Fad or Trend?
Pokeman Go, fidget spinners, and the mullet reincarnated. Social media has perpetuated these fads and others over the last several years. Fads typically peak and ebb quickly as people move onto the next best thing. Trends build slowly, becoming part of mainstream behavior over a longer period of time. Gangnam Style and Whip/Nae Nae quickly faded into fads of the recent past, while becoming more eco-conscious and eating cleaner have slowly become a more integral part of our culture. Fad vs. trend. The same thing happens with diets. Some gain popularity and fade into oblivion quickly – the grapefruit and cabbage soup diets – while others gain traction because they can be effective, like the Mediterranean diet and intermittent fasting.
Do These Eating Plans Really Work?
The answer is, yes. Yes, they do. Unlike fad diets which help you lose weight too quickly and gain it back as soon as you begin eating normally, the Mediterranean diet and intermittent fasting are eating plans that create long-term success. Intermittent fasting is an especially effective weight loss program and is highly effective in managing numerous medical conditions, too.
How Intermittent Fasting Works
Intermittent fasting is, quite literally, what it sounds like. You refrain from eating food for a specific length of time, eating only within a specific window of time. There are different ways to set up intermittent fasting so you can choose what works best for you. For example, you might choose:
- Fasting daily for a specified length of time
- Fasting every other day
- Fasting two days per week and eating five days per week
If you choose to fast daily, most people eat their meals within an eight-hour window of time and fast for sixteen hours. Fasting every other day and fasting two days per week are self-explanatory. Each intermittent fasting plan is effective, so you can choose the most appropriate plan for your lifestyle.
The Benefits
There are so many health benefits to intermittent fasting that have been proven by repeated research studies. Some of the most important benefits include:
- Boosting your metabolism leading to greater weight loss
- Loss of abdominal fat
- Decreasing inflammation which causes so much damage and disease
- Decreases cardiovascular risk through better management of blood pressure and other biomarkers
- Decreases the effects of metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance
- Aids in the development of new nerve cells in the brain, increasing neurological well-being
- May help liver function or delay the onset of liver disease
- Is beneficial for overall health and wellness
Intermittent fasting has been incredibly successful as a weight loss tool for many people, but its benefits far exceed weight loss. Weight loss achieved is always better for you, but weight loss through intermittent fasting is very successful in creating better health, overall.
The Online NP Can Help
Stephanie Kowatch, MSN, APRN, FNP-C , can discuss the benefits of intermittent fasting as part of the weight loss services provided by The Online NP. She is licensed in more than forty states to provide telehealth services including weight management support. Contact her today to reap the benefits of weight loss and, perhaps, intermittent fasting.