Maintaining a healthy weight is not always easy in our world of fast food and super-sized portions. Dieting strategies come in all shapes and sizes and often come down to personal preference. Intermittent fasting -- a structured eating period that alternates between periods of eating and fasting -- is one that can allow you to enjoy the pleasures of eating all those French fries and servings of pasta and still lose or maintain your weight. While this might seem like a win-win situation, critics are concerned about potential adverse effects.
What is intermittent fasting?
Kerri Link Heckert, MS, RD, registered dietitian at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, says that intermittent fasting is more of a schedule than a diet.
"It could take the form of alternate days taking a full day off from eating or modified fasting like the 5:2 diet (5 days of regular eating, 2 days of only 500 calories) or time-restricted eating (set hours during the day for eating/fasting)," said Heckert, who also writes for the Goal Getter blog.
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