With the
constantly growing pressure of getting your physique right for a social media
post to attempting to fit in a dress that some celebrity wore at an event, people
have gone to unimaginable lengths to try new weight loss mechanisms in the quest for a ‘perfect
body’ and this obsession is where intermittent fasting (IF) comes into the picture.

In the recent years, the popularity of intermittent fasting peaked  but experts fear that the restrictive regimen can be a dangerous cover for various eating disorder and health issues.

What is Intermittent fasting (IF)

Intermittent fasting, a weight-loss and maintenance strategy, is a blanket term for various meal timing schedules that requires followers to eat only at certain times of the day or, in one of its stricter forms, the week. 

In the words of noted dietitian Tammy Beasley as quoted by New York Post, intermittent fasting is “a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I wish intermittent fasting had a warning stamped on it.”

Here are some of the probable pitfalls of this contentious diet trend.

Fatigue and memory loss

If you follow this diet plan, you would certainly find yourself yawning and feeling all tuckered out in the middle of the day, realising that you never got around breakfast due to the diet and this constant uneasiness not only makes one feel tires but results in gradual memory loss.

Hair Loss

It doesn’t take rocket science to understand that intermittent fasting cuts a large number of nutrients from the diet which in turn results in hair loss, excessively in some cases.

If you are a follower and can see your hair falling out in the shower every day, it is high time to reassess the nutrition content of your daily meals and consider if IF is at all a wise move for you.

Fluctuations in menstrual cycles

While IF is largely responsible for abating significant nutrient levels in your diet, making you even weaker, it causes dramatic weight loss in women, which renders their menstrual cycles to slow down or even stop completely in some cases creating a whole new set of problems.

Low blood sugar

While dizziness and nausea is quite common for all those who follow the IF plan, but it can be a red signal of low blood sugar sings.

In fact, experts suggest that patients with low sugar level or any insulin problem should refrain from opting for this strategy.

Constipation

Intermittent fasting takes away almost all the sources of fibrous food from your meal in the name of a diet plan and going 16 hours a day without enough fluid is a recipe for a digestive disaster.

So if you’ve started an IF diet and can’t seem to get your bowel movements to happen regularly (or at all), it’s time to hit pause on your plan and consume some fibrous food and healthy fluid.