Intermittent Fasting: How to Start the New Healthy Celebrity Diet?

“I do intermittent fasting, and I’ve noticed a difference.” — Jennifer Aniston, in an interview with Radio Times. 

If you follow health and fitness trends, you’ve probably heard the term “intermittent fasting” a lot over the past few years.

But what exactly does this term mean? 

To begin, let’s define what intermittent fasting (IF) isn’t. 

One thing is for sure — It does not require starving yourself. 

You can indeed drink low-calorie beverages like coffee or tea. Water with honey or lemon is by far the best calorie-free beverage.

Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that alternates between fasting and eating periods. It does not specify which foods to eat but when to eat them. 

If you regularly consume too many calories, intermittent fasting may be a simple way to reduce your intake. Intermittent fasting also makes sense for people who have reached a weight loss plateau because it revamps their metabolism.

However, since most intermittent fasting methods include skipping breakfasts, many people call it a not-so-healthy diet. 

But that’s not the case here. 

Because you consider breakfast to be the most substantial meal of the day, you end up arguing that skipping it is unhealthy. Literally, “breakfast” refers to breaking the previous night’s fast. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be in the morning because you can break your fast whenever you want.

For centuries, fasting has been shown to increase longevity and autophagy (the process by which your body recycles cells.) It has been linked to various health benefits, including a lower probability of developing diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

But why intermittent fasting rather than a general diet plan? 

When Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Mark Mattson who has studied intermittent fasting for 25 years, was asked this question, he replied that Intermittent fasting could be thought of as a way to detox the body. Going without food for an extended period (10 to 18 hours) gives your digestive system a rest and allows it time to recover.

It’s the same as allowing your body to rest and recover after a workout.

During a fast, your body needs to find the energy to metabolize for various bodily functions. Glycogen and fat reserves within the body are the most easily accessible energy sources.

When you fast, you are training your body to burn fat. The better your body adapts to utilizing fat, the easier it is to lose fat, especially if you’re on a diet.

Human growth hormone production ceases after the mid-twenties. Intermittent fasting encourages the production of HGH. Increased levels of growth hormones in the body allow you to:

• Lose weight by burning body fat to keep lean muscle mass.
• Reduce the rate of aging.
• Increase bone strength.
• Reduce inflammation and free radical damage.
• Control the level of ghrelin, the hunger hormone in the body.

Now, what can you do to begin?

The most common reason people try intermittent fasting is to lose weight.

Intermittent fasting can be done in various ways, including dividing the entire day or week into snacking and fasting periods.

You eat little or nothing at all during the fasting periods.

The following are the most widely used methods:

• The Leangains protocol, also known as the 16/8 method, entails skipping breakfast and limiting your daily eating period to 8 hours, such as 1-9 p.m. You then fast for 16 hours in between.

• Eat-Stop-Eat: This includes fasting for 24 hours once or twice a week, such as not eating from lunch one day to lunch the next.

• The 5:2 rule: This method involves consuming 500-600 calories on two days of the week while eating normally on the other five.

Intermittent fasting can automatically reduce calorie intake by forcing you to eat fewer meals.

Intermittent fasting may aid weight loss by controlling your appetite to increase feelings of fullness while squelching feelings of hunger.

However, it will be challenging, especially if you are doing it for the first time. But here are some pointers to help you overcome some of those obstacles.

• When you first feel hungry, drink some water and wait 10 to 15 minutes to see if the hunger subsides. The majority of the time, when you are hungry, you are thirsty. If your hunger returns, you should break your fast by eating something.

• You can also look into IF tools to help you with it. There are intermittent fasting apps that assist people in successfully losing weight. According to the testimonials, some apps provide a personalized IF method according to your body’s needs.

• Take a walk outside to get away from a food-rich environment. You are less tempted to think about food and feel hungry if there is no food around you. And you can track, analyze and share your physical activity from your mobile device at My Health Rocks.

• Immerse yourself in your work to the point where your mind is too preoccupied to think about anything else.

Many people, including Andrew Bayon, experienced excellent improvement with Intermittent Fasting. He says,” Yes, intermittent fasting is beneficial. I have lost 30 lbs and went from 20+% body fat to 8% just this March. I have been doing it every day since.”

Any intermittent fasting apps to try?

It is inappropriate to recommend a tool. But some of the above ideas may sound simple and trivial. It can be tough to persevere without adequate tools to help you transition to a new ‘lifestyle habit.’ 

Fortunately, some intermittent fasting apps are scientific and handy and serve as an ally as you embark on this wellness journey. 

Whether product features or charging standards, SoonFasting is one of the most cost-effective. 

SoonFasting is a health app that helps users track their eating and fasting periods, monitor their progress, and provide guidance and support for weight loss and healthy life. 

But I don’t take SoonFashing as the only way to lose weight. I use it as a scientific tool to record my daily progress because it can be well integrated with Healthkit, significantly facilitating my daily activities like steps, water intake, and weight. From a scientific point of view, I appreciate its onboarding experience – A comprehensive self-quiz at the beginning about your level of fasting expertise, eating preferences, fitness level, and a few other questions. Then, based on your quiz, it will tailor the plans to your needs and goals. You also get easy-to-do workout suggestions and a healthy meal plan. Of course, you can also access all the typical intermittent fasting app features like – statistics, various tracking options, and fasting schedules. And that all comes in a friendly and easy-to-use design. What surprised me most was its online nutritionist consulting service. At this point, it is one of the most professional intermittent fasting apps I have ever experienced.

Apart from the SoonFasting app, other intermittent fasting apps, such as Fastic, Zero, MyFitnessPal, and FastHabit, can be valuable tools if you use them properly. The benefits and drawbacks of these intermittent fasting apps will differ depending on your requirements and preferences. Depending on the features and functionality you require, some users may discover that one app is a better fit for them than others.

Here I list the reasons for choosing these apps, which can be used as a reference if you need them.

• SoonFasting is one of the most professional Intermittent fasting apps I have ever experienced. It can be your online nutritionist and consultant. 
• Fastic is a time-tested and reliable product. Its influence has spread from Germany to the world. It is a good choice if you trust a product with “time” for endorsement.
• Zero is one of the most popular applications for beginners. Now Elon Musk is also using it, which can be said to be in the limelight. Beginners or fads chasers would like it.
• FastHabit is a good choice if you are a minimalist. The premise is that you know intermittent fasting, have excellent self-guidance, and don’t rely on many fancy functions.
• MyFitnessPal is a versatile product. Unlike FastHabit, it has many features. But many people will think that it is not an app for fasting.

Try to get something for nothing? Impossible! 

Intermittent fasting advocates a more regular lifestyle. Tools are beneficial but designed to make you more scientific in regular diet during intermittent fasting. During intermittent fasting, exercise and sleep should be reasonable, and the combination of work and rest can be effective.

Though intermittent fasting may be complicated and intimidating, it can sometimes be straightforward. Fasting helps simplify your day and increase productivity since you need to plan fewer meals.

However, it is not recommended for people who have had or are currently suffering from an eating disorder. It may also be unsafe for kids, people with pre-existing medical conditions, and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Remember that diet quality is vital with intermittent fasting, as it is with any eating pattern if you do.

To get the most out of intermittent fasting, eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods and limit ultra-processed foods during your eating window.

Additionally, before beginning an intermittent fast, consult with a trained health professional or SoonFasting to ensure that you start with the best method according to your body.