Intermittent Fasting can be Problematic.

Intermittent fasting seems to be all the rage in the health and fitness world and has been for a couple of years now. It promises a healthier and longer life, which explains why people might be drawn to the diet. Fitness gurus and influencers talk about it quite a lot, some even swear it is the perfect diet. As with anything though, there are pros and cons, but there seem to be more cons when it comes to intermittent fasting.

You have most likely have heard of the term, yet on the small off-chance that you haven't, I will be happy to explain. Intermittent fasting is where an individual will have periods of eating, then fasting. You alternate between the two periods of time. When in a period of "eating", you have the freedom to eat whatever foods you want. (Though there are often recommended times when you should eat.) Then in a period of "fasting", you fast and don't eat. There are different methods of intermittent fasting and every method split either days or weeks into two separate categories. The categories being periods of time where you eat versus periods of time where you fast. One method is the 5:2 diet. This is where you eat as you usually would for 5 days of the week, then restrict to about 500-600 calories (or 1/3 of your average daily intake) for the remaining 2 days. So it's kind of a weekday versus weekend situation.

There are specific people who, according to advice from doctors and other experts, say shouldn't try an intermittent fasting diet. Those being people who suffer from diabetes, or other metabolic disorders. People who have struggled with disordered eating. People who take medications that require food. Women who are pregnant or trying to conceive. Children and teenagers. So if you're in any of those categories, please stay away from this type of diet. It is not exactly safe for you (although some people would say this kind of diet is not good for anyone).

Now that we all have a basic idea of what intermittent fasting is, and who shouldn't partake in this diet, let's dive in a little deeper. We'll talk about both the pros and cons of this 'diet'. However, I want to focus more on the cons and on why I believe you shouldn't intermittent fast. Before that though, please know that these are my personal opinions and yours may differ, but that is fine...

There are pros and potential benefits to intermittent fasting. Weight loss, insulin resistance, lower cholesterol and even better heart health are some of the things which doctors say are pros. They're even backed up by science! If you want to do some research for yourself, you can. But for most, the benefits probably don't outweigh all the possible disadvantages.

Even so, there are obvious cons too, as with any diet. For example, you can still gain weight! The fasting period could leave you feeling starved, thus making you prone to binge-eating when you do eat next. You could fast for 16 hours a day but if you're eating more calories (or kilojoules, depending on where you're from and what you call them) then your body burns, your body fat percentage will increase in the long-term! Another con is possible headaches, feelings of nausea and even dizziness. When your body isn't getting enough fuel, your blood sugar will get lower, which often causes feelings of lightheadedness. Some cases of dizziness and low blood pressure are so severe that you can be hospitalized! Now lets's be real, intermittent fasting is basically just restrictive eating. And what can restrictive eating lead to? Disordered eating.

For real though, when it comes to something like intermittent fasting it's probably best to not engage in a diet like it. It can do you more harm than good and will most likely cause more problems than anything else.