Intermittent fasting is undoubtedly one of the most popular health and fitness topics today. Intermittent fasting is the process of keeping an individual’s feeding window limited to just a few hours each day. It is an eating pattern which involves alternating periods of eating and then not eating at all.
But, despite its vast popularity, there are several myths surrounding Intermittent Fasting. This article will debunk the most common myths related to fasting.
Myth#1: Fasting Puts You in “Starvation Mode”
Common thought dictates that, if you skip meals, your body goes into starvation mode and starts to slow your metabolism. This has been the popular train of thought for a long time, but it’s actually a myth.
Starvation is when your body’s fat stores are consumed fully, so it has no choice but to break down muscle for energy. This won’t happen just because you skipped breakfast. With intermittent fasting, your body releases stored fat and uses it as energy, while your lean muscle tissue remains untouched. This is especially true if you have a lot of fat stores already, meaning your body has a lot to work with.
Myth#2: Eat All You Want In Your Eating Window in Fasting
This is one of the biggest myths surrounding intermittent fasting, and subsequently one of the biggest pitfalls for people who try intermittent fasting and struggle with making it work. Just because you’ve fasted for a certain amount of time and are now in your eating window, doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you want.
Depending on your age, height, weight, and body fat, there is a certain number of calories your body burns throughout the day basically just maintaining your current weight. If you eat more than that number of calories during your eating window, then you’re going to gain weight no matter how long you’ve fasted.
Myth#3: Will Be Hungry All the Time
One of the biggest things people worry about with intermittent fasting is that they could be hungry all the time. It is a frightening thought to not be able to eat for 16 to 18 hours, or even up to 20 hours each day. People worry that they will be hungry virtually every minute of every day until they break their fast, which is a complete and total myth.
Truthfully, there is a “getting used to” period for intermittent fasting. In the beginning, you will definitely experience hunger pangs that make you question what you’re doing with your life. But once your body adjusts to its new energy consumption paradigm, it will make changes to the way your body operates — including feelings of hunger. a good trick is to start the fasting early in the evening so you can actually get back to eating for a late lunch.
Myth#4: Just another Diet Program
To debunk this myth easily, intermittent fasting isn’t actually a diet, because it doesn’t restrict you from eating any certain food. In theory, you can actually eat a diet consisting of just pizza and beer, and you will lose weight as long as you maintain a caloric deficit.
Of course, this is not advisable, as although you will be losing weight, you won’t be anywhere near healthy with that kind of consumption. It’s still better to stick to a balanced diet consisting of whole foods rich in protein, fiber, and vitamins.