Intermittent Fasting 101: How To Start As A Beginner

Intermittent fasting is regarded as a term for a type of time-restricted fasting. It involves eating in a particular window while avoiding food for the remaining of each day. It is also considered voluntary fasting as you can easily schedule your fasting cycle without hitch. Scientists have likened the effect of intermittent fasting to that of Calorie-restriction diet. Intermittent fasting 101 entails getting familiar with the pros and cons of IT fasting. It gives a more explicit comprehension of how to start Intermittent fasting as a beginner.

However, as a beginner, it is important to know the types of IT fasting. This will help with understanding which you’d be totally fine with.

Three Methods of Intermittent fasting

There are three methods of intermittent fasting. This includes Alternative-day fasting, Periodic fasting, and daily time-restricted feeding.

1. Alternate-day fasting

Alternate-day fasting is widely known as the strictest and most effective form of Intermittent fasting. This is coupled with the fact that you have to fast for more days in a week. You will have to alternate between going 24 hours whereby you eat 25% less of usual energy and a 24-hour non-fasting day. Also, There is the Complete alternate-day fasting and Modified alternative-day fasting.

2. Periodic fasting (Whole day fasting)

This involves any period of consecutive fasting of more than 24 hours. It also includes the 5:2 diet whereby there are one or two fast days per week. You can decide to make the method more extreme by adding more fast days to your fasting schedule.

3. Time-restricted feeding

Time-restricted feeding involves consuming food only during a particular number of hours you’ve set aside each day. It’s simply all about skipping meals and maintaining a 16:8 diet i.e 16 fasting hours cycled by 8 non-fasting hours.

Tips Beginners need to know before starting fasts

Very important in our intermittent fasting 101 are the tips for beginners:

1. Be Calm, Don’t panic – Avoid putting yourself in a mental state where you start doubting yourself. Try to be at ease, Your body will sooner or later adapt to the new rules that have been laid down by you. Be rigid in your discipline and stick to them.
2. Choose a suitable Intermittent fasting app – To make things smoother, choose for yourself an IT Fasting app (check our article about the best fasting apps) that you believe you’d find easy to operate without any hitch. A lot of IT fasting apps are available on both Apple store and Google play store. You can also read my reviews on these apps to help in your selection.
3. Fasted walks are very useful in the morning- This is very helpful in lowering fats in the body. It also gives you a great head start, allows you to clear your head, and set your mind to get ready for a brighter day. Consider it as a quick workout.
4. Read all the signals – You need to read all the signals and signs your body gives while fasting and during workouts. You wouldn’t want a situation whereby your body gets to knocked down. For example, when you notice you’re getting light-headed, it better you consume enough water.
5. Monitor your progress – This is of uttermost importance. Make sure you track and monitor your overall performance and progress. This gives a better insight into your knowing if you’ve achieved your goals. Also, you can have a better understanding of how much work you still have to put in.

Effects of Intermittent Fasting

Beginners need to understand the effect of Intermittent of fasting, not only on their physical but also on their mental state. However, it has been proven by scientists that Intermittent fasting is effective towards weight loss. Other effects include Improved cardiovascular, enhanced metabolic health, decreased insulin resistance, and fasting insulin. A recent study had shown that Intermittent fasting might lead to a lower energy level.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Increased Chance of Losing Body Weight

The basic idea behind intermittent fasting is to take in fewer meals than one would usually consume. When we eat, foods such as carbohydrates are broken down into sugar which serves as a source of energy for us. The excess sugar is then stored up as fat in our bodies. And because there is constantly a need to generate energy for the human body, when you don’t eat, the body tends to then make use of stored up fat in the body as a source of energy thereby leading to the loss of body fat and subsequently body weight.

Decrease in Blood Pressure

Research has shown that intermittent fasting lowers the risks or chances of having high blood pressure. But it is also noted that these benefits only last while the fast is ongoing.

Increases Autophagy

Autophagy is the process by which the body detoxifies itself of impaired cells and toxins improving the reproduction of new and healthy cells. This process has been shown to improve the body’s resistance to disease.

Promotes Healthy Aging

One of the benefits associated with intermittent fasting according to studies is that it aids aging healthily by managing blood sugar levels and protecting the cardiovascular system.

Other benefits include reduces the body’s resistance to insulin, alleviates inflammation, lowers cholesterol alongside many others. Generally, intermittent fasting has various ways of contributing to health improvement.

Summary

As far as Intermittent fasting 101 is concerned, it is important to understand the tips, effects, stages, and benefits of IT fasting. This gives a better insight into what you are getting yourself into. Grasping the basic knowledge associated with this act has made beginners turn to veterans in no time. However, one can’t deny the huge work you have to put in to achieve your goals.