Bella Adams
Intermittent fasting is not suitable for everyone. For some, stopping food intake for up to 16 hours can even be dangerous. Three warning signs show you that you should stay away from interval fasting.
Therapeutic fasting has a long tradition in naturopathic nutritional medicine. Abstaining from food for a certain period of time has always promised a healthier and longer life.
A variation of fasting is 16:8 interval fasting. Here, 16 hours of fasting, during which no energy may be taken in through food and sugary drinks, are followed by eight hours during which normal food may be eaten.
Intermittent fasting promises to help with weight loss and have a positive effect on organ health, such as the intestines.
However, for all its benefits, the diet also has its limits. Not everyone tolerates the long hunger window equally well. With some physical signs experts advise therefore to stop the chamfering method.
Persistent headache and hunger feeling
Naturally, the Nüchternzeit of up to 16 hours does not remain without side effects. Even if interval fasting is supposed to improve sleep and increase energy levels in the long term, the exact opposite can occur at the beginning.
Quite a few people, for example, struggle at the beginning with poorer workout results, difficulty concentrating, and a nagging feeling of hunger during the night.
But these symptoms, along with discomforts like persistent headaches, could also be a sign of too large a calorie deficit.
Give yourself time to adjust to the new rhythm, but pay close attention to your body and also to if and when it might just have had enough.
You keep overeating
It’s a common mistake that nutritionist Sarah Kasman warns against:
Many people believed that because they fasted for hours (or a whole day), they could eat whatever they wanted afterward.
“Fasting should not count as an excuse – the ultimate goal is to develop a healthy and sustainable diet, “she warns ‘POPSUGAR’.
For those who tend to lose all control over their eating habits in the eight hours before hunger, interval fasting may simply not be right for them – and there’s nothing wrong with that.
You suffer from pre-existing conditions
Intermittent fasting can also be dangerous depending on your pre-existing condition.
Those taking medications in particular run the risk of being much more sensitive to them without regular food intake. A number of prescription and over-the-counter medications, for example, are best taken with food.
In addition, Dr. Nesheiwat, who specializes in family and emergency medicine, explains, “Pregnant women, children and people with weak immune systems or diabetes, as well as those undergoing chemotherapy, should avoid fasting because it can lead to serious side effects such as hypoglycemia, metabolic disorders, and seizures.”
So, in any case, it’s advisable to check with medical professionals first before deciding whether or not interval fasting is for you.
