Intermittent Fasting, an Ancient Wisdom of Weight Loss and Healthy Life
Posted on: 01/Mar/2018 12:45:03 PM
Why it is so tough to lose weight?
Losing weight is not a natural process for our bodies. The body never prefers to lose weight, as it is a type of alarm that it is in a danger, so it produces enough reasons inside our mind to maintain the same weight or to gain. The reason behind this fact is the evolution of the mankind. When our forefathers were Hunter-gatherers food source is very scarce and so losing weight is a mere symptom to search or hunt for the food.
In order to crack that we have to think with that Hunter-gatherer mid set. Those re the ancient times when human beings will hunt an animal or gather food source from the forest and fed their group. Then the whole group will be in a fasted state (No Food State). In this fasted state the body will get its energy from the stored fat and keeps them alive and alert to hunt for the next food. This technique can be applied now smartly for our weight loss and the ultimate process of this wonder is called the Intermittent Fasting
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent Fasting is the process of restricting the time of food consumption, allowing our body to be in a fasted state for minimum 12 hours to maximum 24 hours. So we eat food between the preplanned planned Time-interval on a given day and then totally stop eating. For instance if we plan to eat only between 12.00 Noon and 8.00 P.M; after 8.00 P.M we will not eat anything until the next day noon 12.00. This gives a 16 hours of fasting time and 8 hours of feeding time and so we intermittently fast between the days terming the name Intermittent Fasting (IF)
The greatest advantage of Intermittent Fasting is the fact that you need not be food conscious at all. After finishing the fasting, on the feeding time you need not restrict yourself to any kind of diet plan or calorie reduction. You can consume normally provided it must be healthy and doesn’t incorporate any processed or synthetic foods.
Intermittent Fasting is an ancient method existed thousands of years in many parts of India in the form of religious ritual. Muslims do Intermittent fasting every year during the Ramadan Festival. These are not only a ritual for a religion but also an ancient wisdom to maintain proper health.
IF-Intermittent Fasting, is not a diet plan or diet chart to make you worry all the time about calorie and stuffs, it is a lifestyle to adapt for the best results in your weight reduction program.
What is Ketosis?
Many studies have proved that IF is best option for weight loss. This can be proved easily by a fact that during the fasting hours our bodies enter into the zone of Ketosis. Ketosis is the process of burning fat for the operation of our brain and other organs. When deprived of the food after our last meal, the body starts burning our fat storage producing Ketones to activate the brain. Brain works on ketones which is the best energy source. This is the reason that our brains works tremendously clearer and faster while in a fasted state.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Many research all around the world conclude on a confirmed note that IF has many benefits over our bodies’ basic function. Some of the few benefits are as follows;
- Weight Loss
- Increased Growth Hormone Level
- Cures Gut related issues
- Longevity
- Cures Diabetes
- Improves Cognition
- Cures Alzheimer disease
- Detoxification
- Alternate for Cancer Treatment
- Cures Hormonal Imbalances
Along with these basic benefits there are many other indirect advantages in doing Intermittent Fasting. In men it causes an whopping increase of 2000% in Growth Hormone and in Women 1200% increase; leading to detoxification and enhanced health condition to repair the organs.
It reduces the insulin level to a lowest state where the body gets energy only from the liver storage of glycogen; then after completely burning glycogen body tends to attack the fat tissues for the energy. This heavily influences in reducing sugar levels in blood, curing Diabetes when followed consistently.
Many consider Weight loss itself just a side effect of IF and the main advantages have larger scope than weight loss and curing Diabetes.
How to do IF Intermittent Fasting?
Water must be consumed consistently throughout the fasting window. Fasting restricts the food only not the water intake. Keep you hydrated throughout the journey of fasting.
12:12 method
This is the basic fasting method for the beginners, involving 12 hour window of fasted state and 12 hour window of feeding state. When the last meal is finished by 8 P.M, the next meal must be consumed only after 8.00 A.M the nest day.
Most of the people almost follow it without unknowing, as the sleeping time is a kind of fasted state. Initially practicing it for a week allows your body to do further levels of IF.
16:8 method
This is the little most advanced state of IF, as mentioned above restricting the food intake within 8 hour feeding window. So if you finish your dinner by 8.00 P.M, then you will never eat anything until the next day 12.00 P.M.
The 16:8 is the most commonly used method for its simplicity and effectiveness. After 12 hours of the last meal our body enters into the process of burning fat. So you got 4 hours of intense fat burning time zone in this method of IF.
Warrior Method
Warrior method is the type in which you can eat only on a 4-Hour Window; fasting for 20 hours. Warrior method must be done only after practicing the above two methods successfully. It gives greater results than 12:12 and 16:8 methods.
Eat Stop Eat Method
Eat Stop Eat is the method of fasting for a full 24 hours; when you finish your last meal by 8.00 P.M, then you will stop eating for continuous 24 hours, eating again after 8.00 P.M the next day.
The fat burning Ketosis condition is prolonged in this method, thus allowing the larger body weight reduction and also other benefits. This can be done two times a week and the results are very visible with two weeks.
