Intermittent Fasting During the Day: A Complete Beginner's Guide

This is an automatically translated article.

Alternate-day fasting (ADF) is an approach to intermittent fasting. This is a basic idea of ​​fasting for one day and then eating what you want the next day. This way, you only need to limit what you eat for half the time, resulting in effective weight loss and possibly helping to reduce risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

1. Intermittent fasting

Alternate-day fasting (ADF) is an approach to intermittent fasting. The basic idea is to fast for one day and then eat what you want the next day. This way, you only need to limit what you eat in half the time.
Properly practice fasting on the basis of fasting days, you are allowed to drink as many calorie-free beverages as you like, including:
Water Coffee Unsweetened Tea If using the ADF method, you are also allowed Eat about 500 calories on fasting days, or 20–25% of your energy needs.
The health and weight loss benefits appear to be the same regardless of whether the day's calories are consumed at lunch or dinner, or as small meals during the day.
MORE: Common Vegetarian Mistakes
Some people may find that alternate day diets are easier to follow than other types of diets. However, one year-long study found that adherence to alternate-day fasting (in which calories are reduced to 25% of energy needs on fasting days) was not superior. than daily calorie restriction.
Most of the studies on alternate vegetarian diets apply energy levels of 500 calories on fasting days. This is considered much more sustainable than complete fasting on fasting days, but it is equally effective.

2. Intermittent diet and weight loss

Although the ADF intermittent diet may be helpful in promoting weight loss, studies have suggested that this type of calorie restriction is no more effective than daily calorie restriction for weight loss.
Studies in overweight and obese adults show that participating in ADF can help you lose 3–8% of your body weight in 2–12 weeks. Research shows that this method has no superiority over daily calorie restriction in promoting weight loss. Studies have shown that the ADF-intermittent diet and daily calorie restriction are equally effective in reducing abdominal fat along with markers of inflammation in people with obesity.
Although ADF may be beneficial for fat loss, recent research shows that ADF is no more effective than traditional calorie restriction for promoting weight loss or maintaining muscle mass. Furthermore, similar to calorie restriction, weight loss during the ADF intermittent diet can be accelerated when combined with increased physical activity. In terms of ingredients, the ADF seems to be equally effective whether it's taken with a high-fat or low-fat option.

3. Fasting and fasting alternately during the day

The effect of ADF on feelings of hunger is inconsistent. Some studies show that hunger eventually decreases on fasting days, while others say hunger remains unchanged. However, research agrees that the ADF intermittent diet with an energy level of about 500 calories on fasting days is more tolerable than full fasting.
A study comparing ADF with calorie restriction found that ADF increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels after 24 weeks of follow-up. BDNF - a protein that plays a role in energy balance and maintenance of body weight. The researchers concluded that the ADF-intermittent diet may induce lasting changes in BDNF and this may promote improved maintenance of weight loss. However, the researchers found that BDNF levels were not correlated with changes in body weight in this study, and the authors recommend interpreting these results with caution.
Human studies have not shown a significant effect of ADF on hunger hormones. However, animal studies have shown that the ADF-intermittent diet leads to decreased hunger hormone levels and increased satiety hormone levels compared with other diets.

Another factor to consider is hunger, which is a common drawback of daily calorie restriction. Hunger refers to increased levels of hunger in response to calorie restriction, causing people to eat more than they need when they are finally allowed to eat. In addition, studies have also shown that the ADF intermittent diet does not seem to increase compensated hunger. In fact, many people who try the ADF intermittently diet report that their hunger pangs subside after the first 2 weeks or so. After a while, some people find that fasting days are almost effortless. However, the effect of ADF on feelings of hunger is likely to vary from person to person.

4. Alternate fasting during the day and body composition

ADF has been shown to have effects on body composition, both while you're dieting and while maintaining your weight. Studies comparing calorie-restricted diets and ADFs show they are equally effective at reducing weight and fat mass.
Some studies have suggested that ADF may be more beneficial for maintaining muscle mass than other types of calorie restriction. However, results from a recent high-quality study suggest that the ADF intermittent diet is no more effective at maintaining muscle mass than calorie restriction.

5. Health Benefits of Alternate Day Fasting

The ADF Intermittent Diet has a number of health benefits beyond weight loss.

5.1. Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90–95% of diabetes cases in the U.S. Furthermore, more than a third of Americans have prediabetes, a condition that includes blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to cause diabetes. is considered diabetes.
Weight loss and calorie restriction is often an effective way to improve or reverse many symptoms of type 2 diabetes. When calorie restriction is continuous, the ADF intermittent diet seems to slightly reduce the risk factors. risk of type 2 diabetes in overweight or obese individuals. The ADF intermittent diet may also reduce fasting insulin levels, with some studies suggesting that it may be more effective than limiting daily calorie restriction. However, not all studies agree that ADF is superior to daily calorie restriction.
High blood insulin levels, or hyperinsulinemia, are associated with obesity and chronic diseases, such as: heart disease and cancer. Reduced insulin levels and insulin resistance will lead to a significant reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes, especially when combined with weight loss.

5.2. Heart health

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and accounts for about a quarter of all deaths. Many studies have shown that ADF is a good choice for helping people who are overweight or obese lose weight and reduce heart disease risk factors.
Studies on this topic were conducted over a period of 8–52 weeks and involved people who were overweight and obese. Common health benefits include:
Reduce waist circumference (5–7 cm) Lower blood pressure Lower LDL cholesterol (20–25%) Increase the number of large LDL particles and decrease the number of small LDL particles , dangerously dense Reduce blood triglycerides (l 30%)

6. Does alternate-day fasting cause hunger?

Nearly all weight loss methods cause a slight decrease in resting metabolic rate. This phenomenon is referred to as starvation mode, but the technical term is adaptive thermogenesis.
When you severely restrict the calorie content of your daily regimen, your body begins to conserve energy by reducing the number of calories burned. It can make you stop losing weight. However, the ADF intermittent diet does not appear to decrease this metabolic rate. One study over an 8-week period compared the effects of standard calorie restriction and ADF. The results showed that continuous calorie restriction significantly reduced resting metabolic rate by 6% when calculated against lean mass, whereas ADF resulted in a negligible 1% reduction.

7. Is alternating day fasting safe?

Studies show alternate-day fasting is safe for most people. It resulted in no greater risk of weight regain than with a traditional, calorie-restricted diet. Some people think that ADF increases your risk of binge eating, but studies have found that it can help reduce binge eating behavior while also reducing symptoms of depression.
This approach can also improve restrictive eating and body image perception in people with obesity. However, more research is needed on the effectiveness and safety of ADF in people with predisposition to eating disorders.
Intermittent fasting is a very effective way to lose weight for most people. However, this activity is not recommended for children, people with eating disorders, pregnant and lactating women, or people with rare disorders such as: Gilbert's syndrome. This approach may be more beneficial than calorie-restricted diets in some cases and is also associated with major improvements in many health markers. The best thing of all is that it's easy to do with everyone.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

Reference source: .healthline.com