Diet Significant weight reduction with interval fasting

New trend: interval fasting helps to lose weight

During Christmas and New Year, most families feasted extensively. Unfortunately, the treats also leave their mark: So many have gained in weight during this time. Therefore, many people take off at the start of the year to lose weight. One way to lose weight is interval fasting.

Reduce weight after feasting on holidays

Cookies, mulled wine and chocolate in the Advent season, the festive roast at Christmas and the convivial New Year's Eve with plenty of alcoholic drinks and snacks: The festive days made for many people for a strong weight gain. Therefore, many want to lose weight at the start of the new year. This is often not easy. Although many methods of weight loss are being touted, most of these popular diets are almost non-existent because of the rejuvenation of the yo-yo effect, my scientist says. Nevertheless, there are always new weight loss methods, which find many followers. A relatively new trend: interval fasting.

Feasting on the feast days has provided with many German citizens for additional hip gold. If you want to lose weight, you can try it with a relatively new method from the USA: the so-called interval fasting. (Picture: Picture-Factory / fotolia.com)

Special method for weight loss

According to experts, having a permanent, low-calorie diet accompanied by regular exercise gives you the best chance of losing weight.

But if it should go faster, sometimes special weight loss programs can help. One of these is the so-called "interval fasting".

This method is not only aimed at weight loss, but also to help with high blood pressure, improve mood and increase mental performance.

But what about the diet that - like so many - has found its way to Europe from the USA? In a message from the dpa news agency, experts summarized interesting facts about the topic.

A "human-friendly diet"

As the name suggests, a fasting period is followed by a fasting one. Possible, for example, a 2: 5 control, so fast for two days and eat normally for five days or a 16: 8 variant, so fast for 16 hours and eat eight hours.

"Humans are not used to constant meals," said the Hamburg diabetologist and NDR nutritionist Matthias Riedl.

Our ancestors were due to the living conditions on phases of fasting set. It was only possible to eat when the hunt was successful or the harvest was ripe.

According to Riedl, a change between Lent and periods of food intake therefore corresponds to a natural way of life, so to say "the species-appropriate diet for humans".

Drink a lot on fasting days

According to the doctor, "the body is always in storage mode" because there are no more hunger pangs in our daily lives with regular meals and many snacks.

The possible consequences: Obesity and resulting diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases or dementia.

However, when hunger phases are incorporated into everyday life, the organism learns to revert to its own reserves, reducing insulin levels and stimulating fat loss. The organism is relieved, metabolism and organs can regenerate.

The Konstanz sports scientist, author and health consultant Michael Despeghel pleads for the 2: 5 method. He recommends eating only 500 kilocalories two days a week. The rest of the days will be eaten as usual.

Already by reducing the weekly total calorie count, the chances would be good to sustainably decrease with comparatively little change in everyday life.

A major advantage of this method: The fast days can be chosen according to personal circumstances.

Despeghel emphasized that it is important to drink a lot during the fasting days, preferably water, tea and vegetable broth. Once a day there is a protein-rich meal, which provides the body with a minimum of energy and thus prevents the muscle mass is reduced.

Positive effects on mood and mental performance

The Munich fitness trainer and nutritionist Hanjo Fritzsche, who lives by the 16: 8 method and eight hours a day fed normal, but in the rest of time only water intake, said according to dpa: "In the first few weeks you think a lot about Eat after. "

For some, headaches and difficulty concentrating can occur. After a familiarization phase, Fritzsche feels awake and can concentrate better.

According to Riedl, animal experiments show that temporary fasting times have a positive effect on mood and mental performance. Accordingly, the immune system also benefited in mice and rats, and even life expectancy increased.

The diabetologist said interval fasting is in principle suitable for anyone who manages to maintain Lent and integrate it into his weekly routine. At the beginning, one should set specific goals, such as losing so many centimeters of waist circumference.

Additional motivation can be obtained by recording the initial situation and initial successes.

In addition, ensure sufficient movement

In addition, according to the experts, it is helpful to accompany the intermittent fasting with sports and exercise. "Sitting drives up the blood sugar level," says Despeghel.

Exercise strengthens the calorie reduction as well as the general well-being. According to fitness coach Fritzsche, it is "one of the best fat burning strategies ever" to exercise soberly. Then the body is forced to resort to its reserves.

The fat burning would be optimized and even stubborn fat pads in the problem areas could be melted.

But even if the experts in the dpa message consistently positive about the Intervall fasting, there is also criticism.

The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) writes on their website: "The DGE does not consider this method to be useful in order to regulate the weight in the long term. A conversion to a health-promoting diet does not take place thereby. "

"Such short-term diets do not have a lasting effect and jeopardize a balanced nutrient intake," said DGE spokeswoman Antje Gahl.

"Losing weight quickly and just as quickly getting back to baseline or even more - that characterizes these diets and can lead to the so-called yo-yo effect," said Gahl in a statement explaining why so-called lightning diets fail. (Ad)