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All-around Diet?
By Kim Myeong-gyu Cub Reporter, Sophomore of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Due to COVID-19, the amount of outdoor activities has decreased, and the time spent at home has increased. As a result, the number of people worried about suddenly gaining weight has also increased. Since the environment in which they can exercise is not available at the moment, the way they choose to maintain their health and weight is by controlling their diet. If you eat only certain foods, or too little, muscle loss will occur. If that happens, basal metabolism decreases, making it easier to gain weight, and increasing the probability of exposure to various diseases. It is not a desirable way to proceed long-term, because it can damage your health. Then, what about intermittent fasting that can effectively cause you to lose weight while taking care of your health?
(1) What is intermittent fasting?
It refers to a method of maintaining an empty stomach for a certain period of time and eating at the appointed time. Unlike conventional diet methods, it is important when you eat, not what you eat.
(2) How to do intermittent fasting
There are several ways to do intermittent fasting. You can choose a way that suits your lifestyle. The methods are as follows.
1. 23 to 1 intermittent fasting: It is a way to fast for 23 hours of the day, and eat for the remaining hour.
2. 20 to 4 intermittent fasting: It is a way to eat only four hours of the day and maintain an empty stomach for 20 hours. For example, you eat one meal at lunchtime, and then, after about 3 hours, you finish the day’s meal completely with a simple dessert.
3. 16 to 8 intermittent fasting: It is a way to keep 16 hours of the day on an empty stomach and eat within 8 hours. In general, it is easy to understand that you eat two meals a day.
4. 5 to 2 intermittent fasting: It is a way to eat only five days of the week and fast for two days.
(3) If you do intermittent fasting
When our body remains hungry for a certain period of time, the secretion of a hormone called “Insulin”, that accumulates fat in the body, decreases. At this time, fat begins to be used as an energy source, instead of glucose. As such a physical environment is created, fat accumulated in the body is naturally used, and as a result, it disappears. In addition, by limiting the meal time, the following health benefits can be obtained by changing the body’s rhythm.
(4) What you need to know about intermittent fasting
First, eat freely, but do not overeat. If you overeat, insulin will increase significantly, eliminating the benefits of intermittent fasting. Starving can lead to adverse effects.
Second, the nutrients that your body is lacking can be produced, even if a well-organized diet is combined. It is good to take nutritional supplements at this time. Taking nutritional supplements supplies the minerals that are necessary for fasting, and prevents any side effects that may occur.
Third, fasting also reduces muscle mass. For this reason, if you want to minimize muscle loss during fasting, it is effective to do intensive anaerobic exercises after meals.
Fourth, it is recommended not to drink any beverages except water during fasting. This is because the principle of intermittent fasting is to stop gastrointestinal activities other than at meal times.
Fifth, intermittent fasting has many advantages for the body, but people with diseases such as diabetes and hyperlipidemia must consult a doctor before implementation.
Intermittent fasting is more convenient than conventional calorie calculations, or eating several times a day. Also, you do not have to control your diet when you're not fasting, so you do not have to be stressed out about what to eat. If you follow the precautions well, it is a diet method that can continue without any problems for the rest of your life. Perhaps you have already had a lot of intermittent fasting in your life. If you ate dinner, slept late, and did not eat until lunch the next day, you have already fasted for more than 16 hours. Therefore, I think it is easy for people to accomplish intermittent fasting. If you decide that you want to solve the problem of your increasing weight, then I would recommend intermittent fasting.