{"id":63389,"date":"2021-03-22T11:15:41","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T15:15:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/barbend.com\/?p=63389"},"modified":"2024-06-07T10:35:35","modified_gmt":"2024-06-07T14:35:35","slug":"intermittent-fasting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbend.com\/intermittent-fasting\/","title":{"rendered":"Intermittent Fasting 101 \u2014 A Guide to Benefits, Muscle Gain, and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

Intermittent fasting, or the practice of going without food for extended periods of time, has emerged as one of the trendiest (and most science-backed) diet approaches to lose weight<\/a>, gain lean muscle<\/a>, balance blood sugar and activate powerful anti-aging genes. <\/p>\n

Skipping meals likely sounds counterintuitive to some. For decades, nutritionists and trainers have touted the idea of eating mini-meals to stoke the metabolism. Experts have also cautioned against restricting calories too severely, lest you kick your body into \u201cstarvation mode,\u201d where it begins storing fat in case of a famine. But more recently, scientists have learned that fasting does not trigger fat storage. Instead, it does the opposite: Fasting forces the body to burn up fat stores. The stress of burning fat<\/a> for fuel actually causes cells to adapt and become more resilient in a way that benefits health and longevity. <\/p>\n

Even better, intermittent fasting is perhaps the easiest plan to follow \u2014 you simply don\u2019t eat for a specific amount of time each day. <\/b>No counting calories<\/a>, no tracking carbs, no hitting protein marks<\/a>. Just block out the time window to stop eating and don\u2019t eat.  <\/b><\/p>\n

So what can you expect if you want to give intermittent fasting a try? In this article, we\u2019ve spoken to a weight loss-focused physician and looked over dozens of studies to explore the benefits, the best approaches, and strategies for success.<\/p>\n