CosBeauty Magazine #85

FAQs
Medical News Today assessed the
most common FAQs for beginners
to fasting routines.
Can I still exercise?
In an interview with US magazine The
Atlantic, Professor Krista Varady (creator
of the Every-Other-Day Diet) noted
that for people beginning her regimen,
after the first 10 days ‘their activity
levels were similar to people following a
traditional diet or an unrestricted eating
plan’. It may also be most beneficial
for exercise sessions to end one hour
before mealtime.
Daily Intermittent
Fasting
Daily intermittent fasting limits
eating to a certain number of hours
each day. The 16:8 Diet is an
increasingly popular method, which
involves fasting for 16 hours per
day, leaving an eight-hour window
for eating.
There are various forms of
this plan, with the most popular
advocating that the ‘fasting’ phase
should last through the night and
during the morning hours. Ideally the
‘fast’ should then be broken around
midday, with the last food for the
evening being consumed around
7pm or 8pm.
Alternately for those with a
personal preference for later daily
routines, the food window may be
between 2pm and 10pm.
Periodic Fasting
Medical News Today has reported
on a study suggesting periodic fasting
– defined as ‘one day of water-only
fasting a week’ – may reduce the risk
of diabetes among people at high risk
for the condition.
Another study, conducted by Dr
Valter Longo at the University of
Southern California found longer
periods of fasting (two to four days)
may even ‘reboot’ the immune
system, clearing out old immune
cells and regenerating new ones – a
process they say could protect against
cell damage caused by factors such as
ageing and chemotherapy.
Won’t I eat too much on feast days?
According to Professor Varady, people
do eat more than their estimated
calorie needs on ‘feast’ days. However
they do not eat enough to make up
the deficit from fast days. And other UK
researchers (at University Hospital in
Manchester) have reported that people
unintentionally eat less on non-fasting
days as well.
Will I be hungry on fasting days?
Professor Varady reports that the first
10 days on the Every-Other-Day Diet
are the most challenging. Calorie-free
beverages, such as unsweetened tea,
may help offset hunger.
Do I still fast once I’m ready
to maintain my weight?
Some plans, such as the Every-Other-
Day Diet, also include a weight
maintenance phase, which involves
increasing the number of calories
consumed on fasting days from 500
to 1,000. Other plans recommend
decreasing the number of fasting days
each week.
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