One of the not so well known way of staying healthy and as a side bonus, losing weight is intermittent fasting. This is the act of not eating for a certain number of hours. For example, skip breakfast and have a late lunch say at 1pm and than dinner at 8pm. Then on next day, repeat the process. So in other words you do not eat for 16 hours per day for every other day. It is up to you when you choose to fast intermittently.
Mark Mattson at the national institute of aging has this to say about not eating. Watch the youtube video.
The idea behind intermittent fasting is the depletion of energy stored in the liver after which energy will be accessed from body fat. So continuously eating will always make the body obtain energy from the liver, therefore not contributing to weight loss.
One of the benefits of intermittent fasting is not having to change what is eaten but only when to eat it. Therefore logically one could exercise less. But it will be a bonus to exercise as well which would lead to increase body muscle and lessening body fat. Intermittent fasting will also increase metabolism and also being attributed to living a longer life.
Fasting is also a challenge to the brain therefore is good for our health according to Mark Mattson at the national institute of aging. And to add to to the benefit of fasting and how it promotes good health, the following famous individuals are advocate of it. Plato, Pythagorus, Gandhi and Mark Twain.
We would wonder why some religion have fasting as part of their regular activities. Health benefits?
The following are some more reading on intermittent fasting.
- http://jamesclear.com/the-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting
- https://authoritynutrition.com/intermittent-fasting-guide/
Surviving a day of intermittent fasting
So 8 hours in to the day and the stomach is grumbling with hunger. The temptation of eating going higher by the minute. At this point, this is a mind of matter situation. Usually how I deal with this craving is to simply tell myself that the grumbling is actually a good thing. That the energy stored in the liver is being used up. That soon, the body will get energy from body fat. Which is the ultimate goal of intermittent fasting!
So try this intermittent fasting survival method and it should soon become a habit. Then it will be all downhill from here. Don’t forget to keep drinking water throughout to keep well hydrated. It way better to be hungry than to be thirsty in my opinion for this duration of time.
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