Why I Stopped Intermittent Fasting In 2024? When To Stop Intermittent Fasting?

People have been using all sorts of ways to lose weight. On top of the list is disordered eating led by strict diets with little or no medical backing. Intermittent fasting (IF) has been a topic of controversy for a while now. Numerous online sources claim that an IF diet for a specific time has multiple health benefits.

They believe that adopting intermittent fasting has health benefits such as weight loss, detoxification, improved heart^[1] and brain function^[2], and overall health. The issue with such assertions is that there is little proof that they work, and more research needs to be done to cement these claims.

The majority of information comes from people who practice intermittent fasting. The issue with these stories is that no one’s active lifestyle or diet progress is documented.

This post explores why I stopped intermittent fasting. This article will provide you with some reasons to consider quitting intermittent fasting. So read on.

Reason Why I Stopped Intermittent Fasting?

Regardless, here are the main reasons that may prompt one to stop the intermittent fast:

Intermittent Fasting Does Not Work For Everyone

Intermittent fasting for weight loss may be successful for one person but turn fatal for another. And since our anatomies are uniquely different, we live different lifestyles, and we have varied overall medical issues IF may not be the best for everyone.

For example, someone with diabetes or low blood sugar^[3] problems who attempts to lose weight by intermittent fasting may be placing themselves in harm’s way. They are at risk, especially if they do so without seeking medical advice.

When you push your body into starvation mode under such circumstances, it may react in unforeseen ways, lowering your blood sugar levels and causing you to feel moody, irritable, dizzy, and nauseous, among other undesirable symptoms. You may develop low blood pressure or low blood sugar, get dizzy and faint, or fall. It is recommended that you seek the advice and supervision of a medical professional before beginning this diet plan or any other.

Intermittent Fasting May Trigger An Eating Disorder

Since intermittent fasting follows the principle of eating and fasting, some people may fall victim to an eating disorder. It’s possible if you do it abruptly, diving into the deep end with radical arrangements like the 4/20 intermittent fastings.

Here you have a 4-hour eating window and a 20-hour long fasting window. Such a drastic change may trigger fat loss, but it may have dire consequences for your body, like binge eating.

Intermittent Fasting May Lead To Weight Gain

Some people with low willpower will overeat the longer they fast, which may result in weight gain as opposed to the goal to lose weight which is called the binge-restrict cycle.

With intermittent fasting, you do not listen to your body when hungry. And so, when the eating window starts, you may start binge eating a feast consuming more calories than you may not have done before.

Intermittent Fasting May Disrupt Some Systems In My Body

When women stop eating enough food while on the IF diet, they may experience a halt in their menstrual cycle. The body does this to conserve energy to accommodate the fasting window, which robs the body of some vital energy and nutrients that facilitate a healthy menstrual cycle.

The menstrual cycle is affected since the hypothalamus part of the brain is affected by long periods of lack of calorie intake. It can interfere with the production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone^[4] (GnRH). This hormone is a chemical that aids in the production of two sex hormones: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). These hormones are necessary for a woman to have a normal reproductive cycle.

Your productivity may also suffer as well as your overall work output since there is a prolonged period of a lack of carbohydrates and sugars that offer the body energy.

Intermittent Fasting May Affect My Mood Negatively

There is a saying, “A hungry man is an angry man”, and there is so much truth when you are on an intermittent fasting cycle. Food is usually a trigger to certain brain chemicals^[5] that keep you happy.

Food nutrients can help your body produce feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine^[6] and serotonin. Serotonin helps you sleep and maintains your mood. And consequently, its deficiency is linked to depression and feelings of sadness.

A study^[8] involving 52 women in 18-hour fasting and 6-hour non-fasting periods showed that intermittent fasting could cause some irritability. The women were more irritable after the tests.

On the flip side of your mental health, if you have a healthy lifestyle and intermittent fasting helps you lose weight, it offers you a sense of pride.

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting comes in four main formats that different people use to lose weight^[7]. They are:

• Time-restricted eating: This is when you have set eating windows and fasting windows divided into hours like 16/4, 10/4, and 15/9  for your intermittent fasting program. The bigger number is usually the fasting window, and the smaller number is the eating window.
• The twice-a-week method: It is called the 5:2 method, where for five days of the week, you eat as you typically do, and the other two days, you limit your calorie consumption to 500–600 calories but still include all other nutrients in their daily required proportions. This is not an acceptable theory since it takes a minimum of 1200 calories to get your minimum daily requirements in a day of vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.
• Alternate day fasting: you eat one day and jump the next.
• 24-hour fast: it’s called the eat:stop: eat method, where you do not eat an entire day or fast for two days a week.
• The warrior diet entails consuming small portions of a plant-based diet throughout the day and one huge meal at night.

These IF diets are mainly based on two primary analogies: consuming fewer calories and creating meals that sometimes withdraw particular whole foods.

These two radical changes in the body may help with weight loss. And if you work out while on the fast, muscle maintenance may be a better goal than bulking up since calories are needed to build muscle, calories you don’t have on a fast.

What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Fasting?

After you stop intermittent fasting, some things happen:

It Could Potentially Cause Digestive System Issues

If you quit intermittent fasting, it might create digestive system difficulties and even weight gain if you don’t continue with the fast. Nonetheless, overeating and poor eating habits are the primary causes of this condition.

The first few days after breaking your fast may bring on symptoms such as bloating, exhaustion, hunger pangs, and difficulty concentrating, among other things.

It Could Slow Down Your Metabolism

When you quit fasting, your body’s natural metabolic rate returns to normal. So much so that if it has been sped up due to intermittent fasting, it will slow down. The consequence of this is the possibility of weight gain.

You can, however, prevent this from happening by adopting healthy lifestyle choices such as exercise to avoid gaining weight back. Eating a nutritious diet high in healthy fats, moderate in carbohydrates, and rich in fruits and vegetables may also help you maintain a healthy weight without constant calorie counting.

Your Periods May Resume

If you were suffering from irregular or missing periods, they might return if you begin following a healthy diet plan after you have ended intermittent fasting.

When you provide the body with the nutrition it requires, you may notice a surge of energy return, which may assist you in regaining productivity that you may have otherwise lost.

When To Quit Fasting?

There are specific tell-tale indicators that may suggest that it is time for you to give up intermittent fasting. 

Here are only a few examples:

• When you have a pre-existing medical problem the diet can aggravate.
• When a Registered Dietitian, Nutritionist, or physician tells you to quit intermittent fasting.
• When you are experiencing dizziness or not having your period.
• You are pregnant or attempting to conceive at this time.
• When you are sick.

If you are experiencing any of the problems listed above, this should be sufficient justification for discontinuing intermittent fasting.

Should I Stop Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting has its pros and cons. Some of the pros are lowering blood pressure^[9] and cholesterol while reducing diabetes^[10] and weight loss^[11] risk factors. And the cons are that it does not work for everyone; it may cause potential eating disorders and missed periods; furthermore,  it may aggravate pre-existing conditions such as uncontrolled blood sugar.

The fact that there is no “one size fits all” lifestyle is a sufficient reason for one to consider abandoning a restrictive eating regimen. You may also experience other adverse side effects after beginning the fast. Such consequences include missed periods and a significant decline in mental health.

You will need expert nutrition supervision from a nutritionist, dietitian, or physician if you want to get it done correctly. Using the proper framework, you can create a timetable that includes whole foods that will allow you to get through a fasting window without compromising your health. Whole foods include proteins, carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and water.

Then and only then will you have the upper hand when it comes to intermittent fasting and will be able to truly appreciate the positive aspects of weight loss that it promises you.

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