7 Reasons To Try Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting, what's that? Well, it's really just a buzzword for fasting, but it sounds more trendy when you say "Intermittent." Maybe you've heard people talking about it, or maybe you know someone who fasts but you don't really know what they're doing.

In the simplest terms, what I'm talking about is consuming no calories for an extended period of time, usually 16 hours or more. Why would anybody want to do that? Well, there are lots of reasons to try it, and I'm here to give you my top 7 based on years of experience.

This isn't something I do all the time, but it's something I keep coming back to for all the positive benefits I get from it. I am not giving medical advise, and everyone is different so seek medical advise where applicable. Most people don't have any health issues that prevent them from trying IF (Intermittent Fasting) just will power issues. However, there are some people with health issues that should not be very careful. For the rest of you, here are my 7 top reasons to try out Intermittent Fasting.

1 Intermittent fasting helps you lose body fat.

I put this one at number one because it's the one that always inspires me to start fasting. I've been enjoying the finer things in life a little too much and I find myself digging deep in the closet for the bigger jeans that shouldn't fit me anymore. IF is one of the most effective methods to shed excess body fat I've ever found, and I've tried a lot of them.

There are several reasons this works so well, but the main two are that it forces your body to burn fat for fuel (from your love handles instead of your latte) and it reduces the amount of food you consume because you just can't quite eat as much after you break a fast as you can if you eat throughout the day. If you try to eat all the food you usually eat in a day in say, a four hour window, you're going to have a tough time getting it all down. You'll limit yourself naturally.

2 Helps you re-establish portion size control

When you go for an extended period of time without eating, you end up feeling full much quicker than you normally would after eating the same amount of food. If you continue to fast regularly, this effect becomes stronger so that after a while, you begin to re-evaluate what an acceptable portion size looks like. I can't speak for everyone, but personally I tend towards portion sizes that are unrealistically large. Restaurants and packaged food items usually contain way too much food, but we get used to the portion sizes because we tend to accept it as normal since it was served that way. Fasting helps you re-learn how much food you actually need to operate.

3 It helps you deal with being hungry

One of the more common arguments against trying IF is that people can't handle going without food for more than a few hours. People say, "I can't, I'll get cranky," "I'll be too tired to do anything," and "I'll end up killing someone." In my opinion, those kinds of statements should make a pretty solid argument to try IF . You see, throughout most of human history people didn't have anywhere near the same access to food as we do today, so people just had to learn to operate with less. People all over the world have lived long lives where often they wouldn't eat for days! Biologically, we aren't any different from those people, and we should be able to survive under the same circumstances.

If you are unable to function without food, that indicates an unhealthy dependence on food. There are hormonal things that happen which can cause problems when you eat constantly, and serious long term damage can occur like developing insulin resistance.

The bigger issue, though, is that it reinforces the idea that you are helpless against cravings. This can lead to a downward spiral of food related issues. IF helps you learn that you can still function despite feelings of hunger, and may actually help repair some of the damage done by bad eating habits. It becomes easy to say NO.

4 IF helps build discipline

IF is something that is going to test your will-power significantly at first. As you continue, you gradually find fasting to get easier, but not because you aren't hungry, or because you don't feel like eating anymore. It helps because you get better at fighting the urges and the battles become easier to win. Continues practice of fasting will help you develop discipline in other areas of your life, too! It happens like a snowball rolling downhill: the more discipline you practice the better you become at it, the better you feel about yourself, the more energy you have to take on more challenging things. I often find myself eating healthier, exercising more, cleaning the house more, walking the dog more, etc.

5 IF helps you build confidence

Doing something tough really is a great confidence booster. Nothing makes me feel better than getting through a tough workout, finishing a difficult car repair, or ticking off another fasting day from the calendar. There's just something about knowing you're capable of grinding it out even when things get tough, that makes you feel more capable. The more capable you feel, the more you'll want to take on. Add to that the added confidence that losing body fat usually brings, and you're flying high! (drug free)

6 It helps you get grounded spiritually

Religions from all over the world and all throughout history have practiced fasting in various forms for the benefits it brings. Lots of religious fasts are really just forms of IF, like Ramadan and Lent. The reasons to fast will be explained differently from one religion to another, but there is something about denying oneself that opens you up for a deeper spiritual understanding.

7 IF has a ton of possible health benefits

Besides the positive benefits from losing body fat, there are a ton of potential health benefits that fasting can offer. Now, a lot of the science is still being figured out, but many studies on fasting have been done and the health benefit potential is pretty crazy. For instance, studies have indicated that fasting may: Extend life spans, reduce blood pressure, reduce bad cholesterol, increase good cholesterol, skyrocket HGH production, improve insulin sensitivity, and may even clear out arterial blockage.

There are loads of other claimed health benefits of intermittent fasting. I can't really say they're all "proven" so I'm stopping the list here. However, if your interested in learning more there may be a follow up article coming about IF and Health Benefits

There's seven good reasons for you to try Intermittent Fasting. For a quick program guide, here's how you start:

Stop drinking sugar-water - it's not a sports drink, soda, or juice. Drink water. Any calories means you're not fasting
Stop eating after dinner, and skip breakfast - This usually gives you a 16 hour fast, and 8 hour eating window
Increase the number of days you fast - start with 2 days a week and increase frequency as you adjust
To increase fat loss, begin increasing the fast duration to 18, then 20 hours. Warrior mode is one meal a day.

That's it, folks! All you need to get started.

You can find my other health related posts here:

https://steemit.com/health/@garthfreeman/when-is-a-calorie-not-a-calorie

https://steemit.com/life/@garthfreeman/fitness-traps

https://steemit.com/life/@garthfreeman/reps-resistance-and-rest