The 1: 8 Intermittent Fasting Method
I decided to do the 16:8 method of Intermittent Fasting because it seemed to be a method of Intermittent Fasting that fit my lifestyle the best. Most people who try this method stop eating at 8 pm, then fast for 16 hours until noon.
I am one of those people who wake up every morning absolutely STARVING, so waiting until noon to eat wasnt something I thought I could handle, so I decided that I would start fasting at 6pm until 10am the next morning. That meant I would wake up, have a black coffee , get ready for work, drive the kids to school, drive to work, then wait until 10am to begin eating.
I kept healthy foods at work that I could eat whenever I wanted if it was during my 8 hour eating window.
Michelles Intermittent Fasting Weight Loss Story:
Before:
Michelle was in her early 40s, but she wasnt feeling at her peak. Far from it, in fact. She felt heavy and lacked confidence, in a serious way. She wore clothes that she knew were too big for her, in order to hide a body shape she didnt feel proud of. Food cravings, acne outbreaks, and sugar addiction all led her to feel out of control. She knew she needed to take steps in order to feel good about her body and her life.
During:
Michelle followed the same food cycling protocol as Patrick, also including one day of intermittent fasting. One of the benefits of approaching fasting this way is that it is safe for the majority of people, including women, who can develop health issues when practicing the more extreme forms of fasting often touted as get-thin-quick weight loss protocols.
After:
After two months on this schedule, Michelle lost 18 pounds and she could fit into her favorite clothes again. Her torso tightened up, she gained definition throughout her body, and she gained the confidence she previously lacked. No longer hiding behind extra-large tee shirts, Michelle even found the confidence to share her before and after photos, a major step for someone who just two months earlier, didnt even want anyone to see her in a fitted top.
You Are Not Eating Enough Food
Though it might sound counterproductive, you need to eat well during your eating window.
Intermittent fasting does not mean starvation and you can continue with your normal diet.
When you are not getting enough calories during your eating window, chances are that you will eat a whole lot more during your next window. That is because of the uncontrollable hunger that you will feel.
Also, starving yourself might cause your body to store more fat long-term. Your body notices that you are going for extended periods with little or no food and to ensure that you have a reliable energy source during such periods, your body stores the extra food you eat as fat.
So, instead of burning energy from your meals, your body begins to conserve energy.
Calorie counting could help you ensure you are getting sufficient fuel for your days activities.
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Your Fasting Window Is Too Short
If you want to notice a difference in your body weight, your eating window during your intermittent fasting diet should be significantly less than normal.
If the difference between your eating window before and during intermittent fasting is only an hour or two, you might barely notice significant weight loss.
A 14-hour fasting window with a 10-hour eating window seems like a great place to start. However, if you find the 14 hours to be too long, you could start with a shorter fasting duration and work your way up.
Is Intermittent Fasting Right For You
Intermittent fasting is safe for many people, but it’s not for everyone. Skipping meals is not recommended for people under 18, those with a history of disordered eating, or those who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Athletes may find it difficult to fuel and refuel appropriately for an active lifestyle. If you have diabetes or other medical issues, talk with your health care team before starting intermittent fasting.
Also, note that the key to weight loss with intermittent fasting is not to overeat during your eating windows. Eating fewer calories than you expend remains the basis for losing weight.
Shortening the eating window may make it difficult to get the vitamins and minerals you need. While on this diet, it is important to eat meals made from quality, healthy ingredients, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein.
Intermittent fasting can be dangerous if taken too far. A technique called dry fasting restricts food and fluid intake, resulting in severe dehydration and posing serious health concerns. Malnutrition can occur if the caloric restriction is too severe, such as averaging fewer than 1,200 calories a day long term.
Romi Londre is a dietitian in Nutrition in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
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How Long To Do Intermittent Fasting Before Seeing Results
If you are beginning intermittent fasting you may be wondering how long it will be before you start seeing results. That will depend on factors such as your physical health, stress level and the duration of your fasts. Longer fasts produce more effective and timely results.
Be patient and donât solely depend on the weight scale for feedback on your progress. Taking body measurements and looking for non-scale victories can keep you motivated. If not losing weight you can adjust fasting lengths and food choices to boost results.
Results, results, results! You canât get on social media without seeing someoneâs amazing intermittent fasting results. And wonder how long it took them to accomplish their success. Many people try fasting, donât lose weight immediately, and stop, not recognizing non-scale benefits are happening and the weight loss is coming soon. Knowing the changes to expect when doing intermittent fasting â and how soon they will occur â is vital to ensuring your motivation and long-term success.
Possible Reasons For Not Seeing Change
If you have given intermittent fasting at least 30 days and havenât noticed any differences, these may be the reasons:
Extend your fasted hours daily. Try a couple of longer fasts, 24-48 hours, during the month.
You arenât taking in water through food so up your intake.
It takes the body up to 72 hours to start burning fat again after a night of drinking.
Itâs fine if you donât feel hungry, but donât severely restrict calories. This may cause overeating during the next meal.
There are many different intermittent fasting methods, and you need to find the one that suits your needs and lifestyle best.
Also Check: How To Calculate Fasting Hours
Its Not Appropriate For Everyone
As with most diets, one size does not fit all and fasting it no different. Because this type of eating is so structured with set times of when to eat and when not to eat âultimately forcing you to ignore your hunger cues â it is not appropriate for anyone with a history of an eating disorder.
There are also safety concerns with certain conditions. “People with diabetes or low blood sugar need glucose throughout the day and fasting for periods of time can have dangerous effects,” adds Bannan.
According to Harvard Health, people on blood pressure medication, or people with electrolyte imbalances should avoid fasting. Additionally, kids, pregnant women or women who are trying to conceive should refrain from this type of eating pattern.
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Fast For 20 Hours A Day But Take The Weekends Off
I did a combination of modified fasting and weekly intermittent fasting for about 3 months before starting the warrior diet. As I was experimenting, my strategy wasnt laid out in advance. I recommend you listen to your body and monitor your progress. If you are losing weight and feeling great, stay there. If you feel ready to move on, start fasting every day, but take the weekends off to ease off the transition. At this point, I dont recommend you pick a method like the 16:8 method. If you practice intermittent fasting without keto, you need to fast longer. I recommend 19 to 20 hours fasts each day. The 20:4 Method is often referred to as the Warrior Diet. It simply means that you are consuming all your daily calories within a four-hour window.
Warrior Diet Sample Day
I found that the Warrior Diet was the best way to naturally decrease how much food I was consuming without feeling deprived. As your body runs on ketones most of the day, your appetite decreases, and you feel amazing. Then, you break your fast by flooding your body with nutrient-dense foods and you keep promoting healing and optimal health. I love to break my fast with the Power Shake. Its made with raw organic superfoods. Its also filling and satisfying.
Read Also: What Can I Eat While Fasting
Will I Lose Muscle Mass With Intermittent Fasting
A common misperception about fasting is that the body quickly starts to break down muscle during periods without food. This would actually be pretty dumb on the part of our bodies to tear down valuable muscles and other proteins when another source of energy, fat, is so plentiful. In reality, we see very little muscle loss during fasts of short duration. In fact, those who lose weight with intermittent fasting lose less muscle mass compared to those who lose weight with continuous calorie restriction.
How Long Does Intermittent Fasting Take To Work
Deep down, we’re all a little impatient. Honestly, I don’t even mind admitting that I’m impatient. In my opinion, impatient people get things done! So it’s not unusual that one question people have about Intermittent Fasting is “how long will does Intermittent Fasting take to work?”. In fact according to google, this question has suddenly BLOWN UP the google search bar in the past 3 days. So I decided to break it down for you guys and give you ALL the deets you need to know about Intermittent Fasting and exactly how long it takes to start seeing results.
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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.
How To Succeed With Intermittent Fasting
Since it saves time and money, many have no problem starting IF. Others, however, may find it challenging to start especially when they are used to eating three meals and snacks every day. Here are some tips for success:
You can also learn more about the potential side effects of intermittent fasting in our evidence-based guide.
Read Also: How Do I Lose Weight With Intermittent Fasting
Im Trying To Fast But I Feel Like Its Reducing My Energy Levels Is This Normal
It is very normal to feel tired or to have low energy levels when you first start fasting. This can also happen when you first start a new fasting schedule. But if you stick with a set intermittent fasting schedule or fasting duration for 2-3 weeks, you should adapt and have similar energy levels during your fasting windows or days as during your eating windows or days.
However, if you continue to feel tired or to have low energy levels while fasting, you may be overdoing it. You may fasting for too long too often, or not getting enough calories in during your eating windows. If you are already at a healthy BMI, reduce your fast durations or spread your fasts further apart.
To boost your fasting energy levels, you should also:
Intermittent Fasting 16/: Results Before And After 6 Month Weight Loss
After experimenting with intermittent fasting for around 1.5 years, I have found it to be the simplest nutrition habit for weight loss. In this article I will my share my results before and after testing intermittent fasting 16/8, to help you decide if intermittent fasting makes sense for you. At least it has worked for me so far.
CEO & Founder of Torbs Training, Author of Lean Body, Strong MindâTable of content:âPart 1: My intermittent fasting 16/8 YouTube videoPart 2: What is intermittent fasting ?Part 3: Q& A – Top 7 questions & myths
Recommended Reading: Prolon 5 Day Fasting Mimicking Diet
Things To Know About Fasting Before You Try It According To Nutritionists
The allure of not counting macros or calories coupled with the promise of weight loss and longevity has thrust intermittent fasting into the limelight. It’s a trend that doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Video of the Day
While the research on the potential health benefits and risks of this structured way of eating continues to unfold, some dietitians are heeding caution before jumping on the One Meal a Day , Alternate Day Fasting or Warrior Diet bandwagon.
Here are six things dietitians want you to know before you give fasting a try:
Some General Safety Tips
- Drink water when you are thirsty.
- Adjust your caloric intake during your feeding windows so that you consume enough calories to meet your energy needs according to your weight goals.
- If you feel faint, dizzy or nauseous, we recommend breaking your fast early and speaking with your primary care physician. You may have symptoms of low blood sugar or another issue.
- Talk to your physician before upping your fasting window beyond 18 hours per day.
- Break your fast with low glycemic index foods, such as lean protein and healthy fats like avocados
- Never do fasts longer than 2 days by yourself. Always tell someone, a family member or friend and keep them updated on how you are feeling as you progress.
- During fasts longer than 2 days, watch for signs of electrolyte imbalance: muscle spasms, weakness, blood pressure changes, irregular heartbeat, numbness and confusion.
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Stable Energy Levelsall Day Long
“I do at least 12 hours between dinner and breakfast. I like working out on an empty stomach, and then it helps me focus on a real protein- and fiber-packed breakfast that’ll get me through to lunch. I’ve been doing it for a while now, and I definitely have noticed an improvement in my morning energy, as well as stabilization of my energy during the day. I aim for 14 hours.” Simone, 1.5 years fasting
The Video Below: Intermittent Fasting Results 1 Month And Lost 12lbs
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Male Went From 240 Lbs To 190 Lbs In One Year
When asked what he used to lose weight, the user said: Intermittent fasting and fasting cardio. Ill eat twice a day within a 6-hour window. Ill also workout in the morning before I eat anything so Im burning pure fat. If weight loss is your goal then you have to count your calories. Its as simple as burning more than you ingest. If muscle growth is your goal then you have to consistently train with weights at least 3 times a week.
How Long Does It Take For Intermittent Fasting To Work
After beginning your intermittent fasting routine, you could see changes in your body in as little as ten days. More significant weight loss is seen after two to ten weeks.
Keep in mind that your overall health is more important than the speed of your weight loss. Quick results are nice, yes. But keep the long game in mind! Sustainability is key.
Its also essential to have some patience with yourself. My journey had a lot of ups and downs to the point where I got obsessed with the scale. It was only after my son Hunters birth that I finally found balance and self-acceptance.
Were not perfect, and our weight loss journeys wont be either. Thats OK.
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