The world is going crazy about this one!

Intermittent fasting for weight loss is one of the world’s most popular weight loss patterns.

People are using it to stay in shape, boost their immunity and rejuvenate their lifestyles.

While intermittent fasting benefits have flooded the internet, it’s important to have in-depth knowledge before following any of the intermittent fasting meal plans.

An intermittent fasting meal plan is where you juggle between periods of eating and fasting.

There are different types of intermittent fasting namely 16:8 and 5:2 methods.

Studies prove that this method can have substantial health benefits and help live a longer life.

If you are someone who’s about to jump onto intermittent fasting for weight loss, this is the ultimate beginner’s guide to make you familiar with the blues and greys of intermittent fasting meal plan.

Types of Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting for weight loss is an approach where an individual is fasting and avoiding food for 16 hours and consumes food during an 8-hour window.

This popular pattern is termed a 16:8 intermittent fasting meal plan.

This doesn’t specify which foods to eat rather when you should eat them. 

You can’t eat food during fasting but can surely take drinks like water, coffee, tea, non-caloric beverages and supplements as long as there are no calories in them.

Another method is 5:2 intermittent fasting meal plan where you eat normally for 5 days and fast the next 2, i.e. only on non-caloric beverages and limit your consumption to 500-600 calories.

These two are the most popular method of intermittent fasting for weight loss being followed by people all over the world.

The most preferred one is the 16:8 method because when it comes to the 5:2 method, fasting for 2 days might not be easy for everyone.

Each of the methods has separate benefits.

In the next section, we will explore intermittent fasting benefits and how it can help you lose weight.

Effects Of Intermittent Fasting On Your Body

When you are fasting, several things happen inside your body like adjusting hormone levels to make the stored body fat accessible and initiates the repairing process of cells.

Some of the notable changes that take place are:

• Growth hormone levels -

While you fast, the human growth hormone levels burst increasing as much as 5 fold.

This facilitates fat loss and muscle gain in your body.

• Insulin - 

Levels of insulin drop and insulin sensitivity improves making stored body fat easily accessible.

• Cell repair -

Cellular repair is initiated when your body is fasting. Your body starts removing waste build up inside cells.

• Genes -

There are changes in the gene expression relating to longevity and immunity to fight against the disease.

All these changes in hormones and cells are the reason behind numerous praises about intermittent fasting benefits.

WHY INTERMITTENT FASTING FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

# When you eat fewer meals, your calorie intake reduces,

# Changes in hormone levels initiate fat burning.

# Lowering insulin and increased growth hormone increases the release of the fat-burning hormone.

# All this helps you eat few meals and burn double calories.

However, the effectiveness of intermittent fasting for weight loss is possible only when you eat low-calorie food and beverages.

If you are binge eating and consuming large amounts of food during eating periods, you might not see any changes in your weight at all. 

Intermittent fasting meal plan also boosts metabolism that helps you lose stubborn belly fat.

Hence, the golden rule is: Lower calorie intake = fat burned.

Can I Practice Intermittent Fasting For Weight Loss?

People with numerous health conditions ask this question and the answer is, intermittent fasting meal plan is certainly not fit for everyone.

If you are underweight or having eating disorders, you should not hop onto intermittent fasting for weight loss without proper consultation with your health professional.

Many women also reported irregularity in the menstrual cycle while they were following intermittent fasting meal plans and when they went back to their normal diet, the cycle became regular.

There are pieces of evidence that the insulin level in women worsen while fasting and might lead to health problem.

Hence, if you are a woman and are planning to practice intermittent fasting for weight loss, do consult your doctor for the same.

It is also suggested that children, pregnant women, people on medications, with low blood pressure and some people suffering from diabetes should not practice intermittent fasting meal plan.

Also, if it’s not possible for you to stay hungry or skip meals, it’s better to switch to other alternatives.

Intermittent fasting for weight loss isn’t the only way available.

Switch to supplements like The Beach Body Vitamin Gummies to meet the nutritional needs of your body throughout the day and also boosts the fat burning capacity of your body with the presence of L-carnitine and green coffee.

These weight management gummies also increase your metabolism and push you more while you go for workouts.

You can make significant changes in your diet and lifestyle too in order to experience weight loss even with few cardio exercises at home along with maintaining proper nutritional needs for your body.

Summed Up

Intermittent fasting for weight loss does possess significant results in weight loss, fat loss and also reduce the risk of some diseases.

The intermittent fasting meal plan prescribed is also easy for a lot of people.

The majority of the people prefer the 16:8 method of intermittent fasting where they focus on eating high fibre whole foods and stay hydrated throughout the day. 

However, the bottom line is still the same. 

Intermittent fasting meal plan is not suitable for everyone.

No matter what method you are planning to bring to practice, please refer your doctor beforehand for your betterment.

It’s always a good idea to consider all the aspects before trying anything new.

After all, your health is your greatest asset!