Editor's Note

Despite the challenges posed by a full semester of online learning, the students of Peking University have done their best to thrive while stuck at home by unleashing their creativity through virtual platforms. Among these vibrant minds is a group of undergraduates in the English News Reading class who have decided to publish English-language stories they have written as WeChat articles. Today, we share one of these well composed and elaborately designed student works with you! Let's welcome Yoori from PKU School of Journalism & Communication, who was born in Korea and grew up in New Zealand.

A "COVID-19 pounds of weight gain" meme from the Internet

The "COVID-19 pounds of weight gain" memes popped up pretty much the second we started social distancing and staying home. Unfortunately, the weight gain jokes aren't going away anytime soon. In the meantime, here's what you can do to tune them out and reframe your own perspective on weight, food and exercise during the pandemic. Here is Yoori's special story based on an Intermittent Fasting diet routine where most Pekingers are spending their lives home.

According to a survey by the International Food Information Council Foundation, Intermittent fasting (IF) is currently one of the world's most popular health and fitness trends. Some people are using it to lose weight, improve their health and simplify their lifestyles. Many studies show that it can have powerful effects on your body and brain and may even help you live longer.

So, What Is Intermittent Fasting (IF)?

Intermittent Fasting is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. It doesn't specify which foods you should eat but rather when you should eat them. In this respect, it's not a diet in the conventional sense but more accurately described as an eating pattern.

There are several different ways of doing intermittent fasting — all of which involve splitting the day or week into eating and fasting periods. During the fasting periods, you eat either very little or nothing at all.

These are the most popular methods:

The 16/8 method: Also called the Leangains protocol, it involves skipping breakfast and restricting your daily eating period to 8 hours, such as 1–9 p.m. Then you fast for 16 hours in between.

Eat-Stop-Eat: This involves fasting for 24 hours, once or twice a week, for example by not eating from dinner one day until dinner the next day.

The 5:2 diet: With this method, you consume only 500–600 calories on two non-consecutive days of the week, but eat normally the other 5 days.

By reducing your calorie intake, all of these methods should cause weight loss as long as you don't compensate by eating much more during the eating periods. Many people find the 16/8 method to be the simplest, most sustainable and easiest to stick to. It's also the most popular.

For myself, I have already been on a diet for many years. "Dieting" was inseparable as for someone like me who loves to "eat". I failed to lose weight several times due to the wrong diet methods and eating habits. Then, when I came across with the IF method, I decided to try it out for myself, as the IF method did not give a limit on which foods I should take, but rather limit the times I should and should not eat. As a result, I was not only able to maintain my weight even after binge eating, but also successfully lose weight while maintaining my healthy eating habits. Video attached is my 7-day schedule for the Intermittent Fasting Method combined with a diet plan called the GM diet.

16:8 Intermittent Fasting is one of the most popular forms of IF methods. It potentially benefits your weight losses, fat losses, and a reduction in the risk of some diseases. If you are wanting to try out the 16:8 intermittent fasting, you should focus on eating high fiber whole foods like I did, and should stay hydrated throughout the day.

Ultimately, intermittent fasting may seem like a silver bullet, but the evidence indicates that it's really just one of many potentially effective dietary options.

The plan might not be right for everyone, best diet is usually the one that works for you. Individuals who wish to follow the 16:8 intermittent fasting diet should speak to a doctor or dietitian if they have any concerns or underlying health conditions.

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Voice of PKU Students | Yoori Discusses Healthy Diets!

Writer: Yoori Jo

Editor: Amanda Hu, Pu Hairui

Video: Yoori Jo

Designer: Pu Hairui