How Safe Is Intermittent Fasting
The 12 hour intermittent fasting Keto or Ketogenic diet and other carbohydrate-restricted diets aim to achieve ketosis, which is an accumulation of acidic ketones in the blood. As much as the outcomes are great, ketosis can cause liver, brain, and kidney damage. It is unsafe for individuals with chronic disorders such as diabetes and heart disease. Your blood sugar should also be stable for you to follow this diet plan. Therefore, it is important to discuss with your doctor and seek guidance from a licensed dietitian before beginning 12 hour intermittent fasting.
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How Long Does It Take To Start Losing Weight When You’re Doing Intermittent Fasting
There are a lot of factors that can contribute to how long it may take for the weight to start coming off. “Rate of weight loss will vary greatly from person to person depending on several factors, including: starting weight, the intermittent fasting approach used, the types of food consumed during the eating windows, and more,” says Martin.
If you end up reducing your overall caloric intake right away and you consistently eat fewer calories than you expend, then you should start losing weight immediately. “However, you likely wont notice any weight loss results for at least a couple of weeks,” notes Martin, adding that some weight loss in the beginning will “likely be water weight.”
Depending on the calorie amount you consume while intermittent fasting, you could experience an approximate one- to two- pound weight loss per week, which would mean it could take upwards of eight to 10 weeks to notice significant weight loss, says Kristen Smith, MS, RD, spokesperson for Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
If youre losing more than that? It could be a red flag. If you notice yourself losing a noticeable amount of weight during the first few weeks of following an intermittent fasting plan, you should likely re-evaluate your calorie intake to ensure you are consuming adequate nutrition to meet your bodys needs, says Smith.
What Is The Typical Fasting Weight Loss
Stories abound on quick, radical fasting weight loss. Losing twenty pounds in a week is a common one. As is 4 pounds a day. But these numbers don’t reflect the weight gain that occurs naturally when one resumes eating, nor are they typical for everyone.
Weight loss occurs most drastically in the early days of a fast , then declines as the fast progresses. During a water fast, women generally lose about 14 ounces per day and men, on average, lose 17 1/2 ounces per day. This is an average, some days you may lose nothing.
With a fasting plan including around 200 calories per day, such asfruit or juice or broth, these figures lower by about 1 3/4 ounces per day. The Master Cleanse, which supplies anywhere from 650-1300 calories, would have lower numbers yet.
Of course, these figures vary from person to person, and typically it is those who have the most excess weight that lose the most. Thinner people often lose weight a bit more slowly, just as they often don’t maintain as high an energy level during fasting. Their bodies are working harder to conserve energy since they have less reserves to supply fuel for the body.
Those with lower metabolisms may also lose weight a little more slowly as their bodies are already adept at conserving energy.
In the end, results will always vary from person to person.
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How To Do Intermittent Fasting For Rapid Weight Loss
Research shows intermittent fasting to be a powerful tool for helping you reach and maintain a healthy weight.
Fasting means you arent eating for an extended period of time. If you think about it, fasting isnt all that unnatural.
What exactly is intermittent fasting ?
Its not a diet necessarily , but, more of a style of dieting.
Although there are many approaches to IF, the underlying principle is the same:
Restrict the amount of time youre eating every day.;
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How Fasting Accelerates Fat Loss
Intermittent fasting almost invariably produces a calorie deficit, but it also creates ideal circumstances for fat burningbecause it increases your insulin sensitivity. When you fast, your insulin levels drop, which makes it easier for your body to access your stored fat. Thats how your body opts to use fat for energy, instead of muscle.
You might be familiar with this concept, because its the same reason why people adopt low-carb diets to shed fat. Eating low-carb will indeed lower your insulin levels, but the fact is that fasting will drop them even lower. This makes fasting more powerful for fat loss.
Another way fasting boosts fat loss is by increasing the amount of growth hormone your body produces. Studies have shown that production of GH can decrease your amount of body fat.
Finally, fasting has also been shown to increase production of norepinephrinethe fat burning hormone. The only catch? The study that showed this result was done on mice. Science hasnt determined yet if its also the case with humans.
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Keto And If Diet Plan
Maybe youre thinking about trying the keto diet or experimenting with fasting. Perhaps youre already doing both. Either way, weve provided a sample daily and weekly layout of what a plan might look like for someone on a keto diet who is also integrating some alternate-day fasting and 16:8 time-restricted feeding into their regimen.
Sunday
6:00 am: Water and/or black coffee
9:00 am: More water or black coffee.
12:00 pm: TRF ends. Have a keto-friendly meal: maybe a salad with grilled chicken topped with olive oil and feta cheese, avocado and some hard-boiled eggs or bacon bits.
3:00 pm: Snack on some nuts or have some nut butter, and maybe coffee with some MCT oil or coconut oil.
6:00 pm: 8 12oz of a fatty cut of meat plus some vegetables; maybe brussels sprouts cooked in butter.
8:00 pm: Small snack of nuts, blueberries, and a piece of strong dark chocolate for dessert. This is your last meal of the day.
Monday: Same eating window as yesterday: 12 8 pm.
Tuesday: Fasting day. No calories consumed today.
Wednesday: Eating period of 12 8 pm. You might be hungrier today since you fasted yesterday, especially if you did an early morning workout today.
Thursday: Fasting day
Friday: 12 8 eating window. Workout in the morning or, if you want to do a fueled workout, do so in between lunch and dinner.
Saturday: Fast day
Will I Lose Weight
Most likely.64 If you have weight to lose, it is extremely likely that you will lose weight if you do not eat.
In theory, its possible to eat more after fasting, of course, cancelling out the weight lost. But studies generally show that most people tend to eat significantly less overall.65
I call intermittent fasting the ancient secret of weight loss because it might be one of the most powerful dietary interventions for weight loss, yet it has been mostly ignored by doctors and dietitians for a long time.66
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Decide How Long You Plan To Water Fast
When you embark on a water fast, be aware that you will go without food for a few days.
Therefore, decide the number of days you plan to fast and prepare yourself.
A safe water fast should be between 24-72 hours, not longer.
If longer, it should be under medical supervision.
Studies have shown that fasting for longer than 3 days can have detrimental effects on your health and functions of the kidneys.
Break Your Fast Properly
When you break your fast, its very important that you resist the urge to overeat. Over-indulging really defeats the purpose of that calorie deficit you created during the fast. Plus, it can be really uncomfortable for your digestive system and cause a stomach ache or other digestive distress. Try breaking your fast with a small salad or some nuts and then just eat normally.
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Eat Foods That Are More Filling
While staying within your normal caloric needs, try to choose foods that are more filling. You can do this by picking foods that are full of protein such as avocados and fish. Foods low in fiber such as crackers or salty snacks will not be as filling and will leave you hungry during your fast. Surprisingly, you should also avoid salads with low protein or with fat-free dressing. Salads without protein will not give the energy your body needs to be sustaining and fat-free dressings often have high levels of sugar and sodium.
Studies On Intermittent Fasting
Here are some of the benefits of intermittent fasting that have been backed by countless studies:
- Fasting has been shown to improve biomarkers of disease, reduce oxidative stress and preserve learning and memory functioning, according to Mark Mattson, senior investigator for the National Institute on Aging, part of the US National Institutes of Health.
- Growth Hormone increases when in a fasted state.
- Autophagy occurs while fasting; it is the bodys way of renewing the cells and getting rid of all the worn-out cells in the body. Autophagy is the primary driver of anti-aging .
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Fasting For 2 Days A Week
People following the 5:2 diet eat standard amounts of healthful food for 5 days and reduce calorie intake on the other 2 days.
During the 2 fasting days, men generally consume 600 calories and women 500 calories.
Typically, people separate their fasting days in the week. For example, they may fast on a Monday and Thursday and eat normally on the other days. There should be at least 1 non-fasting day between fasting days.
There is limited research on the 5:2 diet, which is also known as the Fast diet. A involving 107 overweight or obese women found that restricting calories twice weekly and continuous calorie restriction both led to similar weight loss.
The study also found that this diet reduced insulin levels and improved insulin sensitivity among participants.
A small-scale study looked at the effects of this fasting style in 23 overweight women. Over the course of one menstrual cycle, the women lost 4.8 percent of their body weight and 8.0 percent of their total body fat. However, these measurements returned to normal for most of the women after 5 days of normal eating.
Is Intermittent Fasting The Best Fat
In any case, IF appears to work mostly because people find it fairly easy to adhere to. They say it helps them naturally limit calories and make better food choices by reducing eating windows. Some studies suggest that IF is better than only cutting calories, carbs, or fat because it appears to promote fat loss while sparing lean muscle mass.
Of course, most people use IF with another weight-loss plan. For instance, you might decide to eat 1,200 calories a day to lose weight. You may find it much easier to spread out 1,200 calories within 2 meals and 2 snacks than in 3 meals and 3 snacks. If youve struggled with weight loss because your diet either didnt work or was simply too hard to stick to, you might try intermittent fasting for quicker results.
In Prime Womens recently launched PLATE an intermittent fasting program, Dr. Kathryn Waldrep recommends eating within an eight-hour window and choosing that time frame based on your bodys circadian rhythms. Early risers might eat between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Night owls would eat their first meal at noon and finish their last meal at 8:00 in the evening. As more and more research has been done around IF and circadian rhythms, there seems to be credible evidence on the soundness of this approach to eating for weight management.
Want to give intermittent fasting a try? Take a look at Prime Womens PLATE program. Now available in an app on Apple or Android with reminders to keep you on track.
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Should You Combine Them
Combining the ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting is likely safe for most people.
However, pregnant or breastfeeding women and those with a history of disordered eating should avoid intermittent fasting.
People with certain health conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, should consult with a doctor before trying intermittent fasting on the keto diet.
Though some people may find merging the practices helpful, its important to note that it may not work for everyone.
Changes Your Body To Boost Weight Loss
Several changes happen to your body when you fast often. First, it increases the level of a fat-burning hormone known as norepinephrine. Second, the insulin level is lowered making it easy to access and burn stored body fat.
Lastly, levels of human growth hormone increase, this is the hormone associated with muscle growth and also aids in burning body fat.
All these changes boost your bodys fat-burning efforts making it easier for you to start losing weight.
Do You Have A Medical Condition
Water fasting can help deal with or lower the risk of diseases like obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer.
Even with this knowledge, there are certain medical conditions like gout, heartburn and chronic kidney diseases that could be worsened by water fasting.
If you are under medications, it would be best to see if water fasting will have any adverse effects on how the medications work and what you could do to counter these effects.
Be Smart During Your Eating Window
When you start fasting, its easy to just focus on the not-eating part and trick yourself into thinking you can eat anything during your eating window. But if you want to jump-start fat loss, your meals should still be nutritious and healthy. Think no refined carbs, sugar, or processed food. Sticking to a healthy diet is also going to help make the fasting experience easier for your body.
Who Should Avoid This Type Of Fasting
Alternate day fasting is not recommended for:
People who require more calories to meet their daily needs: athletes
People who find following a diet challenging due to increased hunger: There are less drastic approaches to caloric restriction than alternate-day fasting. A person may prefer a steady diet that reduces the intake of calories gradually.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding or under the age of 25
People who take insulin or other medications to control diabetes or any medication that must be taken with food
If you are operating with heavy machinery at your job ADF is not a good choice for you
Intermittent Fasting For Women Over 50 Benefits May Extend Beyond Calorie Restriction
While some nutrition experts contend that IF only works because it helps people naturally limit food intake, others disagree. They believe that intermittent fasting results are better than typical meal schedules with the same amount of calories and other nutrients. Studies have even suggested that abstaining from food for several hours a day does more than just limit the number of calories you consume.
These are some metabolic changes that IF causes that might help account for synergistic benefits:
- Insulin: During the fasting period, lower insulin levels will help improve fat burning.
- HGH: While insulin levels drop, HGH levels rise to encourage fat burning and muscle growth.
- Noradrenaline: In response to an empty belly, the nervous system will send this chemical to cells to let them know they need to release fat for fuel.
Benefits Of A Whole Food Diet
In a 2014 analysis by Yale University, they concluded that a diet of minimally processed foods close to nature, predominantly plants, is decisively associated with health promotion and disease prevention.
A diet rich in fruit and vegetables or other high-fiber foods like whole grains and nuts is really important in maintaining good long-term health and preventing health problems like diabetes and cancers. These kinds of foods also help our bodies to cope and control the effects of inflammation.
In fact, one review from 2019 stated that diets high in plant foods could potentially prevent several million premature deaths each year if adopted globally. This is a big endorsement for a whole food diet.
Fasting For 24 Hours Once Or Twice In A Week
Remember how you screamed when you saw the 16 hours fasting; I expect you to scream louder now. Yes, this method will prove to be more complicated than the ones we have looked at initially.
A typical example of how this would work, is, eating by 3 pm on Tuesday and waiting till 3 pm of the next day before eating again thats a full 24 hours fast.
Doing this fast once or twice a week will definitely lead to weight loss, but it sure will demand a lot of discipline to succeed in it.
Trust me, you feel so hungry that you will be tempted to eat before time. So I advise that you start with the 16 hours fast before you graduate to this one.
Also, during the fasting hours, you are permitted to have water, coffee or any other non-caloric beverage but certainly not solid food.
How To Do A 12
The Keto-IF diet involves following the Keto routine during the day, then IF overnight. For instance, on the first day, you can take scrambled eggs capped with avocado slices with black coffee or plain hot tea at 9 a.m., then water or a keto-friendly smoothie all morning. At noon, take lunch. This can include large leafy green salad broccoli and cauliflower topped with two tablespoons of olive oil, vinegar, and 3 ounces of grilled salmon or chicken breast.
You can have macadamia nuts as a snack at 2 p.m., but this is optional. Take dinner at 5 p.m, and this can be cooked wild rice with a chicken leg with skin and two cups of zucchini prepared with olive oil. Note that a KETO IF rich in bacon and butter is different from the one rich in avocado and olive oil.
To do this combination, get approval from your physician and work with a registered dietitian conversant with the Keto-IF diet for perfect ratios.
