One of the major issues that many of us face today is how to lose weight. Not only is obesity one of the major factors leading to early deaths, but there is also the fact that many diseases are associated with being overweight or obese.
While there is no real ‘cure’ for being overweight or obese, there are ways to reduce your weight and keep it off. The good news is that you don’t have to lose a lot of weight to achieve great results! As long as you are within a healthy weight range, you will be able to maintain a good quality of life and continue with your daily activities.
Let’s take a closer look at how to lose weight intermittently fasting, and how you can use the method to your advantage.
When Is It Best to Fasting?
While the benefits of fasting have been recognized for centuries, it was not until the early 2000s that the medical community started taking it more seriously. The turning point was the discovery of the hormone leptin, which plays a key role in the regulation of appetite and metabolism. When mice are deficient in leptin, they become significantly leaner, and when they are over-leptin, they become obese.
This discovery led to the development of leptin-based pharmaceuticals, which are currently used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. As a result of this research, the scientific community now agrees that fasting is one of the most effective ways to lose weight, and also to lower your blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
How Long Should You Fast?
Depending on your metabolism, weight, and lifestyle, you may need to fast for a few hours or even a full day before you start to notice measurable results. As long as you are consistent in your efforts, you will soon begin to shed those extra pounds. A good rule of thumb is to aim for a minimum of 16 hours without food or drink. This is the time when your body will start to burn calories, and the process of losing weight will begin.
It is also a good idea to experiment with how much weight you should be losing each week. Rather than aiming for drastic weight loss, which may cause you to lose muscle along with the fat, try going at a more sustainable pace. If you are new to fasting, it may be best to start with a low weight and see how you go. Once you have figured out how effective it is, you can experiment with increasing your food intake, but without risking obesity.
While there are no concrete rules when it comes to how long you should fast, health practitioners generally agree that intermittent fasting is one of the most effective ways to lose weight. By alternating between fasting and eating, your body will be exposed to a constant stream of fuel, which will cause it to remain in a state of perpetual repair and make it less likely to store extra calories as fat. Your body will therefore be less vulnerable to illness and more capable of defending itself against it.
How to Eat While Fasting?
When you have determined that fasting is the key to your weight loss, the next step is to start figuring out how to eat while fasting. This is not an easy task, as there are numerous pitfalls that you need to avoid. One of the most obvious is avoiding sugar, which is probably the second-most-popular weight loss aid in the U.S. after alcohol. Your body does not process fructose (a type of sugar) as efficiently as it processes glucose (a type of sugar) and, as a result, it will store more of it as fat. The other major problem with eating while on a fasting diet is that you will undoubtedly become very hungry, which can make it very difficult to stick to the diet. This is why it is crucial to have a strategy before you start your fast.
To keep things simple, you can use fasting to prepare your body for a special event, such as a big day on the football field or the court. Rather than trying to lose weight right away, you can take a short break from eating and drinking, preferably overnight, then have a light snack in the morning. This will help you avoid the hunger pangs that come with skipping meals, and it will give you the boost of energy that you need to get through the day. Remember, you are playing with fire, so be very careful not to overdo it. Moderation is the key to a healthy lifestyle, and you should always have a break from eating when you feel hungry.
Depending on your metabolism, activity levels, and lifestyle, you may need to adjust the timing of when you break from eating. For example, if you are a very activity-based person who works out a lot, it may be best to have a protein-heavy meal shortly before your workout to give your body the energy it needs to perform at its best. This does not mean that you have to eat a huge meal beforehand, as small snacks between meals will still help you sustain a healthy weight. It is a matter of personal preference and what makes you feel better, but you should figure out what works best for you.
How to Stay Hydrated?
You are what you eat, and what you drink, so it follows that you are what you sweat. That is why it is crucial to stay hydrated while fasting. You are already expending more calories than usual, and it is crucial to replace those calories with water (and sometimes with rehydrating electrolytes as well). If you want to see quick and measurable results, then you should focus on staying hydrated and avoiding dehydration. While it is best to drink at regular intervals throughout the day, you should especially focus on drinking in the morning to ensure that you stay hydrated all day long.
Dehydration leads to fatigue, which makes it difficult to lose weight. Drinking sufficient amounts of water also helps to maintain healthy blood pressure, which is again crucial for losing weight. If you want to experience the health benefits of fasting, then you must be careful not to overdo it and end up with dehydration. Remember: your body is a temple! You are not meant to drink like a fish, and you certainly are not meant to dehydrate.
More On The Metabolism Of Fasting
The preceding sections discussed how to lose weight with the use of fasting. While there are no real studies to prove it, it is generally accepted in the scientific community that intermittent fasting can increase your metabolic rate, which leads to quicker weight loss. Even more impressively, it also leads to reduced cholesterol levels and blood pressure in some cases. This is partly thanks to the fact that fasting reduces your appetite, which means that you will be consuming fewer calories than usual.
The bottom line is that if you want to lose weight effectively, then you should certainly try fasting. There are numerous upsides to this diet, not the least of which is that it can help reduce cholesterol, insulin resistance, and blood pressure. There are also anecdotal reports that fasting helps some patients with depression and anxiety. If you want to start seeing quick and impressive results, then you should certainly try fasting.