Intermittent fasting has been a hot topic among doctors and fitness experts for years, sparking debates and gaining media attention. Many research papers have analyzed its effects, and it's clear that people are highly interested in it.
Where there is interest, there is profit. This has led to excessive noise marketing around intermittent fasting, with some exaggerating its benefits while ignoring individual differences. As a result, some people have become disillusioned, dismissing intermittent fasting as pseudoscience.
However, I still believe that intermittent fasting is one of the most effective dietary approaches available today. In this post, I’ll explain why intermittent fasting is still worth considering in 2025.
(Before diving in, let’s clarify that intermittent fasting (IF) and time-restricted eating (TRE) are technically different. However, this post mainly focuses on fasting methods like 18:6 or 16:8, which fall under time-restricted eating. Since people often use “intermittent fasting” to describe these methods, I’ll use the term interchangeably.)
My Personal Experience with Intermittent Fasting
I started intermittent fasting in 2022 after years of high-frequency, high-calorie eating to bulk up. I always felt like my body was full of inflammation, and I constantly experienced bloating. (You can't even imagine how many farts I must have created.) Eating until just before bedtime messed up my sleep quality as well. This completely lowered my quality of life. Yes, my digestive system needed a break, and I hoped IF would help restore my metabolic health.
The results? Surprisingly effective. I went from 90 kg to 70 kg without much difficulty, and despite my initial concerns about muscle loss, I didn’t experience any significant issues. In fact, I was able to compete in a competition and even placed first in my weight class while practicing intermittent fasting.
Of course, the effects of intermittent fasting can vary depending on individual lifestyle and habits. However, the benefits I’m about to introduce are widely experienced, and if they align with your goals, I highly recommend giving IF a serious try.
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This is a photo taken after my first diet results following intermittent fasting, in 2023. |
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
1) Resting Your Digestive System
One of the most overlooked aspects of health is digestive recovery. Just as muscles need rest after exercise, your digestive system also requires periods of rest to function optimally.
Whenever you eat, your digestive organs go into action, breaking down food, absorbing nutrients, and processing waste. However, in modern society, where food is abundantly available, people often eat from the moment they wake up until just before bed, giving their digestive system little to no rest. Over time, this can lead to issues such as bloating, sluggish digestion, and metabolic strain.
Intermittent fasting helps alleviate this problem by extending the time your digestive system gets to rest and repair itself. This can improve gut health, reduce inflammation, and enhance nutrient absorption over time.
2) Improved Sleep Quality
Some people worry that fasting will make them too hungry to sleep. While occasional hunger can happen, this isn’t an issue unique to IF—it can occur with any diet if caloric intake isn’t properly managed.
What’s more important is that eating too close to bedtime can negatively impact sleep quality. When you eat before bed, your body has to work on digestion instead of fully focusing on rest and recovery. Just as working out too close to bedtime can keep you wired and restless, late-night eating can interfere with melatonin production and slow down your body's transition into deep sleep.
Many health experts recommend finishing meals at least three hours before bedtime for optimal sleep. Intermittent fasting naturally encourages this habit, as most fasting schedules have you finishing dinner by 7 or 8 PM. This means by the time you go to bed around 11 PM, your digestive system isn’t actively working, leading to deeper and more restful sleep.
I personally noticed that after adopting intermittent fasting, my mornings felt significantly fresher. Waking up felt less groggy, and I experienced a noticeable improvement in my overall alertness and energy levels.
3) Easier Caloric Control
When it comes to fat loss, exercise is important, but calorie intake is even more crucial. The more frequently you eat, the higher the likelihood of consuming excess calories. By reducing meal frequency, intermittent fasting naturally helps with caloric control.
Think about it: if you usually eat four meals a day and switch to two, your overall caloric intake will likely decrease. Since each meal will be more satisfying, you’re also less likely to snack impulsively between meals. This makes IF one of the most straightforward and intuitive ways to maintain a calorie deficit without obsessing over every bite.
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4) Detoxification and Blood Sugar Regulation
Another benefit(Which I personally consider the most important) of intermittent fasting is its effect on detoxification and blood sugar management. When you fast, your body gets a break from constantly processing incoming food, allowing it to shift its focus to internal repair and waste removal. This process, known as autophagy(However, this is quite a tricky topic, so I will discuss it in detail in a separate article.), helps eliminate damaged cells and toxins, contributing to overall health and longevity.
Additionally, intermittent fasting improves insulin sensitivity and stabilizes blood sugar levels. By reducing the number of times your body has to release insulin throughout the day, fasting helps prevent insulin resistance, making it an effective strategy for those looking to manage weight and metabolic health.
Conclusion
Intermittent fasting isn’t a magical solution, but it offers several compelling benefits that make it worth considering. From improving digestive health and sleep quality to making caloric control easier and enhancing detoxification, IF provides a range of advantages that can contribute to better overall health.
Of course, IF isn’t as simple as just skipping meals, and there are important factors to consider to do it effectively. But to keep this post from getting too long, I’ll cover those details in a future article.
Until then, if you’re thinking about trying intermittent fasting in 2025, I highly encourage you to give it a shot. You might be surprised by how much better you feel.
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