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Intermittent fasting is a perfect plan if you want to lose fat and weight. Intermittent fasting involves cycling in and out periods of fasting and eating. Other benefits include improved brain function, memory, and higher energy levels and reduced rate of chronic diseases.
Intermittent fasting fast-tracks your weight loss by busting stubborn fat, reducing calories, and enhancing metabolism.
Intermittent fasting for weight loss
When you are on intermittent fasting, you eat all your food within shorter periods. A common practice involves eating food for 6-8 hours and then fasting for 14-16 hours. You can add bulletproof coffee to manage your hunger. Here are useful beginner’s guide tips for intermittent fasting.
In a 2015 review merging 40 different studies, it found out that fasting accelerates weight loss. Participants shed 10 pounds in 10 weeks.
Another study found that obese adults on alternate day fasting (eating 25% of daily calories on one day and eating normally on the next day) lost up to 13 pounds in 8 weeks.
Intermittent fasting succeeds where many weight loss practices fail by targeting and reducing visceral fat. Visceral fat is a stubborn internal fat packed in the abdominal organs. In six months, 4-7% of visceral fat is lost.[*] [*]
How does intermittent fasting boost weight loss?
Intermittent fasting triggers various metabolic changes to tackle weight loss and fat reduction.
The fat-busting benefits of intermittent fasting include:
Kick starts ketosis
Reaching full ketosis needs proper diet planning and extreme carb limiting. Intermittent fasting produces a shortcut fat-burning state when your body drains all glucose. The body burns fats through ketosis to provide energy for various mechanisms. Ketosis reduces inflammation and helps in weight loss.
Combining a keto diet with intermittent fasting brings the best weight loss plan.
Lowers insulin levels
Intermittent fasting boosts adiponectin levels, which restores insulin sensitivity to prevent weight gain and diabetes. While fasting, insulin levels drop, which is critical for switching to fat burning instead of glucose.
Improves cholesterol
Intermittent fasting decreases LDL and VLDL cholesterols (bad stuff). While improving your cholesterol levels does not have any direct impact on weight loss, obese persons are at higher risks of cardiovascular diseases.
Reduces inflammation
Lowering inflammation is essential for weight loss, boosting longevity and lowering risks of diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s. The Keto diet for intermittent fasting decreases oxidative stress and inflammation risks such as leptin, brain-derived neurotrophic, and adiponectin. [*]
Boosts metabolism
Studies have shown that intermittent fasting improves protein, fat, and glucose metabolism in animals. Boosting your resting metabolism helps the body burn more calories. Fasting also enhances adrenaline and noradrenaline hormones that help the body free up stored glucose and fats during fasting. [*] [*]
How to start intermittent fasting
Using the intermittent fasting schedule, you eat for 6-hour window and fats for 18-hours every day. You can also try fasting one meal a day method or fasting after a day. The trick is to find out what works best for your body.
You may experience fatigue or negative symptoms in the beginning. Try by fasting at least once or twice a week and build your way up.
According to Dr. Sylvia Tara, author of The Secret Life of Fat, she says she used to crave for food when she started. After six to eight weeks, she did not carve anymore. What’s her advice? Losing weight is possible but requires some more effort. It also gets easier with time, and it is very effective.
Increase weight loss with these additional intermittent fasting hacks
- Drink Bulletproof coffee: skipping breakfast is not easy for everyone. Instead of skipping breakfast, you can replace tea with a cup of bulletproof coffee. It will nourish your body and keep you away from hunger pangs.
- Eat low-carb: restricting carbohydrates using the keto diet decreases your appetite and enhances the switch to fat-burning ketosis
- Break fasting with high-quality fats, high-quality meats, and vegetables: avoiding bringing in junk food and cars towards the end of your fasting. The cravings can be tempting but, instead, prepare healthy food.
If you are ready to lose weight, here are more tips for intermittent fasting for beginners.