How to use Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss
Intermittent fasting is a new popular weight loss practice.I have had a few people ask me some questions about it, so I wanted to go aheada write a post. Weight loss is just one of the benefits of intermittent fastingbut seems to be why most people initially start.
I am going to go over a few different things here so try tostay with me. I will go over exactly what intermittent fasting is and thedifferent methods that can be used. Then I will talk about how it helps withweight loss as well as some of the other benefits.
What is Intermittentfasting?
Intermittent fasting is basically scheduled periods of timewithout eating.
There are several different methods for intermittentfasting. The most popular is the 16/8 method, then there is the 12/12 method aswell as a 20 Hour fast and finally the 24-hour method
The 16/8 Schedule
This is by far the most popular of all the intermittentfasting methods. This is where you fast for 16 hours of the dayand only eat during the other 8 hours. It includes an 8-hour eatingwindow with a 16-hour fasting window. What this means is you are only eatingbetween the hours of noon and 8:00 p.m. for example.
This is a reason this is the most common method. It worksquite easily with most people’s schedules. The beauty is that you can pick toskip either breakfast or dinner based on works for you! I am personally abreakfast person and can’t skip it as easily as I can dinner. The other greataspect is that you’re sleeping during a large portion of the 12-hour fastingwindow, which makes it simpler.
What most people I know do is eat nothing in the morningexcept for black coffee and water as these have 0 calories. Then theirfirst meal of the day happens around noon and their last meal is at 8 pm. Butthey are still eating healthy!
The 12/12 Schedule
While this isn’t the most popular it is naturally the idealway to start out for those who are totally beginners to fasting. Atone point in time it was common practice for people to “fast” for 12 hours.Dinner was eaten by 7pm and breakfast at 7am on a regular basis. Nowadaysthings are different. We, especially Americans, are more apt to eat freezerfood and late-night snacks, which in and of themselves are unhealthy. Add tothis the longer work days and more social activities that then cause people tostay up later.
Trust me I know. I am one of these people. You have all seenmy schedule, between work, the blog, schoolwork and my family including sportsactivities a regular eating schedule is hard to come by.
Because of this we are eating all day long and into the weehours of the night, and its causing an increase on our blood sugar levels andwaistlines. Interesting fact: your body doesn’t go from a “fed” state tothe “fasted” state until approximately 4 hours after you’ve eaten your last meal.Learned that in one of my Nutrition classes.
The 20-Hour Fast (Warrior Diet)
Here is another fast that has become increasingly popular. A20-hour fasting method has been called the “Warrior Diet,” which was created byOri Hofmekler. It was designed basedon the eating habits of ancient Spartan and Roman warriors. This method involvesyou eating all your food within a small four-hour window. For example,only eating between 2pm and 6pm. The Warrior Diet also urges an emphasis onhigh-intensity interval training and a diet of clean whole foods.
I imagine this one would be harder to do than either of the aforementionedmethods of intermittent fasting. But it sill allows for you to eat. Again, theemphasis is on still eating clean and healthy foods even if only for thelimited time.
The 24-Hour Fast
The last one I am going to talk about is the 24-hour fast. Inthis method, you do one ortwo 24-hour fasts during your week. It is not recommended to do this one every day. Also, it’s not recommendedto do a 24-hour fast more than twice per week.
A 24-hour fast isoften misunderstood. I am guilty of this. Most of you will think that you willeat dinner one day, go to bed, not eat anything the next day, go to bed andthen wake up and eat that third morning. But this is simply not the case.
A 24-hour fast generally occurs from 5 pm in the evening to5 pm the next day and is followed up with a big, healthy meal. This is a true 24-hourtime period and means that you don’t have to go an entire “day” withouteating. Again, notice that the iterationon the big healthy meal.
Why Intermittent fastingfor weight loss?
Intermittent fasting causes Improved Fat Burning andMetabolism. It has demonstrated to increase the metabolism by 4-13% duringa fast. One study I found demonstrated that intermittent fasting is more efficientthan conventional calorie restriction diet used for weight loss when allparticipants ate an equal calorie intake diet (source).Because of this people have also appeared to lose a substantial amount ofweight around the waist.
Intermittent fasting also works for weight loss simplybecause people tend eat fewer meals during the week, there for you as expected, eat fewer calories.Those who do intermittent fasting have been confirmed to lose more fatthan those on conventional calorie restriction diets (study). They have also been shown to have aneasier time sticking to their diets.
What else Intermittent Fasting helps with?
Intermittent fasting has also been shown to improve overall health. In the study I previously mentioned, The Intermittent fasting group also had improvements in fasting glucose and insulin following “fast” days and had improvements in total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and free fatty acids following fed days.(Source)
Lastly, it just Makes Life Simpler. If your busy like I am and don’t always mealprep like you should/could. Fast. If you meal prepped lunch/dinner but notbreakfast do a 16/8 method fast. Its less planning and cooking for you.
What to look out for?
Don’t just binge eatthen use intermittent fasting as a backup. The food you eat still matters. Like Ihave said before, make sure to eat abig HEALTHY meal after fasting, but stillfollow proper nutritional guidelines.
This is not an overnight miracle worker. It takestime and your body will need to get used to the fasting. The first time I did a24 hour fast (this week) I was struggling at the point where I normally eatbreakfast or a snack at my desk. But because my schedule is so busy it wasn’tnearly as bad as I thought it would be by the time I reached the end.
During the fast, you can drink apple cider vinegar,water, regular green tea, and black coffee with no cream orsugar. But that’s it. No calories for 24hours or 16 if you do the 16/8 method.
Choosing the healthy meal at the end is the difficult part,seeing as all your cravings hit you. I wanted all the things! But remember youdidn’t just go through the fast to ruin it by eating unhealthily. Also, yourbody will absorb the nutrients you eat when you break your fast faster. So, thehealthier you eat the better you will feel!!
Kick-start your weight loss
If you are really looking to improve your health and fitness, check out my 28 Day Kick-Start Program! It is a great way to help kick-start your at home workout routine! Combine healthy intermittent fasting practices with a steady workout routine like the 28 Day Kick-Start Program to transform your health and fitness!