{"id":69055,"date":"2022-06-14T07:07:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-14T11:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=69055"},"modified":"2022-06-22T09:43:39","modified_gmt":"2022-06-22T13:43:39","slug":"gin-stephens-intermittent-fasting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/gin-stephens-intermittent-fasting\/","title":{"rendered":"Gin Stephens: Intermittent Fasting Versus Dieting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Does intermittent fasting help with fat loss? How does fasting compare to dieting in terms of weight loss?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people resort to dieting by restricting their calories in an effort to lose weight. But dieting is not an enduring solution. As many dieters can attest, the excess weight often comes back once the diet is over. According to Gin Stephens, intermittent fasting can help you lose weight and keep it off long-term. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s why fasting is a better approach to weight loss than traditional dieting, according to Stephens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How the Body Stores and Uses Energy  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephens explains that when we eat, our blood glucose (blood sugar) levels increase. In response, our bodies release insulin, a hormone that stores excess glucose in the liver and muscles as glycogen. If any blood glucose remains after this step, insulin converts it into fat and stores it away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By storing this glucose-based energy, insulin lowers your blood glucose. When your blood sugar runs out and you need energy, the pancreas signals for your liver to release some of its stored glycogen to use as energy. When those glycogen stores run out, you enter the fasted state<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the fasted state, your body converts your fat stores into ketones, a fat-based energy source. Put another way, you\u2019ll burn your fat as fuel (a state called ketosis). We evolved to burn fat for energy when food was scarce, so you\u2019ll do so only after depleting your blood glucose and glycogen stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dieting Doesn\u2019t Facilitate Sustainable Fat Loss<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stephens explains that diets don\u2019t lower insulin levels enough to deplete your glycogen stores and start burning fat. This is because diets work on the logic of \u201ccalories in, calories out\u201d\u2014that is, eat less than you need and you\u2019ll lose weight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While dieting or eating less works temporarily, it also causes metabolic adaptation, a scenario wherein your metabolism slows down to deal with perceived starvation. It works like this: When you eat fewer calories<\/a> than you need to maintain your weight, your body thinks you\u2019re starving. Then, Stephens says, it makes three changes to handle the situation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n