Everyone talks about intermittent fasting. Yes, that new diet that many famous people follow and that is based on eating in a certain number of hours and fasting the rest. But is it effective? What are its benefits and how does it work? We tell you everything.
How do you do the 16/8 intermittent fasting diet?
The 16/8 intermittent fasting diet is based on eating in a window of 8 consecutive hours - it does not mean that you will be eating for 8 hours continuously - and fasting the remaining 16 hours. Fasting normally comprises the hours you sleep, so you are not fasting for a full 16 hours. For example, with breakfast two hours later than you usually do (around 11:00) and with dinner two hours earlier than usual (around 7:00 pm), you would already be following the method.
This diet works because it is based on the working system of our metabolism and uses its mechanisms to work in our favor. In fact, this way of eating responds to how we are designed.
When you eat, the body turns food into its fuel, glucose . This is a vital element that gives you energy but it is also dangerous, its excess can burn tissues. Therefore, your body is designed to keep its levels stable, if a lot of insulin enters the system at once, your body reacts by producing insulin so that glucose is stored as fat and does not harm you. If you eat the normal thing, it uses that fuel and it also stores it in the liver and in the muscles, in the form of glycogen. When both stores are full of glycogen, and there is still glucose circulating in the blood, the body stores the excess glucose in fat stores. It is when you gain weight.
When you do intermittent fasting, you "force" your body to deplete glycogen stores and burn excess fat using the same metabolic systems. After your last meal of the day, after about 6 hours, your body no longer has circulating glucose and uses what is stored in the liver and muscles in the form of gluconen. 12 hours after your last meal there is no glycogen left and the body uses fat deposits. It is when you lose weight.
Is it a valid diet for you?
The diet that really works is the one with which you feel comfortable and can apply to your day to day. This diet has shown that it has a great adherence, that is, who starts it does not stop it, because it is not a diet in the strict sense of the word, but a healthier way of eating. Among its virtues, it stands out that it is very adaptable to any rhythm of life. And you can even have social commitments and follow the diet without problem. You just have to respect the window of time in which you eat and in which you don't. And this schedule is far from fixed. It can vary according to your needs. But if you can't live without a coffee with milk first thing in the morning or just thinking about having dinner too early or too little horrifies you, find another method or take the CLARA test to find out which diet is right for you.
Here you can find much more information about the intermittent fasting diet and you can download the PDF with menus for free.
