Alternate Day Fasting: Approach, How to Get Started, Who Should Avoid, Health Benefits and Much More

As the name suggests, feasting on one day followed by a day of fasting is the basic idea behind the concept of alternate day fasting. Several benefits are associated with fasting regimes such as weight loss and improvement in heart health.  

Approach: 

There are many approaches that one can follow for alternate day fasting. Simple fasting technique follows the rule of fasting every alternate day of the week. Some of the people follow the 5:2 rule, where you eat regularly for 5 days of the week and restrict your intake for the next 2 days. 

Different techniques incorporate zero-calorie substitute day fasting where you go to and fro between 12 hours of boundless eating and 36 hours of no eating. There's likewise the Eat-stop-Eat approach, where you fast for 24 hours once or twice in a week. 

The objective of alternate day fasting is to change your metabolism, so your body consumes fat rather than glucose for energy. 

Health Benefits: 

- Weight Loss: 

At a rate of 5 to 7 kilo reduction in weight in every quarter, alternate day fasting produces the fastest results. Try alternate day fasting along with a diet that is low on carbs for more better results.  

The 5:2 rule of fasting is as effective as the Alternate Day Fasting technique. It is more a mild approach for losing your excess weight. If you are somebody who has to lose a lot of weight, this approach is best for you. 

May expand life span: 

People who go for fasting showed lower sICAM-1 levels (marks age related diseases) and lessened levels of triiodothyronine hormone. Few studies have shown that lower levels of triiodothyronine may increase one's life span. Apart from that fasting also helps in reducing cholesterol levels and stomach fat. Among all the fat depositories in your body, fat in your stomach is the worst as it discharges certain chemicals that increases the chances of developing diseases related to heart, liver etc. 

Boosts heart health: 

Fasting leads to weight loss and the lessening of fat in the body leads to less cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure. Apart from that fasting also leads to less triacylglycerols in your body and promotes normal heart rate. As a result we can say that fasting not only helps in losing weight but also boosts heart health. 

Betters body's response to Insulin: 

Alternate day fasting improved the body's reaction to insulin by more than twice as much as a calorie-confined eating regimen. Individuals with diabetes don't create insulin or become impervious to it. At the point when this happens, glucose or sugar levels rise. Alternate day fasting shows reduction in the blood pressure levels and reduced insulin resistance. 

Starts autophagy: 

Alternate day fasting starts the process of autophagy in your body. Autophagy refers to the process of cleaning bad or dead cells of your body and the creation of new ones in return. Autophagy helps you stay young for a longer span of your life. 

How to start with alternate day fasting: 

Alternate day fasting demands more diligence when compared to other types of fasting since it includes tallying calories every alternate day. It is actually very hard for few people to resist hunger for a longer period of time. While fasting you should not hunger, instead of that you feel energetic. 

It normally takes between 10 to 14 days for your body to get adjusted to the new eating schedule. While fasting, drink beverages that are calorie free such as water, tea etc.  

People who should not go for alternate day fasting: 

Fasting isn't suggested for ladies who are pregnant or breastfeeding or are younger than 25. It's not suggested in the event that you take insulin or different prescriptions to control diabetes or any drug that must be taken with food, or in the event that you have a seizure problem like epilepsy. 

Bottom Line: 

Fasting is good for health, but always know your limits!!