Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : April 2, 2020 4:04 PM IST
There are more than one ways of practising intermittent fasting. The basic principle is dividing a day or week into eating and fasting periods.
Intermittent fasting is increasingly becoming popular as a weight loss diet plan. What is unique about this diet plan is that unlike other weight loss diets, it doesn't restrict your food choices or intake. It primarily focusses on when you eat. Some studies have supported intermittent fasting as a safe way to lose weight and belly fat. In addition to weight loss, Intermittent fasting is known to help improve metabolic health, and even extend lifespan.
Despite following this diet plan to lose weight, some people say they are not able to see any significant result. This could be because they are not doing it the right way. Here is this article, we will discuss about some common mistakes that hinder weight loss while intermittent fasting. But before we go into the detail, let's try to understand what actually intermittent fasting really is and how it works.
Intermittent fasting is about cycling between periods of eating and fasting. It focuses on limiting your meals and snacks to a specific time window. There are different types or methods of intermittent fasting. Alternate day fasting, whole day fasting, and time restricted fasting are the three types that are being followed popularly.
The 16:8 format of time-restricted fasting is the most famous among people following this diet plan. This involves fasting every day for 14 to16 hours and restricting food intake to 8-10 hours. Within this eating window, one can have 2, 3, or more meals. Drinking water, coffee, and other noncaloric beverages is allowed during the fasting hours to reduce feelings of hunger.
Other types include the 5:2 diet (fast for 2 days per week); fasting for 24 hours once or twice per week; fasting during the day and eating a huge meal at night, etc.
This diet plan helps boost weight loss by -
If don't lose weight despite following this diet plan, you might be making one of these common mistakes.
Even in intermittent fasting, it's essential to monitor the number of calories you consume daily. You need to first understand the calorie requirement of your body to reach the desired weight. Then stick to it by keeping a strict tab on the kind of food you eat. When you consume a lot of calories during the eating window, you may not see any significant result on your body weight.
After monitoring the calorie intake, what you should do is check your portion sizes. Often people on intermittent fasting miscalculate underestimate this, which leads to consumption of more calories in a day. To achieve the desired weight loss target, you also need to calculate and monitor your portion size.
The diet may also not work if you don't eat sufficient calories. You should only limit calories to lose half-a-kilogram a week. Your body will adapt to the number of calories you provide it with. Therefore, to get the best result, reduce your calorie intake slowly and aim for only moderate weight loss.
