7 Amazing Intermittent Fasting Results You Should Know About

Many fitness and health blogs recommend cutting calorie intake to shed weight. Usually, these publications give you little guidance, with some promoting very restrictive diets while banning certain kinds of food. Hence, if you find your weight “yo-yo” ing, then intermittent fasting may just be the thing for you. 

Intermittent fasting is not your typical diet. It requires a lifestyle transformation, which can lead to the loss of stubborn weight. 

How much weight loss is possible with intermittent fasting? How long will it take to see results? What other benefits can be expected? 

Many people try fasting, don’t see immediate weight loss, and stop. They don’t realize that weight loss could be just around the corner. If you know the expected changes due to intermittent fasting, and when they occur, you will be motivated and have a higher chance of weight loss success. 

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

When you practice intermittent fasting, you stand to benefit a lot. Some of the biggest benefits of IF are:

Weight Loss

Intermittent fasting helps burn belly fat. It is directly associated with weight loss in the short and long term. Although an IF diet doesn’t specify the foods you should be eating during the feeding window, it is always better to eat nutritious and healthy food for long-term health. 

Reduces Insulin Resistance

Your insulin resistance will be reduced if you follow intermittent fasting [1]. IF lowers blood sugar by 3-6% and fasting insulin levels by as much as 20-31%. This helps prevent type 2 diabetes. However, if you already have diabetes, refrain from intermittent fasting without consulting a healthcare professional. 

Reduces Inflammation

If you follow intermittent fasting, it will reduce inflammation in your body [2]. Inflammation is directly associated with many chronic diseases, like blood sugar and high blood pressure. Intermittent fasting helps manage these diseases better. 

Might Prevent Cancer

Many animal studies have revealed that intermittent fasting may assist in preventing cancer. Although these results are yet to be verified on humans, it looks optimistic. 

Heart Health Improvement 

Risk factors for heart disease include blood sugar, insulin resistance, inflammation, blood triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol. Studies show that IF reduces these risk factors significantly. [3] 

Brain Health Improvement

The hormone BDNF present in the brain increases with practicing intermittent fasting. BDNF is responsible for the growth and regeneration of new nerve and brain cells. Hence, it is believed that intermittent fasting helps prevent Alzheimer’s. 

IF Has Anti-Aging Effects

Studies on rats show a 36-83% increase in lifespan with intermittent fasting. We could expect similar effects in humans. We know that intermittent fasting induces autophagy in humans [4]. Autophagy is a cellular process in which your body’s cells repair and recycle waste.

What Intermittent Fasting Routine To Follow For Weight Loss?

Weight loss is the most sought-after intermittent fasting result. And when it comes to the “way,” there is no best way except for the one you can diligently follow. You may want to keep fasting windows short in the beginning and graduate to longer fasting windows. Here are the most popular intermittent fasting protocols:

• 16:8: Here, for seven days of the week, you will be fasting for 16 continuous hours in a day, followed by an eight-hour feeding window. 
• 23:1 (OMAD) Diet: In the One Meal A Day diet, you will fast for 23 hours a day and have all your food in a one-hour feeding window. 
• The Fast Diet or the 5:2 Diet: Here, you will eat normally for five days of the week and restrict yourself to 500-600 calories daily for the remaining two days. 
• The Eat-Stop-Eat Method: This is akin to the alternate day fast, but here you will fast for a whole day, one or two times a week. On the other days, you will follow a normal diet.

Many diets promise you rapid results but lead to the yo-yo effect, where dieters could end up back where they started or even worse. Intermittent fasting is an excellent way to achieve sustained weight loss. 

However, consistency is key to sustainable weight loss. You must make your new IF diet your lifestyle instead of making it a temporary preoccupation. 

If you are new to intermittent fasting, you should start with a 12/12 fasting schedule, where you fast for 12 hours and schedule your meals in the remaining 12-hour feeding window. After a week, you could increase this to a 16/8 fasting schedule, where you fast for 16 hours a day and eat during the remaining eight-hour window. Taking small steps towards your weight loss goal will give your body time to adapt to the eating schedule. Even your mind needs to be tuned to the new eating regimen to have maximum success with intermittent fasting. 

How Much Weight Can Be Lost With Intermittent Fasting?

How much weight you lose from intermittent fasting will depend on your starting weight, your medical conditions, and the kind of food you consume during eating windows and nonfasting days. Other factors like activity level, age, and lifestyle are also vital. 

For example, if you only choose to have ultra-processed carbohydrates, sugary drinks, and alcohol on your non-fasting days, it might not help with fat loss. 

All said and done; if you can successfully pair intermittent fasting with healthy food, you can achieve weight loss success. A systematic review of 40 different studies published in Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology found that intermittent fasting was an effective method for weight loss, with individuals experiencing a typical weight loss of 7-11 pounds over ten weeks [5].

Other research also showed a weight loss of 0.8%-13% at some point between 2 and 26 weeks of alternate-day fasting [6].

You may be looking for a quick fix to lose weight. However, experts caution against speeding up the weight loss procedure. You should aim to lose 1-2 pounds weekly, which is a realistic and workable goal.

The weight scale is one of many options to measure your progress. If you want to use a weight scale, ensure you get weighed at the same time every time, preferably in the morning. 

The other option is the measuring tape. If you want to see how intermittent fasting has worked on your hips, waist, and stomach, all you have to do is grab a measuring tape. Your body is reshaping itself with intermittent fasting, where it uses stored fat to retain muscle mass. In a study, women lost 4–7% of stubborn visceral fat while intermittent fasting [7].

As far as gender is concerned, men do a little better than women at losing weight with intermittent fasting. Women who practice intermittent fasting will lose up to 7 pounds, and men will lose 7–13 pounds during the first month following intermittent fasting. 

Furthermore, you are more likely to achieve IF results if you are between the ages of 42 and 48. In this particular age group, the average weight loss for beginners was 20 pounds after a month of fasting. 

In the first two weeks of intermittent fasting, you will have less bloating and a slimmer, tighter midsection. While some people see weight loss as early as week two, you should not get discouraged if it takes longer. We’re sure that if you continue intermittent fasting for 4-6 weeks more, results will come. 

Differences Between Losing Weight and Losing Fat

It can be exciting to see the weight drop on the weighing scale. However, the scale cannot detect if you have lost weight or fat. You might think the goal of your journey is weight loss when it is actually fat loss. This happens because when you lose weight, you lose a combination of fat, fluid, muscles, and organ size. 

Muscle loss won’t be your goal if you want to tone up. You have to focus on losing fat, so it is best to target 1-2 pounds of weight loss weekly. Research has shown that when you lose more than 5 pounds per week, you are in danger of losing water weight and losing muscle and fat [8]. This is dangerous, putting you at risk of dehydration, nutrient deficiencies, and poor fitness.  

Other Ways Intermittent Fasting Will Show Effects On You

Intermittent fasting shows its effects in many other ways besides weight loss. The most noticeable effect of intermittent fasting is an increase in energy levels. So how does less food lead to more energy? This is because your body is not using available energy to digest the food, and you do not have to think about what you should eat next.

You may notice some of the following:

• Jewelry fitting you again
• Your clothes are looser
• You can rise off the floor with ease
• Your belt size is down by a couple of notches
• You can chase kids without feeling tired
• You enjoy long walks with your dog
• Better levels of blood sugar and blood pressure
• You sleep better
• You feel more energized and focused
• Reduced joint pain
• You experience improved mood
• Other people start to notice the changes in you 

Why Intermittent Fasting Doesn’t Work

If you have practiced intermittent fasting for 30 days without feeling any difference, here are some possible reasons behind it:

• You are not fasting long enough. You should extend the fast. 
• You don’t drink enough water
• You consume alcohol
• You prefer processed food over lean proteins, healthy fats, and veggies
• You eat the same calories in the eating window as before you started intermittent fasting
• You do not have enough calories in your feeding windows
• You have chosen the wrong intermittent fasting plan
• You are not getting enough sleep
• You are overtraining
• You are underexercising

FAQs

What are the side effects of intermittent fasting?

Some of the most common side effects of intermittent fasting are hunger pangs, cravings, headaches, lightheadedness, constipation, nausea, mood swings, irritability, fatigue, and dehydration. 

How effective is intermittent fasting?

A systematic review of 40 studies on intermittent fasting found it to be quite effective for weight loss, with typical weight loss between 7 and 11 pounds over 10 weeks. 

What happens after the first week of intermittent fasting?

After a full week of intermittent fasting, you will, in all probability, notice less bloating and a firmer, tighter look to your midsection. Many people have lost weight by the second week, but do not get discouraged if you are not one of them. Continuing for another 4–6 weeks should bring changes. 

How long does intermittent fasting take to work?

With intermittent fasting, expect changes between 2–4 weeks. That is when your body switches from using glucose to fat for fuel. Your body will need some time to get accustomed to the eating schedule. 

Conclusion

Your weight did not accumulate overnight. So it will not suddenly disappear. Intermittent fasting is one of the best ways to lose excess, stubborn weight healthily. It is not a quick fix and requires adjustment, time, and practice. If you can approach intermittent fasting with realistic goals and commitment, you will benefit from its many effects. 

Intermittent fasting is one of the most effective tools to help manage excess weight and improve insulin sensitivity.

References

1. Sathananthan, Matheni, et al. “Six And 12 Weeks of Caloric Restriction Increases Β Cell Function and Lowers Fasting and Postprandial Glucose Concentrations in People With Type 2 Diabetes.” OUP Academic, 1 Sept. 2015, academic.oup.com/jn/article/145/9/2046/4644425.
2. Alam, Iftikhar, et al. “Recurrent Circadian Fasting (RCF) Improves Blood Pressure, Biomarkers of Cardiometabolic Risk and Regulates Inflammation in Men.” PubMed Central (PMC), 19 Aug. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6700786.
3. Mani, Kartik, et al. “Lysosomes Mediate Benefits of Intermittent Fasting in Cardiometabolic Disease: The Janitor Is the Undercover Boss.” PubMed Central (PMC), 14 Sept. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6423516.
4. Alirezaei, Mehrdad, et al. “Short-term Fasting Induces Profound Neuronal Autophagy.” PubMed Central (PMC), 14 Aug. 2010, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3106288.
5. “Do Intermittent Diets Provide Physiological Benefits Over Continuous Diets for Weight Loss? A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials – PubMed.” PubMed, 15 Dec. 2015, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26384657.
6. Welton, Stephanie, et al. “Intermittent Fasting and Weight Loss: Systematic Review.” PubMed Central (PMC), www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7021351. Accessed 27 Jan. 2023.
7. “Intermittent Fasting Combined With Calorie Restriction Is Effective for Weight Loss and Cardio-protection in Obese Women – PubMed.” PubMed, 21 Nov. 2012, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23171320.
8. “Glycogen Storage: Illusions of Easy Weight Loss, Excessive Weight Regain, and Distortions in Estimates of Body Composition – PubMed.” PubMed, 1 July 1992, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1615908.

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