Both intermittent fasting and starving are when you consciously decides to stop eating. Intermittent fasting compared to starving is done in a specific time frame and frequency. Both intermittent fasting and starving will start a chain reaction of physiological changes to help your body adapt to a lack of food, including burning fat to release energy. One common argument against starving and fasting is that it can put your body into “starvation mode” and reduce your metabolic rate which in turn will make it harder for you to lose weight. This might be true if you stop eating for prolonged period of time, but short period of intermittent fasting can actually increase your metabolism and promote more weight loss!
One of the most well known intermittent fasting diet is the 5:2 diet, created by Dr. Michael Mosley (Mosley, 2018). But the question is, it is good for you in the long term and will it help you lose weight? Well, the answer is “maybe”!
A 2015 systematic review of clinical trials demonstrated that intermittent fasting, through the continious restrictions of calories, was a valid weight loss option (Seimon et al, 2015). Other short term studies and research on animals have also shown that it may help us live longer and lower your risk of many diseases. There are currently no long term studies completed. The 5:2 diet is basically when you follow your healthy eating habits for five days per week and on two days you only eat 500 or 600 calories and fast for a certain period of time. It’s important to remember that you cannot eat all you want on those other five days. This may be easier than trying to reduce your caloric intake every day of the week and you can still lose those 1-2 pounds per week, as recommended by most registered weight loss healthcare professionals.
Here is an example of the foods eaten on one of the low calories day/fast day (500 to 600 kcal):
Breakfast: 1 egg cooked with no fat, one slice of whole grain toast, 1/2 cup berries
Lunch: 1 grilled salmon fillet and a cup of veggies *** START YOUR FAST ***
Dinner: skip dinner and only have fluids (decaffeinated tea, water, etc…)
You can decide on how long you want to fast. The most popular fast time frame is 16 hours. For example, you skip dinner, meaning your fasting time frame between lunch and breakfast the next day is 16 hours. An easier more liberal fasting time frame would be 12 hours of fasting (Stoke et al, 2007). I generally find it easier to fast between lunch and breakfast next day, since I am sleeping 8 hours of the fast and so really only have to consciously fast for 4 to 8 hours.
Plan your two fasting days on days which can be easy to fit into your daily schedule. A Monday and Wednesday? Not a Friday!! Also, not on a day when you have a workout planned. So this plan may be easier to follow because really there are only two days when you have to be more diligent.On those other five days, still make sure you are drinking 8 cups of water, eating high fiber foods and lower fat items to help you lose weight. And of course being active.
Good luck with your weight loss journey, and remember to be patient and kind to yourself. If you need help to follow this diet or help to keep you motivated, the weight management 101 class will give you the tools you need.
Authors:
Mia Blanchard (Registered Associate Nutritionist) and Susan Burry (Registered Dietitian)
References:
Mosley, M. (2018) Why Fast?, The Fast Diet, Available from https://thefastdiet.co.uk/why-fast/ [accessed 18 January 2048]
Seimon, R., Roekenes, J.A., Zibellini, J., Zhu, B, Gibson, A. A, Hills, P. A., Wood, R. E, King, Byrne, M. N. , Sainsbury, A. (2015) Do intermittent diets provide physiological benefits over continuous diets for weight loss? A systematic review of clinical trials, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, [418/2], pp. 153-172, Available from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303720715300800 [accessed 13 January 2018]
Stoke, K.S, Baer, D.J., Spears, K., Paul, D.R., Harris, G.K., Rumpler, W.V., Strycula, P. Najjar, S.S., Ferruci, L., Ingram, D. K., Longo, D. L., Mattson, M. P. (2007) A controlled trial of reduced meal frequency without caloric restriction in healthy, normal-weight, middle-aged adults, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, [85/4], pp. 981-988, Available from http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/85/4/981.full.pdf [accessed 18 January 2018]
Related Article:
A Low Fat Version of the UK’s #1 Recipe for Home Cooked Meals: Spaghetti Bolognese
The post What is the difference between intermittent fasting and starving? appeared first on Weight Loss Clinic in London UK | Harley Street Bariatrics.