Alternate, Modified & Religious Fasting

written by runnergirl training

In the fitness and nutrition communities there has been a lot of discussion lately on intermittent fasting. There are a few different types of fasting. For the scope of this article I will briefly describe the 5:2 diet, alternate & religious fasting. Click below to read more!

1. The 5:2 Diet / Modified Fasting

This diet involves drastically reducing calories on two non-repeating days and the other five days eating as usual. On fasting day men may consume 600 calories and women 500 calories. People tend to find this diet to give an initial small amount of weight loss but also experience a sharp decline in energy. There is limited evidence of the diet's effectiveness.

2. Alternate Fasting With Eating Days 

This diet plan uses alternating days of eating (without calories being limited or counted) and days of fasting. People may over consume on eating days to make up for being hungry on fasting days. It is not found to be a sustainable diet for long term use.

3. Fasting For Religion

There are a variety of religious practices for fasting. They may coincide with holidays, time of day, etc. The fasting practices vary by the religion. Often, fasters may gain weight due to overeating once the fast is over.

If looking for ways to loose weight try eating a balanced diet and focusing on consuming the majority of calories early in the day. These practices show as effective ways to have a healthy lifestyle.

Kellow, J. (2016). Alternate day fasting diet. Retrieved from http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/reviews/alternate-day-fasting.htm