While there are many ways to lose weight and stubborn, unwanted fat, intermittent fasting (IF) has quickly become a digestible formula for creating new nutritional habits to lower the number on the scale. With its designated eating windows and timed schedule, IF involves periods of not eating followed by windows allotted for consuming the day’s calories. These boundaries help control the intake of food, but ultimately – and most importantly – can also help you form sustainable, beneficial habits to help your body perform at optimal levels, from better focus and sleep to improved recovery and more.
Burning belly fat is a compelling short-term goal, but focusing on improving your metabolic fitness will actually help you burn more fat and improve your overall health – unlike crash diets.
The weight and body composition changes that come with fasting are the result of all the other improvements to your metabolic fitness. A healthy commitment to metabolic fitness can have a positive impact on entire systems of your body with the potential to:
- Reduce inflammation
- Strengthen memory and recall
- Improve skin and immune function
- Expand energy and focus
- Increase fertility
- Enhance physical endurance
- Increase lifespan
- Help you maintain a healthy weight
- and much more
In fact, “chronic hyper-nutrition,” or consistently overeating, is currently making the biggest impact on most peoples’ metabolisms. When your body is digesting food, getting rid of sugars and storing energy, it is prioritizing those processes over others. If you eat again before digestion is complete, the process starts all over again. Some people spend years in this process with no rest period, and without a break in digestion, your body can’t clean out and reset – which is what’s needed to improve metabolic fitness.
Ultimately, where IF shines is in the fact that it gives your body the time and space to do the upkeep tasks necessary to keep things in tip-top shape.
Want to get started by losing a few pounds? Here are three top questions with answers to help you understand how a personalized IF program could kickstart your elevated wellness plan and help you make consistent shifts to move toward your weight-loss goals.
Does fasting burn belly fat?
An IF protocol can help you reduce calories to lose weight that manifests as stubborn belly fat, but more than that, IF will help your body reduce inflammation, oxidative stress and maintain healthy cellular function which improves other processes that help you lose weight more efficiently and stay healthier overall.
Weight loss is more than just simply eating less, so the more you can improve brain function, sleep and cellular repair, the more efficient your body will be at performing at its best and using the nutrients you fuel it with to properly get rid of fluff.
When does the body start burning fat during fasting?
During a typical fast, your body uses the first stage (0-12 hours) to digest and store the food you’ve just given it. After the 12-hour mark, your hormones will shift to let you know you’re less full and start signaling hunger.
At the high end, it takes about 18 hours for your body to burn through its stores and search for an alternative fuel source to give you energy. This is when the lipids in your fat cells and amino acids from protein become the sources of fuel.
To target this stage, an 18/6, OMAD, or Eat-Stop-Eat fast would help you surpass this 18-hour mark to reach ketosis and start burning fat.
How much weight can you lose with intermittent fasting?
According to a 2014 study, intermittent fasting reduced body weight by 3-8% over a period of 3-24 weeks. The people in the study also lost 4-7% in waist circumference. The findings suggested that intermittent fasting is equally as effective as restricting calories for weight loss and reducing belly fat.
While IF is backed by research to help burn fat and lose weight, the long-term benefits far outweigh the initial physical changes. Reducing the chances of obesity,type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases is a strong step to greatly improving your health, but the added benefits of improving metabolic fitness make IF a strong candidate for lasting success in weight loss and improved wellness.
Having tools to assist you along the way is also an integral part of creating a healthy and powerful IF routine. Citravin Fasting Mints (a first of its kind fasting support supplement) are an effective way to curb cravings and keep you on track during your fasting period. You also don’t have to do it alone. Our metabolic fitness plan includes personalized coaching support to help educate, inspire and guide you to IF success.