People who want to lose weight are frequently confused by the wide range of available diets and exercise regimens. Choosing one that is right for you is difficult because each individual has specific eating habits and lifestyles. Additionally, there are many diets that are simply ineffective, meaning that medical research has not confirmed their utility in weight loss. This further complicates the task of navigating through the immense amount of information found in books and on the Internet in an attempt to choose an effective and safe weight loss diet. However, there are a few diet regimens that have been monitored throughout the years by medical professionals to ensure utility and safety in weight loss, and that have proven their effectiveness in research studies. One such diet is called intermittent fasting, and this article will explain how it works to help you lose weight and why it is so effective.
Intermittent fasting is similar to caloric restriction, a straightforward diet that involves a reduction of the amount of ingested calories while maintaining proper nutritional value of food to stay healthy. Unlike caloric restriction, however, in intermittent fasting the emphasis is placed on the eating pattern of the individual rather than on reducing the amount of calories of each meal.
According to a 2011 study conducted and published by the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition at the University of Illinois in Chicago, intermittent fasting is more effective than daily caloric restriction when it comes to weight loss. Additionally, intermittent fasting preserves muscle tissue and prevents muscle protein loss, leading to a more attractive and lean body. Intermittent fasting involves alternation of periods of eating with periods of fasting. There are several forms of intermittent fasting, with varying durations of fasting and eating periods.
Intermittent fasting has many benefits besides weight loss. The reduction of caloric intake caused by fasting will stimulate the body to use its reserves, which include fat deposits. Fasting is also beneficial in reducing blood sugar levels, improving the utilization of insulin, lowering cholesterol levels, protecting against heart disease, and many other health benefits. Unlike some other diets that are being promoted on the Internet, intermittent fasting is scientifically approved, and its health effects have been tested and verified in research studies to evaluate its utility in weight loss and a variety of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and high cholesterol.
An important feature of intermittent fasting diet is that is closely resembles the dietary habits of our ancestors, who were hunters and gatherers. Before people started to obtain food through farming, which led to a steady daily supply of food, hunting was the main source of nutrition. The diet of humans largely depended on their luck with hunting on a specific day, and intermittent is the term that best describes their eating habits. It was not possible to procure long-term food supplies, due to a lack of storage facilities and external threats. Because of this, the human body developed several adaptive mechanisms to switch from conditions when food was readily available those times when food was insufficient.
Since humans lived with intermittent fasting for thousands of years before the advent of agriculture allowed us to begin storing food, our bodies may still have those adaptive metabolic processes encoded in our genes. In fact, people who procure their food through hunting may still be found today in the depths of the African jungle and in the South American rain forests, and for them, intermittent fasting is a normal eating routine rather than a specifically designed diet.