This new diet is making waves in the weight loss realm. Throngs of people are putting it up there with the keto diet, hailing it as one of the most effective weight loss regimens. And there are indeed solid results evidenced by multiple testimonials!
Because of this, more people are jumping on board the IF (intermittent fasting) bandwagon, filled with the promise of rapid weight loss. What they don’t realize is that each “fad diet” has its risks, and if it seems like IF doesn’t, well, you just didn’t dig deep enough.
Below are lesser-known facts about intermittent fasting that people need to know. There is also some input by Dr. Valter Longo, a professor in the Longevity Institute of the University of Southern California.
Intermittent Fasting isn’t what you think it is
The basic principle of intermittent fasting is restricting food intake to certain periods to achieve some form of ketosis in the “fasting” phase.
There are actually several ways how to do intermittent fasting. The most popular one is the 16/8 or “leangains” kind, which lets you eat whatever you want within a 6-8-hour window and only water or calorie-less food and drinks in the remaining 16 hours. People find this easiest because it’s the most adaptable to the common lifestyle.
However, did you know that the 16/8 isn’t actually intermittent fasting? The correct term for it is “time-restricted feeding”. Time-restricted feeding refers to all diet procedures that “fasts” for 24 hours or less.
While fasting does indeed have health benefits, time-restricted feeding doesn’t really achieve those. Using intermittent fasting to refer to this also misleads people that any form of meal-skipping is beneficial towards healthy weight loss, which isn’t the case.
Breakfast is crucial
Proponents of the 16/8 protocol normally skip breakfast because it’s the easiest to forego. Dr. Longo, on the other hand, revealed that people who skip breakfast are likely to develop gallstones. This study found that consistent overnight fasting for more than 12 hours exponentially increases the risk of gallstone disease.
This is why Dr. Longo suggests fasting for a maximum of 12 hours and distributing your meals within the other 12 hours of the day. This adheres to the natural eating times of most people, with less risk of having to get your gallbladder removed.
It’s not about the time – it’s the portion size
There are two things that can go wrong if you focus on time restriction rather than portion size. First, time restriction can make you feel too deprived. What if you’re meeting up with friends at night but was too hungry during lunch to push it back a couple hours? What if you’re pulling an all-nighter and get hungry in the middle of the night?
The feeling of deprivation is one of the main causes of failed dieting. You’ll feel like the diet is such a chore, that everything’s unfair and too difficult. Before you know it, you’d be having a self-pity party while gorging on all the bad food.
Another thing that people fail to put into consideration is portion size. Sure, you can restrict your mealtimes but if you eat a bucket of fried chicken and a whole pizza for those two meals without ever exercising, then that defeats the purpose. You’re simply packing on unhealthy fats and toxins with the illusion that this “healthy” fasting can offset all the bad.
Treat it as a lifestyle change, not a quick fix
This is by far the most important lesson to take away from this. Most, if not all, the new 16/8 followers want a quick and easy way to lose weight. They think that doing this for a couple of months to lose some pounds then go back to their normal eating habit will do the trick.
This is the source of disappointment. Truly wanting better health demands a lifestyle and mindset change. You need to be ready to put in the work for the long haul and completely denounce unhealthy food and practices. Otherwise, you’ll break at the slightest resistance and simply end up where you started.
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Related Topic: Supercharge Your Cleanse with the Keto Diet!
