The super popular 168-hour fasting diet for weight loss, is it most effective for office workers? Weight loss doctor: Be careful of depression and stomach ulcers

Celebrities have their own tricks for losing weight, especially various "intermittent fasting weight loss methods", which have their own fans. For example, the 16:8 fasting diet and the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet are very popular. The media has reported that Hong Kong star Christy Chung and Aboriginal singer Jia Jia both successfully lost weight by using the "16:8 fasting diet." A weight loss specialist said that although this weight loss method seems to be a more feasible method for office workers, if used for a long time, be careful of depression, gastric ulcers and other landmines!

168 fasting weight loss method: Eat within 8 hours a day

Losing weight is always a hot topic. In addition to being positively correlated with many chronic diseases, obesity also has another important problem, which is that it affects a person's psychological and social aspects, especially office workers in the workplace. According to a popular survey, about 30% of urban workers aged 20 to 50 are using different methods to lose weight. In particular, summer is the peak season for weight loss, and many new and novel weight loss methods are constantly being introduced. Recently, the 168 fasting weight loss method and the 52 intermittent fasting weight loss method have become popular on the Internet.

Liu Bowen, executive director of the Taiwan Obesity Education and Prevention Association and a weight loss specialist, said that the so-called 16:8 fasting weight loss method is also called the 168 fasting weight loss method, which means that eating is concentrated in 8 hours a day, and the other 16 hours are fasting time. The principle is to allow the body's digestive enzymes and insulin to fully break down food, and also allow the stomach and intestines to have sufficient rest time.

52 Intermittent fasting weight loss method: fasting for two non-consecutive days a week

The 5:2 intermittent fasting weight loss method is also called the 52 intermittent fasting weight loss method, which means fasting for two non-consecutive days a week, or eating very low-calorie light meals. In fact, the principles of both methods are to reduce calorie intake, but whether it is the 168 fasting method or the 52 interval weight loss method, there are some blind spots. That is, at the beginning, due to the novelty or the effect of willpower, there is an effect of weight loss, but after a period of time, a large amount of food, or even excessive food, will be consumed in a short period of time to achieve a sense of fullness. Therefore, although the eating time is shorter, the total amount has increased, so that after a period of time, the weight is still easy to gain back due to weight regain.

168 fasting weight loss method: Concentrate eating within 8 hours a day.

Weight loss expert: 168 fasting weight loss method, be careful of long-term carbohydrate deficiency

Dr. Liu Bowen said that from the perspective of the body's physiological functions, the 168-hour fasting weight loss method uses reduced eating frequency and extended fasting time to metabolize excess fat in order to achieve the goal of weight loss; while the 52-hour intermittent fasting weight loss method is a pure act of perseverance and self-torture to achieve the goal of weight loss. But the general emptying time of the stomach is about 2 to 3 hours. If you are often on an empty stomach, in addition to the side effect of excessive stomach acid and ulcers, long-term lack of calories will also cause muscle atrophy and even mental problems such as depression. Therefore, if you want to use this extremely low-calorie weight loss method, you must implement it under the supervision of a professional doctor.

In fact, the 168 fasting weight loss method is just a change of name. The fasting after noon weight loss method that was popular for a while is similar to the current 168 fasting weight loss method, except that the eating time is extended. Because a normal diet can make people feel full for about 4 to 6 hours, most office workers have to finish their breakfast before 8 o'clock in the morning, and 8 hours is about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. It is unlikely that they will eat while working. Therefore, many people do not eat after lunch, but after 7 or 8 o'clock in the evening, they will feel very hungry due to the drop in blood sugar. In addition to causing ulcers due to excessive stomach acid, it will also cause low mood, and symptoms of depression will appear in the long run. A more serious problem is long-term carbohydrate deficiency, which can also cause ketoacidosis and side effects such as muscle atrophy, especially in patients with diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

The most serious problem with the 168 fasting weight loss method is long-term carbohydrate deficiency. ,

168 Fasting is not a normal way to lose weight and cannot be implemented for a long time

Dr. Liu Bowen said that although the 168 fasting diet is a more feasible way for office workers to lose weight, it is not recommended from a medical point of view. After all, it is not a normal way to lose weight. Some academic research reports have found through long-term statistical results that this 168-hour fasting weight loss method is no more effective than traditional weight loss methods and cannot be implemented in the long term.

As a reminder, generally speaking, an effective and safe way to lose weight is to pay attention to calorie control and maintain healthy eating habits, then choose an exercise prescription that suits you. After persisting for a period of time, you will definitely see brilliant results.