Intermittent fasting is a nutrition and fitness trend that’s been around for a while. The idea is to ‘fast’ for some hours each day, with no food or drink consumed apart from water. This can be done from one meal a day to several hours a day, with the aim of losing weight and becoming more energy efficient.
The concept behind fasting is that our bodies are not meant to be constantly burning energy to maintain a certain weight. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that eating less frequently can help you to lose weight, and the human body is designed to function without food for a certain period of time. In the morning, your liver produces glucose as fuel for your body, and at night, when you are asleep, your body releases hormones that suppress appetite. This is why eating less frequently can help you to lose weight.
How Much Weight Can You Lose in a Month With Intermittent Fasting?
The number of hours you choose to ‘fast’ each day is the main factor that determines how much weight you can lose in a month. Typically, fasting for 16 hours a day will speed up your metabolism by 4-5% and allow you to lose about a pound a day. Fasting for a shorter period of time will have a similar effect. For example, if you choose to eat once per day and fast for 10 hours, you will lose about a pound a week.
It is important to note that even when you are losing weight, you are still consuming calories. Choosing to eat fewer, more frequent meals will help you to achieve your weight loss goals more quickly. However, you need to make sure that you are still consuming the right kinds of calories if you want to boost your metabolism and keep your body in good condition.
How to Consume the Right Calories
One way of ensuring you are consuming the right calories is by measuring what you are eating. This will help you to understand how much energy you are taking in and how effective your fasting hours are. You will need to be careful though, as eating too many calories will negate all the benefits of the diet. A good idea is to keep a food diary for a week or two, noting down everything you eat and drink and how many calories you are consuming. This will help you to understand how your body responds to different food groups and how much energy you need to consume to lose a certain amount of weight.
A calorie is a calorie is a calorie, regardless of its source. When you are choosing to eat less frequently, you are reducing the number of calories that you consume each day. In this sense, all calories, from whatever source, are equivalent. It does not matter whether you are consuming calories from fruit, vegetables, or meat – they are all still calories. What matters is that you are consuming fewer calories than you need to maintain a certain weight.
Eating frequently will help you to maintain a healthy weight, and it is always better to choose foods that are low in calories. When you are choosing food that is low in calories, you are choosing foods that provide your body with nutrients that it needs in order to grow and function normally. Fasting will not damage your health in any way, as long as you are not choosing to eat the wrong kinds of food whilst undertaking your ritual.
When choosing to eat fruit and vegetables, it is preferable to choose organic produce as much as possible to avoid the risk of toxins entering your body. If you are going to be drinking alcohol, you should always choose organic wines and ciders to avoid exposure to pesticides and chemicals. Many people choose to drink seawater because it has been shown to be extremely high in nutrients and minerals that our bodies need. Some choose to drink coffee or tea because they believe that these beverages strengthen their minds and bodies, as individuals who consume them regularly.
A healthy diet that features fruits, vegetables, and meat will form the basis of your meals during this month. You should focus on eating a variety of foods that provide your body with nutrients that it needs to function optimally. Focus on eating more natural foods that are minimally processed and as unadulterated as possible. This will form the basis of your diet during this time and will help to boost your health and metabolism.
Will Intermittent Fasting Make You Gain Belly Fat?
Another thing to consider with intermittent fasting is that, even when you are not eating, your body is still taking in calories. So, if you are not careful, you could end up storing excess calories as fat. If you want to avoid this, you will need to make sure that you are active and moving about regularly during this month. Exercise is important for many reasons, not least because it helps your body to utilize the calories you are taking in more effectively. Choose activities that you enjoy and that will stimulate your mind and body, such as running, hiking, or cycling. If you are not a fan of any of these activities, then take up a sport or join a gym and start working out. Even just walking for 30 minutes per day will burn calories and give you a slight workout.
It is also important to hydrate frequently and drink plenty of water during this time. This will help to prevent you from developing any kind of weight problems. Drinking sufficient water will also promote good health and discourage you from consuming too many calories. It is good practice to drink eight glasses of water per day, so ensure that you are staying hydrated.
The Bottom Line
Intermittent fasting is a great way of losing weight and boosting your health. Choosing to eat less frequently will speed up your metabolism, making it easier for you to shed those extra pounds. If you want to adopt a healthier lifestyle and shed some weight, then try fasting for a few hours each day.