Intermittent fasting as a diet plan

JUST to shed a few pounds or limit food intake, some people will try different supplements among other alternatives, with the hope that their health goal is achieved. Others will stick to a diet plan such as intermittent fasting, where there is some flexibility in managing how and when food is consumed. According to clinical nutritionist Dr Kimberley Sommerville, intermittent fasting is a practice where a person will refrain from consuming food at different intervals throughout the day.

“For example, a person would fast for 16 hours and have all their caloric intake during an eight-hour period. It really depends on when they want to start,” she said.

Benefits

1. Helps to maintain good eating structure

“For some people, they will adopt the habit of knowing how and when to eat. You have a specific number of hours to eat, so you are definitely going to do so during that time”

2. Helps with weight loss

“Since you can’t have too many calories in such a small period of time, you tend to lose weight,” the nutritionist said.

Drawbacks

1. Might not work well if one has certain medical illnesses

“It depends on the types of medical illnesses you have. For example, some people may need to take medication at a particular time and this usually requires some amount of food.

“For a diabetic, for example, though people say that it helps the blood sugar, it may actually dip your blood sugar a little bit too low if you are fasting for a long period of time,” she explained.

2. It might be difficult to sustain

“Some people might want to do it for a few months and they will probably lose weight, but when you go back to your normal eating style, you may find that you regain the weight.”

3. Poor timing causes weight gain

People may find that they will stay hungry for six or seven hours during the day, and then they probably eat late at night and go to bed, causing weight gain while they rest.