Break Your Fast With Modestly
Breaking your fast by bingeing on large portions of junk foods will turn out to be counter-productive. When you’re fasting for 12 to 14 hours, you are likely to be ravenous when the fasting window ends. But overcome your instinct to eat lots of food and instead break your fast with a modestly-sized and healthy meal.
Intermittent Fasting for weight loss: Break your fast with modestly-sized meals
How Do I Try Intermittent Fasting
There are four popular fasting approaches: periodic fasting, time-restricted feeding, alternate-day fasting and the 5:2 diet. Time-restricted feeding, sometimes called daily intermittent fasting, is perhaps the easiest and most popular fasting method. Daily intermittent fasters restrict eating to certain time periods each day, say 11 in the morning to 7 at night. The fasting period is usually around 12 or more hours that, helpfully, includes time spent sleeping overnight. Periodic fasting will feel most familiar: no food or drinks with calories for 24-hour periods. Another type of fast, alternate-day fasting requires severe calorie reduction every other day. Lastly, the 5:2 method was popularized by author Kate Harrisons book The 5:2 Diet” and requires fasting on two nonconsecutive days a week.
Fast For 12 Hours A Day
The rules for this diet are simple. A person needs to decide on and adhere to a 12-hour fasting window every day.
According to some researchers, fasting for 1016 hours can cause the body to turn its fat stores into energy, which releases ketones into the bloodstream. This should encourage weight loss.
This type of intermittent fasting plan may be a good option for beginners. This is because the fasting window is relatively small, much of the fasting occurs during sleep, and the person can consume the same number of calories each day.
The easiest way to do the 12-hour fast is to include the period of sleep in the fasting window.
For example, a person could choose to fast between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. They would need to finish their dinner before 7 p.m. and wait until 7 a.m. to eat breakfast but would be asleep for much of the time in between.
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Intermittent Fasting The Best For Weight Loss
Ive been a personal trainer and nutrition coach since the mid-2000s and intermittent fasting is without a doubt the most effective diet for weight loss and slowing aging . Its also very simple to follow since youll just be restricting the times youre allowed to eat.
With intermittent fasting your body doesnt have any calories coming in. This allows your body to feed off your fat stores as an energy source . Since youre restricting your feeding hours youll instantly be cutting down on how many calories youre eating . Lowering your caloric intake does play a significant role in how much weight youre able to lose .
Finally, your body will release fat-burning hormones such as human growth hormone . This helps to preserve lean muscle mass which is needed to get a toned and slim physique . But dont worry about getting big bulky muscle mass from fasting.
But a lot of the weight youll lose with intermittent fasting depends on how much you have to lose in the first place. If you only have 10 pounds or so to lose then the results will be lesser if only doing it for a short time. But if you have more than 30 pounds to lose then your results will be much more.
You can expect to lose the most weight in the beginning few months and then itll start to slow down from there. And if youre trying to break through a weight-loss plateau then fasting for longer hours can get you there too .
Let Yourself Off The Hook
Many of us can’t resist the urge to kick ourselves when we eat too much or enjoy something we tell ourselves we shouldn’t be. The problem: This only makes it more difficult, stressful, and downright impossible to lose weight. When it comes to healthful eating, moderation is the key to fueling your body with nutritious foods and maintaining a healthy weight for the long haul. So rather than beating yourself up for eating foods you think you think you shouldn’t, let it go. Treating yourself to about 200 calories worth of deliciousness each day something that feels indulgent to you can help you stay on track for the long haul, so allow yourself to eat, breathe, and indulge. Food should be joyful, not agonizing!
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Intermittent Fasting Rule #: After A Rough Day Or Weekend Fast And Rest
Did you screw up? Did you fall off your diet?
Try to see how long you can go on water. Let your body rest. Dont beat yourself up over your mistakes. Try to recover by letting your body process the food.
Youre going to mess up. You dont have to punish yourself. Treat yourself to the gift of nothing. Do nothing. No detoxes. No fat burning supplements.. Not fit tea. Nothing. Drink water and try to keep your mind occupied. Catch up on your sleep. Its amazing how refreshed you can feel after a solid rest and fast.
How Much Weight Can You Lose With Intermittent Fasting
The amount of weight you can lose through intermittent fasting depends on your starting weight, medical conditions, type of food you eat on your non-fasting days, and other factors like your lifestyle, age, and activity level.
For example, if you choose to eat sugary desserts, drinks, and refined, ultra-processed carbs during your non-fasting days, a fast may not help you lose body fat.
However, if you pair intermittent fasting with healthy eating, you can experience healthy weight loss. A systematic review of 40 studies published in Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology found intermittent fasting was effective for weight loss, with a typical loss of seven to eleven pounds over ten weeks. If you weigh roughly 200 pounds, that equals a five percent loss of your total body weight in just ten weeks.
You might want a quick weight loss fix, but experts recommend you dont try to speed up the process. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the UKs National Health Service recommend you shoot for a safe rate of one to two pounds per week.
According to the CDC, if you lose weight gradually and safely, youll be more successful at keeping it off. So, the average weight loss per week with intermittent fasting is safe, effective, and long-term.
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What Laura Martin Md Says
Most of the intermittent fasting diets recommend cutting back to 500-600 calories on fasting days. In general, for many people this would be medically safer and easier than not eating at all on those days.
Remember to drink enough on fasting days to prevent dehydration. And youll need to eat a healthy diet on days that you dont fast.
How Much Weight Can You Lose
Your weight loss during water fasting will depend mostly on your gender and your weight.
Luckily, science can already offer us with a pretty good estimate of how much weight you can expect to lose on a typical water fast.
According to research that compared the average weight loss results between men and women, men can expect to lose more weight than women during water fasting.
I’ve compiled the data from the study into this pretty long table:
| Water fast duration |
|---|
Ok, so, like I said, you don’t need to do ANY manual calculations.
But just so you understand how the calculator works, here are two example calculations:
Example 1 :You’re a 150-lbs woman who plans on doing a 7-day water fast.
You can estimate your weight loss results by taking the value from the second column in the table for a 7-day water fast and multiply it by your current weight.
Your estimated 7-day water fasting results: 150 lbs * 4.5 / 100 = -6.8 lbs
Example 2 :You’re a 180-lbs man who plans on doing a 14-day water fast.
You can estimate your weight loss results by taking the value from the third column in the table for a 14-day water fast and multiply it by your current weight.
Your estimated 14-day water fasting results: 180 lbs * 7.9 / 100 = -14.2 lbs
Easy, right?
Ok, now that you have a good idea about how much weight you can expect to lose, let’s take a closer look at what really goes on under the hood.
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Heres My Simplest Formula For Those Looking To Lose Weight With Intermittent Fasting
Focus on the main lifts while cutting out breakfast. Get stronger in the compound lifts. Keep it simple. Replace breakfast with coffee, water, sparkling water or a mix of all three. Youre not trying to compete on stage. Youre just looking to get more jacked without devoting your entire life to this stuff. Your body will change with weight training and fasting.
You wont even feel restricted. Youre going to have more energy than ever. You finally have a plan that you can stick to because were all good at doing nothing. Lets do this. Lets do more of nothing.
The goal is to add more play to your life. You dont want to live in the kitchen or feel like you have to spend hours on the treadmill. You dont have to feel guilty over not wanting to eat chicken and rice every single day.
Those are the rules for intermittent fasting to lose weight. You dont have to follow all of these rules religiously. This isnt a cult. These are just the guidelines that will help you get lean by doing nothing.
What Is Clean Or Dirty Fasting
Surprisingly, you can follow a clean fasting schedule or play it out a little bit dirty.
These terms refer to defining what kind of foods break the fast. The clean path defines a zero-calorie approach: you cannot drink or eat anything other than water, plain black coffee, green tea, or any type of herbal tea.
While dirty fasting, you might consume drinks that contain less than 50 calories, such as lemon water, coffee with MCT oil, bone broth, or zero-calorie drinks. You might even enjoy a piece of gum or an occasional mint.
Both of these methods are valid. As a beginner, you might want to start fasting dirty and go clean once you get a handle on your new routine.
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Figure Out Caloric Needs
There are no dietary restrictions when fasting, but this does not mean calories do not count.
People who are looking to lose weight need to create a calorie deficit for themselves this means that they consume less energy than they use. People who are looking to gain weight need to consume more calories than they use.
There are many tools available to help a person work out their caloric needs and determine how many calories they need to consume each day to either gain or lose weight. A person could also speak to their healthcare provider or dietitian for guidance on how many calories they need.
A person interested in losing or gaining weight may find it helps to plan what they are going to eat during the day or week.
Meal planning does not need to be overly restrictive. It considers calorie intake and incorporating proper nutrients into the diet.
Meal planning offers many benefits, such as helping a person stick to their calorie count, and ensuring they have the necessary food on hand for cooking recipes, quick meals, and snacks.
What Happens To Your Body During A 7 Day Water Fast
Day 1: If youve done Intermittent Fasting for weight loss before then this wont be too difficult. There will be small waves of hunger earlier in the day. As the day goes on your body is so used to food youll get some hunger pangs. Expect to maybe have feelings of irritability in the afternoon but its usually nothing unbearable. This is when your mental toughness will be needed to kick this 7-day water fast for weight loss off successfully.
Day 2-3: Youll probably wake up feeling ok in the morning but dont be surprised if you crash hard not much longer after. The majority of people say Days 2-3 are going to be the toughest to get through. Youll feel the most hunger during these first few days. Just remember to keep motivated and hang in there. The feelings of being bloated will start to go away and your body will begin to feel lighter. Dont worry if you get a little brain fog too its your body dumping all the toxins out of the system as autophagy kicks in.
Day 4: This is when the energy levels should really start coming back to you. Your body begins to realize whats going on and will start using your fat stores for energy. After you get over that first 3 days youll experience a sense of empowerment. Youll begin waking up feeling good once again and can start getting more stuff done. Expect much of the brain fog to go away and youll have more mental clarity.
How Much Weight Can You Lose if You Fast for One Week?
Can You Lose 10 Pounds in a Week?
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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.
What Should I Eat With 20/4 Intermittent Fasting
Now that you know how to effectively follow the intermittent fasting 20:4 rules, your next step is to make a meal plan. Meal planning is an easy way to ensure that you always have meals at the ready for whenever you break your fast. This ensures that you always have healthy meals or snacks, which prevents you from consuming unhealthy food options.
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Since intermittent fasting is an eating plan and not a diet, people do not have any strict regulations on what kinds of foods or drinks they should eat during the feeding window. However, the warrior diet stands out as it offers some guidelines on how to eat. Your meals should make up a balanced diet, which is a diet that gives your body enough nutrients to work effectively, protecting itself against disease, infection, fatigue, and low performance .
With that in mind, here are some foods that should be included in your 20/4 intermittent fasting meal plan or grocery list. Not only will these foods help with your weight loss goals, but they are also good for your overall health.
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How Much Weight Can You Lose In A Month
Well, this another question to which theres no exact answer because each body reacts differently to a fast.
But generally, the first days are very crucial. When you will fast for the first time, you will compel your body to a new style of eating.
What happens is it will get confused if I can say this. Thats why the first days of fasting, the body can burn more fat.
When I did the alternate-day fasting, I lost 9kgs in my first week.
How Do Fasting Diets Work To Help Rev Weight Loss
The idea behind intermittent fasting is that it increases your metabolic rate, which helps you burn more calories. And by restricting the time periods during the day when you eat, you take in fewer calories each day.
Going into diet change, I knew there was only early evidence that fasting can lead to temporary weight loss, and that more research is needed especially on the potential long-term health effects of this diet. As it stands, experts warn that fasting may not be safe, or smart, for everyone. Fasting is not recommended for some groups, such as pregnant or lactating women, some people with diabetes, people dealing with eating disorders or issues such as low blood sugar, according to the Mayo Clinic. Thats why experts stress that its important to consult your healthcare team before trying any type of fast.
Despite the lack of comprehensive research on intermittent fasting, this eating style has helped me lose weight, regain my energy, and become more mindful about my eating choices.
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Your Fasting Schedule: How To Use 24
You can experiment and work your way up gradually, but heres a protocol thats worked for lots of people:
Fast for 24 or 36 hours 2-3 times per week.
Keep that up for at least a couple months, and then see how youre doing.
If youd like, you can keep doing time-restricted eating on some of the other days as well. But dont overdo it.
Make sure you FEAST in between fasts. Eat until youre full, and satisfied, including plenty of protein and healthy fats.
One way to know if you ate enough?
Youll have a food baby. Thats a positive sign.
As I mentioned earlier, becoming fat-adapted makes fasting easier. So consider doing keto for a while beforehand.
Once you start doing longer fasts, its really important to keep your electrolytes up as well. Mainly that means getting plenty of salt / sodium, which you can do by drinking bouillon, broth, or other salty things while you fast.
Magnesium and potassium supplements may also be beneficial.
For some other tips to make your experience as easy as possible, read my Easy Fasting Guide.
