Is intermittent fasting diet healthy?

by Abbas Jahangir · Published January 17, 2024 · Updated March 21, 2024

Nowadays, there are many people who have weight-related problems. There are many programs available to solve weight problems, live a healthier life, or maintain current weight. Over time, these programs have become more diverse. Intermittent fasting diet is one of them. This diet program has become widespread recently and is preferred by many people. So, is the intermittent fasting diet healthy?

There are many ways to live a healthy life and minimize weight problems. These include various types of diets and different types of sports or physical activities. Intermittent fasting is one of the most frequently implemented diet programs. It is a type of nutrition style that supports eating by dividing a day into two, fasting time and meal time. Intermittent fasting diet is a healthy eating habit that a person can follow throughout his life.

What is intermittent fasting diet?

Intermittent Fasting is a program that is generally based on the principle of when meals should be eaten. The purpose of this principle is to eat at certain intervals during the day and stop eating in the evening in order not to tire the metabolism, which slows down. In this regime, it is essential that the body gets used to being hungry and prevents unnecessary carbohydrate intake. In this way, the body creates its own energy without depending on the outside. There are different types of intermittent fasting diet. Intermittent fasting diet hours, which vary in hours, are as follows:

16:8 Method : It is applied by fasting for 16 hours, including sleep, and eating within 8 hours. An example would be to eat between 10.00-18.00 and not consume food at other hours.
5:2 Method : It is applied normally for 5 days of a week and by consuming lower-calorie foods on the other 2 days (total of 500 calories per day).
Eat/Stop/Eat Method : After eating dinner once or twice a week, you fast for 24 hours until dinner the next day.
12 Hour Method : The day is divided into 2 parts and 12 hours are designated as fasting time and 12 hours as eating time. For those new to the intermittent fasting diet, this method is generally preferred during the adaptation process.

It is also of great importance to consume plenty of fluids while applying these methods.

Is the intermittent fasting diet healthy?

It is possible to talk about the benefits of intermittent fasting diet when applied in a balanced and controlled manner. This diet helps you lose weight more easily by reducing the calories consumed during the day. People who want to lose weight but also want to maintain their weight also resort to this diet. Intermittent fasting diet creates a detox effect in the body. In this way, it supports the removal of toxins from the body and the renewal of cells. Intermittent fasting diet, which regulates both sugar and fat metabolism in the body, also balances blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It helps to reduce insulin resistance in the body and increase sensitivity. In addition, reducing the triglyceride level in the body is one of the known benefits of intermittent fasting.

How much weight can be lost with the intermittent fasting diet?

All dietary patterns vary from person to person depending on age, gender, height and physical activity level. Therefore, everyone should choose the type of intermittent fasting that suits their own lifestyle and eating habits. It is very important for people with any disease to first consult a doctor when applying such diets and to carry out these nutrition programs under the supervision of a specialist in order to get healthy results.

Intermittent fasting diet can be done for a week, a month or, when necessary conditions are met, for 1 year or longer. In general, it is possible to lose 15 kilos in 3 weeks ~ 1 month with intermittent fasting and the 16:8 method, following all rules and times.

Intermittent fasting benefits

The main purpose of the intermittent fasting diet is not to starve the body but to get the nutrients the body needs at appropriate times. Paying attention to the hours while doing the intermittent fasting diet and considering the calories while eating supports weight loss. It is necessary not to consume carbohydrates and sugar when fasting, and to move away from the routine diet and adopt a different type of nutrition. In addition, physical exercises should be done while intermittent fasting. Benefits of intermittent fasting diet:

It provides weight control in a healthy way.
It balances the sugar level in the blood and balances insulin resistance.
It supports fat burning.
It strengthens the secretion of youth hormone by supporting cell renewal.
During periods of fasting, autophagy, that is, the recovery of damaged cells of the body, occurs.

Intermittent fasting diet sample menu list

A sample menu list for an intermittent fasting diet according to the 16:8 method can be given as follows:

First Meal (11.00)

2 eggs
1 or 2 thin slices of white cheese
1 thin slice whole wheat bread
4 tablespoons of oatmeal
Cucumber, tomato, parsley or cress (with lemon)

Snack:

1 whole wheat bread
1 thin slice of cheese
1 glass of green tea

Last Meal (19.00)

1 plate of vegetable dish with olive oil
1 glass of buttermilk or 4 tablespoons of yoghurt
2 thin slices of whole wheat bread

While applying this diet, paying attention to eating times and changing the types of food used in meals are effective in implementing the program in a healthy way.

What are the comments of those who lost weight with the intermittent fasting diet?

The implementation and content of this diet varies from person to person. Therefore, not everyone may get the same results. However, the comments of those who lost weight with this diet are generally as follows:

“I started an intermittent fasting diet with the 5/2 method for a few years. The first few weeks were spent with hunger pangs that continued throughout the day. In the third week, there was a decrease in hunger pains. Now the diet days are an ordinary day.”
“I have been following an intermittent fasting diet almost every day for a long time. Insulin resistance, which causes health problems, has been reversed. This diet is more than a weight loss method, it is a lifestyle.”