I’m sure you’ve heard of intermittent fasting as one of the best weight loss methods. But you know what it is and how it is? Intermittent fasting consists of refraining fully or partially from eating for a certain time of day. You can be 12 to 16 hours without trying a bite, just liquids, such as water, infusions, or smoothies.
The Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition (SEEN) indicates in a document that intermittent fasting is often not accompanied by a correct prescription. Intermittent fasting is not a diet with an adequate selection of food, but is based on the time when these foods are consumed but without referring to what type, whether they are good, bad, or regular, points out Dr. Francisco Botella, coordinator of the Nutrition Area of SEEN.
How to make intermittent fasting?
Unlike the physiological fast, which is the one that occurs during the night, while we sleep, an average of about 8 hours, the intermittent fast is voluntary, and there are three types, according to the SEEN document:
– Daily periodicity: at least 12 hours of fasting, the most well-known being the 16/8, that is, fasting for 16 hours, including 8 hours of sleep. The most common eating period is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
– Weekly periodicity: one or two days a week. The most popular is the 5/2 diet, eating normally five days a week, accompanied by a severe reduction in intake the next two days.
– Monthly periodicity: Fasting for a couple of consecutive days each month. This is the least common.
“It’s true that we eat more than we need. Let’s reduce calories and increase nutrient content; that’s the ideal strategy,” emphasizes Ana Molina, the specialist at AM Nutrición Integral and author of the book Lo saludable de los alimentos (The Healthy Way of Food).
The side effects of intermittent fasting
According to SEEN, intermittent fasting could cause some side effects such as headache, dizziness, or lack of concentration.
For Dr. Botella, the addictive power of food can generate a kind of withdrawal syndrome when we stop eating food for a while, and these subjective symptoms that last a short time can appear.
Another side effect of intermittent fasting is that it affects social life, as the fact that you cannot eat at a certain time limits dinners with family or friends.
Once the fast is over, there’s also the risk of suffering a “rebound effect” and quickly regaining the lost weight. According to Dr. Francisco Botella, “short-term diets, if you stop them, if your eating habits are bad, you fall back into the problem.”
This information does not in any case replace the diagnosis or prescription by a doctor. It is important to go to a specialist when symptoms occur in case of illness and never self-medicate.
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