Do You still have belly fat? How long are you trying to lose it? Well, if you really want to see the result give intermittent fasting a chance!

Without a doubt, intermittent fasting has become very popular in the health and wellness community. As you may already be aware, intermittent fasting offers a number of health benefits.

It helps us control our caloric intake based on how we time our meals. Some studies have shown that intermittent fasting may help reduce insulin resistance, produce weight loss, as well as decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases (St-Onge et al., 2017).

Furthermore, intermittent fasting may also help with inflammation, hypertension, and dyslipidemia (de Cabo & Mattson, 2019).

Intermittent Fasting Kills Belly Fat!

As you know, a large number of people start intermittent fasting in order to lose weight. More specifically, they are looking to lose that stubborn belly fat. If you are also considering trying intermittent fasting to lose belly fat, you may be wanting to know more about it.

Let’s take a closer look at intermittent fasting. After that, we will provide you with some tips for intermittent fasting for belly fat loss, as well as how to get better results from your fasting efforts. Additionally, we will discuss some potential drawbacks of intermittent fasting when you are trying to lose weight.

Brief Overview of Intermittent Fasting

For those who didn’t know, intermittent fasting is when you alternate between eating and fasting based on a specific schedule.

The three main methods of intermittent fasting are daily time-restricted feeding,  alternate-day fasting, and periodic fasting.

Daily time-restricted feeding

Daily time-restricted feeding is when you limit your caloric intake to specific times during the day. For example, you can alternate between fasting for 16 hours and eating throughout an eight-hour window each day. Time-restricted feeding is effective and relatively easy to stick to when you incorporate it into your circadian rhythm.

Alternate-day fasting

Alternate-day fasting is when you fast on alternating days. Therefore, you will fast for 24 hours and then feast for the next 24 hours. However, during your fasting day, you can still consume up to 25% of your regular daily caloric intake if you need to.

Periodic fasting

Periodic fasting is when you fast for more than 24 hours. For example, you could have two fasting days per week, or you can even fast for several days at a time. When you are fasting for extended periods of time, complete fasting may be challenging, which is why it may be easier for you to simply reduce your caloric intake to 25% of your daily usual.

Intermittent fasting and belly fat

Belly fat is definitely a concern for many people and is one of the main reasons they experiment with intermittent fasting. Scientific evidence suggests that those who fast end up losing weight as a result of the daily caloric restrictions.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to spot reduce fat in any area of the body, and the belly is no exception. In fact, belly fat tends to primarily consist of alpha-receptor fat cells, which is what makes it so difficult to lose.

For those who may not know, our bodies have both alpha and beta receptor fat cells (Lafontan & Berlan).

As you may already know, insulin is what allows sugar to enter our cells and be stored as fat (Tello, 2018). Intermittent fasting will decrease our insulin levels, which will force our bodies to burn fat as fuel if we keep our bodies in a fasted state long enough (Tello, 2018). Therefore, over time, you will be able to lose belly fat.

What should I eat? 

For the best results, it is also important to eat healthy foods during your eating window. For example, you should not fast for 16 hours to spend the next eight hours eating cookies, chocolate bars, doughnuts, and chips.

During your eating window, you should consume fruits, vegetables, nuts, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, and lean proteins. Additionally, it is important to make exercise a part of your life so that you can burn more calories throughout the day.

How long should I wait to see the results? 

Just like with any lifestyle change, you must give intermittent fasting some time before you can expect to see results. Ideally, you should try to do intermittent fasting for at least 10 weeks. Therefore, the method of intermittent fasting that you choose should fit your lifestyle so that it is more sustainable.  

If you have tried to lose belly fat before but have not been able to do so successfully, then you should give intermittent fasting a try.

Potential drawbacks of intermittent fasting when trying to lose belly fat

One of the biggest potential drawbacks of intermittent fasting, when you are trying to lose belly fat, is that fasting can be challenging.

In the beginning, a number of people report feeling hungry and irritable when they fast, particularly if they are not used to it.

Depending on how long your fast is, you may feel like you do not have enough energy during the day. Unfortunately, some people do not stick with intermittent fasting long enough to see results. Not only that but also there is a possibility that you may gain back the weight you lost if you eat unhealthy foods or consume more calories than you burn when you completely stop intermittent fasting.

Let’s sum this all up!

As you can see, there are several ways to do intermittent fasting, which means that you are bound to find a way that works for your schedule and lifestyle.

In addition to creating a caloric deficit, intermittent fasting will help reduce your insulin levels when you fast.

Therefore, your stored belly fat will eventually be used as fuel if you stick to this eating pattern long enough to see results. It is best to avoid consuming junk food during your eating window. Not only that, but you must also add regular exercise to your routine.

Unfortunately, fasting is not easy for everyone, which is one of the main drawbacks of intermittent fasting. Some people may end up breaking their fast if they feel too hungry.  If you are trying to lose belly fat and you can handle the discomfort that sometimes comes when you first start fasting, then you should definitely consider trying intermittent fasting.

If you still have questions about Intermittent fasting, you should read the next article: Intermittent Fasting 8 frequently asked questions.