Does Intermittent Fasting Work The Bottom Line
Whether you want to lose belly fat, fit into an old dress, or eat more mindfully, intermittent fasting can help.
The pictures provided prove that IF can work, but it is essential to find an arrangement that works for you.
Remember, factors like age, weight, and body composition impact your health journey and how quickly you will see results.
Always speak to your doctor before starting a new diet, as the restrictions required may not be suitable for you.
You Are Not Eating Enough Protein
If you find that your meals cannot carry you across your fasting period to your next eating window, then you might need to adjust your diet.
Consider including more lean protein in your diet. It does not matter the type of protein, vegan or animal protein, all are fine.
Proteins can help keep you full till your next meal. Furthermore, if you are exercising during this period, proteins are important for building your muscles and protecting your bone health.
Your meals should have healthy fats, carbs, leafy greens, and proteins.
How To Walk For Weight Loss
Walking for weight loss begins with one step at a time. By counting only walks, and not counting steps, miles, or time spent walking, I was able to walk for weight loss. I walk for weight loss and also use intermittent fasting to boost my weight loss results.
Choosing to be intentional with my health began with walking. On June 10, 2021 I took the first of 100 walks. I completed 16 walks in 20 days, and did not focus on distance or time. I just walked. Sometimes it was 5 minutes, and sometimes I walked longer. I also added in these one pound walking hand weights. My walking sneakers are from Vionic and help with any arch pain.
On June 26th, I started intermittent fasting. In this video above, I shared the results of IF, walks 13-28, frustrations, and success factors of trying IF. I am not a medical professional and I am simply sharing my journey and self transformation about my health, minimalism, decluttering and organizing everything that is left.
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Best Youtube Videos On Water Fasting
- How much weight did I lose after a month of fasting? 30 day fast results
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- 25 DAY WATER FAST RESULTS | I lost 30 POUNDS in 25 DAYS VLOG
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- 30 Day Water Fast Weight Loss Results
- Dr. Berg How to do Intermittent Fasting for Serious Weight Loss
- Dr Fung Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss w/ Jason Fung, MD
- Dr. Fung Dr. Jason Fung Therapeutic Fasting Solving the Two-Compartment Problem
- Cancer Disappears With Water Fasting -Dr Alan Goldhamer
Can Fasting Increase My Lifespan
The longest living population in the world, the Seventh day Advantist, who live about a decade longer than the general population tends also to follow a similar eating pattern. With a heavy breakfast or lunch and prolonged fast, front loading calories and IF might also hint towards longevity.
Having a fasting window for some people could also mean skipping a meal and consuming lesser calories. Multiple studies talk about the benefits of reducing calories and the positive effects it has on the body . Reduced calorie diets have shown to increase life span in lab animals and also delay onset of predisposed age related genetic diseases.
Reduced calories is associated with metabolic slowing and reduced oxidative stress on your cell which increases longevity. This study even goes on to show that just a 20% caloric restriction starting from age 25 and going upto age 52 could add upto five years more to your lifespan!
Reduced calories of course means lower abdominal fat, lower cholesterol and triglyceride level, better insulin sensitivity and lower visceral fat. All of these also translate to longevity.
Now when I say reduced calories, I by no means am talking about a very restricted 1200 calories kind of diet. I am just talking about a 200-500 caloric deficit per day based on my activity level and BMR combined.
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Variations Of Intermittent Fasting
There is no one-size-fits-all way of doing intermittent fasting. The diet can be used in a number of different ways. Everyone has a different variation that works the best for them. The key is to find the variation that not only produces the best intermittent fasting results for you, but that is also realistically sustainable over time. Now, lets discuss five of the most common intermittent fasting variations.
You Are Not Eating Enough Food
Though it might sound counterproductive, you need to eat well during your eating window.
Intermittent fasting does not mean starvation and you can continue with your normal diet.
When you are not getting enough calories during your eating window, chances are that you will eat a whole lot more during your next window. That is because of the uncontrollable hunger that you will feel.
Also, starving yourself might cause your body to store more fat long-term. Your body notices that you are going for extended periods with little or no food and to ensure that you have a reliable energy source during such periods, your body stores the extra food you eat as fat.
So, instead of burning energy from your meals, your body begins to conserve energy.
Calorie counting could help you ensure you are getting sufficient fuel for your days activities.
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How Much Weight Can You Lose With An Intermittent Fasting Diet
The first thing to remember is that everyone is different. But, that doesnt change the fact that everyone can achieve positive results.
Some studies have found a moderate weight loss of up to 8% of body weight in the first few weeks. It depends on how well you follow the intermittent fasting method.
The more overweight you are when you start, the more weight you will lose. By reducing the number of meals during the day, you will reduce the number of calories you eat. That leads to sustained weight loss.
It sounds logical to say that you can lose weight by skipping meals for 1224 hours. But, the science behind fasting is that you have to make sure you are eating an adequate number of nutrients.
A person who wants to lose a few pounds always has the complication of going over the calories with a regular diet. It is easy to go over calories even if you eat healthy food.
If you are a beginner, you may find it difficult at first as your body must adapt to a new eating schedule. But, with perseverance, you can build good habits.
An advanced diet user knows that sometimes you have to sacrifice to get the results you want. That does not mean that intermittent fasting is torture. It is a method that makes you feel good.
Actually, there are plenty of IF benefits, and we prepared a video for you:
My Intermittent Fasting Results Blew Me Away5 Ways It Changed My Life
Considering intermittent fasting? I tried it for two months, and my intermittent fasting results went beyond mere weight loss.
Just a little disclaimer, Im not a doctor or nutritionist or any type of health care professional by any means. Just a gal whose mission for the past three years has been to get to the weight where I feel comfortable, happy, and confident with my body. What lofty goalsI know, right? I was at my heaviest over three and a half years ago when I decided to go vegan and thought that weight loss was going to be an effortless byproduct of eating a whole-foods, plant-based diet. But that hasnt been the case for me.
I wanted to lose around 33 lbs because that was the weight I remember feeling my best at. Well, three years and three months later, I was down 22 lbs and was generally happy with how I looked but still not where I wanted to be. There seemed to be a persistent layer of fat around my whole body, particularly around the stomach area, that prevented me from getting that lean look I desired. I did running, cycling, yoga and went to the gym, never pushing myself too much with any one of those, but just keeping active because it felt good and was a great way to stay healthy. I wanted something I could sustain for life, not just reach a goal for a split second and then be disappointed when I could not maintain it.
On the left is me this June 2017 and the right is September 2017.
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How Much Fat Loss Can I Expect From Intermittent Fasting
In this research study, without changing the calories input or increasing the exercise output, the average fat loss in overweight individuals with a restricted eating window was about 7 pounds in just a few months. In fact, this was one of the few weight loss studies where participants voluntarily chose to continue this pattern of eating even after the study was completed and sustained their fat loss.
Who Is This Type Of Diet For
If you are glucose sensitive- this is not suggested without proper guidance. Ironically, fasting does improve glucose sensitivity though.
If you have a habit of mindless eating, I highly suggest yu try this to dicipline yourself. I would suggest trying it for four weeks atleast and then listening to your body signals.
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Does Sleeping Count As Fasting
Yes, sleeping during your intermittent fast counts as fasting! Because youre asleep, youre not consuming any calories which puts you in a completely fasted state. Easy enough!
The 16/8 method IF method involves fasting for 16 hours per day and having your eating window reduced to 8 hours.
This is usually the easiest fast for beginners because its as simple as not eating anything after dinner and skipping breakfast.
Days Of Intermittent Fasting: Results
Learning to focus intentionally about stuff on this journey of minimalism took time. It’s a continued practice for me and I have to concentrate to focus intentionally. It’s becoming more natural as the years go by.
I had to learn to question why I wanted to keep an item and trust the answer. This kind of learned intentionality extended to my relationship with money, the Earth, and is now extending to my health.
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Calibrating The Eating Window
I started this trial by figuring that Id just skip breakfast each day, so my first eating window was 12 8pm. That was a decent place to start, but in practice it would be shifted later. When noon rolled around, Id wrap up whatever work I was doing first, and then Id also have to make something to eat. So when I used this window mentally, I didnt actually start eating till 12:30pm or later.
That was okay, but I disliked the long morning stretches with no food, and I didnt need to have dinner so late since I normally go to bed by 10:30pm. I got used to skipping breakfast, but I felt that I operated better with some food in the morning, especially when getting up early and exercising.
I tried moving the eating window earlier to 9am 5pm. That was okay too, but coordinating with Rachelle to have such an early dinner didnt work well. I didnt feel like eating the last meal around 4:30pm. By the time I tested this earlier window, Id already gotten used to waiting longer till breakfast, so I found it hard to stick with an earlier window, and my first meal naturally drifted later anyway.
The 1: 8 Intermittent Fasting Method
I decided to do the 16:8 method of Intermittent Fasting because it seemed to be a method of Intermittent Fasting that fit my lifestyle the best. Most people who try this method stop eating at 8 pm, then fast for 16 hours until noon.
I am one of those people who wake up every morning absolutely STARVING, so waiting until noon to eat wasnt something I thought I could handle, so I decided that I would start fasting at 6pm until 10am the next morning. That meant I would wake up, have a black coffee , get ready for work, drive the kids to school, drive to work, then wait until 10am to begin eating.
I kept healthy foods at work that I could eat whenever I wanted if it was during my 8 hour eating window.
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How To Get Incredible Results With Intermittent Fasting
What we all expect when we start a new diet are positive results.
How frustrating it is to jump from one diet to another when all you manage to lose is money and time.
Whether its to lose weight or to feel healthier, we are always searching for the ideal method.
Intermittent fasting promises and fulfills these expectations in an incredible way. Join us as we explore the tricks that work best to get the results you want.
Average Weight Loss How Many Pounds Can You Lose
Fasters can expect to lose roughly one half to one pound of weight per day of fasting . Weightloss comes from a combination of burning fat and glycogen weight as well as water loss weight.
Strangely, many fasters say they dont do it for weight loss. Maybe thats true or maybe theyre trying to look more spiritual.
For the rest of us, we use fasting methods to lose weight as the primary goal.
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Intermittent Fasting Results With 16/8
It worked! I lost about 15 pounds in three months of intermittent fasting. There was no weighing, tracking, or counting. I focused on consistently completing a successful fast and eating only during my designated eating window.
You cant get easier than that!
NSV .
While the weight loss was great, it wasnt the only benefit that I experienced during this time.
Some other amazing benefits that I experienced were:
- Less bloating
- Reduced inflammation, asthma symptoms reduced
- Increase in immunity
While NSVs may vary, it became very clear to me that intermittent fasting was so much more than a weight loss plan.
Intermittent fasting is a health and wellness plan that can carry you well into your later years.
Having Healthy Fats At Breakfast Kept Me Full Through Lunch
I loved the almond smoothie from Bates’ plan, which I cut down to just a few ingredients: almond milk, almond butter, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, a frozen banana, and a scoop of plant-based protein powder . I’d often make this the night before, throw it in the freezer to take with me in the morning, and then eat it with a spoon come breakfast. I looked forward to that first spoonful every single day. The best part was that I truly felt full for the next few hours. I think this was one of my best intermittent fasting results: a fulfilling breakfast in portable-smoothie-form that I actually craved.
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How To Break The Fast
There are many ways to break a fast. For longer fasts you always want to break it with light foods. Ghandi would break his fasts with orange juice. I break my fasts with a prepped meal thats easy to digest and low in calories.
What you dont want to do is go to a buffet or gorge on food. Youre stomach wont be able to handle it.
Try these fast-breaking foods instead:
- Orange juice
- Plain rice, well cooked
- Vegetable soup
Avoid raw vegetables or meat products. For vegetables, its easy on your stomach if they are cooked and super soft. Meat or even high protein vegan meals will raise the acid levels in your stomach which could upset you. Save meat or high protein vegetarian meals for later.
Tips For Women On The Keto Diet For Weight Loss
If you are a woman and hope to use the Keto Diet for weight loss, I have a few simple tips to share:
- Follow my 7-Day Intermittent Fasting With Keto Meal Plan . I picked simple and tasty recipes that will provide a good balance of energy to ensure you dont feel hungry, yet lose weight.
- Listen to your body and add some keto-approved snacks if you do end up feeling too hungry or struggle with cravings.
- Start the Keto diet at the beginning of your monthly cycle. If you experience unmanageable carb cravings toward the end of your cycle, put the keto diet on hold and start over at the beginning of your next cycle.
- Whenever you practice intermittent fasting without keto, make sure your fasting window lasts for at least 18 hours.
- Remember that sustainable weight loss is a long-term project.
If you would like a Step-by-Step Success Formula to Lose Weight, Kick the Cravings, and Tone Your Body in Just 30 Days, dont forget check out my 30-Day Intermittent Fasting Transformation.
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