Vit Kashchuk has a strong background in mathematics. He believes that the scientific concept of non-linearity can be applied to nutrition and losing weight. Consequently, Vit has written a fat loss program called the ‘Intermittent Diet’. The Intermittent Diet is a revolutionary technique that will undeniably help prevent obesity and reduce the likelihood of several life-threatening illnesses similar to heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Mr Kashchuk claims that physiological processes that take place in the human body are non-linear. He explains that programs designed to help us lose weight are able to exploit these non-linearities. Nutrition plans normally tell us how much of our diet should contain macronutrients such as carbohydrate, protein and fat; they will also instruct us which foods to avoid.
Actually, the key to success is a diet which varies daily in calories and includes a whole range of foods containing all micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that are essential for a healthy body. Who would keep to a diet that relies on a plan that is too rigid each day? If we continually restrict ourselves to the foods we don’t enjoy, it has been demonstrated that we are likely to put on even more weight than we have lost with dieting, after we have given up.
The author of the Intermittent Diet provides us with an alternative to traditional diets. The diet consists of periods of fasting that will lead to physiological adaptations in our metabolism. This fasting process will lead to a change in the number of lipogenic enzymes (the enzymes that help absorb fat) and lipolytic enzymes (the enzymes that help breakdown fat). The body will start to burn fat as opposed to store fat. This happens far faster in comparison to other diets.
Intermittent Diet Basics
According to Vit, if we fit small periods of fasting into our routine, we can lose weight quickly. The idea is to fast for a duration of 24 hours once or twice per week. Alternatively we have the option to fast for 24 hours, twice during a 10 day period. Frequency of fasting would depend on our current body fat percentage and exercise routine.
If we incorporate these small periods of fasting into our lives, many believe that our metabolism may slow and lead to weight gain; it is actually quite the opposite. Intermittent fasting actually increases our basal metabolic rate by 6%. Vit’s book manages to demystify some of the confusing and often mis-interpreted ideas about the relationship between meal frequency and muscle mass gain or weight loss; this helps us to understand why many of the claimed diets out there do not work for us.
What we learn from the book is that due to the fasting technique, fewer calories in total are eaten over an extended time period. In addition, we are not following such a strict routine that we resent every second. In fact, we can eat some of the foods that we actually find palatable. Thirdly, from a physiological point of view, fasting encourages the fat burning hormones to work more effectively.
In a week, your calorie intake will be reduced by 15-20% by following the plan. Growth hormone and leptin (important hormones that help with the fat burn process by inhibiting lipogenesis) will increase. On fasting days, metabolism in males is seen to increase by 2000% and in females it increases by 1300%.
The author states that the Intermittent Fasting Diet has the same effect on weight loss as other strict diets except that with intermittent fasting, we are allowed to eat at least some of the foods we love and we don’t have to make awkward food choices when eating out socially with others.
Vit says “It’s possible to lose weight and keep it off without worrying about what types of foods you eat and how often you eat them. In fact, weight loss can be a simple, stress-free process if you want it to be.”
During the process of fasting, our system adapts and become less sensitive to hunger. We become less susceptible to food cravings. It is thought that one of the reasons for this is that hunger is triggered by the ‘rate’ at which blood glucose falls. After a meal, our blood glucose spikes and insulin is produced to regulate it. Insulin production leads to a sharp drop in blood glucose and the cravings kick in. When fasting, the speedy reduction in glucose does not occur as insulin is never produced in such big quantities.
Advantages of The Intermittent Fasting Diet
- The Intermittent Diet is backed up by peer-reviewed scientific research papers.
- It can be followed alongside any other type of diet, for example vegan or vegetarian.
- There are no lists of either ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods or rules about when we have to eat or avoid them.
- Fasting serves as an effective long-term strategy for either weight-loss or preventing weight-gain.
- Fasting naturally boosts Growth Hormone which aids fat loss.
Disadvantages of The Intermittent Fasting Diet
- Some people have reported that they feel hungry or have headaches initially whilst fasting.
- The diet may be a challenge to stick to right at the start.
- We are not given any dietary advice on the non-fasting days.
- The diet is not suitable for children or pregnant women.
Conclusion
The Intermittent Diet is an uncomplicated way of eating. It is not restrictive and does not leave us feeling constantly guilty about food choices. The diet prevents calorie counting, the weighing of food and does not necessitate buying expensive health food products such as low calorie meal bars. The Intermittent Diet is the way forward for anyone searching for a simple method of losing weight.
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This review was written by diet expert and writer Will Hinotsky from www.Diets.md
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