The nutritionist talked about the features of intermittent fasting: who is this way of eating suitable for?

, and who better refrain from this method.

“Interval fasting is a method of nutrition in which a day or a whole week is divided into 2 time intervals, in one of which you eat, and in the other you starve. That's the whole point,” says the doctor.

The 16/8 scheme is most often used (you starve for 16 hours, you can eat during the 8-hour interval). With this order, one meal is excluded – breakfast or dinner. That is, it is quite easy to endure.

But does such a diet make sense at all? The popularity of intermittent fasting was brought by the research of the scientist Eshinori Ohsumi, who discovered the mechanism of autophagy. Its essence is that, under certain conditions, molecular mechanisms are activated and cells begin to digest their components. Interval fasting does help to create these conditions.

At the same time, the doctor notes that it is not hunger itself that helps us lose weight during intermittent fasting, but only the deficit of calories that it creates as a result of less food consumption. Minus one meal means minus a certain number of calories. It's simple.

If you overeat and make up for what you lost during the hour allotted for eating, there will be no effect – you will not lose weight.

Who does the expert not recommend intermittent fasting? For those who are actively involved in sports and cannot live without breakfast and dinner. For example, you get up very early or, conversely, you go to bed late. The third meal will be necessary for you.

If you decide to switch to intermittent fasting, before you start, be sure to consult a specialist, preferably a doctor.

For maximum effectiveness and minimization possible negative consequences, the doctor recommends combining IG with the “plate method”, which we wrote about earlier.