If you are looking for a diet that helps you get rid of fat and lose weight in a healthy way without abstaining from what you like from food and also allows you to choose one of the four types in accordance with your lifestyle and body, Also, if you want to adopt a lifestyle system that aims to improve your physical and psychological health and help you live a longer life, then the intermittent fasting system is ideal for you, my dear.

So what is intermittent fasting and how do you adopt it in your life? Here is an easy and simple guide that answers all your questions to start your weight loss journey with us without any deprivation, but only with a little will and commitment.

Intermittent fasting is when you divide your day deliberately into hours in which you can eat and hours in which you abstain from food. This system does not specify what you will eat, but only when you will eat. Therefore, nutritionists consider it a lifestyle rather than a diet like other systems in which meals are determined.

Man has practiced fasting since time immemorial. The ancient hunter-gatherers did not have shops, refrigerators, or food always available, and sometimes they did not find anything to eat.

as a result, Humans have adapted to be able to function without food for long periods of time. Fasting from time to time is more normal than eating 3-4 (or more) meals a day.

As you know, some people fast for religious or spiritual reasons, meaning that it is not difficult or impossible. You can also adopt it.

The idea of this fast depends on reducing calories without depriving yourself of any type of food.

Here are the four types for you to choose what suits you best:

Fasting (8/16):

It is the most common type, in which you must fast 16 continuous hours of the day and eat during the remaining eight hours, since one day is 24 hours.

Fasting period – the 16 hours:

• it includes the sleep period.
• During this period, you are allowed to drink calorie-free drinks such as: water tea, and even coconut water.

Breakfast period – the remaining 8 hours:

• You are allowed to eat whatever you choose, but with limited amounts of fat. Starches and proteins.
• If your meal contains carbohydrates and proteins, you should reduce the amount of carbohydrates such as bread and pasta as much as possible and increase the amount of proteins such as legumes and chicken.

For example, allow yourself to eat from one o’clock in the afternoon until nine in the evening, and abstain from it for the remaining time of your day.

For example, you can eat a chicken dish with french fries, paying attention that the amount of chicken (protein) is greater than the amount of fried potatoes (fat).

2- Fasting (2/5):

in this type, Choose two non-consecutive days of the week to fast. You will be allowed to consume only 500-600 calories each and on the other 5 days you can eat normally but healthy.

on fasting days, We advise you to divide your meals into a meal containing 200 calories and a meal of 300 calories. It is important that you focus, my dear, on foods rich in fiber and protein to help you feel full for as long as possible and maintain the lowest possible amount of calories when fasting.

3- Fasting for 24 hours:

You can guess what he is from his name, In this type, you must fast for a full 24 hours, but as a maximum of one or two days apart per week.

And be very aware of the side effects of abstaining from food for 24 hours, as they can be severe, such as fatigue, headache, irritability, hunger, and low energy.

4- Fasting for 36 hours:

It is completely identical to the third type, but with a prolongation of the period to 36 hours. a maximum of once a week, It also has the same side effects, but they may be more severe.

• The first type is very suitable for people who are able to endure, and you can persevere with it for two to three months, and it is suitable for you if you aim to build muscle mass and burn fat.

• The second type, if you cannot tolerate fasting daily, you can rely on this type, and it is suitable for those looking for a healthy lifestyle that purifies the body.

In all kinds, you are not prohibited from any type of food.

Why should you try intermittent fasting even if you don’t need to lose weight?

There is a term you may not have heard of before: healing energyIt is the energy that helps your body to treat and heal itself from diseases automatically, and when you eat food continuously and randomly, this energy will be preoccupied with digesting food. For example, when you eat dinner late at night, your stomach is full while you sleep, and you need energy to digest what is in it instead of spending this energy. in healing the body.

Therefore, intermittent fasting saves a lot of your body’s energy because your stomach is empty for enough time, and make sure that the last meal of your day is light. This will allow the recovery energy to work effectively and help your body burn fat at night.

But this is not the only benefit of intermittent fasting, so what aspects will your body improve because of it?

• Your growth hormone levels will increase dramatically. up to 5 times, which greatly helps in losing fat and gaining more muscle.
• Lose weight also by limiting the amount of calories in your meals.
• It is useful for diabetics, as it effectively affects insulin resistance, which lowers blood sugar levels naturally and healthy, especially for type 2 diabetics.
• It improves the health of your heart, as it reduces harmful cholesterol levels in the blood, activates your heart muscle, and relieves the burden on it resulting from the need for continuous digestion of food.
• Helps raise BDNF levels and may help in the growth of new nerve cells. Also against Alzheimer’s disease.

but remember, Your body may be surprised by the new lifestyle that you have adopted, so it may be difficult at the beginning of the journey, but do not worry, as soon you will get used to it and notice the positive effects on your body and your entire life.

There are categories of people who are not allowed to abstain from food for long periods, that is, they should not adopt intermittent fasting, and they are:

1- Pregnant or breastfeeding women.

2- Girls under the age of 16.

3- Girls who suffer from irregular menstruation.

4- Diabetics, because fasting for a long time causes a drop in sugar levels.

5- Hypertensive patients.

6- People with eating disorders.

7- People with below normal weight.

As for the period during which you must persevere in this regime, there is no criterion that determines this thing except the ability to endure and adapt to it. And always remember to consult a doctor when you feel any strange symptoms, because your health and staying well are always the most important.

Written by: Mai Majar

Sources:

healthline

clevelandclinic