WTF Is IF?

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Bella Breakdown

Like any diet or lifestyle change, it’s important to understand the pros and cons before making a stealthy decision. Whether it’s a new exercise regimen or way of eating, there is no one-size-fits-all perfect approach, and each trending idea has its drawbacks.

Understanding these drawbacks, and how they may impact you and your life more so than others is the best way to analyze options when outlining a “better me” lifestyle new year’s resolution. One popular lifestyle choice is intermittent fasting, also known as IF.

In this practice, one schedule out times of the day in which they eat, and times in which they don’t. The science behind the idea is that eating more in condensed time periods will increase your metabolism, leading to better digestion, weight loss, and even speculation of decreased disease risk. But there’s more to the story than just cutting out midnight snacks and having a late breakfast.

Typically, intermittent fasting follows roughly the same schedule—one fast for 16 hours and eats for eight. The hours you choose to block out can be modified to best fit your schedule, but many people will eat from 11 am to 7 pm and then fast until 11 the next day. By limiting the amount of time you can eat, you will inadvertently require less food as to not be eating large meals back to back and remain full between meals, making it less likely to mindlessly snack. However, for some people going 16 hours without food isn’t the best option. For those with blood sugar problems, and either hyper or hypometabolic function may not perform their best on this type of schedule.

Even though it can be incredibly easy to feel the pressure to model your life after a celebrity of fitness influencer, it’s important to consider how these life changes would truly manifest in your lifestyle before drastically jumping into a new routine.

Author: Jessica Ralph

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