Weight-Loss Through Intermitted Fasting Is Not To Stay

Recent series of instagram posts of actor Ram Kapoor has managed to get a lot of clicks and this trending diet plan is sure to find a number of takers in the days to come. However, the effectivity of this quick weight loss programme in the long run is quite debatable. By creating a sudden deficit of 500 calories or more in daily intake, one is bound to lose weight in a short span of time, but this impact will be very short-lived and the lost weight will not take much time to return.

After Ketogenic Diet and Paleo Diet, 16/8 intermittent fasting diet is the new kid on the block. 16/8 intermittent fasting involves eating only during an eight-hour window during the day and fasting for the remaining 16 hours. It is generally taken up as a quick fix to achieve major weight loss within a short span of time. Being less restrictive and more flexible, it has gained popularity within a short span. However, weight loss is best achieved at a gradual pace to retain the effects for long. We, nutritionists always stress upon losing weight gradually by creating small deficits in one’s intake by prescribing a balanced meal, depending on the health condition of an individual.

From the research point of view, there is no study on this type of diet plan which suggests that such long hours of fasting has any impact on increasing the metabolic rate of the individual. The loss in weight is thus, just due to the extreme deficit created in the nutritional intake and not due to increased metabolic rate. Unless an authentic data is published, it is pretty difficult to state the long run impact on health due to such long hours of fasting on a regular basis.

It is not new for youngsters and adults across the world to blindly follow the celebrities’ diet and workout plans. But do they at all pay heed to the kind of supervision and care under which they follow these plans? Many people coming to me with new diet plans or health drinks which are endorsed or popularized by celebrities. But, most of the time, they are not able to stick to any of those plans for a long period of time.