How To Schedule Meals When You Are Intermittent Fasting
While the idea of fasting can be overwhelming, especially if you haven’t done it before, intermittent fasting can actually be a lot easier than many other types of eating plans.
Once you start your intermittent fasting journey, you’ll most likely find that you feel fuller longer and can keep the meals you do eat very simple.
There are a few different ways you can fast, so I broke up each of the different plans below into beginner, intermediate, and advanced along with a typical meal plan for each day.
The combination of nutrients will give you the energy you need to enhance the benefits of your fasting journey.
Just make sure to take into account any individual food intolerances, and use this as a guide for your particular health case, and adjust from there.
Remember, intermittent fasting does not necessarily mean calorie-controlled, so be sure to eat according to your personal caloric needs.
Free Printable 1200 Calorie Diet Plans For Weight Loss
As with most things in life, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Here is a round-up of 9 best free printable 1,200 calorie diet plans that will help you plan your meals, be more efficient and organized so that you can eat the right food at the correct times, in the right portions.
There are many different kinds of diets out there, but arguably one of the most popular ones is the 1,200-calorie plan. As its name suggests, this caps the number of daily calories that can be consumed to 1,200, which is significantly fewer than what the average adult needs to maintain their current weight.
A standard recommendation for adult women to trigger sustainable weight loss is to reduce calorie intake to 1,2001,500 calories per day. For adult men, the daily calorie intake should be lowered to 1,5001,800 calories to stimulate reasonable weight reduction.
healthline.com
According to experts, the 1,200-calorie diet plan is considered effective and generally safe. When utilized properly, together with an active lifestyle this diet plan can promote rapid fat loss, allowing the individual to reach their desired weight quite fast.
However, like most diets, it can be pretty tough to stick to only eating 1,200 calories in a day, especially given that this is the recommended low-calorie diet range .
Tips For Meal Planning
Find weight-loss success by following a few strategies that’ll make meal prepping easier. By prepping ahead of time, it’s easier to eat healthfully and therefore, lose weight.
Also Check: What Is The Minimum Hours For Intermittent Fasting
The Role Of Apps In Intermittent Fasting And Weight Loss
The best intermittent fasting apps help you to track progress in several ways. It is convenient to record things easier and ensure consistency in it. Studies show that 77% of participants lose weight with the support of the best intermittent fasting apps. People can also avoid weight gain and ensure proper workouts. They can self-monitor a healthy diet and witness progress in their health. Further, peer-to-peer support levels up the motivation and encourages people to stay focused on their diet.
Analytical dashboards boost the enthusiasm of the user. Best fasting apps with diet plans or healthy eating practices help the user to embrace a healthy lifestyle. Some also have sleep trackers or hydration trackers. Advanced fasting apps allow the user to integrate with Google Fit or Apple Health and provide better insights. Overall, these apps visualize your goal and help you achieve them.
Intermittent Fasting Apps
Proven to be effective, Intermittent Fasting is being incorporated into peoples weight loss programs all around the world.
Its backed with solid evidence as more and more people are jumping on the bandwagon and seeing incredible results.
The fact that fasting has the potential to reprogram your metabolism only adds to the effectiveness of this weight-loss method, as we all know the key to losing weight is to eat fewer calories than the maintenance level.
The : 2 Diet Plan: Complete Meal Plans For 7 Days
Our 5:2 Diet meal plan gives you a delicious and healthy daily menu for 2 days of fasting and 5 non fasting days.
As well as very low calorie meals for fast days, this 5:2 gives you a complete weekly menu. So you get a good idea of what you can eat on non fast days without compromising your weight loss.
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How Does Intermittent Fasting Work
The power of Intermittent Fasting comes in two forms and shapes: caloric restriction and reduced meal frequency .
An average adult would have breakfast at 8 am, lunch at noon, snack at 3 pm, dinner at 7 pm and then an I cant go to bed being hungry-kind-of-snack at 11 pm.
Thats five meals over the course of 15 hours and if you dont follow a strict portion control youll most likely consume more calories than you spent that day, which will result in gaining extra weight.
On top of that, your body will be working all that time digesting the food and will not have enough time left for so-needed recovery activities.
When following any intermittent fasting schedule you are reducing the meal frequency throughout your day, making it simply harder to eat 3 big meals and 2 snacks within twice or even less time .
All of this results in a lower chance to go overboard with your calorie consumption and also more time for body to perform recovery operations such as autophagy.
Free Diet And Meal Plans
A series of meal plans forms the basis for any calorie-controlled diet. These examples will help you to get a handle on what your daily energy intake will look like.
Current government calorie recommendations are as follows:
These amounts are for weight maintenance , and assume little or no physical activity. As we age, our basal metabolism lowers, as does our muscle mass.
Don’t Miss: Which Fasting Is Best For Weight Loss
Best Intermittent Fasting Apps To Track Fasting
Sometimes technology can really be our best friend and help us stick to our commitments.
If you need extra support or simply want to make your life easier, there are a number of intermittent fasting apps available on the market to help you out.
We have reviewed several apps and made our list of the best intermittent fasting apps. Heres our top 2:
- Life Fasting Tracker
You can find a comprehensive review of all 6 intermittent fasting apps here, to get more information on the pros and cons of each fasting app, costs, and other features.
Cons Of Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is one way to regulate your calorie intake and work toward improving your metabolic health.
Though the eating pattern can certainly be part of a healthy diet, it will likely take some adjusting to in the beginning. Plus, simply put, intermittent fasting is not right for everyone.
Here are a few downsides you could encounter when first trying intermittent fasting.
Read Also: How To Use Intermittent Fasting
So Which Intermittent Fasting Schedule Is Best For Weight Loss Whichever One You’ll Actually Stick To Tbh
In short, the one that’s easiest for you to follow. “It is all about sustainability for the individual,” says Lemein. “If one of these diets work well for you and your lifestyle and preferences, then you will likely see some success. If not, then you’ll likely not see the results you’re are looking for, as the sustainability piece will not be there.” That means picking a diet that work best with all the lifestyle factors you need to consider, like your work schedule, family dynamic, living situation, commute time, and travel commitments, notes Lemein.
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It’s worth pointing out, though, that the 16:8 diet seems to be the most doable for a lot of people who are into IF. The 16:8 method also scores points for preventing overeating at night, which can often be a big obstacle for weight loss. And sticking to an eight-hour eating window during daylight hours allows your metabolism to run as itâs supposed toâyou fuel up for energy during the day , and stop eating for rest and recovery at night, per a 2017 article in the journal Nutrition Reviews.
The bottom line: All intermittent fasting schedules may lead to weight loss if you can follow them sustainably, and the 16:8 method may be the easiest way to follow an IF diet.
Notes On This Meal Plan For Weightloss
Youll notice something immediately about this meal plan.
Lunch is sometimes the same as another days dinner.
Now, I dont know if its just me but a lot of meal plans ask for a unique dish for every.single.meal.
Im sure my neighbor can pull this off but not me.
I can barely keep up with my showers.
Its just not practical to cook a fresh dish everytime the clock strikes 12pm and 7pm.
For this reason, I generally eat the leftovers from dinner for lunch.
Yes, I may have a few days where inspiration strikes and I actually prepare a real lunch.
But, most days, this is how it goes down.
Some weeks, we even eat the same foods for 2 dinners back to back.
As long as youre eating home cooked meals and watching those portions, youre doing great.
Time Magazine even did a whole article about this very issue.
So dont feel bad if you cant go all Betty Crocker for your family.
They love you regardless.
Let me know what you feel about this meal plan in the comments and dont forget to pin and share.
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Choosing A Time Window
To get started, begin by picking an 8-hour window and limiting your food intake to that time span.
Popular 16/8 time windows include:
- 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Many people prefer to eat between noon and 8 p.m., since you need to fast only overnight and skip breakfast but can still eat a balanced lunch and dinner, along with a few snacks throughout the day.
Others opt to eat between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., which allows plenty of time for a healthy breakfast around 9 a.m., a standard lunch around noon, and a light, early dinner or large snack around 4:30 p.m. before starting your fast.
However, you can experiment and pick the time frame that best fits your schedule.
It may help to set timers at both the beginning and the end of your eating window to remind you when to start and stop eating.
Day : Eliminate The Easy Targets
Now that you know that you tend to seek out a brownie at 3 p.m. or down an extra glass of wine with your BFF at happy hour, aim to omit one or two of those triggers from your agenda each day. A few formidable foes to keep an eye on:
- “Processed foods, white carbohydrates, and sweetened drinks cause sugar spikes that can lead to hunger or powerful cravings that can wreck your progress,” Shapiro says.
- “Pass on the fried foods,” Kaufman says, as they’re high in fat, low in nutrition and the excess oil will leave you feeling lethargic.
- “Remove extra sugar from your diet: sugar in your coffee, flavored or sweetened dairy products, basically anytime you sweeten something, stop,” Alpert says.
In fact, by removing added sugars from your diet for just 14 days can help you lose up to a pound a day! For the entire dietcomplete with recipes and a grocery guidecheck out The 14-Day No Sugar Diet on sale now!
Read Also: What Can I Eat And Drink During Intermittent Fasting
Continue With Workouts You Enjoy
When it comes to deciding what workout you want to do, it should be something you will enjoy. Formulate your workout routine by focusing on what you enjoy and see results from. Whether that be more fast pace cardio-based workouts or slower muscle training exercises, do what makes you feel good. Having a positive attitude towards your workout routine will encourage you to continue.
Proven With Science Too
Now unlike other diet plans that want you to eat in a small window of time
Forcing you to starve yourself for half the day
Or make you eat only vegetables …
The Mediterranean Diet isnt actually a diet at all.
Heres what I mean by that…
Because according to 30 of the top research studies from journals like Food Research International
And the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
The Mediterranean Diet gets you maximum results in the minimum amount of time
While eating the delicious foods you already love
Like meats, fish, carbs, fats, fruits and vegetables
And on top of all that?
We throw in lots of delicious desserts in the mix too!
In fact, this new report just came out from U.S. News Health
So its not just me saying it
This really works!
To help you get going, weve got something special for you
Sign up now for the 30-Day Challenge and get access to The Mediterranean Diet Plan along with these 8 BONUSES to guide you every step of the way…
Digital Edition
The Beginners Guide to the Mediterranean Diet:
Learn everything there is to know about The Mediterranean Diet, including the simple rules and hacks to change your diet and turn your body into a fat burning machine.
Digital Edition
The Incredible Mediterranean Diet Cookbook:
Along with your 30-Day Challenge comes the 92 page cookbook, full of easy-to cook, delicious recipes including low calorie desserts for the occasional guilt-free cheat meal on your 30-day challenge.
Digital Edition
Also Check: Intermittent Fasting Type 2 Diabetes
The Weight Loss App Everyone Should Have
Lose It! Calorie Counter
Free, with in-app purchases
The best apps for weight loss let you chart your food intake and document exercise, says Srinath. These may sound like bare-bones goals, but Srinath says that Lose It! excels in this regard. Its easy to use and sets a daily calorie budget for you, and you can track food using their bar code scanner or by snapping a photo of your plate, making it easy to use.
Lose It! also allows you to connect certain fitness trackers so you can integrate everything in one place. The company says that users have lost more than 78 million pounds total. Impressive!
Shutterstock
Donât Miss: Mediterranean Diet With Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fast The 14
Make an easy to adapt fasting routine with Intermittent Fast. Unlike other fasting apps, this one offers you a dedicated section for recipes. Although you need to upgrade to a lifetime membership to access the feature that may not seem feasible for some of us.
Nevertheless, you can make use of other free features of the app, including the option to track your improvements with the success curve. The option to choose your favorite mealtime is quite good as it adjusts your fasting hours accordingly. You can get your fourteen-day plan for effective fasting.
Read Also: What Fasting Method Is Best For Weight Loss
Fasting For Weight Loss 2 Days Per Week
Despite the increased availability of healthy foods, exercise facilities, low-carb and low-fat foods, diet sodas, diet plans, literally thousands of weight loss supplements and even prescription weight loss medication today, more and more people are overweight. Its estimated that by 2020 approximately 2.5 billion adults will be overweight and more than 800 million will be obese. The old dietary rules of eating low fat foods, exercising more, and not skipping meals have not made a dent in this problem. In fact, not only are there more obese people in every country in the world, they also weigh more. In the last decade, the average woman has gained 20 lbs. and the average man more than 30 lbs.
Over the last 10 years, hidden from view, has been the development of a new system to lose weight intermittent fasting for weight loss. Intermittent fasting does not mean stopping eating entirely it means reducing the amount you eat. For two days a week, you eat 25% of your normal caloric intake . On the remaining 5 days, you eat normally. There are many different versions of the intermittent fasting system. An alternative system is the increasing popular 16:8 intermittent fast where the dieter eats breakfast and lunch, snack and dinner and finishes all eating and caloric intake at 7 PM and except coffee with creamer does not eat until the next day at lunch. This leaves at least 16 hours for fasting.
