When Can I Eat On The 1: 8 Diet
You can pick an 8 hour window to suit your day. So, for example it could be between 10am 6pm or 11am 8pm and so on. Plus, you can still drink tea and coffee outside of those hours too, although because of the benefits of drinking water you are also encouraged to stay as hydrated as possible.
Most people choose to fast through the night, and opt to eat their first meal at about 11am or in the middle of the day.
Tom says, The most common hours adopted for the eating period is 12 till 8pm. The reason for this is because people arent normally that hungry in the morning, you dont want to be consuming too many calories during the evening and this allows us to eat our lunch and dinner as well as a healthy snack.
There Are Several Methods Of Intermittent Fasting Such As:
Rules For Intermittent Fasting To Lose Weight
May 4, 2020 by Martin
If you want to lose weight, you just have to eat less. all annoying personal trainers on social media.
Why did we complicate everything about fitness? Fitness has become so lame on social media. This is why I love intermittent fasting and the casual fitness lifestyle.
Keep on reading for some quick wins if youre new to intermittent fasting and want to transform your body without living in the kitchen and wasting your life away in the gym
Self-proclaimed fitness experts are quick to lecture you on social media about how you need to work hard and eat less if you want to get abs. Were told that we have to eat less and prepare all of our own meals. Were supposed to be on a tight diet.
How do you eat less? Whats considered eating less? What are you supposed to eat? Can I still eat food that I enjoy? Am I okay if I order a medium pizza to myself instead of the usual Friday night large pizza?
Im sure youve pondered one of those thoughts before.
We all know that eating kale is good for you and that you should spend hours in the gym if you want to see results. The problem is that most traditional fitness rules like that are nearly impossible to apply in real life.
You likely already know what you should be doing to get that six pack. These activities are on your ridiculously long to-do list .
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What The Studies Show
Intermittent fasting has been shown, in many short-term research studies, that it can help you lose weight, improve your health and potentially protect you from developing certain diseases. And whats most appealing, is that it doesnt restrict you daily, like conversional dieting.
Studies have also shown that intermittent fasting may help prevent or even reverse diabetes. This is because it helps to control and reduce insulin and glucose concentrations in your blood.
Intermittent fasting may improve your sleep and gut health. It can also improve measures associated with cardiovascular disease and cancer, and possibly reduce inflammation.
However, theres still not enough studies to show how safe intermittent fasting is if you do it for a long time. But in general, most research highlights that its safe in otherwise healthy adults.
Advanced: The Modified 2
For this plan, eat clean for five days of the week . On the other two days, restrict your calories to no more than 700 each day. Calorie restriction unlocks many of the same benefits as fasting for an entire day.
On your non-fasting days, you’ll need to make sure you’re getting in healthy fats, clean meats, vegetables, and some fruits, and you can structure your meals however best works for you.
On restricted days, you can have smaller meals or snacks throughout the day or have a moderate-size lunch and dinner and fast in the morning and after dinner. Again, focus on healthy fats, clean meats, and produce. Apps can help you log your food and keep track of your calorie intake so you don’t go over 700.
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Should I Eat 6 Small Meals A Day
There are a few main reasons why diet books recommend six small meals:
1) When you eat a meal, your body does have to burn extra calories just to process that meal. So, the theory is that if you eat all day long with small meals, your body is constantly burning extra calories and your metabolism is firing at optimal capacity, right? Well, thats not true.
Whether you eat 2000 calories spread out throughout the day, or 2000 calories in a small window, your body will burn the same number of calories processing the food .
So, the whole keep your metabolism firing at optimum capacity by always eating sounds good in principle, but reality tells a different story.
2) When you eat smaller meals, you might be less likely to overeat during your regular meals. I can definitely see some truth here, especially for people who struggle with portion control or dont know how much food they should be eating.
However, once you educate yourself and take control of your eating, some might find that eating six times a day is very prohibitive and requires a lot of effort. I know I do.
Also, because youre eating six small meals, Id argue that you probably never feel full, and you might be MORE likely to eat extra calories during each snack.
Although grounded in seemingly logical principles, the six meals a day doesnt work for the reason you think it would , and generally only works for people who struggle with portion control .
Thats why we made this:
There Are Two Ways To Use This Ebook
If youre a trainer, coach, or other health and fitness professional:
- Get curious about the science behind IF. Youll find that in chapter 3. The more you understand, the better you can communicate with clients who have questions about it.
- Consider having a resource for clients who are interested in trying IF. And please feel welcome to point clients to any part of this ebook if you think theyll find it helpful.
- Monitor and support clients closely. If your clients are trying IF, be available to talk through any challenges or prevent problems before they happen.
- Recognize which clients, if any, IF might be appropriate for. Theres no one-size-fits-all protocol. Understand who IF mightand might notwork for, and be responsible to the people you serve.
If youre interested in trying IF yourself or simply want to learn more about it:
- Go slowly. Theres no rush. Well show you how to get started and how to personalize intermittent fasting for your needs.
- Know yourself. Pay attention to things like your energy, sleep, recovery, mood and mental state, behaviors, and relationships. If you notice problems, deal with them immediately. Faster/harder/more is almost never the answer.
- Consider coaching. Having ongoing supervision, support, accountability and guidance is usually a good thing.
- Check out our self-experimentation guidelines. In chapter 8, weve given you a step-by-step process that you can use to navigate your own IF exploration.
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What To Eat While Doing Intermittent Fasting
You can eat regular recipes when youre doing intermittent fasting, but its good to keep protein and carb count in mind. Counting macros is going to be more effective than if youre just guessing. Keep the protein high and the carbs lower, and youll be thrilled with your intermittent fasting results!
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How To Do Intermittent Fasting
1) Forget about the eating window, it is restrictive and unnecessary. Instead, simply focus on pushing your first meal 4-8 hours after rising. You dont need to break your fast or end your fast the same time, each day. That is extremely restrictive. The only rule is to push your first meal after rising.
2) Dont think about fasting. Just go about your day, and understand this is very good for you, and this is what your body is designed to do. Your body will kick up energy through increasing fat mobilization. Going without breakfast isnt a big deal!
3) Use black coffee or cafe americanos , strategically to blunt appetite. One really powerful trick is to wait at-least 1-2 hours before utilizing black coffee. This will increase the appetite suppressing effects. Also, I recommend only using caffeine during the fasted state and at no other time. This will ensure your body maintains a sensitivity to caffeine.
4) Drink some sparkling water during the fast to increase fullness and to dissolve any hunger. So, does sparkling water break a fast? For our purposes, no.
5) Break your fast with 1-2 pieces of fruit. The first sign of hunger, typically, is a depletion in liver glycogen. So if you break your fast with some fruit, you can stave off hunger for a couple more hours, with only 80-160 calories. Pushing your first meal later, will make dieting easier!
What Are The Possible Side Effects
There can be a number of possible side effects of intermittent fasting.40 Heres what to do if you encounter them:
- Hunger is the most common side effect of intermittent fasting. This may be less of an issue if youre already on a keto or low-carb, higher-fat diet.41Learn more
- Constipation is common. Less going in means less going out. However, keep in mind this is a normal response to eating less. It is not a concern and shouldnt require treatment unless you experience significant bloating or abdominal discomfort. Standard laxatives or magnesium supplements can be used, if needed.
- Headaches are common and tend to disappear after the first few times on fasts.42 Taking some extra salt often helps mitigate such headaches.43
- Mineral water may help if your stomach tends to gurgle.
- Other possible side effects include dizziness, heartburn and muscle cramps. Learn more
A more serious side effect is the refeeding syndrome. Fortunately, this is rare and generally only happens with extended fasts when one is undernourished.44
Since most of these side effects are manageable, they do not mean you have to stop your fast. However, if you truly feel unwell, are excessively dizzy, profoundly weak or have other severe symptoms, then you should break your fast.
Just remember to go slowly when you break it and prioritize fluids and salt . And of course, if the symptoms persist, see your doctor immediately.
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Does Intermittent Fasting Have Different Effects On Men And Women
The quick answer is: yes, Intermittent Fasting can affect men and women differently.
Anecdotally, we have many women in our online coaching program that swear by Intermittent Fasting, while others have had adverse effects.
Lets dig into the science and studies.
A recent PubMed summary concluded thatfasting can be prescribed as a safe medical intervention as well as a lifestyle regimen which can improve womens health in many folds .
Now, in that extract, many of the studies cited are focused on specifically calorie restriction , and they also say that future studies should address this gap by designing medically supervised fasting techniques to extract better evidence.
Digging into the PubMed Archives brought me to the following conclusions :
One small study resulted in the following: Glucose response to a meal was slightly impaired in women after 3 weeks of treatment, but insulin response was unchanged. Men had no change in glucose response and a significant reduction in insulin response.
Another small study studied the effects on their menstrual cycles after a 72 hour fast which is significantly longer than any fast recommended in this article: in spite of profound metabolic changes, a 72-hour fast during the follicular phase does not affect the menstrual cycle of normal cycling women..
Precision Nutrition a great resource recommends not attempting Intermittent Fasting as a woman if:
- youre pregnant
- you dont sleep well
- youre new to diet and exercise
Is 14/10 Intermittent Fasting Effective Enough For Weight Loss
Although most of the studies are conducted on 5/2 or 16/8 intermittent fasting and its benefits, few studies show the effectiveness of 14/10 intermittent fasting for improving cardiometabolic health.
Studies have shown that periodic eating patterns and intermittent fasting methods can reduce the CVD risk. Intermittent fasting methods have also helped to lower blood pressure, decrease the risk of severe health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and obesity.
14/10 intermittent fasting would be the best choice for people who find it difficult to follow the 16/8 fasting. Intermittent fasting 14/10 is effective enough to reduce your weight and also avoids hunger pangs.
To know about various other benefits of intermittent fasting, read 8 Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting: A Complete List.
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Are There Any Dangers Or Side Effects
There are no inherent dangers to intermittent fasting, but when you do it as someone coming from a standard American diet and lots of medications, the combination does require some caution which a knowledgeable doctor can help you navigate. Intermittent fasting can lower your blood pressure, blood glucose and blood insulin levels such that medications affecting all of these levels can be adjusted accordingly. Intermittent fasting may also cause slight diuresis at first, which can flush out certain electrolytes. If youre metabolically inflexible, you will most likely go through this so-called keto flu or fasting flu. This happens upon withdrawal of most dietary carbohydrates from your diet especially fast-absorbing refined carbs. This extended fasting window is, in effect, a low-carbohydrate and low-energy state. If youre already quite metabolically flexible, youre less likely to experience these adaptation effects.
In rare cases such as people with rare fatty acid oxidation mutations, any way of eating that increases reliance on fatty acid oxidation like extended fasting windows or ketogenic diets are not recommended.
About The Author:
Understanding And Avoiding Refeeding Syndrome
Refeeding syndrome is a very rare side effect of resuming food consumption after periods of malnutrition or extended times without eating. Its defined as the potentially fatal shifts in fluids and electrolytes that may occur in malnourished patients.5
The key clinical markers of this are very low blood phosphorus levels, or hypophosphatemia, as well as low blood serum levels of potassium, calcium and magnesium.6 These shifts can cause heart rhythm abnormalities, cardiac failure, respiratory problems, convulsions or coma.
Refeeding syndrome was first described among the severely malnourished North Americans who were held as Japanese prisoners of war during World War II.7 It has also been observed upon the treatment of long-standing anorexia nervosa and alcoholic patients in recovery.8
During the refeeding period, insulin and counter regulatory hormones such as cortisol and noradrenaline are suddenly re-activated. This causes the movement of the major intracellular ions like phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium into our cells. However, due to the overall depletion of our body stores, this becomes quite excessive and leaves us with too little of these ions in the blood. This is what causes the major symptoms of refeeding syndrome:
- Fatigue
These symptoms typically appear within two to four days of the start of refeeding.
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How Intermittent Fasting Works
Fasting for at least 12 hours changes how your metabolic system works. Your metabolic system is how your body changes the foods and beverages you consume into energy. Most of the time, your body gets its energy from a sugar called glucose. Glucose is found in the foods you eat and beverages you drink. When you eat three meals during a day, your body maintains a steady glucose level because youre eating and drinking frequently.
However, when you fast for more than 12 hours, your bodys glucose levels start to dip because youre not eating as frequently. When your body doesnt have the glucose it needs for energy, it taps into your bodys fat for energy. When this happens, the fatty acids in your body are absorbed into your blood. They produce a chemical called ketones. Your body then uses the ketones as its energy source. This is called a metabolic switch. Your body is switching from glucose to ketones.
When your body uses ketones instead of fat, you may lose weight. But, behind the scenes, the ketones also may be having a positive effect on your bodys organs and cells.
To get the benefits of intermittent fasting, you need to fast for at least 12 hours. Thats how long it takes your body to switch from using glucose for energy to using fat for energy. Additionally, it will take your body a while to get used to this new eating schedule. So dont expect results right away. You may need to wait between 2 and 4 weeks to see or feel any results.
Where To Learn More About Intermittent Fasting
Would you like to access the full 21-day Intermittent Fasting plan and get a detailed 16/8 Intermittent Fasting guide? Also, receive Intermittent Fasting food list, learn more about Intermittent Fasting and have somebody help you to implement it to your life successfully?
Join our 21-Day Intermittent Fasting Challenge and get all the information you need in one place to successfully master the intermittent fasting lifestyle. And finally, lose that weight youve been dreaming of!
Wait no more and sign up to the 21-Day Intermittent Fasting Challenge here.
More on Intermittent Fasting
Disclaimers:
In some articles, we include products we think are useful for our readers. When you buy through these links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Read more here.
Information on this document and our website is for educational and informational purposes only. You should not rely on this information as a substitute, nor does it replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a dietitian, physician or another health-care professional. Consult your physician before starting intermittent fasting, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, have any medical condition, or are taking any medication. Read more here.
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