Does Fasting Make You Fat?
Calorie consumption is one of the biggest concerns of people who are trying to reach certain body goals. In an effort to curb the calories consumed, most people opt for methods like fasting or skipping an entire meal altogether.
However, this may have results contrary to the one that you expect. If you are choosing a lifestyle habit like intermittent fasting, you need to do it right to get the results.
What Are The Different Types Of Fasting?
One of the most popular fasting trends today is intermittent fasting. This is when you fast for a fixed period and consume your traditional diet for a fixed period. Then, there are fasts such as a juice only or water only fast. These are the fasting plans chosen for weight loss.
However, when you begin extreme calorie restriction, it can lead to several health issues. One of the most common adverse effects of fasting is muscle loss. It is true that fasting can also lead to increased fat deposits in your body.
When Does Fasting Lead To Weight Gain?
A fast should not last for more than a period of 12 hours. This is when the metabolic rate of the body drops by almost 40%. As a result, the calories burnt are fewer. Naturally, the excessive calories are stored as fats.
A fast that exceeds 12 hours also puts your body into survival mode. The body begins to prepare for starvation; a response triggered by the insulin levels in the body. The liver is an organ that is responsible for fat metabolism. The liver converts stored fat into glucose for the body to use when you are not eating. This happens when there is a sizable gap between two meals; for instance, when you are asleep. Now, when you eat, insulin is released into the blood to stop this mechanism. During long hours of fast, the liver cells do not respond to insulin as they are in survival mode. The result is that any calories that you consume are stored as fat and released as glucose in a continuous cycle.
This also puts you at the risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
How To Lose Weight With Fasting?
Intermittent fasting has been proven to aid weight loss when done the right way. Here are some tips to help you lose weight and gain muscle when you are fasting:
- The fasting period should be fixed. Increase the number of hours as you progress into the fast. Fasting through random hours may trigger the fat storing mechanism in the body.
- When you have the eating window, watch what you eat. If you are going to binge in this window, then you negate the calories that you restricted when you were fasting. For instance, if you consumed 100 calories less because of the fast but your eating window is 100 calories higher than normal; you will begin to gain weight.
- Have a meal plan in place even for your fasting days. There is nothing like complete abstinence from food.Before you begin any meal plan that requires fasting, make sure that you consult a dietician to do it the right way.
