Why I Stopped Intermittent Fasting In 2023? When To Stop Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting has been a controversial topic for a while now, with numerous online sources claiming that it has specific health benefits. However, there is little medical backing for this claim and strict diets have been known to lead to eating disorders, making it a top concern on the list. People have been trying all sorts of ways to lose weight.

More research and work needs to be done to cement the claims that adopting intermittent fasting has benefits such as overall health and brain function improvement, improved heart health, detoxification, and weight loss. There is little proof to support these assertions, and the issue remains with the lack of evidence.

The majority of information comes from people who practice intermittent fasting, documenting their progress with these stories about an inactive lifestyle or diet.

This article will provide you with some reasons for considering intermittent fasting. In this post, I will explore why I stopped intermittent fasting.

Nevertheless, here are the primary factors that might compel someone to cease the intermittent fasting:

Intermittent Fasting Does Not Work For Everyone

IF we have varied overall medical issues and live different lifestyles, our anatomies are uniquely different, so intermittent fasting may not be the best solution for everyone. However, it can be successful for weight loss in some individuals, even though it may have fatal consequences for others.

Individuals who are attempting to lose weight through intermittent fasting may put themselves in harm’s way if they have low blood sugar or diabetes. They are especially at risk if they do not seek medical advice before doing so.

It is recommended that you seek the supervision and advice of a professional medical before beginning any other diet or plan. You may experience symptoms such as feeling nauseous, dizzy, irritable, and moody, as well as developing low blood sugar or low blood pressure. Your body may react in unforeseen ways and push you into starvation mode under certain circumstances, causing your blood sugar levels to lower.

Intermittent Fasting May Trigger An Eating Disorder

The 4/20 intermittent fasts, similar to extreme plans, immersing oneself in the intense aspect, may lead to the risk of developing an eating disorder if done abruptly, as intermittent fasting revolves around the concept of alternating between eating and fasting.

Here, you have a drastic change that may trigger fat loss, but it may also have dire consequences for your body, such as binge eating.

Intermittent Fasting May Lead To Weight Gain

Some people with low willpower may overeat for longer periods, resulting in weight gain, as opposed to losing weight, which is the goal of the binge-restrict cycle.

Before you start consuming a feast, you may not be aware that when the eating window begins and you are hungry, you should not ignore your body’s signals while practicing intermittent fasting.

Intermittent Fasting May Disrupt Some Systems In My Body

A robust menstrual cycle supports the intake of nutrients and vital energy depleted during the fasting period, allowing the body to preserve energy. The menstrual cycle may be disrupted when women do not consume sufficient food while following the IF diet.

It is necessary for a woman to have normal reproductive hormones. This hormone, known as luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), aids in the production of sex hormones. It can interfere with the production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). The menstrual cycle is affected by a lack of calorie intake and long periods, which in turn affects the hypothalamus, a part of the brain.

The overall output of your work may suffer, as well as your productivity, due to the prolonged lack of body energy caused by the absence of sugars and carbohydrates.

Intermittent Fasting May Affect My Mood Negatively

The saying “man is angry, man is hungry” holds true when you are on an intermittent fasting cycle, as certain chemicals in the brain are usually triggered by food to keep you happy.

The lack of certain nutrients can be associated with feelings of sadness and depression. Serotonin helps regulate your mood and promotes healthy sleep. Nutrients in food can assist your body in producing neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which contribute to feelings of well-being.

The females exhibited increased irritability following the examinations. A research study encompassing 52 women, who underwent alternating periods of fasting for 18 hours and non-fasting for 6 hours, revealed that intermittent fasting may induce certain levels of irritability.

If you have a healthy lifestyle and practice intermittent fasting, it can help you lose weight and also improve your mental health.

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

There are four main formats of intermittent fasting that individuals use to shed pounds[7]. These formats include:

The window for consuming food is the lesser digit, while the window for abstaining from food is typically the larger digit. In your intermittent fasting regimen, the periods of fasting and eating are partitioned into time intervals such as 16/4, 10/4, and 15/9. This approach is known as time-restricted eating.

With the 5:2 method, also known as the twice-a-week method, you can fulfill your minimum daily requirements of vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids while consuming only 1200 calories. This approach involves eating as you normally would for five days of the week and then limiting your calorie intake to 500-600 calories for the remaining two days, ensuring that you still receive all the necessary nutrients in their recommended proportions.

Alternate day fasting: you consume food on one day and skip it the next.

The eat:stop:eat approach is known as the 24-hour fast, in which you abstain from eating for two days per week or refrain from eating for a whole day.

The warrior diet involves consuming small servings of a plant-centered diet throughout the day and one large meal in the evening.

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

During a fast, there is a lack of calories, which are required for muscle development. Considering the essential role of calories in muscle growth, opting for a bulking phase instead of muscle maintenance could be more beneficial when exercising during the fast. These drastic transformations in the body can potentially aid in weight loss.

What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Fasting?

After you cease intermittent fasting, certain occurrences take place.

It Could Potentially Cause Digestive System Issues

The main factors contributing to this condition are excessive consumption and unhealthy eating patterns. However, discontinuing the fast could potentially lead to digestive system complications and even result in weight gain if you stop intermittent fasting.

Symptoms like abdominal distension, fatigue, hunger sensations, and trouble focusing, among other factors, can occur during the initial days following the end of your fasting period.

It Could Slow Down Your Metabolism

This is a possibility of gaining weight. It will slow down, if you have been speeding up due to intermittent fasting, to such an extent that your body’s natural metabolic rate returns to normal when you quit fasting.

Consistently monitoring your calorie intake and incorporating a variety of nutrient-dense vegetables and fruits, along with a moderate amount of healthy carbohydrates and fats, can assist in maintaining a healthy weight. By making healthy lifestyle choices such as engaging in regular exercise, you can prevent weight gain and promote overall well-being.

Your Periods May Resume

If you were suffering from missing or irregular periods, you might consider following a healthy diet plan after ending intermittent fasting.

You might have otherwise experienced a decrease in productivity when trying to recover, but this can help you regain energy and ensure that your body receives the necessary nutrition.

When To Quit Fasting?

There are particular unmistakable signs that may indicate that it is time for you to relinquish intermittent fasting.

Here are just a handful of instances:

When you have a pre-existing medical condition, the diet can worsen.

When a Registered Dietitian, Nutritionist, or doctor advises you to stop intermittent fasting.

When you are feeling lightheaded or not menstruating.

You are expecting a baby or trying to get pregnant at the moment.

When you are unwell.

If you are encountering any of the issues mentioned earlier, this should be enough reason to stop intermittent fasting.

Should I Stop Intermittent Fasting?

There are pros to reducing factors that risk weight loss and diabetes, while lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. Such pre-existing conditions as uncontrolled blood sugar may aggravate it; it may cause missed periods and potential eating disorders; and it does not work for everyone, which are cons.

Considering the fact that there is no “one size fits all” lifestyle, it is sufficient reason to consider abandoning a restrictive eating regimen. Additionally, you may also experience other adverse side effects after starting the fast. Such consequences can include significant decline in mental health and missed periods.

If you want to do it correctly, you will need supervision from a nutrition expert such as a physician, dietitian, or nutritionist. You can create a proper framework by including whole foods in a timetable that allows you to go through a fasting window without compromising your health. Whole foods include water and minerals, vitamins, healthy fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

Only once you are able to genuinely value the favorable aspects of weight reduction that intermittent fasting offers, will you possess the advantage in the realm of intermittent fasting.