Intermittent fasting has become a popular way to lose weight, but before you try it, definitely know its advantages and disadvantages.

Intermittent fasting is becoming quite popular these days to lose weight. Nowadays, dieticians also recommend it to be the correct way to lose weight, but if there are advantages to this fasting, then there are also many disadvantages, which you need to know about.

Benefits of intermittent fasting

There are many levels of intermittent fasting; in this fasting, a person eats food, but there is a big gap in time between the two meals. For example, if you eat breakfast at 7 a.m. today and then wait till the morning at 7 a.m., you have fasted for 24 hours.

Improves digestion

The stomach also has to be given time to digest food, but it is rarely possible to take meals several times a day. The best thing about intermittent fasting is that due to this, the stomach gets plenty of time to digest food, due to which the chances of increasing fat are reduced, and your digestive system also remains healthy.

Lowers the risk of diabetes

Intermittent fasting helps control the insulin level, which burns fat quicker, and the process also reduces the risk of diabetes.

Skin benefits

When digestion becomes good due to fasting, it is easier to remove toxins from the body. When we do not have toxins in our bodies, the skin benefits the most. So, drinking plenty of fluids while fasting is advisable.

Keeps heart healthy

According to some studies, intermittent fasting help keeps the heart healthy by controlling blood sugar levels, cholesterol, fat, etc., which are not very beneficial for our heart, so avoiding them will keep your heart healthy.

Disadvantages of intermittent fasting

Overeating

Intermittent fasting is not that easy either due to the difference of 12 or more hours between two meals. Our body digests the food completely, it may cause us to feel starving, and we end up overeating.

Weakness

You may experience some weakness due to intermittent fasting. Due to being hungry from evening till morning, the body lacks the necessary elements to generate energy, which may cause fatigue and some weakness.

Bad mood

Food is closely related to our mood. We all become irritable when hungry; the same happens during intermittent fasting. Although you feel hungry, you commit yourself to intermittent fasting and do not eat anything. In such a situation, your mood and work are affected.

Sleep deprivation

Staying hungry or almost starving to death may cause a problem with not sleeping properly. Sleeping empty stomach for most people is almost next to impossible, so it takes some time to get used to it.

Dehydration

Intermittent fasting can also cause dehydration. Not eating any food may also decrease the intake of fluids, which is not the right thing to do, so it is advisable to drink plenty of fluids during fasting.

It is advisable to start fasting/ intermittent fasting after consulting with a doctor or certified dietician, and one should practice it once a week only if you are new to it.