Kate Walsh Credits Intermittent Fasting For Her Toned Physique At 56: 'I Saw Results’
Many celebrities have used intermittent fasting as a strategy for losing weight or keeping off the pounds they’ve lost. One of these celebrities is Kate Walsh, who at 56, looks better than ever! The Grey’s Anatomy star revealed her trick to US in November 2018, and has been using the diet tool ever since, telling the outlet, “I saw results and I really felt like it was great.”
Intermittent fasting is a form of dieting that revolves around meal timing schedules. Essentially, there are shorter windows of time where one can eat, and the rest of the day, you’re fasting. The most common schedules are 16:8—fasting for 16 hours of the day and eating during 8 hours of the day—or 5:2–eating normally for 5 days out of the week and fasting for the other two. Keep reading for more information
Kate Walsh on intermittent fasting
The Private Practice actress spoke more about how she incorporated intermittent fasting into her schedule: "I was doing one day a week of fasting, from 6pm to 6pm or 7pm to 7pm," she explained. This seems like a long time to go without eating, and Walsh did admit that "you feel a little nutty," but also added that the benefits are definitely worth it.
"It's really good for clarity and energy," the Perks of Being a Wallflower actress noted. And of course, keeping a toned physique, which Walsh herself is a perfect example of. She also added that "you definitely lose a lot of water weight," so if your weight seems to fluctuate a lot, that's completely normal.
How does intermittent fasting work?
Essentially, intermittent fasting works by prolonging the period when your body has already burned through the calories consumed during the last meal and begins burning fat. We talked to neuroscientist Mark Mattson about how intermittent fasting works within the body, and he explained that "intermittent fasting contrasts with the normal eating pattern for most Americans, who eat throughout their waking hours."
"If someone is eating three meals a day, plus snacks," he continued, "and they not exercising, then every time they eat, they're running on those calories and not burning their fat stores." If you wait long enough after eating, the body will run through the calories most recently consumed, and then begin burning fat, which is how weight loss occurs.
Though it may seem difficult to go hungry for 16 hours or more, the benefits are worth it. Mattson explained that "many things happen during intermittent fasting that can protect organs against chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, age-related neurodegenerative disorders, even inflammatory bowel disease and many cancers."
In addition, other studies have found that intermittent fasting can boost memory, increase heart health, improve physical performance, increase tissue health, and prevent type 2 diabetes and obesity.
If you're thinking of giving intermittent fasting a try, make sure to do your research first. Intermittent fasting can be dangerous to certain at-risk populations or if done incorrectly. Talk to your doctor see if intermittent fasting could work for you.
