Contents
In this article you will learn, among others:
- How does the IF diet work?
- What breaks in the IF diet?
- What are the effects of the window diet?
- Is the IF diet harmful?
- Is the window diet healthy?
Recently, in Poland, the use of the Intermittent fasting concept, or IF diet for short, has become a very fashionable model of nutrition. This diet is also known as the intermittent fasting, windowed diet, 16: 8 diet, or the 8-hour diet.
Although this is a relatively new trend in our country, the use of a similar nutrition model in the fight against obesity was the subject of research more than 100 years ago. Nearly a decade ago, the window diet conquered the British Isles, and in 2018 it became quite loud in the United States.
How does the IF diet work?
The assumption of Intermittent fasting is to limit the time of eating meals. The most common is the 16: 8 model. It means that we fast for 16 hours and do not eat any products. It is only allowed to drink fluids that do not provide calories, such as water, tea, coffee. However, for the remaining 8 hours we have the so-called “Nutritional window”, that is, it is the period when meals should be eaten.
The popular hours for using the eating window are 12-00. During this time, you can eat as many meals as you like. There are also no restrictions on the choice of consumed food products and their amount. The amount of calories consumed is also not counted. However, it is recommended that meals are based on the principles of healthy eating.
What breaks in the IF diet?
1. Time-restricted feeding – time restriction is applied. There are models:
- 16: 8 – the most popular model, which assumes the use of 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of eating time
- 18: 6 – 18 hours of fasting and 6 hours of the eating window
- 20: 4 – a strict IF variant where fasting is 20 hours and the eating window is 4 hours
2. Use of intermittent fasting on selected days. On fasting days, you do not give up eating altogether. However, you should then consume about 25% of the energy requirement. Stands out:
- Alternate day fasting – means eating every other day
- 5: 2 – meals are eaten 5 days a week in accordance with the daily energy requirement. However, fasting is applied for the remaining 2 days
What are the effects of the window diet?
The IF diet is aimed at limiting the amount of consumed kilocalories. Using the nutritional window or lowering the amount of calories consumed on selected days means that the amount of calories consumed during the week is simply lower. An energy deficit arises, which leads to the reduction of body weight and adipose tissue.
There are many studies aimed at comparing the window diet with the classic diet with constant calorie restriction. According to meta-analyzes (review of key studies in a given field, with the elimination of defective studies), both periodic and continuous reduction of energy supply have comparable effects in reducing body weight and improving metabolic parameters.
It is worth noting that the obtained health benefits (such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, improving lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, reducing inflammatory processes) in the use of intermittent fasting result mainly from weight reduction and fat loss, which can also be obtained using a classic diet with constant deficit of energy. A window-based diet is only a way to reduce the amount of calories you eat.
Is the IF diet harmful?
The window diet is not recommended for children, adolescents, pregnant and breastfeeding women, the elderly, diabetics and people with reactive hypoglycemia. Long-term research is needed to define for which population groups such an eating model could be recommended.
Adherence to intermittent fasting hours may lead to disturbances in the relationship with nutrition. There is also a risk of consuming more highly processed foods, with less vegetables and fruit. In addition, when building muscle mass, the process may be less effective in people using IF. This is related to the distribution of protein in meals throughout the day.
The use of restrictive intermittent fasting hours may lead to digestive problems related to the volume of meals and a shorter interval between meals.
Is the window diet healthy?
Intermittent fasting is a nutrition model that allows you to reduce the amount of calories consumed. Following a window diet can be a convenient weight loss method for some people. However, it should be borne in mind that this diet is not recommended for everyone and not everyone will feel good about using this method. Both the window diet and the classic constant restriction of energy supply cause weight loss due to the resulting energy deficit. Have you had the opportunity to test the window diet? What are your effects of using the IF diet? Be sure to share your experiences in the comments 🙂
Meanwhile, a small but pleasant message at the end. From the beginning of December, the Advent Calendar has started, with a different health, dietary or culinary surprise every day. We encourage you to check the calendar every day, you can find the link here: https://www.v.smaczniedopasowana.pl/kalendar.
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