Intermittent fasting for weight loss: Detailed explanation of alternate-day fasting and the 5:2 intermittent fasting method

Intermittent fasting diet

Intermittent fasting is distinguished from traditional continuous fasting and abstinence from grains. I consulted relevant literature and found...

The standard term for intermittent fasting is now "intermittent fasting." In other words, it's not continuous fasting.

It doesn't mean not eating for several days, but rather eating normally sometimes and less at other times. And eating less doesn't mean not eating at all; the amount of food consumed on fasting days is not...

It is 25% lower than normal.

According to current research, intermittent fasting includes several main types.

◆Alternating-day fasting method. One day, eat normally with no food restriction; on the other day, reduce food intake significantly, approximately [amount not specified].

25% to 50% of normal food intake. For a person with a daily total energy intake of 2000 kcal, the energy on a fasting day...

The recommended intake is 500-1000 kcal.

◆5:2 intermittent fasting method. Eat normally for 5 days a week, and eat very little for the other 2 days, with the portion sizes roughly equivalent to normal food intake.

25% to 30%. However, these two fasting days are not consecutive; for example, Tuesday and Saturday can be designated as fasting days, or...

Wednesday and Sunday are fasting days. You can also try a 6:1 intermittent fasting to start, which means eating normally for 6 days.

Eat less for only one day. On the fasting day, energy intake is approximately 1/4 to 1/3 of a normal diet, typically around 500 kcal for women.

Right, around 600 kcal for men.

◆ 2-5 Days of Fruit and Vegetable Juice Fasting per Month. This involves choosing only 2-5 days of fasting per month, and during these fasts...

The days are not consecutive. On fasting days, one only drinks 5 cups of fruit and vegetable juice and 1 bowl of vegetable soup, and completely avoids fish, meat, eggs, dairy products, and white rice.

Noodles. Daily energy intake: 300-500 kcal.

◆16: The 8-Day Fasting Method. Daily food intake doesn't need to be strictly controlled, but the goal is to abstain from food for 16 hours a day.

Eat freely during the remaining 8 hours. For example, eat between 8:00 and 16:00, or between 10:00 and 18:00, and fast during the rest of the time. People often

The practice of "not eating after noon" can also be categorized as intraday fasting.

Compared to traditional diets that require eating very little each day, intermittent fasting is clearly easier to implement. Many...

People who need to lose weight often have busy work and life schedules and don't really understand the energy values ​​of food. Calculating energy intake every day is not helpful for them.

It's troublesome for them; they find it hard to determine exactly how much to eat when trying to lose weight, and they're always struggling with this decision.

In contrast, intermittent fasting is simpler; you eat the same way you normally would, just set a schedule for each week.

Setting 1-2 fasting days is sufficient. The thought of being able to eat whatever you want the next day makes it easier to resist the urge to go hungry for a day.

Tolerable.

Medical weight loss guidance often aims to give dieters a sense of "ritual"-"I am now beginning the weight loss process."

At the same time, people need immediate weight loss results, so the convenient intermittent fasting method is often more popular.

This weight loss method makes dieters feel that losing weight is not troublesome, allowing them to see a weight loss of at least 1 kilogram in the first 2 weeks.

A decrease in [something] can greatly boost their confidence.

Research data shows that for people who were previously obese, had high blood lipids, or excessive visceral fat...

It is said that intermittent fasting is beneficial for weight loss, reducing waist circumference, lowering visceral fat content, and reducing excessive fat.

Blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels. A systematic review indicates that while intermittent fasting cannot effectively lower blood sugar in the short term,

However, it can lower insulin levels and improve insulin sensitivity, thus helping to prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes.

All of these are beneficial. Some studies also suggest that the starvation state during intermittent fasting can promote autophagy.

Enhancing the sensitivity of the nervous system and increasing growth hormone levels can help reduce inflammation in the body and delay brain aging.

It may be helpful (Kuang Lihua et al., 2017).

Intermittent fasting is more suitable for those who are muscular, overweight, have a large waist circumference, high blood lipids, or pancreatic ischemia.

Decreased sensitivity to toxins, coupled with a large daily food intake, high protein and fat consumption, and poor ability to control food intake, and

For busy people who don't have time to carefully adjust their daily diet, intermittent fasting is also being incorporated into weight loss guidance by nutrition professionals.

In the program (Ge Sheng, 2017).

Domestic research has found that after four weeks of intermittent fasting, obese subjects experienced significant reductions in weight and body fat percentage.

The effect is more pronounced when intermittent fasting is combined with exercise (Zhang Jiayu et al., 2016). A study of 60 glucose tolerance participants...

Impaired subjects underwent 6 months of intermittent fasting treatment, compared to 60 subjects in the acarbose treatment group. The results showed that intermittent fasting...

Dietary therapy can also significantly improve glucose tolerance and significantly reduce blood cholesterol levels (Zhang Mingguo).

(etc., 2016).

A study compared the weight loss effects of intermittent fasting and calorie restriction diets (commonly known as "dieting"). 65

The participants were randomly assigned to a 5:2 intermittent fasting regimen (approximately 500 kcal intake on fasting days, with the remainder...).

Eat at any time) and energy restriction (normal dietary energy intake calculated by sex, weight, and activity level).

In the diet group (approximately 70%), after 16 weeks, the weight, body fat percentage, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio of the subjects in both groups were compared.

Both fasting blood glucose and total cholesterol levels decreased significantly, and the effects were comparable. However, only 2% of the intermittent fasting group experienced a significant decrease.

The experiment was not completed by 15 people in the energy restriction diet group, indicating that the intermittent fasting weight loss method is relatively less effective.

It is more readily accepted by dieters (Xiao Jun, 2018).

Another related study conducted an 8-week intermittent fasting trial on 30 participants and found that after the trial ended, the participants...

Weight, body fat percentage, waist circumference, and hip circumference all decreased, and systolic blood pressure and triglyceride levels all decreased significantly.

Kidney function indicators also improved. The study also found that subjects experienced improvements in "emotional eating" and "uncontrollable eating."

The "food" score also decreased. However, 18 participants experienced adverse reactions, mainly dizziness, thirst, and stomach upset.

Bloating, decreased concentration, low blood sugar, and lower back pain may be associated with low blood pressure, low blood sugar, and decreased gastrointestinal function.

related.