He’s a fitness trainer who helped a billionaire scion, Anant Ambani lose 108kg in just 18 months and often shares his holistic approach on his blog for fitness and weight loss. Earlier this year in 2021, he blogged about a post titled, Is Intermittent Fasting Good for You? Wherein he explored as to why Intermittent Fasting or IF has turned into a worldwide trend, explaining “why most people are suddenly following intermittent fasting”.
What Is Intermittent Fasting?
IF is short for Intermittent Fasting, an eating pattern characterized by periods of eating and fasting. The practice has gained popularity because of the associated health benefits, which include weight loss, improved metabolic health, and increased longevity.Common IF schedules include:
16:8 plan: Fast for 16 hours, and eat within an 8-hour window.
20:4 plan: Fast for 20 hours and eat within 4 hours.
12:12 plan: Equal fasting and eating windows of 12 hours each.
Why Intermittent Fasting Is Trending
Other celebrities like Malaika Arora, Rohit Roy, and Nagarjuna endorse this process of fasting, hence, making its popularity go sky high. As said by Channa, this diet also picks up speed in social media. Many influencers and bloggers post personal experiences and advice with intermittent fasting. Still, Channa says, “This is a kind of fad diet.” Because unlike the other diet regimes, “it does not tell you what exactly to eat.”
Channa explained three main reasons why people were now interested in intermittent fasting:
- People Love Shortcuts: “It is the human tendency that we all love shortcuts and especially when it comes to lose fat. In my experience of being a fat loss expert, everyone wants to lose as fast as possible,” Channa noted.
- Calorie Deficit: Most often, skipping meals during the fasting window leads to a lower intake of calories throughout the day. This calorie deficit is important in weight loss.
- Using Stored Fat as Energy: Many people feel that fasting causes the body to use stored fat for energy. It can then burn fat.
- Do You Try Intermittent Fasting?
Ultimately, whether or not to use intermittent fasting is a personal decision based on individual goals and health conditions. It is always important to consult a healthcare professional before starting any new diet or fasting regimen to confirm that it suits your needs.
