All our lives we have heard that you have to eat five meals a day (breakfast, lunch, lunch, snack and dinner) to maintain a healthy diet, but… what if this were not entirely true?
The truth is that each person’s body and metabolism is different and not everyone can use the same habits to stay healthy and, above all, to lose weight. In this article in this article we are going to talk about intermittent fasting and its benefits and, for this, we have had the collaboration of nutritionist Paola Cóser who will answer all our questions. If you want to start with this feeding model, pay close attention!
What is intermittent fasting and how to do it correctly
“Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern in which there is a time of day for food intake and another time in which only liquids are consumed. Generally, we all fast for 7 or 8 hours (while we sleep), but it is it can extend a little more: you can fast for 10, 12, 14, 16 hours…”, Paola Cóser tells us.
As you can see, intermittent fasting is not a diet per se, but rather a lifestyle. It’s not about planning what you have to eat, but WHEN you have to eat. In this sense, there are several ways to do it:
- 16/8 method: with this method you have 8 hours to eat and the remaining 16 you must fast. A good way to do this is to include sleep hours, skip breakfast, eat normally at noon, and eat dinner before 8 p.m.
- Fasting 5:2: this method consists of fasting two days a week, that is, you eat normally (in a healthy and balanced way) five days and fast two days, which do not necessarily have to be consecutive. If you are new to intermittent fasting and don’t feel ready to fast for two full days, you can also reduce your calorie intake to 500/600 per fasting day.
- Eating/Fasting/Eating: this modality consists of alternating days of fasting with days of eating normally (healthy), that is, you eat normally for 24 hours and fast for the following 24 hours. This typology is indicated for those people who already have some experience and journey with intermittent fasting.
All the benefits of intermittent fasting
The benefits obtained by practicing intermittent fasting, according to nutritionist Paola Cóser are the following:
- Mental acuity.
- Less intestinal inflammation and less gases.
- Better sleep reconciliation.
- Helps maintain blood glucose levels.
- By keeping blood glucose levels low, it helps the body to remove fats and, with it, to lose weight.
“While it is true that intermittent fasting helps with weight loss, it is important that it is done consistently. There is no use eating what we want during the weekend and then on Monday doing intermittent fasting”, Paola clarifies.
Some tips if you want to start doing intermittent fasting
Before starting to perform intermittent fasting, you should take into account the following guidelines:
- When you finish the hours of fasting, it is not about eating the first thing you catch. You should avoid ultra-processed foods and try to maintain a balanced diet rich in fiber (fruit, vegetables, legumes…), quality proteins (fish, soy, eggs…) and healthy fats (nuts, avocado, seeds…) if you really want to get the benefits of intermittent fasting
- The key to maintaining intermittent fasting over time is to be very patient. Perhaps at first it will cost you a lot and your hunger will overcome you, but as the days go by your body will get used to it. You can drink water, coffee or tea to feel full.
- If you want to lose weight and not lose muscle mass, it is important that you combine intermittent fasting with strength training at least 3 times a week.
- Remember that rest is essential. Sleep the number of hours you need according to your age and, in this way, your body will better notice the advantages of intermittent fasting.
- Intermittent fasting is contraindicated for some people. If you want to start doing it, the best thing you can do is first consult a nutritionist or specialist who can advise you well in your specific case.