Elon Musk’s weight loss mantra is not new, but here’s how to do it right

Advertisement
Elon Musk’s weight loss mantra is not new, but here’s how to do it right
Representative imagePixabay
  • Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in his tweet a few months ago that he has been doing period fasting and lost 9 kgs.
  • According to doctors and experts, people aged between 20 years and 50 years have found to be following this routine the most.
  • This routine allows you to eat only at certain times of the day, which eventually helps in cutting off unnecessary consumption of packaged foods and binge eating.
Advertisement
Health freak or not, you would have surely heard of ‘intermittent fasting’ as it has become one of the most common methods for weight loss in India. It is a diet pattern in which an individual follows a proper eating and fasting routine.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in his tweet a few months ago that he has been doing period fasting and feels healthier. He reportedly lost nine kilos with intermittent fasting.


It's not just Musk but there are many more celebrities who follow this routine to be in shape.

Diabetics and more


This diet is typically recommended to diabetics to control their blood sugar level but it has been widely adopted by young adults, and elderly as well. But before following this diet pattern, one should know its side effects as well and doctor’s advice is recommended.

The intermittent fasting routine allows you to eat only at certain times of the day, which eventually helps in cutting off unnecessary consumption of packaged foods and binge eating. It is a new concept and is an ancient naturopathy remedy for good health.
Advertisement


“If you look at our ancient traditional habits, fasting was an adopted therapy for having better health or as a principle followed by a natural path to natural living,” said Dr Varsha Gorey, senior clinical dietitian, HOD, dietetics departments, Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai.

Doctors usually recommend people to have a target and then decide the fasting period based on the target. A beginner can start a 12-12 pattern, which means 12 hours of fasting and 12 hours of open window in which one can have their meals and snacks.

Then there is the 14-10 pattern, which is 14 hours of fasting and 10 hours of open window. One can gradually move to the 16-8 pattern, which is 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of open window.

When you’re not eating, water and zero-calorie beverages such as black coffee and tea are permitted. And during the eating periods, one should be mindful to pick and choose snacks and other food items according to their nutritional value.

“We want people to be mindful and take pleasure in eating good, nutritious food,” said Mark Mattson, Johns Hopkins neuroscientist, who has studied intermittent fasting for 25 years.
Advertisement

“You can hardly go wrong when you pick complex, unrefined carbohydrates such as whole grains, leafy greens, healthy fats and lean protein,” Mattson added.

Best for those fighting lifestyle diseases


This routine has gained popularity amid Covid-19 when people found themselves to be at one place and doing lesser physical activities. According to experts, this routine is popular with people across ages, from 20 year olds to 50 year olds.

While young people do it to lose weight, the older people follow it to control blood sugar.

Rinki Kumari, chief dietician, Fortis Hospital, Bangalore says that people with comorbidities like sugar, blood pressure and heart problems can also follow this routine and it can also help in making blood sugar normal and reduce the bad cholesterol. However, they should do it only under doctor’s or dietician’s advice.

“So if you look at metabolic disorder or lifestyle, non communicable diseases, such as diabetes, blood pressure, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, etc. These are lifestyle issues, and they can be controlled with intermittent fasting,” said Dr Varsha Gorey, senior clinical dietitian, HOD, dietetics departments, Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai.
Advertisement

However, Dr Gorey says that more data is needed before its actual medical benefits are proven. “People are getting results with intermittent fasting, but there is a limited amount of cross-sectional data regarding the proven benefits for each and every community or any versatile population. More data research is required to have claims related to weight loss control of sugars and other non communicable diseases,” she said.

Teenagers in their ‘growing age’ and the elderly with comorbidities are not advised to follow this without doctor’s supervision, Kumari told Business Insider India.

Beware of the side-effects


Based on certain medical conditions, intermittent fasting can also have some side-effects like irritation, fatigue, drowsiness and low energy level. The main purpose of fasting is to get more energy but in some cases one may feel that their energy level reduces after fasting.

“People can witness tiredness, irritations and drowsiness and the blood sugar can also become very challenging. So, before planning, one should have the doctor or the dietitian's advice,” Kumari said.

Doctors also say that those who go for this routine, must keep themselves hydrated and consume appropriate amounts of micronutrients while fasting.
Advertisement

SEE ALSO:
Bikaji Foods lists at a 7% premium in line with grey market expectations
World population to hit 8 billion today; India to overtake China as most-populous country by 2030
{{}}