It sounds counterintuitive, but many people find success losing weight—especially initially—by eating more fat, not less. Called a ketogenic or Keto diet, this method requires shifting the main source of calories over to fatty foods—between 75% and 90% of what you eat, with only 10-20% of your calories coming from protein and a mere 5% from carbohydrates. The theory is that by eating so many healthy fats and restricting carbohydrates, you enter an altered metabolic state in which you force your body to begin relying on fat for energy, burning away your fat stores instead of sugar for fuel.

Research does show that keto is an effective way to jump-start weight loss and improve blood-sugar levels. However, it is hard to maintain, and to date we are lacking long-term studies that show it to be a sustainable eating pattern for keeping weight off.

The degree to which attention impacts a student’s academic and social performance is related to the interactions between the student’s academic and behavioral needs and the environmental
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Therefore, it is not unusual for the student to perform differently across settings.

Fasting—abstaining from eating for some period of time—is an ancient practice that is safe when not taken to extremes. Traditionally, the benefits of fasting have been both spiritual and physical. People who fast for religious reasons often report a stronger focus on spiritual matters during the fast. Physically, a simple fast lowers blood sugar, reduces inflammation, improves metabolism, clears out toxins from damaged cells and has been linked to lower risk of cancer, reduced pain from arthritis and enhanced brain function.

Intermittent fasting means dividing one's time between "eating windows" and periods of abstention on a regular basis. A common intermittent fasting schedule might restrict eating to the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with the remaining 16 hours of the day spent fasting. But there is no specific, prescribed schedule. Some people have more or less generous eating windows, setting the rule that they will not eat after, say, 8:00 p.m.—or, on the considerably less generous side, only allowing themselves to eat every other day.

The science behind intermittent fasting is based on altering the body's metabolism. During a period without eating, insulin levels drop to the point that the body begins burning fat for fuel. Additionally, the thinking goes, by slowing the body's metabolism, you cause your appetite to drop off and thus will consume fewer calories when you resume eating.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of intermittent fasting for weight loss. However, it's not clear that it is any more effective than simply restricting calories and following a normal eating schedule. One possible reason for the success of intermittent fasting is that most practitioners have quit the habit of eating during the late evening and night hours. Restricting eating to earlier in the day aligns better with our bodies' circadian rhythms and is less likely to cause us to store our food in fat cells. Since intermittent fasting is difficult for many people to adhere to, a wise alternative might be to consume a low-calorie Mediterranean diet and to stop the day's eating in late afternoon.

There are certain people who should not try intermittent fasting without first checking with their doctor, such those with diabetes or heart disease.

Intermittent fasting is a very "lifestyle-intensive" dietary pattern, meaning that it is challenging to maintain in the face of normal social relationships. If the rest of your family is eating while you're fasting, you might be tempted to indulge or to surrender the family-meal ritual. If your job requires you to dine with clients or colleagues, you'll find an intermittent fasting schedule difficult to maintain. Remember that the best healthy eating plan is the one you'll stick to.