For the past three months I have been practising Intermittent Fasting. Out of a number of options, I chose the 5:2 diet, whereby you fast for two days out of every week, eating only 500-600 calories on the fasting days (all in one sitting). Intermittent fasting has been the first diet that not only have I stuck at long enough to see results from, but has literally transformed my life.
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1. Watch It Drop
If you are looking to loose a few pounds or are in it for the long haul, intermittent fasting will help you lose weight at a steady pace. It’s not a dramatic loss in weight that will see you gaining at the slightest sniff of something yummy. However, it’s enough to let you know that what you are doing is working.
2. Time-out
It is inevitable that on your fasting days you will feel considerably less energetic. Intermittent fasting ensures that you take time-out for yourself and recharge your batteries.Why wait until you are hyperventilating over the lack of bubbles in your bubble bath to realise that you need a break?
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3. Perspective
With intermittent fasting you feel as though you are working with your body instead of against it. You begin to look at your diet in an entirely different light. Knowing that two days out of every week you are cleansing your system through intermittent fasting makes you think twice about how you treat it the other five days.
4. That Time of the Month
If once a month you are covered in pimples and keeled over in pain from your period, then you should look into intermittent fasting. Since fasting I have not had any breakouts and the pain is no longer anything to talk (or hysterically scream) about. For me that's certainly been a benefit.
5. Free up Your Time and Money
Whilst practising intermittent fasting, two days out of every week you only have to plan one meal. That’s 4 meals a week that you don’t have to think about and a good amount of time and money that you could spend on anything else you choose. Sign up for that karate class, take singing lessons or practise your poker face – whatever tickles your pickle.
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6. Poop
I have always been fairly ‘regular’ but intermittent fasting takes you to another level. Your body becomes like a well oiled machine that gets onto processing foods as soon as you eat them. No more bloated belly, constipation or bad gas… now that’s something to talk about (or not).
7. Confidence
No one likes to feel as though they can’t control how they eat or achieve the goals they set due to a lack of will power. Intermittent fasting means you tighten the reigns for two days a week but eat as usual the other five. The phrase ‘have your cake and eat it’ never seemed more appropriate.
Intermittent fasting may not be for everyone, but if you are looking for a lifestyle change that could see you high-fiving your naked self in the mirror in only a short time, then this could be the one for you. Has anyone else caught the intermittent fasting bug? Or does anyone else have any suggestions to feeling great and looking fabulous?
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Comments
Gennie: Do you think you could share the intermediate fasting steps or how to do it?
April: It's not about starving yourself, you may have taken this idea to an extreme. I think it's about giving your body a break from constantly gorging down food. You're not going to become anorexic or anything from fasting once a week or every other. I see it as a healthy way of living, some religions do it and they are perfectly healthy.
Isabel: The reason fasting is not good for your body is that you are starving it of the essential carbs you need. Carbs turn into glucose (or glycogen in it's stored form) in your body, which is THE major source of energy and food for your brain. No carbs, no blood glucose, and your body starts shutting down. It'll start using protein (aka muscle) to restore blood glucose so that you can survive, thus you lose muscle tissue as well. Yes you will lose weight, but it's not just fat, it's muscle. You want to focus on losing fat, not weight. Eating healthy and exercising (and persistence of that lifestyle) is the only thing that will get true and lasting results. Starving/fasting is temporary and when you stop that diet, you will gain weight again, mostly in the form of fat.
Karen: Your body needs protein and if you are starving, your body will digest its muscles. The first muscle to be attacked is your heart. Karen Carpenter didn't die from starvation she died from heart failure.
Amanda: I would love to read more about this 5:2 fasting! Is there a "how to" post that I missed??
Laura: Thanks for the info :-)
Alex: Agreed I had the same issue and this seem proana
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