Should You Be Intermittent Fasting?

Muscle Butter USA believes in working hard to accomplish. Fitness includes working out and recovering. But diet also has a lot to do with it.

Intermittent fasting, plain and simple, is a pattern of fasting and not fasting throughout the day.

Types of intermittent fasting include:

To weigh your options, we laid out some benefits and negatives for you:

Benefits

1. Weight Loss

   Intermittent fasting is one of the most well-established ways to lose weight. Studies show that intermittent fasting almost always promotes weight loss.

   In two weeks, an average person who does intermittent fasting trims at least 4.3% off their BMI.

2. Blood Sugar Regulation

   In addition to the 34 million Americans who have diabetes, around 88 million have pre-diabetes, according to the CDC.

   Intermittent fasting keeps blood sugar stable, and can improve insulin sensitivity.

3. Less Food = Smarter, Somehow

   Intermittent fasting lowers LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, which might help protect your brain from neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.

   Also, when your body runs out of glucose, it starts to burn body fat. When you start to convert body fat into energy, your brain produces cognition-boosting compounds. One of them is BDnF, which stimulates neuron growth in the brain, and another is GABA, which keeps you calm.

   Plus, research shows that intermittent fasting can increase serotonin levels, which makes you feel happier.

Negatives

1. For Starters, It’s Hard

   We’re not going to sugar-coat it for you: intermittent fasting is tough, and challenging. Almost everyone who fasts is counting down the minutes until they can eat, or tirelessly watching their calories like a hawk.

   Start at 14/10 to allow yourself to get used to intermittent fasting, and then build your way up.

2. Health Risk for Certain Groups

   Before starting intermittent fasting, check your history: if you have a history of eating disorders, it’s probably not a good idea. Intermittent fasting mentality is dangerously close to anorexia, and can trigger some to relapse.

   If you have diabetes, and are already taking medication to lower your blood sugar, intermittent fasting is risky. It can lead to hypoglycemia, which is dangerously low blood sugar. Consult your doctor first.

3. Body Risks

   When intermittent fasting, people report some weird side effects, including: constipation, headaches, dizziness, and sleep disturbances.

   Avoid intermittent fasting if you’re: underweight, have an eating disorder, have a compromised immune system, or recovering from a surgery or illness.

   Otherwise, you’re good, and just eat something if things don’t seem right.

Stay hungry!