommended for everyone, what are the main advantages and the downsides or what schedule is best for you ? 16/8, 18/6, 20/4 ? …
But what is “intermittent fasting” ? Well intermittent means “not all the time” and fasting is referring to a period you don’t eat … so by combining this two “definitions” we are getting something like “a part of day you eat the other part of day you don’t” of course according to an established schedule. Most often intermittent fasting refers to time restricted eating. A 16/8 schedule allows you to eat in a “8 hour window” and you fast for the rest of 16 hours of the day (for example you eat from 10 am to 6 pm or choose your own window), a 18/6 schedule has an “eating window” of 6 hours and as you can guess a 20/4 gives you a 4 hours interval of eating per day.
The main idea is that after 8 to 12 ours of “fasting” the nutrients start to come from internal sources and here are the potential benefits of intermittent fasting. So just planning when you eat can bring you benefits without concentrating too much on what to eat (of course there also a discussion here) sounds very attracting for many people …
But keep in mind there is no “perfect schedule” for everybody. It varies from person to person and there is no “perfect schedule" that works for everybody.
“Intermittent fasting” is about making the body use stored energy and not about food deprivation pay attention. “Intermittent fasting” can increase autophagy (cells clean damaged cell material and recycle it). (Source - https://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting/benefits)
Be aware that athletic performance might decrease a little to some individuals.
Probably here experimentation is the key.
Science shows benefits …
Recent studies show that intermittent fasting (if done properly) can help to :
regulate blood sugar
control cholesterol levels
reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer
control bodyweight
Source (https://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting/what-is-intermittent-fasting)
Intermittent fasting and losing weight (fat)
The general rule for fat loss is to eat fewer calories than you burn. And no matter what diet you try, it is good to keep this rule in mind also if you are thinking at intermittent fasting. (There are people who don’t agree with it but math is math …).
It is true that for many people eating in a “time window” means eating less or cutting late meals so that counts when it comes to total daily calories and helps with losing weight. But my advice is to pay attention also to what you eat in that “window”. Your health and energy levels depend on the nutrients you take so choose the best quality …
