Is being hungry or fasting a bad thing?

How does intermittent fasting affect the stomach and aid in weight loss

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner aren’t dogmas, but simply the most convenient meal plan in modern work and living conditions. The habit of eating in the morning, afternoon, and evening isn’t “inherent” in us by nature. For your metabolism, it doesn’t matter what time you eat. As well as providing the body with the necessary nutrients, fiber, and vitamins, it is essential to match the calories expended and received. Next, consider what is more suitable for you – which creates less discomfort, gives you a greater sense of fullness, and fits into your daily routine.

Various cultures and environments have different diets. A primitive hunter in Tanzania (the Hadza) rarely eats breakfast and doesn’t usually eat dinner, but instead eats snacks (a handful of berries or a spoonful of honey), as explained by evolutionary biologist and metabolic expert Herman Ponzer in his book Burn. Nevertheless, they eat generously in the evening, but do not become obese or overweight at the same time. Generally, the human body is quite adaptable to changes in eating schedules. Including temporary starvation. 

In intermittent fasting, skipping dinner falls under the 16:8 principle. You eat for eight hours and abstain from calorie intake for the next 16 hours, drinking only water or hot drinks without sugar and milk. Whether this mode suits you depends on why you chose it.

If your goal is to lose weight. Many experts believe that any diet, regardless of how it restricts food intake (in quantity, time or set of nutrients), is based on the same principle: you spend more calories than you consume. From this point of view, intermittent fasting is basically just a trick that makes calorie reduction easier for some people: you eat less overall, but because you consume all your calories in a short period of time (“window”), it creates the illusion that you don’t limit yourself. Nevertheless, following such a regimen would not make much sense in your case if it causes you additional discomfort. Research indicates that this type of restrictive diet is not superior to others when it comes to weight loss. Perhaps you should redistribute those same calories among three meals instead. 

If you wish to improve the body at the cellular level through autophagy. Autophagy is a natural process through which cells destroy unnecessary or damaged parts. It is thought that autophagy is triggered by fasting, including interval fasting. Fasting stimulates autophagy, which is an ongoing process. After about 48 hours of fasting, autophagy accelerates, according to animal studies. However, as biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi, the discoverer of this phenomenon, explains, it is not yet known what types of fasting, how long and to what extent accelerate this process in people. In fact, intermittent fasting based on the positive effect of autophagy is always an experiment on oneself. If it is difficult for you, you can switch to sports: physical activity also stimulates autophagy. 

Health risks associated with intermittent fasting are not related to gastric juice – it is produced when you eat, and its amount depends on the amount and type of food you consume. Even if gastric juice is secreted in large quantities before meals, the stomach walls are reliably protected by the mucus-bicarbonate barrier. Intermittent fasting has three risks:

1. Eating too much food in the “window” results in bloating. Self-control is the solution. 
2. It has been reported that, in healthy people, starvation can dramatically change the ratio of muscle to fat. Peter Attia discusses the case of a patient whose muscle mass decreased while his fat mass increased from 18% to 30%. Strength exercises are the solution to this problem because they make the body aware that muscle tissue cannot be sacrificed. 
3. You may develop a stress eating disorder if you fast for long periods of time between meals. Change your meal schedule to prevent stress eating disorders. 

Any diet, including 16:8, can improve digestion by allowing the body to pre-tune to the absorption of food and allowing the brain to plan energy expenditure accordingly. As a result of eating at the same time, these benefits arise, but the chosen schedule must become familiar and natural in order for this to happen. After practicing intermittent fasting for several months, if you still feel the urge to eat at the “wrong” time, then you are violating your body’s natural rhythm.