Best way of losing weight is fasting, you don’t know that, right? Want to get help from your smart look and fit body? But you are suffering from extra weight? Fasting is the best way of losing weight.
But before doing so, you need to know how to fast for weight loss properly. Cause fasting in a wrong way instead causes harm to you. Then this content may help you.
Fasting
Fasting means not eating food for a specified period. It indicates to not having food at all or having less food than average time for a fixed duration.
Intermittent fasting is an excellent way to weight loss, and there are some different ways of using this method. Some methods are mentioned below-
- Time-restricted eating: In this method, one can only consume food during a certain period of the day. For example, one can fast fourteen hours a day.
- Skipping foods for certain days in a week: This method indicates daylong fasting once or twice a week.
- Alternating between fasting and feasting: One can eat up to 25% casual diet on fasting days. The next day will be allowed to eat. And then this will repeat.
How to Fast for Weight Loss?
Excess weight has become a common issue nowadays. Fasting is the way, and you are searching for losing weight. But there a few things you need to know before starting-
- Duration of Fasting: Firstly, you should decide the period that suits you best. You may fast sixteen hours a day or skip foods once or twice a week.
- Having Healthy Diet: As you are fasting, you should ensure that you are not suffering from malnutrition. You should maintain a healthy diet. Eat plenty of whole foods on feast days. But do not overeat. Here are some tips-
- Less Carbohydrate: Eat more food grains and raw foods, have less processed foods. For example, eat potatoes for starches and rice, oats, millets as food grains. Choose fiber-rich carbohydrates for your diet. Appetizer before food and dessert after a meal is strongly prohibited. Sweet and sugar-rich foods should be avoided. For humans, the daily necessity of carbohydrates is 415-600 gm. But to lose weight, you may take fewer carbohydrates as 100- 150 gm.
- Enough Protein: Protein increases the metabolic rate. Thus a high protein diet helps to burn calories. It also helps to restrain appetite. Therefore, it helps to stop overeating. It is crucial to intake a sufficient amount of protein. Humans’ daily necessity of protein is 100-150gm. Lean meats, fish, eggs are good sources.
- Avoiding Fat: Processed foods contain much fat. Desserts and fast-foods include more fat than whole foods. So whole foods are preferred. But you need the proper amount of fat. So you can add a little amount of butter to your diet. Nuts and seeds are also edible.
- Lots of Fruits: You do not want to suffer from a lack of vitamins. Then you need to include enough fruits in your diet. Fruits are a great source of vitamins and minerals. Eat many colorful fruits and salads. For example, eat avocado, cucumber, half-boiled vegetables, etc.
- Minerals: You can include seafood to your meal for minerals. Also, add a little salt to other foods.
- Drink Enough Water: Drinking a lot of water helps you to burn more hundred calories a day. It boosts up the body metabolism. Besides dehydration can cause many chronic diseases. One should drink at least two liters of water per day to stay healthy.
- Avoid Sugary Drinks and Alcohol: Drinks like soda, sugar-rich fruit juices, cold drinks, and other beverages are accountable for weight gaining. Even alcohol causes weight gain significantly. So it is a must to avoid sugary drinks and alcohol. Instead, drink green tea and black coffee to lose weight faster.
- Pre-fasting Meal and Breaking Fast: The last meal you take before starting your fast is essential. You should drink enough water before starting your fast. Again, you should not break your fast by heavy foods. Start by drinking a glass of water or juice and then have light meals first.
- Control Temptation: During fasting, foods around you will attract you energetically. But you must control your temptation. You can read books, watch a movie, listen to songs to keep away your mind from food.
- Consistency: Be consistent and do not lose hope. Keep fasting regularly for sustainable weight loss.
- Patience: Do not impose a new lifestyle suddenly on your body. Take your time and let your body adapts with intermittent fasting slowly.
- Exercise: Do not do too strenuous exercise instead of doing light work out. During fasting, walking is good as it is not too heavy. Mild yoga-like stretching can be done at home. Meditation is also good for your health.
- Weight Tracking: As you are fasting for weight loss, checking weight will help you. Measure your weight regularly and calculate BMI. BMI is an indicator of obesity. It will increase your confidence.
- Taking Advice from a Doctor: It is good to consult with a doctor before starting. You should checkup regularly too. It will help you to understand if you are suffering from malnutrition or not. You may need some food supplements if you are suffering from a deficiency of essential nutrients.
- Side Effects: Sometimes, you may feel lightheadedness. Fasting can make you feeling week.
Why Should You Fast?
The advantages of fasting are many to describe. Some of the benefits are jotted down-
- You may lose weight 2.5%-9.9% of your present weight by using this method. It will help you to get rid of obesity.
- You will get back your lost appetite.
- It is said that fasting slowdowns are aging.
- It decreases insulin resistance. Thus, it is good to prevent diabetes.
- Fasting lessens cardiovascular and metabolic diseases risk.
- Fasting instigates an autophagy system.
But long term sustainability of these effects is not ensured.
Are You Fit for Fasting?
If your health condition is not ready for fasting, it may cause harm to you. Fasting is not for you if you are one of the below categories-
- Too old or adolescent ones
- People with medical conditions like low blood pressure, heart diseases, problems with blood sugar control and type-2 diabetes
- People suffering from malnutrition and underweight
- Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding or trying to conceive or having a history of amenorrhea
Then Why Awaiting Anymore!
Let’s start fasting and lose weight. So, you will become handsome and stay tuned.