It’s Also About Eating Good Food
But intermittent fasting isn’t just about going without it’s also about choosing nutritious food when you can eat, to provide lasting energy to get through the fasting window.
Diet quality is critical to the success of intermittent fasting diets, says lifestyle disease specialist Sam Hocking.
“I think one of the things where people can go a bit wrong with these diets is that idea of doing the 5:2 , ‘there are two days where you have to restrict your calories but on the other five days you can eat whatever you like’.
“You can’t have the day where you’re partying all day and eating and drinking and then expect to get the benefits.
“You’ve got to eat healthily on the normal eating days.”
Supplied: Samantha Roberts
For Samantha and Kevin, this means stocking their pantry with lots of wholegrains, fruit and veggies, nuts and seeds, lean meats, and avoiding processed meats and snacks.
It also means restricting alcohol.
“As of last week, I drank approximately 48 bottles of beer less than what I’d normally consume,” Kevin laughs.
“The things that I’ve been eating differently are pumpkin, tofu, couscous, and sweet potato chips. just small pieces and other things mixed in with my other vegetables.
“I’m loving it, it’s just the food I’ve got to eat to get where I want to be.”
What Can I Eat While Intermittent Fasting
During the times when youre not eating, water and zero-calorie beverages such as black coffee and tea are permitted.
And during your eating periods, eating normally does not mean going crazy. Youre not likely to lose weight or get healthier if you pack your feeding times with high-calorie junk food, super-sized fried items and treats.
But what Williams likes about intermittent fasting is that it allows for a range of different foods to be eaten and enjoyed. We want people to be mindful and take pleasure in eating good, nutritious food, she says. She adds that eating with others and sharing the mealtime experience adds satisfaction and supports good health.
Williams, like most nutrition experts, regards the Mediterranean diet as a good blueprint of what to eat, whether youre trying intermittent fasting or not. You can hardly go wrong when you pick complex, unrefined carbohydrates such as whole grains, leafy greens, healthy fats and lean protein.
You Can Track Calories To Lose Weight Without Intermittent Fasting
If you want to ensure that you lose weight, you can be rigid and track calories every single day. For some people, they need to track everything that they consume. I can understand that and respect that. I just cant do that myself.
If you track every single calorie that you consume and ensure that you get into a calorie deficit consistently, then youre going to lose weight. Its basic science. I just have a feeling that youre not a robot.
I can confirm that a tight eating window along with tracking calories will ensure that youre in a daily calorie deficit.
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Consider The Intermittent Fasting Plan Right For You:
Some of the popular regimens include:
The 16:8 diet, or time-restricted feeding, where you fast for 16 hours a day, but are free to eat whatever you want in the other eight hours. Experts advise picking an eating window that lets you finish your meals fairly early, such as 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or earlier, because your body is less efficient at putting sugar away as the day goes by.
Alternate day fasting, which means limiting yourself to 500 calories one day, then eating whatever you want the next, and then repeating that process.
The 5:2 plan, which means incorporating two non-consecutive fast days into your week, then eating normally during the other days.
Here are four tips to keep your plan on track:
There Are Many Health Benefits To Fasting
There are more benefits to fasting than just trying to lose a few pounds.
According to this article at Harvard Health:
Short-term studies suggest that people stick to intermittent fasting diets as well as or better than they do to other diets. And according to a 2019 review article in the journal Nutrients, intermittent fasting promotes weight loss and may reduce risk factors linked to heart disease, including diabetes, high blood pressure, unhealthy blood lipid levels, and inflammation.
I obviously had no idea that any of these benefits would come from simply doing nothing.
Here are some of the health-related benefits of intermittent fasting:
I dont have the time or intelligence to get into each of these in todays article.
I personally fast because I enjoy feasting, but many people out there fast for health benefits mainly. You also absolutely dont need to eat first thing in the morning to boost your metabolism.
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There are several intermittent fasting variants: Fast for 16 hours, eat within eight hours fast for 20 hours, eat within four hours eat one meal daily, within a two-hour window eat three meals as usual on one day, fast the next day and eat normally for five days, then limit your intake to 500 to 600 calories for two days in the week.
After a discussion with physician Zulkarnain Abdul Hamid, who began intermittent fasting three years ago and lost more than 20 kg in the first year, Chia settled on the 16:8 regimen.
After eight weeks since December, he lost 3 kg and his body fat dropped from 24.1 per cent to 18 per cent. So he decided to continue with intermittent fasting and has now lost about 5 kg.
But there are some things to note for those considering intermittent fasting. For example, individuals who are pregnant, under 18 or have a low BMI should avoid it. Here are seven other pointers:
1. EXERCISE PORTION CONTROL
You must still watch what you eat, though it is easier said than done.
It can be quite challenging when eating out, especially when youre trying to break fast, acknowledged Mary Chong, who researches weight loss diet interventions and eating behaviour in adults and infants. One way is to ask for half the portion.
Another way is to use smaller plates. There is evidence to suggest that the sizes of plates, bowls and even spoons can unconsciously influence the amount people eat.
2. PRACTISE MINDFUL EATING
3. DRINK BEFORE EATING
The Nutritionist’s Verdict On Intermittent Fasting
Nutritionist Resource member Ruth Taylor said: ‘Intermittent fasting is proving to be a simple and safe method to help support weight loss and can also help reverse type two diabetes for some people. It is an easy to adapt method of eating that fits in with most lifestyles.’
So there you have it. Would you try it?
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Intermittent Fasting Can Still Lead To Weight Gain
Feeling starved during your fasting period might make some people more prone to binging behaviors when theyre not fasting. And eating more calories than what your body burns will lead to a long-term increase in body fat even if you consistently fast for 12-16 hours each day.
In other words, if you are having trouble maintaining your hunger and end up going completely rogue on your non-fasting periods, you could end up gaining weight.
Going rouge during your non-fasting periods can sabotage your health goals, start a meal prep routine or plan your meals to ensure you’re nourishing your body.
Not sure what style of diet is right for you? Use a meal plan quiz to get started!
Try Sticking To The Following Foods On The 1: 8 Diet:
- Whole grains: Ones like rice, oats, barley, wholegrain pasta and quinoa will keep you fuller for longer.
- Protein: Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds will keep you full.
- Fruit: Apples, bananas, berries, oranges and pears will offer good vitamin sustenance.
- Vegetables: Broccoli and leafy greens are especially good for making sure youre eating enough fibre.
- Healthy fats: Olive oil, coconut oil, avocados.
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Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan: The Reality
I set my eating window from 10am to 6pm. Even though I didnt change my diet , only consuming food between set hours came as a shock.
Despite snacking on fruit and chocolate and upping my water intake to three litres, my stomach frequently growled and I got crippling headaches.
But within a couple of weeks, my body had adapted and I felt less bloated and more energised. Plus, its pretty hard to overeat when you only have eight hours, so the inches gradually fell away.
Weekends were tough. All that extra time to notice youre not eating, and the antisocial aspect of not being able to make it to brunch and dinner.
The pay-off is that youre only restricting when, not what youre eating. And fasting for 16 hours isnt as daunting as it sounds when you factor in sleep.
But Ravenshear stresses the importance of not taking the eat-whatever-you-like approach too literally. Fill up with protein-rich ingredients and healthy fats and avoid the empty calories in sugars and refined carbs if you want real long-term results.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Actually Work When It Comes To Losing Weight
September 28, 2021 by Martin
How does this stuff work? Can I really lose weight by eating whatever I want for a few hours? How am I supposed to not eat for 16 hours?
People who are new to the world of intermittent fasting often cant understand how it works. You likely want to try this stuff because you want to shed some fat, but youre just not sure of how it even works.
This is why I want to show you how intermittent fasting works to lose weight even when already youve tried everything possible already.
Were going to look at how fasting works, why it helps you lose weight, and how you can start right now to get lean ASAP
Why does losing weight have to be so stressful?
I tried to figure out how intermittent fastings works because I was at the point where I was fed up with unrealistic diets that I couldnt follow. I didnt want to live in the gym and feel miserable 24/7 because I was on a diet.
There was just one problem with trying to lose weight with intermittent fasting.
I couldnt figure out how I would skip breakfast and go an entire 16 hours without eating.
When I first read about this space in 2012, I just couldnt fathom the idea of not eating first thing in the morning. This made no sense to me and I didnt think that I could survive. I thought that my metabolism would just give up on me. I thought that I would have no energy.
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Intermittent Fasting With A Mediterranean Diet
If you are going to do intermittent fasting, make sure you do it safely. Intermittent fasting is not for everyone and anyone who wishes to try this lifestyle change should make sure they dont eat too little or too much instead, they should maintain a healthy diet while doing Intermittent Fasting. One great way of doing intermittent fasting is pairing it with a Mediterranean diet.
A study on the combination of intermittent fasting and a Mediterranean diet showed that both had many benefits including weight loss, improvement in heart health and improvements in blood sugar levels. When you do this, make sure you eat nutrient dense foods like whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits while also maintaining a healthy fat intake. This combination has many health benefits and is one of the best diets for weight loss!
What Can I Eat
Because intermittent fasting plans are purely concerned with WHEN you eat, its easy to get confused about WHAT you should be eating during your eating window. Technically, intermittent fasting has no rules about this. Youll find many intermittent fasting guides that tell you to eat whatever you want.
That being said, its common sense that the benefits you reap from fasting will be limited by your food choices while eating.
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Diet Myth Or Truth: Fasting Is Effective For Weight Loss
Fasting is an age-old practice, often done for religious reasons, but fasting for weight loss is still capturing the public imagination. You can find dozens of do-it-yourself plans touting the unproven benefits of fasting, ranging from flushing “poisons” from the body to purging 30 pounds of fat in 30 days.
It’s true that fasting — that is, eating little to no food — will result in weight loss, at least in the short term. But the risks far outweigh any benefits, and ultimately, fasting can cause more harm than good.
Metabolic Flexibility The Key
After youve done a proper 21 day reset, the end result should be that youre now metabolically flexible.
Youre now fat adapted and you can easily switch fuel sources from the foods that you eat to your own body fat for energy. Thats when you get into what I like to call accelerated fat loss.
If you dont do a proper reset, and you still follow a standard western diet and you just jump in with intermittent fasting, that is the definition of metabolic inflexibility. And youre not going to see the results youre looking for.
This is where a lot of people find themselves. This is where you hear people say that they got headaches from fasting, they were starving the entire time, they didnt feel good, and they say it didnt work for them.
Yeah, no kidding. I couldve told you that.
Now the people whos taken the proper 21 day primal reset inside the Fat Loss Accelerator have all successfully unregulated their fat burning metabolism. Theyre metabolically flexible and they can easily fast for long periods of time without feeling hungry.
Which means that theyre able to burn more fat. Theyve also all been successful at being able to keep the weight off.
Now, how long will it take for you to start seeing results? It really depends how long you fast for, and how often. I always like to say that the longer you fast, the better.
So if youve been overweight for a long time, that means that youve also been insulin resistant for a long time.
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Typical Fasting Weight Loss Plans
Fasting regimens vary, but the basic premise usually starts with a strict regimen allowing only water, juice and/or some kind of laxative concoction. Some plans allow a few solid foods, but are still called fasts because they provide so few calories.
Not all fasts are created equal. Some can be perfectly safe, such as medical fasts supervised by a physician. Religious and cultural fasts are typically undertaken as an act of devotion, last from 24-48 hours, and are not intended to promote weight loss.
Fasts lasting a day or two are unlikely to be dangerous for most healthy adults. But high-risk people, the elderly, anyone with a chronic disease, pregnant women, and children are advised against any type of fasting.
The real danger lies in staying on the fast for prolonged periods, anywhere from three days to a month.
Intermittent Fasting What You Need To Know
Humans have practiced intermittent fasting since the dawn of time. Sometimes intermittent fasting was part of an ancient ritual. In other cases, early hunter/gatherers simply could not find enough to eat. The human body then evolved so that it could function without food for an extended time. Because of this, it is healthier to fast now and again than it is to eat three, four or more meals every day.
People still fast as part of religious or cultural rituals. They also practiced intermittent fasting to lose weight caused by overeating, something ancient man rarely had to deal with.
Intermittent fasting does not detail which foods you should consume, but rather when you should eat them. In fact, intermittent fasting is more of an eating pattern than a conventional diet.
There are several intermittent fasting schedules. A few of the most popular include:
- The 16/8 method: Also known as the Leangains protocol, the 16/8 method involves fasting for 16 hours and eating only during an 8-hour period you will also skip breakfast
- Eat-Stop-Eat: Simply stop eating for a 24-hour period once or twice a week the fasting period might start when you skip dinner one day and fast until dinner the next day
- The 5:2 diet: This diet has you eating only 500 to 600 calories daily on two non-consecutive days and eating normally on the other five days of the week.
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Intermittent Fasting Results: I Tried Eating In An 8 Hour Window
Its 9pm and my boyfriend is sitting opposite me devouring dinner. I, on the other hand, am clutching a glass of water, my last meal a distant memory at 5.45pm and my next not till 10am tomorrow.
Im on week four of trying 16:8 intermittent fasting. I can eat anything and everything, as long as I consume it all within one eight-hour window per day, then give my body 16 hours off food.
Does Intermittent Fasting Really Work Cant I Just Eat Less
October 9, 2020 by Martin
Does intermittent fasting work? Cant I just eat less?
Youre probably wondering if intermittent fasting works or if its just better to try to eat less to lose weight and get some abs.
I know how you feel. You want to lose some weight, look leaner, and feel better. Youre just not sure if you should be fasting or trying to limit what you eat with every meal.
Keep on reading to see if you really need to be fasting or if you could just count calories to lose weight to reveal those abs
A buddy once told me that he couldnt get into this fasting stuff because he hated feeling hungry in the morning. He wanted to count every calorie to ensure that he was in a calorie deficit. He used an app on his phone and inputted every single calorie that he consumed into this app.
I respect that and the commitment to tracking everything. Im just not a fan of counting chips at a party. Im not a fan of restrictive diets and being told that I cant eat food that I enjoy.
Im willing to embrace the slight discomfort that comes with waiting to eat than to deal with the hassle of counting calories.
Where am I going with this?
Whenever I talk to friends at events about diets and getting into shape, the idea of fasting comes up.
Does intermittent fasting work?
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