Intermittent Fasting, also known as IF, is a pattern of eating that is fast becoming popular. Instead of limiting what you eat, one simply has to change when you eat. There are many benefits of doing IF including gaining leaner muscles, losing weight effectively, and reducing inflammation, amongst others.
How you do IF is simple – you prolong the time you fast. The fasting time includes the times you do not eat such as when you sleep. There are many benefits of doing Intermittent Fasting, which includes weight loss.
There are many ways or methods of doing IF. Most of the time it is done on a daily basis so it becomes part of your routine. Some do a 24-hour fast within a week’s time frame. However, IF is effective only if you do it at around the same time every day.
Whether we are conscious about it or not, we are already eating around the same time every day so all that one needs to change when trying out Intermittent Fasting is to simply not eat after a certain amount of hours.
Here are some examples of Intermittent Fasting methods:
The Daily Fast (Leangains method)
You have a window of 8 hours to eat in a day and the rest is slotted for fasting. You can “skip” breakfast or have it at noon and end your eating period at 8 pm. You can also choose to have your breakfast at your usual time and end your eating period 8 hours later. The timing is completely up to you.
The Warrior Method
A more extreme method of having only a 4-hour window to eat, some say that the Warrior Method has helped them gain a better relationship with food. However, it is not recommended that you start off your Intermittent Fasting journey with this method straight away.
The 24-Hour Fast
For this method, you only fast for effectively one day or continuously for 24-hours. For example, you have your last meal on at 8pm on Tuesday evening and don’t eat anything until 8 pm Wednesday evening. That is just an example and you can choose any day of the week to do this.
Spontaneous Method
This method is for those who are unable to follow any of the methods shown above. You are able to skip meals when you can or choose to fast for a whole day when you feel like it. Find the best timing to suit your needs and lifestyle.
There are many benefits of Intermittent Fasting but you will not be able to reap its benefits if you are not aware of what you’re eating and continue to consume junk food.
