There is a lot of information on intermittent fasting that you can find online.  Primarily, you can learn that intermittent fasting helps you lose weight, lower your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugars improve.

But the question is, it may not fit everyone. Some people can adapt to intermittent fasting easily, while others don’t. The bottom line is: does intermittent fasting suit you?  We will talk about that here.

A growing effort of research suggests that the timing of fasting is the main factor to determine if you can lose weight.  Knowing what to do and the reason behind it can help you decide if intermittent fasting is a realistic and effective method for you to lose weight.

In Dr. Fung’s book, Obesity Code, he presented the results of his research as well as clinical experience in the subject of nutrition.  He explained that the socioeconomic forces work against us to make us gain weight, and fasting is the way to deal with it.  On top of fasting, it is clear that we should eat more fruits and veggies, fiber, healthy protein, and fats, and avoid sugar, refined grains, and processed foods.

How does intermittent fasting work?

When we eat something, the food we eat is broken down by enzymes in our gut and eventually becomes molecules in our bloodstream. Carbohydrates, particularly sugars and refined grains (white flours and rice, etc.), are quickly broken down into sugar, which furnishes energy to our bodies. 

If our bodies don’t use all the energy, the body stores the unused energy in our fat cells, which become fat.  Sugar can only enter our cells with the help of insulin.  It is a hormone made in the pancreas.  Insulin makes sugar into the fat cells and have it stored there.  The fat cells stored become fat as we know it.

If we can reject snacks between meals, our insulin levels go down and our fat cells can then release their stored sugar to be used as energy.  That way our bodies burn fat for energy, so we can reduce fat.  So, we lose weight if our insulin levels can go down.  As a result, the fundamental idea of intermittent fasting is to let the insulin levels go down far enough and long enough that our bodies burn off fat.

Timing change of meals benefits our body

Why does changing the timing of our meals for fasting do magic to our bodies? We can get some answers from an article entitled Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging, and Disease published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

It is found that fasting is embedded in our physiology from revolution. It triggers a number of essential cellular functions from the time we eat.  Changing the state from eating to fasting does more than burning calories and losing weight. 

Research shows that from the study on humans and animals, scientists get to explain how simple fasting can improve metabolism and lower blood sugar.  Both of these factors improve our health and lower the risks of a range of diseases.

Human beings have evolved to be in sync with the day and night rhythm. Our metabolism has evolved to adapt to having food in the daytime and having sleep in the nighttime. 

Based on this rhythm, there was a study of a small group of obese men with prediabetes. The study compared two forms of intermittent fasting,  One form is early time-restricted feeding. All meals were fit into an early eight-hour period of the day (7 am to 3 pm).  The other one is to spread meals out over 12 hours (between 7 am and 7 pm). 

After five weeks of observation, both groups of people did not significantly lose their weight, but the eight-hour group had much lower insulin levels and significantly improved insulin sensitivity, and significantly lower blood pressure.  Not only that, but the eight-hour group also had significantly lowered their appetite. They don’t easily feel hungry as before.

So, changing the timing of meals by eating earlier in the day and having a longer overnight fast can greatly benefit our metabolism and get healthier, even if no real weight loss.

What you may like about Intermittent fasting

There are obvious advantages of intermittent fasting: Losing weight and lowering the risk of obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes. In addition, research suggests that intermittent fasting may be more beneficial than other methods of diet in reducing body inflammation and therefore it reduces the chance to get diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and stroke.

If you can engage in a longer period of fasting time in a day, research shows that eating in a 6-hour period and fasting for 18 hours can trigger a metabolic switch from glucose-based to ketone-based energy.  The benefits include increased stress resistance, increased longevity, and a decreased incidence of diseases, including cancer and obesity.

What you may not like about Intermittent fasting

People who have tried intermittent fasting may have certain complaints because of the unpleasant side effects of intermittent fasting.  The side effects are such as hunger, fatigue, insomnia, nausea, and headaches.

For some people, intermittent fasting can be difficult.  In the state of fasting, you have to restrict yourself when to eat versus eating whenever you like.  It can be a struggle for many people, especially if you are under pressure.

Some people can manage to eat based on time intervals and they can change between enjoying food and restricting food with no problem. As they practice intermittent fasting more, their bodies get used to eating only in compressed windows.  They may in fact feel less hungry when they get used to it.

For others, however, the feeling of hunger is not pleasant.  Once they start their first bite of food during their fasting window, it is really hard for them to stop.  It can be a hard time to control their calorie intake. If you find that you eat too much or bingeing during your eating periods, Intermittent fasting may not be the best fit for you.

Should you adopt intermittent fasting?

According to metabolic expert Dr. Deborah Wexler, who said that "there is evidence to suggest that the circadian rhythm fasting approach, where meals are restricted to an eight to 10-hour period of the daytime, is effective." 

However, she also suggests that people should "use an eating approach that works for them and is sustainable to them."  After all, no single program fits everybody.  Everyone has their own nature and ways to handle things.  You should try different methods to see which one is most suitable to you.

Intermittent fasting is an effective tool to lose weight. But it’s important to consider all the benefits and disadvantages of intermittent fasting. If you’re not sure, you can give it a try and see how you adapt to it.

So, here’s the deal. There is good scientific research concluding that circadian rhythm fasting when implemented with a healthy diet and lifestyle, can be a particularly effective approach to weight loss.  But it does not mean it works well for everyone.  If you feel too painful in fasting, then this method may not fit you. 

Four things we can learn

1. From what we learned of intermittent fasting, we know that our body can burn fat when there is no food to stimulate insulin.  So don’t eat snack between meals.  Whenever you eat a snack, it stimulates insulin and your body stops burning fat.

2. If you are trying out intermittent fasting, start with a simple form. Limit the hours of the day you eat, and make it earlier in the day.  Do not eat in the evening before bed.

3. A plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet can be a good alternative to intermittent fasting if fasting is not for you.  Eat vegetables, beans, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats.

4.  After dinner, do not eat anything.