Intermittent Fasting Is Not A Magic Tool For Weight Loss

Weight loss has become a prevalent concern among all generations today. Everyone desires a healthy body and a physique with an ideal weight. Individuals explore various methods and exercises to shed those extra pounds. Weight loss has been a hot topic for uncountable years now and people are experimenting with different methods to achieve it..

Individuals are making a significant effort to lose excess weight, whether it be by reducing calorie intake, creating a workout plan, incorporating weight loss-promoting diets into their eating habits, or making lifestyle changes. All these methods have been tried by people to reach their desired weight.

There are several diets and routines that have recently gained popularity for weight loss. Some examples include:

•    High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout : which involves short bursts of intense exercise followed by periods of rest.
•    Yoga and Pilates : which focus on building strength and flexibility while promoting weight loss.
•    Keto diet : This diet primarily aims at cutting down the carbohydrates from the food you eat. This promotes the loss of water weight from the body which ultimately helps in lowering the overall weight of the body.
•    Plant-based diet : More of a decline towards the vegan pattern this diet focuses on only consuming a plant-based diet. More fibrous food and fewer calories consumed are the mottoes behind this plant-based diet.
•    Home workouts : working out at home have always been a good option for losing weight. Working out not only helps in losing weight but also strengthens the muscles. It helps us in staying fit and energetic.
•    Intermittent fasting : This routine has gained a lot of popularity and has been practiced by a huge number of people for weight loss. It is a disciplined way of eating which distributes your day into 2 windows, namely- the eating window and the fasting window.

How intermittent fasting works?

Lets us understand intermittent fasting in detail

Intermittent fasting has been proven really helpful when it comes to weight loss programs. When your day is divided into eating and fasting windows you make a discipline for yourself. You can only eat in the eating window which is generally 8 hours according to the most famous pattern of 16:8.

In the 16:8 type of pattern, you have to fast for 16 hours and you can only eat for 8 hours. You have to decide your meals accordingly so as to make it fit in the pattern.

Intermittent fasting has been found to have many health benefits:

•    Weight loss
•    Disciplined eating structure
•    Reduces inflammation
•    Keeps heart problems away
•    Reducing the risk of diabetes
•    Reduces oxidative stress
•    Managing blood pressure
•    Lowering cholesterol levels

Is it a miracle?

Despite so many advantages and health benefits intermittent fasting is providing do remember it is not a magical tool for weight loss. Merely deciding to go for intermittent fasting and not following it with discipline will not take you anywhere.

It requires a lot of commitment and discipline to follow this diet. There has been much research conducted which proves that many people who followed intermittent fasting for their weight loss ended up dropping it. It is tough to follow intermittent fasting because of its strict time patterns.

It is found to be less sustainable in the future as people find it difficult to tolerate hunger for longer hours. It is not easy to starve yourself especially when you are a working person and spend hours and hours doing physical work.

Starving for long hours can give you irritation and mood swings. Also, it can make your body weak.

Intermittent fasting can result in following problems if you don’t follow it with discipline:

•    Over-eating- Because of being strict in nature not everyone follows it with honesty and the urge to eat increases. This can lead you to overeat. Feasting days are the worst in that scenario. On feasting days when you are free to eat you tend to compensate for the previous fasting days. As a result, you overeat.

Because of being deprived of food for longer hours, the urge to eat more is very natural, and if you don’t have good controlling power you will eat even more. How strong your willpower is and how strong you can control yourself plays a major role in following this fasting method.
Sometimes due to intense fasting hunger becomes extreme which also ends up in over-eating and making unhealthy food choices.

•    Reduced physical activities- Fasting for longer hours can lead to fewer or reduced physical activities. The reason behind this can be hunger which makes you weak. You can feel lethargic because of being food deprived for longer hours.

In order to keep your body active, make it a habit to exercise daily. Force yourself to do some physical activities. If you are a sports person or an athlete try some other options than intermittent fasting.

•    Tired and moody- long hours of fasting can keep you in stress and can make you moody. Stress can lead to feeling low on energy, fatigue, and extremely moody. When you are tired you don’t perform to the best of your potential.
Mood swings are also very common when you are fasting for long hours. You can become impatient and irritated when being hungry for longer hours.

Intermittent fasting becomes tough when you are already dealing with mood swings. This can also lead you to quit intermittent fasting.

•    Eating disorder- Restrictive eating can result in eating disorders. The more you starve the more you end up having a negative relationship with food. If you had any previous eating disorder try before you go for intermittent fasting.

Maintaining a clear and focused mindset on your weight loss goals is essential for the success of any diet or workout routine. Discipline and commitment are key to sticking to intermittent fasting or any other weight loss method. Without 100% dedication, no method will yield the desired results.

To achieve the physique you desire, it is important to make a genuine effort towards your goal. Losing weight can be challenging and following intermittent fasting or other methods can be even more difficult. However, without determination and commitment, it will not lead to successful weight loss.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns about your health or are experiencing symptoms, it is important to consult with a healthcare professional. They will be able to assess your specific situation and provide you with personalised advice and treatment based on your symptoms, body type, allergies (if any), existing medical conditions etc. It is always a good idea to consult with a healthcare professional before making any decisions about your health.