I f you are looking for a healthier diet plan but are unwilling to leave your comfort food, you should consider the pros and cons of intermittent fasting. Not only does it involve you losing weight, but studies have shown it has a positive effect on aging and the treatment of diseases. It involves a complete shutdown of calorie intake for an extended period. This can either be a 16-hour fast every day, or some people even do a 36-hour fast once a week. There are many variations of intermittent fasting, and that is the beauty of the diet. You have the freedom to choose whatever form works best for you. There are, however, many factors to consider if you are planning on starting such a diet. So here are all the pros and cons of starting an intermittent fasting diet.
The idea behind intermittent fasting involves depleting all of your sugars which are normally used as fuel and forcing your body to use body fat as a source of energy. After all, that is what fats are: a warehouse of energy in case your body runs out of its usual supply. In essence, this use of Calorie deficit improves weight loss and has a positive effect on your metabolism via hormones.
As mentioned before, there are multiple studies done that show intermittent fasting helps in the prevention of diseases but most particularly, it helps stop the possibility of contracting cardiovascular diseases. Studies conducted under the University of Surrey showed that people who adopted an intermittent fast saw a 9% decrease in their blood pressure. Intermittent fasting is incredibly useful if you are trying to lower your cholesterol levels, and can help in controlling diabetes as well.
Fasting helps in the production of new neurons and nerve tissues which enhances the performance of your brain such as improvements in memory, focus, and mood. Lack of food intake for a specific period also compels your brain to take preventative measures against certain diseases.
When any diet has you not consuming any calories for an extended period of time, it requires you to have an incredible amount of self-control and drive. The initial stages of you trying to maintain a calorie deficit are horrible with multiple cravings, low energy, and even a lower brain function at times (it gets better when you finally eat). If you already have issues with stress, say a lot of workloads this form of diet is extremely hard to commit to. We do however want to reassure you that once intermittent fasting is integrated into your lifestyle, it becomes as easy as breathing.
It seems menial to mention something like this, but it is actually very important to talk about. Normally, your friends will prefer to go out for food or drinks. If this meetup happens to coincide with the time period at which you are fasting, it might put you in an awkward position. Eating with friends is a social activity and if you are the only one who is not eating, you have the risk of feeling left out. We recommend having a fast that ends around supper so that you almost never have to feel that way (unless your friends decide to go for breakfast).
Intermittent fasting is not some magic button or a hack that will lead you to suddenly lead a healthier lifestyle. Like all forms of diet, Intermittent has its fair share of drawbacks. People with female bodies have seen intermittent fasting causing irregular menstrual cycles, and there is a risk of developing fertility issues. Generally, for all human beings, it leads to insomnia, increased amounts of stress and there is a link to be made of it leading to thyroid-related issues.
Whether you should adopt an intermittent fasting lifestyle really depends on your preference and whether it’s something that will be a sustainable way of living in the long term. If you are someone who would like the freedom to choose what they want to eat, intermittent fasting grants you that. However, there are some health risks associated with it, which is why we recommend discussing the pros and cons of intermittent fasting with a physician before incorporating it into your life
