Rapid weight loss 'becoming much more accepted' says Mosley
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After Elon Musk announced he lost 20lb (almost 1.5st) by sticking to an intermittent fasting diet, searches for the weight loss technique have surged. The billionaire revealed he now “feels healthier” by following the eating pattern and health experts explained how it can help people lose weight.
Signe Svanfeldt, a nutritionist at healthy eating app Lifesum, said: “The intermittent fasting diet has been growing lately and it’s becoming more popular.
“It can be done in several ways but what’s common to all of them is the way you divide the day into two different eating cycles – one period where you are allowed to eat and one where you should stay away from all food and beverages that contain energy.”
There are numerous ways of doing intermittent fasting and Svanfeldt advised finding the right one that suits the individual’s needs.
He said: “Remember, there are no eating patterns that suit us all.
“Finding a way that fits you and your lifestyle is key.
“How long the ‘eating window’ is varies but it’s commonly around eight hours.
“The fasting period lasts for the remaining 16 hours of the day where only beverages such as water, plain coffee or tea are ‘allowed.'”
Nutrition expert Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, proposed a theory that might help people looking to get healthier and shed a few pounds.
He identified that eating a later breakfast could benefit weight loss because people are eating dinner much later at night than in the past, with the average person stopping eating at 9pm.
Professor Spector suggests to achieve a 14-hour successful fasting, eating breakfast after 11am is best for the metabolism, explaining that it “will give you some benefits”.
“I think we have to rethink all the things we have been told are unhealthy because there’s just so much new science coming out,” he added.
He explained that because more people are beginning to eat dinner later at night, fasting can be more difficult.
Professor Spector continued: “Even those who don’t do that may end up snacking up until 9pm.
“[This makes] it difficult to achieve a 14-hour fasting period.
“There is a simple change people can make by shifting their breakfast from 8am to 11am, which actually is more effective than more fashionable fasting diets like 5:2.”
So if a person is eating later then they should be pushing back their breakfast to adhere to the 14-hour fasting window.
Svanfeldt also added: “It can be a helpful eating pattern for those who want to lose weight, as they eat less than they would if they were eating for more hours.”
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