Alternate Day Fasting

Posted on October 31, 2007 in Types of Fasting

If you are one of those who can tolerate the crankiness accompanied with the fasting then alternate day fasting could be a practicable way to reduce the calories. Alternate day fasting is a type of diet plan in which one day of fasting will be interchanged with one day of eating.

Research shows that food deprivation every alternate day is easier for people to check their calorie count as compared to daily calorie counting. It is found that alternate day fasting if continued for at least 3 weeks, 5 pounds of weight is lost with some cracking of the body fat.

Fasting is not just for trimming your waistline but studies show that calorie restriction can help you live a healthy and a long life. Alternate day fasting is beneficial because it reduces the metabolic rate. With the reduction of the metabolic rate, the production of free radicals and cell damaging particles also reduces.

In the alternate day fasting plan, on the fasting day people stick to sugarless gums and calorie-free beverages. And, on the eating day, there is no restriction regarding the diet. It was observed that people lose some weight as well as fat mass. Alternate day fasting is also accompanied with a reduction of insulin level by 57%.

Benefits of alternate day fasting:

Some of the major benefits of alternate day fasting are – increased life span, increased insulin sensitivity, reduced morbidity and stress resistance. Although the reason is still unknown, it is seen that a long term decrease in calorie intake improves the life quality. In alternate day fasting routine the overall intake of food is not decreased so the body weight is maintained. Other benefits of alternate day fasting are increase in the resistance of brain neurons and reduction in the serum glucose as well as in insulin levels. Hence alternate day fasting has an advantageous effect on neuronal resistance and glucose regulation.

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