"Fasting" is not a long-term diet, but a regular way to replace normal meals with low-calorie foods, effectively preventing the growth of fat, thereby reducing fat content, combined with moderate exercise, but also reshaping muscle lines.
What are the common regimens for fasting?
There are no very strict requirements for diet, and the common plans are: "5+2 fasting" and "8+16 fasting".
The "5+2 fasting method" means that 5 out of 7 days in a week are eaten normally, and the other 2 consecutive days of diet restriction and energy intake are not consecutive, which is called fasting days. Only 500-600 kcal of energy per day is allowed on fasting days.
The "8+16 fasting method" is a way to limit the meal time, which means that the fasting person will control the meal time within 24 hours within 8 hours, eat within 8 hours, eat according to the normal amount, do not eat and drink, and do not consume any food in the remaining 16 hours, only drink water.
How does the fasting program work to achieve weight loss?
The mechanism of action of fasting is to change the body fat set point of the hypothalamus by intervening in dietary Xi and periodically restricting energy intake, thereby mobilizing the metabolism of fat stored in the body, reducing body fat, and achieving the purpose of weight loss.
The hypothalamus can coordinate complex physiological responses, such as food intake, energy expenditure, circadian rhythms, and stress responses, by controlling energy homeostasis. Food intake and energy expenditure are controlled by special neurons in the hypothalamus, which respond to circulating fat and satiety signals.
Leptin, expressed by adipocytes, provides the most potent fat signal. The findings suggest that leptin enhances homeostatic circuits within the hypothalamus in response to diet-related satiety signals, causing a compensatory decrease in food intake.
What is the expected weight loss effect of the fasting regimen?
Studies have shown that fasting can reduce the body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, visceral fat area, body fat and body fat percentage of the study subjects. In addition, it can also improve blood lipid levels, so that triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, etc. are reducedIt can also improve glucose metabolism and insulin resistance.
How long can a fasting regimen last?Will there be adverse reactions?
The fasting mode only controls the non-contiguous 2-day diet for 1 week, and the rest of the 5-day normal diet is implemented, which makes the patient's compliance better and relatively easy to implement. Short-term fasting has a significant effect on weight loss in overweight or obese people and can improve the body's metabolism. However, there is a lack of long-term experimental research data, and there is a lack of unified conclusions on the long-term effects of fasting on human health.
Some studies have pointed out that long-term fasting mode may cause adverse reactions such as delayed sleep, decreased sleep quality, colds, headaches, constipation, difficulty concentrating, short temper, and picky eating.
What are the contraindications to fasting and weight loss?
Patients with liver disease, heart disease, renal insufficiency, diabetes, autoimmune disease, thyroid dysfunction and other diseases;Anyone who needs to take specific ** medication for a long time;and those who are in special periods such as pregnancy or lactation;Some patients with psychiatric disorders, such as epilepsy, etc.
Doctor reminds: long-term fasting and weight loss may have certain adverse reactions, so it needs to be carried out under the guidance of a professional doctor nutritionist.
Text|Department of Clinical Nutrition: Ma Aqin.