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What is Alternate Day Fasting (ADF)?

We know, you’ve heard about intermittent fasting before. In recent years, it’s been in the headlines a lot. You may even have done some research about it.

It’s touted to offer a variety of health benefits from weight loss to improved mood. Have you ever thought that you want to try it? If you did, you would’ve seen that there are a few methods that you can use. One of these methods is alternating daily fasting.

But how does alternate day fasting work? Here, we’ll show you how it works and what its benefits are.

alternate day fasting ADF style intermittent fasting

What Is Alternate Day Fasting (ADF)?

When you do alternate day fasting, you eat every other day, but fast on your non-eating days. So, you’ll, for instance fast on Monday, and eat your normal diet on Tuesday. On Wednesday, you’ll fast again, and you’ll keep repeating this cycle.

The most common way people often do this is by using “modified” fasting. Here, they eat around 500 calories on fasting days, and then eat normally on the others.

Although it could sound more complicated than OMAD or other types of intermittent fasting, it’s actually quite simple when you think about it. You only need to restrict what you eat half of the time. So, it takes the hassle out of dieting where you must focus on what you must eat all the time.

Because of this, some people find that alternate-day fasting is easier to stick to compared to other diets. They also find it easier to manage their hunger compared to calorie restriction.

Benefits of ADF

Now that you know how alternate fasting works, let’s look at some of the benefits if you choose to eat this way.

Increased Autophagy

Because ADF benefits are a lot like the benefits of intermittent fasting, you also get the benefit of autophagy.

During this process, old parts of cells are degraded and recycled. It’s almost like the old saying, “out with the old and in with the new.”

Autophagy plays a key role in preventing diseases like cancer, heart disease, and infections. Studies have also shown that ADF diets reduces oxidative damage and promotes changes that could make you live longer.

In fact, animal studies have shown that fasting increases autophagy and plays a role in delaying aging and reducing the risk of tumors.

Weight Loss

Obviously, many people also use ADF for weight loss. There is, however, some studies which suggest that ADF is no more effective for weight loss than calorie restriction.

As we’ve said before, though, many people find it easier to manage their hunger compared to calorie restriction. So, it could lead to more effective weight loss than normal daily calorie restriction.

The big benefit when it comes to weight loss, though, is that ADF has unique effects on body composition. Here, studies suggest that ADF may be more beneficial for preserving muscle mass than other types of calorie restriction.

The Bottom Line

There you go, now you know what alternate day fasting is and what benefits it gives you. You don’t have to ask, “Will ADF work for me?” anymore.

Keep in mind, though, that there are many other benefits to alternate-day fasting. What we didn’t mention was that it improves mood, productivity, and increases energy. Ultimately, the only way you can get these benefits is by trying it.

If you’re interested in getting the benefits of fasting, but worried your cravings might doom your efforts, Citravarin fasting mints might be perfect for you to get into the habit of fasting now, and seeing the benefits for life.