Intermittent fasting or sporadic eating is making a deliberate choice to skip certain meals by fasting or by opting not to eat food and then feasting during a definite time of the day.
The use of sporadic eating patterns is being used by many of the bodybuilders to lose fat effectively but it is not a very healthy way of losing weight nor could it be sustainable for the long term.
There is ample number of way of intermittent fasting like- fasting every 16 hours, all day, twice a week, once a week or fasting only on fruits. Intermittent fasting has the following cons:
- Food cravings are quiet common during fast. Constantly watching the clock in anticipation of the next meal, this raises anxiety and overeating in the next meal.
- Excessive consumption of coffee during fasting causes hormonal imbalance causing acne, insomnia and excessive dehydration.
- For every individual who is interested in building muscle mass intermittent fasting is again not a very good idea because of the following reasons:
- Acute hormonal deregulation leads to poor energy, focus, and altered homeostasis. Intermittent Fasting Can Cause Significant Adrenal Stress
and thus adversely affect the overall performance and also cause early fatigue. - Lack of amino acids in the blood causes a catabolic effect on muscle. When adequate amount of protein is not supplied to the body after every few hours muscle degradation occurs. In intermittent state of fasting or in case of irregular feedings there is much greater use of muscle protein for energy which will accelerate the decline in muscle mass.
- Abrupt eating leads to spikes in insulin and erratic blood sugar which ultimately disturbs the circadian rhythms. So to maintain optimal insulin balance during fast focus on healthy diet comprising of adequate amount of protein, good fat and low-glycemic sources of carbs.
- Acute hormonal deregulation leads to poor energy, focus, and altered homeostasis. Intermittent Fasting Can Cause Significant Adrenal Stress
