During interval feeding, you are only allowed to eat at certain times. For example, under the 16/8 scheme, food is eaten twice with an interval of 8 hours. Other options – 14/10 or 24/0, when food is refused for 14 hours or even for a day.
Monica Tello, M.D., M.P.H., M.P.H. at Harvard Health Publishing notes:
The food we eat is broken down into enzymes and molecules. Carbohydrates, especially sugar and flour products, are quickly broken down into sugar, which cells use for energy. The unused residue is stored in fat cells. However, sugar enters the fat cells and is stored there with the help of insulin.
Between meals, insulin levels decrease. The fat cells can release the remaining sugar, using it as energy. The point of interval eating is to get insulin levels to drop before fat starts to be burned.
At first, studies showed that interval eating doesn’t produce much results compared to the usual consumption of fewer calories. On the contrary – it is more difficult and discomforting to stick to such a regimen.
Researchers at the University of Alabama conducted a study with men who were diagnosed as obese and pre-diabetic. One group lived by the rules of interval eating and ate at 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., while the other group ate on a regular schedule. The participants did not lose weight. The people who ate only twice had lower insulin levels, improved insulin sensitivity and metabolism, lower blood pressure and lower appetite levels.
It can be assumed that this eating regimen, combined with a healthy lifestyle, would be an effective way to lose weight – especially for people prone to diabetes. However, patients with severe diabetes, anorexia, bulimia and other disorders are not recommended to try such a regimen. The same applies to pregnant women and women during the breastfeeding period.
How to eat then?
- Avoid foods that contain a lot of sugar and flour. Consume fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats;
- Don’t snack – let your body burn fat between meals. Be active throughout the day and maintain muscle tone;
- If you want to try interval eating, start simple. Limit your eating hours, for best effect: at 7:00 am and 3:00 pm or 10:00 am and 6:00 pm.
If you want to lose weight, gastroenterologists advise you to give up such products:
- fruits (except avocado, lemon, lime);
- non-fat dairy products;
- grain products in large quantities.
Types of interval eating
16/8 – the most popular type – when we consume food for 8 hours (e.g. from 10 to 18), and then we fast from there
Eat-stop-eat – fasting for a day 1-2 times a week with the consumption of large amounts of water (2-2.5 liters/day).
5/2 – when 5 days we eat standard food, and 2 days with minimum calorie about 500-600 kcal per day, like unloading days.
14/10 or 12/10 – practically standard diet with the exception of late evening meals
20/4 – a rather strict type of interval diet, when food is consumed for 4 hours, and 20 hours are allocated for fasting.
