By Recent ageing studies have shown that caloric restriction and fasting have a prolonging effect on lifespan in model animals,” says first study author Dr. Takayuki Teruya, “but the detailed mechanism has remained a mystery.
Studies have explored the subject of metabolism and weight loss on the body, from the effects of fasting. It has definitely been shown that fasting increases metabolic activity more than previously realised. Fasting also has a profound effect on increasing lifespan, as well as anti ageing properties.
Studies have also shown that the effect of intermittent fasting has the same or less negative effect on metabolism compared to traditional dieting, The reason why many think intermittent fasting improves metabolism is due to less loss of lean body mass and greater fat burning. It’s generally impossible not to lose some muscle mass whilst dieting, but intermittent fasting is capped at a much lower loss than traditional restricted dieting. Preserving your muscle mass, means the body burns more calories overall. There are a couple of strategies to keep intermittent fasting successful, without loss of muscle mass or a slowed metabolism.
4 key strategies to eliminate your metabolism from slowing down
- Stop yourself from ingesting an overabundance of calories. Resist the urge to binge or pig out when the fast has ended. This will ensure that you do not consume a surplus of calories and overeat. Overeating will diminish your fat loss returns, and create a negative environment for positive body composition changes.
- Eat a variety of nutritious foods when breaking the fast. Please do not resort to eating refined carbs and sugars, thinking it will not have an affect on your health & body composition. The re-feed process is to fill your body with nourishment, and further extend the benefits of fasting. Junk food and sugar will only prevent the benefits this strategy is praised for.
- Keep tweaking your length of fasting. Shorter periods of fasting 5:2, 16:8 still increase calorie burning. When you switch it up from short to long periods of fasting, you never allow the body to adapt. Therefore, your metabolism will keep chugging along at a higher rate.
- Make sure you do eat the proper amount of calories after the fast. Don’t be fooled into prolonging the fast, or eating less than you normally would. This will hurt your metabolism, and slow caloric burn long term. Your body needs fuel to run properly, especially if you are very active. Concentrate on the highest grade of veggies, lean meats and drink lots of water.
Fasting is a safe and effective way to lose body fat, stop the signs of ageing, and is something you can use long term as a weight loss strategy. It does take a bit of getting used to, and the results will speak for themselves.
