pros and cons of intermittent fasting

First, it was the Atkins diet that was all the rage, then it was Paleo, then it was the ketogenic diet, and now it seems that intermittent fasting is what everyone is trying to lose bodyfat. What you want to know is, does it work, and it is sustainable? The answers to both questions is yes and no because it depends, person to person, how many hours the fast is, the time they allow themselves to eat their first meal, and the time they restrict eating altogether.

Everyone can benefit from a normal intermittent fast, because we shouldn’t be eating, day and night. If you had ice cream after dinner at 7:30pm and didn’t eat again until 8:00am, that’s a fast of 12 ½ hours. At 8:00am, you had breakfast; you broke the fast. Some people extend the fast, such as not eating until 10:00am, or even 1:00pm.

While confining eating between certain hours is a good idea, some people take it to extremes, like eating from 1:00pm to 7:00pm, all the while, suffering from starvation and dizzy headedness in the morning, and stuffing themselves before 7:00pm.

If you wake up hungry, you should eat something. The right foods act as fuel and allow the human body to function properly. People of all bodyfat percentages, some normal and some in the obese category, have told me that they use intermittent fasting, and that it works for them. Maybe, for some of them, it worked for them initially, but it’s apparent, it’s not working anymore.

The key to fat loss is how many calories are consumed on a daily basis, not the time frames food is eaten. Having a flexible range of hours to eat is a good first start, but make sure those hours don’t hinder performance at the gym, or at work. What’s more important than intermittent fasting is food quality, and portion size when it comes to weight loss and improved health.