Intermittent fasting

Intermittent or intermittent fasting is not like any of the usual diets. Strictly speaking, this is not even a diet in the usual sense of the word. Rather, it is a diet that alternates between hours of hunger and eating.

There are no prohibited and allowed dishes and calorie restrictions. Many of us, without knowing it, adhere to just such a dietary system: for example, the interval between dinner and the first breakfast after sleep can be called fasting.

Taking into account the average daily routine (dinner at 20-00 and breakfast at 8-00), we get a ratio of 12/12. And this is already one of the power schemes, which we will discuss below.

The principle of intermittent fasting

There are many intermittent fasting regimens. The most popular are daily, calculated for a long period of time, up to several years.

The essence of this unusual diet is extremely simple: the day is divided into two time periods - hunger and food window.

• During the fasting period, any foods are excluded, but you can drink water and drinks that do not contain calories (tea or coffee without additives in the form of sugar, milk or cream).
• The food window is the time in which you need to eat your daily calorie intake. It can be two or three large meals, or several small ones. It is advisable to make the first intake after fasting the most voluminous in calorie content, the next less, and so on, so that there is a light snack for dinner.

Initially, the diet does not imply restrictions on calories or the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Fasting and exercise

Combining several diets with an intermittent fasting system is common among athletes and those who want to lose weight quickly, that is, among people who want to get tangible results in the shortest possible time and are trying to combine several effective methods into one, the most effective one.

Bodybuilders, CrossFitters, and other athletes have to juggle intermittent fasting with a workout schedule.

There are strict guidelines for them:

• training is best done at the end of the hunger phase;
• exercising on an empty stomach (only if you feel well) will contribute to the active burning of fat;
• if you need something to eat, drink a pre-workout shake or eat something, but the portion should be no more than 25% of the daily value.

Popular power schemes

Having studied the basic principles of the intermittent fasting regime, you can easily figure out the schemes presented below. Each of them is based on two numbers: the first indicates the duration of the hunger phase, the second (usually shorter) for the duration of the food window.

The schemes are mainly developed by athletes and bodybuilders - it is possible that for self-promotion purposes. But the fact remains - they quickly spread across the network as an effective way to achieve their goal and found their audience of admirers.

It is impossible to say which scheme will be optimal for you personally. We recommend that you first try the simplest ones, for example, 14/10, and only then move on to more complex ones - for example, to the 20/4 scheme, in which only 4 hours are allotted for a meal.

Beginner Scheme: 12/12 or 14/10

The 12/12 and 14/10 regimens are best for beginners who are not yet familiar with intermittent fasting and are more inclined towards split meals. The scheme has practically no restrictions or frameworks, except for those that each will designate for himself.

Intermittent fasting 16/8 by Martin Berhan

In his blog, Martin Berhan, a well-known US journalist, trainer, nutritional consultant and bodybuilder, says that he is not averse to taking a sip of alcohol without having breakfast, exercising on an empty stomach, or eating something sweet.

His technique was based on several elementary rules:

1. Observe the period of hunger at 4 pm daily.
2. Train intensively on an empty stomach several times a week.
3. Before or during physical activity, take 10 g of BCAA.
4. On workout days, the menu should contain large portions of protein, as well as vegetables and carbohydrates.
5. The greatest mealtime follows immediately after class.
6. On non-training days, the focus is on protein, vegetables, and fats.
7. Foods should be minimally processed, mostly whole, no additives.

In addition, Berhan claims intermittent fasting system not only reduces weight, but also helps to build muscle. Weight gain is improved by dividing the regimen into pre-workout food intake (no more than 20%) and post-workout (50-60% and 20-30%).

Ori Hofmeckler 20/4 Mode

“If you want a warrior's body, eat like a warrior!” Ori Hofmekler proclaims loudly in his book The Warrior's Diet. On its pages, in addition to the philosophy of life from an artist with a higher education, the basic rules of the diet for men are set out.

The advantages of the warrior's diet are in its simplicity: nothing has to be counted, weighed or alternated.

It is only important to follow a few rules and break the day into a phase of hunger and overeating:

1. Intermittent fasting 20/4 is 20 hours of fasting and 4 hours for food. True, during the fasting phase, it is allowed to drink freshly squeezed juice (preferably vegetable), snack on nuts, fruits or vegetables.
2. Ori also recommends exercising on an empty stomach.
3. After class, you can drink kefir or yogurt, as well as eat a couple of hard-boiled eggs.
4. In the evening, the long-awaited phase of the feast comes: it is allowed to eat almost everyone in a row, but you have to follow a certain order: first fiber (fresh vegetables), then proteins and fats, and carbohydrates for a snack.

Interval nutrition 2/5 by Michael Mosley

The essence of the scheme proposed by Michael Mosley boils down to the fact that 2 days a week daily calorie intake should be reduced to a minimum. For women, only 500 kcal, and for men, 600 kcal. The rest of the time, that is, 5 days, it is allowed to eat normally, consuming the daily allowance, calculated by weight and activity.

Research on the effectiveness of this scheme was carried out at the University of Florida. The subjects followed the diet for 3 weeks. Throughout the entire period, they measured their body weight, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol levels, markers of inflammation and heart rate.

Scientists have noted an increase in the amount of protein responsible for the activation and functioning of the antioxidant system, which prevents aging. The researchers also recorded a decrease in insulin levels and suggested that intermittent fasting would prevent diabetes.

The fact that the eating window is limited in time and moved closer to the afternoon reduces the risk of overeating. Adhering to PG is convenient for people who have no appetite in the morning and are drawn to the refrigerator in the evening. In addition, adherence to the regimen allows you to enter the usual social life, exercise and at the same time not limit your diet.

Brad Pilon fasting for weight loss

The regime, which quickly gained popularity and spread throughout the network, could not be ignored by women eager to lose a couple of extra pounds.

If we talk about intermittent fasting for weight loss, designed specifically for women, then the most often mentioned system of the Canadian fitness trainer Brad Pilon, which is called "Eat-Stop-Eat". In addition to theory, practical research was carried out. More than half of the participants - about 85% - confirmed the effectiveness of the method.

It is based on a common principle of calorie deficit: a person loses weight when he spends more energy than he consumes food.

In practice, the regime requires compliance with three rules:

1. Eat as usual throughout the week (it is advisable to adhere to the principles of a healthy diet and not overeat, but it is not necessary to keep a strict calorie count).
2. Two days a week you will have to limit yourself a little - give up breakfast and lunch, but you can have dinner. The evening meal should consist of meat and vegetables.
3. During the "hungry" day, it is allowed to drink green tea without sugar and water.

You can adhere to this regime for a long time, but it is important to understand that the rate of fat loss depends on many factors: weight, age, physical activity, diet in addition to the regime.

Intermittent fasting and drying

So, you already imagine what intermittent fasting is. The term "drying" is probably familiar to you too.

The most popular ways to lose weight in sports - a low-carb diet, a keto diet, and others - are based on the principles of fractional nutrition, which are contrary to intermittent fasting. It is especially difficult to fit all the necessary kilocalories for people with significant weight into a 4-hour food window.

The 16/8 scheme is considered optimal for drying. Weight loss results will be better if you combine the regimen with proper nutrition. The only question that remains is how best to combine fasting with exercise.

Taking this table as a basis, a person with any type of employment will find the best option for himself. In addition, we recommend an excellent method of drying the body for girls.

Table. Diet and exercise regimen

Balanced nutrition

Do not forget that the chemical balance of intermittent fasting must be complete: the diet must contain the required amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

At the same time, there are some features of this peculiar diet concerning those athletes who take auxiliary drugs to accelerate the growth of muscle mass.

• If an athlete is undergoing a course of anabolic steroids, you need to eat more food. Without the right amount of carbohydrates and protein, progress in gaining muscle mass is impossible. But at the same time, it is important that the building material evenly enters the body throughout the day, and this is practically impossible on the intermittent fasting system. It is possible to combine this type of diet with anabolic steroids only if we are talking about low dosages, for example, oralturinabol, primobolan or oxandrolone.
• Clenbuterol is known for its ability to convert the body from carbohydrate to fatty energy pathways, so the drug can be called an excellent supplement for intermittent feeding. In addition, it has some anti-catabolic affect.
• Bromocriptine is involved in the accumulation and burning of fat, but it must be used wisely. Best under the guidance of an experienced trainer.

The benefits and harms of dieting

The intermittent fasting system has many undeniable advantages. Some of them are even supported by scientific research.

However, it is worth practicing intermittent fasting, especially if you have health problems, only after consulting your doctor. Otherwise, there is a risk of developing problems with the gastrointestinal tract and other organs.

Positive sides

• Intermittent fasting teaches self-control. Over time, a person learns to distinguish between true hunger and the psychological need to chew something.
• The slow rate of fat burning is offset by the guarantee of lasting results.
• The benefit of intermittent fasting is also that recovery processes are activated. The body replaces damaged cells with new, healthy ones, removes old ones or uses them to release energy.
• Scientists from Southern California published an article in 2014 claiming that the cells of the defense system regenerate better during periods of fasting. The body tries to conserve energy and recycles damaged cells of the immune system. During fasting, the number of old leukocytes decreases, but after eating, new ones are produced and the number returns to normal.

Negative aspects

• It is difficult to gain muscle mass quickly with this dietary pattern.
• Fasting can affect your psychological state in different ways. It often causes irritability, loss of concentration and dizziness are possible.
• Fasting is contraindicated in a number of diseases: pancreatitis, tumors, diseases of the respiratory and circulatory systems, diabetes mellitus, underweight, heart failure, liver problems, thrombophlebitis, thyrotoxicosis.
• Physiologist Minvaliev believes that fasting promotes the burning of amino acids, not fat. Protein deficiency leads to the breakdown of collagen in muscle fibers. The absence of glucose in the body during the day triggers irreversible degenerative processes.
• The likelihood of gallstones and kidney stones is increased. In diabetics, fasting for more than 12 hours increases the risk of falling into a hypoglycemic coma.

As already mentioned, everything is individual. In addition, most of the disadvantages are associated precisely with long periods of hunger strike, and not with a regime of 12 hours, of which 7-9 fall asleep.

To decide finally whether it is worth trying out the technique on yourself, the feedback on intermittent fasting, as well as additional consultations with a doctor, trainer or nutritionist, will help.

Watch the video: We Tried Intermittent Fasting For A Month. TODAY (November 2024).