In recent years, Intermittent Fasting has been one of the most discussed topics in the field of healthy eating habits and fitness. Its impact on human health and especially fat burning is truly remarkable. In our article we will therefore guide you through how intermittent fasting actually works, how to incorporate it into your lifestyle and what to avoid.
What is intermittent fasting?
At its core, intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that alternates periods of eating with periods of fasting. Unlike other diets and fasts, its goal is not to tell you what to eat, but when to eat. There are several methods of intermittent fasting and we will introduce them in turn.
According to many studies , intermittent fasting can positively influence fat burning improve cardiovascular health or help delay brain aging. At the same time, it can also help regenerate cells and contribute to lowering blood sugar. However, the studies are not yet completely foolproof and more detailed research on this topic is definitely needed to irrefutably confirm all these effects.
Although fasting has only come to the fitness forefront in recent years, we certainly can't say that it is something new. After all, various religions have been using it since ancient times (e.g. Ramadan). In fact, religions see fasting as a kind of path to spiritual and physical revival.
Advantages of intermittent fasting
As the paragraph above shows, intermittent fasting has a number of advantages thathave made it a popular tool for those trying to lose weight and kick-start their metabolism.
Its main benefits include:
- It can promote fat burning
- Cell regeneration
- Can inhibit brain aging
- Helps with lowering blood sugar
- Improves cardiovascular health
All of these benefits are influenced by which fasting method you choose and certainly do not apply to everyone without exception. Also, fasts may not suit everyone and while they will energize one person, another may not last a week.
Disadvantages of intermittent fasting
As it happens, nothing is all rosy and intermittent fasting has its (quite significant) drawbacks. Below are the ones to consider before intermittent fasting:
- Increases cortisol levels
- Lowers testosterone
- Not suitable for strength athletes
- May cause menstrual cycle problems
- Decreases mental performance
The biggest problem with intermittent fasting is that it is very difficultIt is very difficult to "eat" the necessary calories in the appropriate window. The biggest problem then is protein, which is very difficult to take in enough in such a short period of time. This can lead to a loss of muscle mass. However, you can at least slightly eliminate this through protein drinks.
Intermittent fasting is completely inappropriate for strength athletes. Although many of its proponents claim that it helps to flush out growth hormone, which leads to muscle growth. This is not entirely true. While fasting can flush out more growth hormone, it is used by the body to process fat for energy and thus has no effect on muscle growth. Fasting also flushes out cortisol, which can be mood-impairing and catabolic.
How to intermittent fasting | Methods and techniques
Despite the disadvantages, intermittent fasting has very interesting effects on human health. So if you have decided to try it, here is an overview of some of the most popular methods and practices to get you started with intermittent fasting.
Method 16/8 (18/6, 20/4)
The 16/8 method is certainly the most popular version of intermittent fasting. It is also the most studied and seems to have the best effects on human health. This method also has other variants such as 18/6 or 20/4, but these are not as popular and do not show as many beneficial effects.
Basically, it involves taking in food and meals in an 8-hour window during the day while fasting for 16 hours. You can choose this window according to your preference and so it is up to you whether you put it on first thing in the morning or some other time during the day. It is this method that shows to improve cardiovascular health and should also be the least restrictive to muscle gain (at least for women that is).
During the eight-hour window, however, it is of course essential to stick to good quality and above all healthy foods. If you eat unhealthily and your diet consists of, for example, only fast food, you are depriving yourself of all the benefits presented by this method.
Example of the 16/8 method
For the vast majority of people, it will be ideal to get a 16 hour fast into the night hours during which they sleep and do not feel the need to be hungry. So if you set your eating window to start at 10am and last until 6pm, your fast will last from 6pm to 10pm. This option is ideal for us because it is easy to manage. Remember, you must not take in any calories during the fasting window, even from drinking. So you can only drink plain water, tea or coffee without sugar and milk.
Warrior diet
The warrior diet was invented in 2001 by Ori Hofmekler, who based it on the eating habits of warriors in ancient times. It is similar to the 20/4 method, but during the twenty hours of fasting it is still possible to eat small of foods rich in vitamins (fruits and vegetables) and protein (eggs, dairy products). You can then eat literally anything you want within the 4 hours of "eating". However, it should always be healthy and good quality food, otherwise you are again robbing yourself of all the benefits of this diet.
The 5:2 method
In this method, you eat normally 5 days a week and do not watch your calories. The remaining two you then reduce your intake to a quarter or even skip calories altogether. However, this diet is very demanding and many people can't even imagine not eating for two days a week. In addition, over time, studies have shown that this method is just as effective as conventional weight loss diets in reducing weight, eliminating the need for fasting.
How long to keep intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is relatively easy to keep for a long time and there is virtually no risk of death.There is no rule of thumb that says that it is necessary to stop for a month, for example. The best indicator is your body, which will tell you when it is better to stop fasting. So always listen to it and never do anything completely by force, it doesn't pay off.
Intermittent fasting and supplementation
During intermittent fasting you can of course also take various supplements. This is even highly desirable, because the intake of the necessary vitamins and minerals from the diet can be very difficult. We therefore recommend, for example, complex multivitamins, which will provide the body with the necessary vitamins and trace elements. It can also be difficult to maintain the balance between omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids during fasting. It is therefore ideal to include supplements containing omega 3.
When burning fat, you may also consider using fat burners, such asOr one of the products from our comparison of the best fat burners. However, be warned that they can cause stomach upset when fasting and if they do occur, it may be better to skip them. As fasting is a way of cleansing, antioxidants are definitely not a bad addition to help with this either.
Supplements taken during the no-food window must not contain any calories, otherwise you will sabotage your fasting efforts significantly.
Who is intermittent fasting not suitable for?
Intermittent fasting is not universally suitable and there are definitely groups of people for whom it can pose a health risk. Particular care should be taken by people with hormonal imbalances, diabetes, eating disorders or pregnant women, for example. It is also unlikely to be of benefit to people with high physical or mental stress.
Intermittent fasting | Yes or no?
Intermittent fasting is certainly not bad and is a good way to cleanse the body and improve health. On the other hand, it is definitely not suitable for everyone and certainly not for those whowho want to gain muscle mass or are under great physical or mental strain. Fasting can also help with weight loss, but it is always good to monitor how your body reacts to it.
Why can you trust us?
Hey! Hey! I'm Mirek and I've been working at World Fitness almost since the beginning, except for a small break. But before that I lived only in the gym for a few years, doing deadlifts and power triathlon, going to competitions and winning a few medals.
Probably the one I value the most is the national record in the WUAP federation. But besides working out, I was also interested in food and supplements, I liked to enjoy my free timeI used to read different researches and professional books in my free time to know as much as possible.