You may have heard about Intermittent fasting in the media recently…

Let’s look at why this eating pattern is gaining popularity… Remember the saying do not skip your breakfast as it is the most important meal of the day, or you must eat every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism working… well, what if we told you that going the opposite way may give you major health benefits…

We do not like calling intermittent fasting a diet as ultimately it isn’t a diet, but more like a sustainable eating pattern. There are many ways to do intermittent fasting, but today we will look at one of the most popular ones… The 16/8 Leans gain protocol. To put it simple, you don’t eat for 16 hours but you fit your normal daily calories into an 8 hour eating window. This could look something like you have your dinner say at around 8 pm in the evening and you don’t eat anything for the next 16 hour window, meaning your first meal the next day will be at 12 noon. So basically between 12 noon until 8 pm you eat your normal calories for that day.

Are you thinking why would I change my eating habits and how can I go for that long without Food? Well, don’t forget you already fast in you sleep for 8 hours every night, so really you only have another 8 to go… Consider intermittent fasting for fat loss. Here is how it works… When your body is in a fed state it is absorbing and digesting food. Being in this state makes it hard for the body to burn fat as the insulin levels are high. When your body is in the fasted state, usually starting at around 12 hours after your last meal, it burns fat much easier as the body’s insulin levels are low. So basically fasting lets you put your body into a fat burning state getting rid of excess fat by using this fat as a source of energy.

Other benefits of intermittent Fasting include:

• Builds Insulin resistance meaning it improves blood glucose control which makes fat burning easier
• Increases Human growth hormones. The important human growth hormone is made by a small part in the brain. It is a small protein which travels thru the body’s bloodstream and stimulates grows for muscles and therefore facilitating fat burning.
• Inducesthe body’s cellular repair processes facilitating the removal of waste products from cells.
• Beneficial Gene expression relating to protecting your body against disease, inflammation and promoting longevity.
• A reduction in cholesterol levels will reduce risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

The above benefits are the main ones associated with intermittent fasting. More studies have been conducted over the years and other benefits could also include cancer fighting properties and resistance to Alzheimer disease.

Conclusion: Intermittent fasting can boost your metabolism and help you eat fewer calories; making it a powerful way shed some unwanted kilos and stubborn belly fat.

There are many other sources available online which will talk about the benefits of intermittent fasting. It may not be for everyone and we recommend discussing this option with your Doctor or Nutritionist should you have questions or doubt about this eating pattern.