Fasting Only Works If You Stick to Feasting Timelines

A controversial issue involving fasting is that prolonged periods of food deprivation places one at risk for overeating during feasting periods, which may foster behaviors such as an unhealthy fixation on food or other types of eating disorders. Ten recent trials that investigated changes in appetite failed to show an increase in appetite with intermittent fasting despite the fact that the group showed significant weight loss and a decrease in production of leptin hormone. The downside of fasting is that it only works well if you stick to the schedules or it may completely negate your weight loss efforts.

• Fast Mimicking Diet - Plant-based menus are used in the Longo diet, which involves eating very few calories a day by consuming light foods, soups, energy bars and drinks.
• 12-Hour Intermittent Fast - This is an excellent eating pattern for beginners as it has a very small fasting window. In fact, much of the fasting occurs while you are asleep.
• 24-Hour Plus Fasting - Extended fasting involves fasting for entire days at a time. For example, if you eat a dinner meal on Day 1, you would fast all of Day 2 and not eat again until the breakfast meal on Day 3.
• Spontaneous Meal Skipping - With spontaneous meal skipping, you do not need to follow a structured schedule to reap the benefits. Simply skip meals from time to time, especially when you are not hungry or are too busy to stop and eat.

Humans have fasted for millennia, if for no other reason out of necessity during times of food scarcity. However, unlike traditional fad diets that dictates what you can and cannot eat intermittent fasting focuses on when you eat. The weight loss benefits of restricted eating are similar to those of following a good calorie-restricted diet. However, with intermittent fasting, there is no calorie counting needed as long as you restrict food intake during your fasting windows. Proponents of fasting also believe that the stress of an intermittent fast causes an immune response that repairs cells and produces positive metabolic changes.

*NOTE: Due to a difference in hormonal makeup, women have special considerations when fasting. Intermittent fasting is not a good idea for women under 18 years of age, those with a lean body profile, or those with medical conditions, such as hypothyroidism or a history of eating disorders. Ask your physician about an appropriate fasting protocol for you.