The lack of quantitative restrictions can lead to food abuse, so you can gain weight even if you do intermittent fasting. “You have fasted all day for nothing if you eat once for three meals”, claims Dr. Mihaela Bilic, specialist in nutrition.
Intermittent fasting involves eating at certain times PHOTO: shutterstock
“When I thought nothing more could be invented in terms of weight loss, intermittent fasting came along. No more do's and don'ts, calorie counting and fixed meal and snack schedules, now it's fashionable to be hungry. Nothing new we could say: fasting is an ancestral behavior that humanity has practiced for centuries, out of necessity. But it's one thing to starve yourself because you have nothing to eat, and another to starve yourself scientifically”writes nutritionist Mihaela Bilic, on her Facebook page.
notion “intermittent fasting” it was invented by americans. Concretely, depending on individual preferences, we can choose to eat either in the first part of the day or in the evening, that is, we give up breakfast or dinner. Intermittent fasting means two meals/day eaten five to six hours apart (eg 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.), supplemented by optimal hydration.
“It's too late to tell people to eat less and less often, after years of telling them not to skip meals. It's strange to offer them little meals and plenty of water, after we scared them that hunger leads to hypoglycemia and block the slimming. But the Americans solved the impasse and invented the notion of intermittent fasting. Fasting is actually an ancestral behavior that humanity has practiced for centuries, out of necessity”says the nutritionist.
Dr. Bilic: The body needs much less food than we think!
According to Dr. Bilic, the absence of food intake for a period of 12-16 hours a day means “a break from digestion processes, helps the body to purify itself, to restore itself”.
“For fear of obesity, I rediscovered fasting and its virtues: from losing weight to Detox, antiaging and immunostimulating effect. Absence of food intake for a period of 12-16 hours a day means a break from digestion processes, it helps the body to purify itself, to restore itself. Many people have instinctively adopted such eating behavior without knowing that it is called intermittent fasting. For some it results in weight loss, for others it means a method of maintaining the figure. Yes, don't be surprised, the body needs much less food than we think, sometimes even one meal a day can be enough”, explains Mihaela Bilic.
Next, Dr. Bilic presents the advantages of intermittent fasting.
“There are no allowed and forbidden foods, you can eat anything but not as much as you like. The notion of correct portion must be respected. Snacks and nibbles between meals are prohibited, habits responsible for the appearance of extra pounds – intermittent fasting brings order and cleanliness to eating behavior. Diversity is encouraged and associations between foods are allowed, it is a diet that can be transformed into a lifelong eating pattern. It's easy to put into practice and doesn't get in the way of social life or dining out with friends.” says the nutritionist.
However, there are also disadvantages, emphasizes the specialist. The lack of quantitative restrictions can lead to food abuse, so you can gain weight even if you fast.
“Eating less often means eating less! You have fasted all day for nothing if you eat once for three meals. Both figure and health need balance and moderation.” Dr. Bilic concludes.
