Intermittent Fasting : Busting 10 Major Myths

An eating approach known as intermittent fasting alternates between fasting and regular mealtimes. According to research, intermittent fasting can help you control your weight and potentially stop or even reverse some diseases. When you engage in intermittent fasting, you only consume food during the designated hours. If you fast for a specific amount of time each day or eat only one meal a few days a week, your body will be able to burn fat. Additionally, there are some health benefits, according to scientific findings.

Intermittent fasting can be done in a variety of methods, but they all begin with deciding on regular eating and fasting windows of time. You may, for instance, try eating solely for the first eight hours of each day and then fasting the next eight. Alternately, you can decide to limit your meals to one per day, two days per week. Schedules for intermittent fasting vary widely.

There is a lot of incorrect information out there concerning the diet. In this article we will dispel ten most widespread myths regarding intermittent fasting to help you distinguish reality from fiction:

1. Intermittent fasting slows down your metabolism

Smaller, more frequent meals don’t significantly increase your metabolism or aid in weight loss. In actuality, the overall quantity of calories you consume—rather than the frequency of meals—is what matters the most. There is no doubt that when you eat little, frequent meals, your body uses some calories to breakdown the food. Recent studies on intermittent fasting have shown that short-term metabolic switch-flipping increases metabolism by lowering insulin levels and raising levels of norepinephrine and human growth hormone in the blood. You can lose weight and burn fat more quickly by making these modifications.

2. Intermittent fasting causes muscle loss

Some people believe that when they fast, their bodies begin to use their own muscle as a source of energy. Strictly low-calorie diets do encourage the loss of body fat and lean body mass, which is why intermittent fasting regimens encourage a progressive loss of a maximum of 2 pounds per week when accompanied with a resistance training programme to help you shed the fat while keeping the muscle. Strategic intermittent fasting protects and preserves muscle mass instead of depleting it.

3. Intermittent fasting trigger extreme hunger and makes you overeat

Numerous studies show that intermittent fasting is a highly successful weight loss strategy. Furthermore, there is no proof that intermittent fasting encourages weight gain. This is not to imply that you won’t gain weight if you binge and overeat during your feasting periods; you will. However, due to the metabolic changes in the body that occur during intermittent fasting, such as a decrease in insulin levels and an increase in metabolism, norepinephrine levels, and human growth hormone levels, you burn fat rather than gain it.

4. Intermittent fasting is extremely harmful to brain

Blood sugar, commonly known as glucose, is the brain’s primary fuel because it helps it function well. However, consuming carbohydrates frequently is completely unneeded for brain function for various reasons. You may keep your brain active during those times of fasting by forcing your body to burn fat stores and run on ketones on occasion. You’ll also boost cognition, strengthen the connections between neurons, and fend off dementia.

5. Intermittent fasting drops your blood sugar

Intermittent fasting truly helps to control blood sugar levels, prevent type 2 diabetes, and may even assist to reverse it. Your body functions as a glucose-producing and -storing machine. With deliberate intermittent fasting, glucose levels normally normalise, and the body gradually experiences remarkable changes and even the reversal of insulin-resistant diseases like diabetes.

6. Intermittent fasting is a miracle cure for fasting that makes you lose weight overnight,

Although weight loss may be facilitated by intermittent fasting, it cannot be ensured. By creating a “calorie deficit,” or consuming less calories than your body expels, you can start losing weight. A person is unlikely to lose weight if they consume more calories during the eating window than they burn off. Last but not least, one must realise that weight is not a reliable measure of fitness.

7. You can eat ‘anything’ when you’re not fasting i.e. eating window

The eating window should be used to maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet rather than as a free pass to make up for lost food selections or overindulge in less nutrient-dense meals. Whether you choose to practise intermittent fasting or not, getting results requires eating a variety of complete foods, such as whole grains, lean meats, veggies, healthy fats, and fruits.

8. You have to fast every day in intermittent fasting

You don’t have to fast every day to reap its benefits. You may fit fasting into your schedule in a variety of ways to suit your needs and your lifestyle. While you can fast every day, various types of fasting have also been proved to have positive effects on health. Any fasting practise that is most effective for YOU can be incorporated into your schedule.

9. Menstruating women should not go on intermittent fasting

Women who are menstrual should reserve fasting for days 4–16 of their cycle (day 1 is the first day of bleeding). Today is the best time to fast because it is your follicular period. But rather than fasting when you reach the luteal phase, you should pay attention to how you feel. This is the moment to unwind, put self-care first, and consume the extra calories your body need.

10. Intermittent fasting causes vitamin deficiencies

It’s because of the feeding time, intermittent fasting nearly never results in a vitamin shortage. However, during prolonged therapeutic fasting periods, supplemental vitamin supplementation is plausible. However, with intermittent fasting, headaches are just a potential side effect of salt loss during the depletion of carbohydrate reserves. But consuming mineral water or making your own single water can be beneficial.