One of the fastest-growing nutritional trends, intermittent fasting is praised for advantages like weight loss, a decreased risk of chronic illness, and possibly a longer lifetime.
If done correctly, fasting for 12 hours or longer does not cause stress, hunger, or irritability.
It appears to be paradoxical. Why might fast make sense? It is a form of metabolism-boosting yoga.
Some of the health advantages of intermittent fasting are supported by encouraging research.
However, according to studies, the available data does not support some assertions concerning fasting. Additionally, some dietitians claim that when it comes to fostering healthier relationships between individuals and food, the strategy falls short of intuitive fasting.
Intuitive Fasting – What is It?
Intuitive fasting is pretty easy. You pay attention to your hunger rather than adhering to a predetermined fasting plan. You wait to eat until you are truly hungry. After that, you eat until satisfied and stop until you are hungry again.
Why am I “really hungry”? It indicates that you exhibit blatant indicators of hunger. We frequently experience a mild hunger pang, but the feeling goes away if we wait five minutes. Therefore, you were not hungry. However, it is time to eat when your appetite grows with time. Do not wait until you want to go hungry.
Do you know what “being full” is? Well, it simply means that you can no longer eat and are satisfied. So initially, when you wait until you are hungry and eat until you are satisfied or not hungry anymore is what intuitive fasting is.
Intermittent and Intuitive Fasting
Intermittent fasting is the norm for most people who practice intuitive eating trends. You naturally achieve extended fasting durations when consuming two meals a day. You have two extended fasting periods when the two meals are spread widely apart.
You have one little and one extremely lengthy eating break when the two meals are close together.
You are therefore alternating between a 12-hour and a 20/4 intermittent fast. You should be able to easily complete a 12-hour overnight fast even if you consume three meals or more each day.
What Studies Say about the Benefits of Intuitive Fasting
Most people think that intuitive and intermittent fasting are the same and that the benefits of intermittent fasting also apply to this diet regimen. However, that’s not the case. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of studies out there yet on intuitive eating as no research has been done explicitly on intuitive fasting.
Nevertheless, studies on intermittent fasting demonstrate that all forms of intermittent fasting have comparable health advantages. This implies that regular, lengthier meal intervals are what is important. The date and duration’s specifics are merely incidental.
The limited research on intuitive eating that is currently available demonstrates a good correlation between intuitive eating and a healthy weight and several health indicators, such as low blood sugar and blood pressure.
In addition to having higher psychological health, those who eat instinctively are less likely to engage in binge eating.
The issue with these research papers is that they can not tell whether people eat intuitively because they are healthy and thin and have no need to diet or because they do so naturally.
The vast majority only begin dieting when they are dissatisfied with their weight, as you know from personal experience. However, this does not imply that the diet was to blame for the weight increase.
Guidelines for Intuitive Fasting
Here are Guidelines that May Help You Follow this Diet Regimen Better:
- Reject the diet mentality and acknowledge that the diet industry feeds people false hope. There is no such thing as rapid, simple, and lasting weight loss.
- Respect your hunger. Food provides energy for your body. Keep your body well-fed with enough calories, carbs, fat, and protein to feel content.
- Don’t disrespect or hate food. By restricting specific foods, you will feel deprived, which can result in binge eating and overwhelming hunger pangs.
- Pay attention to your body for signs that you are no longer hungry. When eating, take a break, consider how the food tastes, and gauge how hungry you are right now.
Taking Away
The standard answer to “What is an intuitive fasting diet?” is the process of respecting hunger and rejecting the diet mentality. It enhances your general well-being by assisting you in creating a healthy relationship with your body and food.
While listening to your hunger signals may seem easy, getting out of the dieting and emotional eating rut might take some effort. Throughout the process, be kind to yourself and embrace who you are.
