Will I Go Back To Intermittent Fasting
So, right now, I am 5 months pregnant and Ive already thought, will I go back to following IF or some modified version after baby?! Definitely! I think one thing that is important to remember with IF and any nutrition approach is that there are always modifications you can make. After baby, I will certainly do IF again even if it isnt the traditional 16/8 schedule right away.
She Knew What Worked Before Was No Longer Feasible
After her first pregnancy, Etienne-Mesubi had lost weight by running and modifying her diet. She trained for 5ks, 10ks, and half marathons, and she watched everything she ate.
I was in that diet mentality. I thought, I cant have this, I cant have that, I dont want to gain weight. Looking back, it was really not a good place for me with food. I was obsessive about everything I was eating and all the exercise I was doing, she says.
She didnt see a path forward for weight loss. In my mind there was no way to do it except the way I did after my first daughter, and I was not feeling that energy, she says. I thought, Im older, we have two kids now, and Im tired. Theres no way Im running anywhere or doing any HIIT exercises, she says.
On Instagram she came across people who were losing weight with intermittent fasting and tracking their progress with the LIFE Fasting Tracker app. I didnt know what that meant. I thought people were just not eating. How do you not have breakfast or lunch? I couldnt grasp the concept, she says.
With a Ph.D. in epidemiology, Etienne-Mesubi put her research skills to work learning about intermittent fasting: I needed some science. I wanted to know what evidence existed to show this was a legit way to lose weight.
What Is Intermittent Fasting
Fasting has been around for thousands of years and commonly practiced in major religions and utilized by medical practitioners.
There are many studies documenting the benefits of fasting which include lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes, reducing cholesterol levels, enhancing the bodys resistance to oxidative stress , reducing inflammation and weight loss! The weight loss benefit is how I first got introduced to Intermittent Fasting .
Like most other approaches to weight loss, the overall goal is to reduce calories without malnutrition. However, compared to the other approaches, Intermittent Fasting is focused on *when* to eat and when not to.
There are many different kinds of IF but for this quick start guide, I will be sharing the style Ive adopted and has worked for me.
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My One Month On 1: 6 Intermittent Fasting
I have been intermittent fasting since the start of the year. In January, February and March, thee number of days I did it increased and after intermittent fasting for about 12 days in April, I decided to commit to a specific window for May. If youre not sure what Intermittent fasting is, I did a post about it here. In the 18:6 window, I eat for 6 hours and fast for 18, tracking my fasts on an app called zero. I usually eat my first meal around 9 and my last around 3. In May, the only times I didnt fast for 18 hours were once when I ate later than usual for a date night and another time when I had morning cramps and needed to eat before taking painkillers. I fasted for 14 and 17 hours respectively those times.
Okay on to the highlights of my month long experience.
When Should I Break My Fast
Personally, my favorite eating window while 18/6 intermittent fasting is from 3pm-9pm. I am able to fast most days until 3pm with the help of a few black coffees. At 3pm, I am then able to eat a high protein meal to maintain my energy levels.
However, this question is subjective. You must test and explore when breaking your fast works best for you. This schedule will certainly not work for everyone. Keep in mind you can make your eating window literally anytime you want, so long as you stick to the 18/6 rules.
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Average Intermittent Fasting Weight Loss Per Month By Gender
Curious to know whether there are any differences between intermittent fasting results for men and women?
Our survey shows that men reach slightly higher intermittent fasting weight loss results.
Women doing intermittent fasting mostly lose up to 7 pounds weight while more than half of men reach 7-13 pounds weight loss during the first month.
13% of men even report 20 lbs or higher weight loss in their first intermittent fasting month.
How Effective Is 18 6 Fasting
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the effectiveness of 18:06 fasting depends on a number of individual factors. However, many people who have followed this type of intermittent fasting plan have reported successful weight loss and improved health outcomes. In addition, 18:06 fasting has been shown to be an effective way to lose weight in a short period of time.
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Are There Drinks You Should Avoid During Intermittent Fasting
There are a few beverages that you might not realize are capable of breaking your fast. This means that if you consume these, you will knock your body out of the fasted state.
If youre wondering whether common beverages, like diet soda, almond milk, coconut water, or alcohol will break your fast, we found the answers:
How Often Should You Do 1: 8 Intermittent Fasting
Unlike other intermittent fasting diets, each day of the 16:8 works independently to the other days. This means that technically you can do anywhere from one day of intermittent 16:8 fasting to seven days a week. It all depends on your goals and the advice from your GP.
Evidence differs, however, on whether it’s healthy to do intermittent fasting all the time. While research from Queen’s Medical Centre has proven that short-term fasting boosts the metabolism, longer fasts of around three or more days can actually suppress it and slow it right down. Plus, going without food for a long period of time can lead to an increased level of cholesterol, feeling sick in the morning , dehydration and spells of low blood sugar.
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What To Eat To Break Your Fast
By far, the most popular forms of intermittent fasting are the 18:6, 16:8, and 14:10 time-restricted eating plans, in which you abstain from food for 18, 16, and 14 hours per day, respectively.
While breaking these types of fasts doesn’t require quite as much planning as breaking an extended fast, there are still some general recommendations.
First and foremost, stick to whole foods and opt for a mix of macronutrients when you break a fastyou don’t want a straight shot of carbohydrates on an empty stomach.
“Definitely avoid carb-loaded meals and sugary drinks as they will cause a blood sugar roller coaster, raising your insulin levels and making you feel even more hungry,” says Amy Shah, M.D., who uses intermittent fasting in her practice. “Additionally, having lots of sugar will make fasting for the next day even harder because your hunger hormones will be raised.”
So what should you eat? “For a standard 16:8 plan, one could break a fast with a low-glycemic meal of choice,” says Ali Miller R.D., L.D., CDE, registered dietitian and functional medicine practitioner. “If you’re going to have carbs, ensure that they’re balanced with protein and fat. A salad with protein, eggs with avocado and vegetables, a homemade protein shake, or a leftover protein and roasted veggies could all work as meal number one.”
Portion size matters a bitparticularly when you get into the more intense time-restricted eating plans like 18:6 or 20:4.
What Is 1: 6 Intermittent Fasting
18:6 intermittent fasting is when you abstain from eating for 18 hours and eat all your meals in a 6-hour window. You should choose your window based on your lifestyle and what works best for you. You could start your first meal at 12:30 pm and end your eating window at 6:30 pm. Others may choose to start their first meal later in the day to have a later dinner. You may have to try out different schedules to see what works best for your lifestyle.
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What To Eat While Intermittent Fasting
Spending 18 hours fasting a day doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you want during the 6-hour window. If you’re looking to speed up weight loss, steer clear of high fat, high carb, and sugary foods.
Your diet should consist of fruit, vegetables, and proteins. During your fast, you should also drink plenty of water. Proper hydration is vital for weight loss. If you’re tired of drinking water and need an energy boost, try black coffee or black tea.
Reduced Insulin Levels Make The Body Use Stored Fat
Promoting lower insulin levels in your body not only helps protect against diabetes but also helps your body burn fat easier. Instead of relying on the blood sugar or glucose levels for energy, less insulin means that your metabolism burns fat for fuel.
Fasting for 18 hours with a short eating window is proven to lower insulin, reduce insulin resistance, and reverse diabetes naturally. Because of the weight loss associated with fasting, and the healthier diet it includes, insulin in the body lowers to optimal levels.
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Lowers The Risk Of Diabetes
LDL cholesterol is another dangerous cause of diabetes. But by reducing calories and implementing intermittent fasting periods, the risk of diabetes is lessened, thanks to significantly lowered cholesterol levels, fat loss, and eating healthier meals when within an eating period, including complex carbs, healthy fats, and fewer processed foods.
Take Appetite Suppressants To Fight The Hunger Pangs
Your body telling you to eat can be difficult to ignore, you can resist the urge by using appetite suppressants.
Natural appetite suppressants include coffee, Yerba Mate, ginger, water, and more all of which can be taken to prevent eating more calories during fasting!
Fight food cravings by adding electrolytes to your water during the day, and for the best alternative to a meal, try the DoFasting Essential Fiber Complex packet. It uses Glucomannan and natural cellulose to make you feel satisfied, without having to eat.
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Day : Less Hunger Pains More Major Headaches
The next day was another 15-hour fasting day, but I woke up around 4:30 a.m. and couldn’t fall back asleep, which made for verrrry long morning of not eating. The good news is I learned from my mistakes and had my leftovers from dinner first instead of the smoothie. That solved the problem of my growling stomach, but the headaches and spacey feeling were still there.
For dinner that night, my husband made homemade whole-wheat pizza with lots of veggies and a teeny amount of cheese. I also had a glass of red wine. All of it was London-approved. She said the trick to drinking wine while doing IF is to not overdo it, since having more than a glass or two could make me dehydrated and trigger feelings of hunger, not to mention lose the willpower to avoid late-night snacking. I made sure to finish the glass by 9 so not a problem.
What To Eat To Prolong Your Fast
Now you know how to break your fast, but what if you don’t want to end your fast just yet? When you’re first starting IF, or if you’re trying to graduate to a longer fasting window, there are certain things that can help get you over the hangry hump without sabotaging your results.
Noncaloric options that are widely accepted among intermittent fasting experts include seltzer water, coffee, and tea.
Miller likes Earl Grey tea in particular, as it contains bergamot extract, which can help suppress appetite. “Just be sure not to add stevia or noncaloric sweeteners, which may provoke an insulin response,” she says.
If you need something a bit more substantial to hold you over, or if you have a low body fat percentage , then sipping on a high-quality bone broth, or coffee or tea blended with coconut or MCT oil, during your fasting window are both great options.
“You can essentially ‘fool’ your body into thinking it is still fasting by having a fat like MCT or coconut oil because they don’t bump up your blood-glucose-regulating hormone, insulin,” says Pedre. “This works great to curb your appetite during prolonged fasting hours.” And while this may not preserve all of fasting’s benefits , it seems to be beneficial for things like weight loss.
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Her Success Gave Her The Confidence To Return To Work
After seven years staying home to care for her daughters, Etienne-Mesubi returned to work last November as a public health epidemiologist working in global health. She was apprehensive about rejoining the workforce and says her weight-loss success helped give her the confidence to do it. I thought, Martie, you lost all this weight, you can definitely go back to work you got this, she says.
Etienne-Mesubi shares her journey on her blog, podcast and . Anybody can do this. This is something you have control over, she says.
I feel amazing. I feel fantastic. I have newfound confidence, she says. Im saying yes to so many things. Im excited about life and my future with my family. Im a better mom and a better wife.
My Intermittent Fasting Results Blew Me Away5 Ways It Changed My Life
Considering intermittent fasting? I tried it for two months, and my intermittent fasting results went beyond mere weight loss.
Just a little disclaimer, Im not a doctor or nutritionist or any type of health care professional by any means. Just a gal whose mission for the past three years has been to get to the weight where I feel comfortable, happy, and confident with my body. What lofty goalsI know, right? I was at my heaviest over three and a half years ago when I decided to go vegan and thought that weight loss was going to be an effortless byproduct of eating a whole-foods, plant-based diet. But that hasnt been the case for me.
I wanted to lose around 33 lbs because that was the weight I remember feeling my best at. Well, three years and three months later, I was down 22 lbs and was generally happy with how I looked but still not where I wanted to be. There seemed to be a persistent layer of fat around my whole body, particularly around the stomach area, that prevented me from getting that lean look I desired. I did running, cycling, yoga and went to the gym, never pushing myself too much with any one of those, but just keeping active because it felt good and was a great way to stay healthy. I wanted something I could sustain for life, not just reach a goal for a split second and then be disappointed when I could not maintain it.
On the left is me this June 2017 and the right is September 2017.
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Tips For The First Two Weeks
The first couple weeks can feel challenging since your body is trying to adjust but once you get through it, fasting will feel more like a habit.
Here are a few tips that helped me:
On Fast Days:
- Having water on hand helps a lot
- Let people you see often know youre experimenting with IF. Youll be surprised how many people will work around your schedule, be supportive and take interest in IF.
- If you need help getting through a Fast day, you can have up to 500 calories to eat without it technically considered breaking your fast. The 500 calories can be used as a crutch to get through the first few fast days. After week 2, you shouldnt need it.
- If for some reason you do break need to break your fast , count that day as an Eat day and eat your full days worth of calories . Dont try to fast the following day and just stick with your weekly schedule.
On Eat Days:
- I have found that eating high protein especially during my lunch and dinner meals keeps me better satiated on my fast days.
- Its super important to EAT your full days worth of calories since you are already eating at a deficit on your fast days. Do not skip meals or try to eat less.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Work For Weight Loss
Intermittent fasting was working perfectly for me, and it was easy to follow. I began to think more deeply about why it was working. Was my body changing because I was fasting for those 16 hours each day, or was it simply a trick I was playing on my mind to eat fewer calories? And if it was a trick, would my mind eventually figure it out?
In general, I think intermittent fasting helps people get more in touch with their needs, Varady says. Weve become accustomed to eating or drinking something every couple of hours. Wed never even noticed when were actually hungry or full. So when you go for longer stretches of time without eating, all of a sudden, your body becomes more attuned to it.
In my case, intermittent fasting made me more aware of my tendency to emotionally eat. Getting up early to get my young son to school, it wasnt as if I wanted to have that bagel and soda. I felt I needed that sugar rush to wake me up and get me going. Exercise replaced that without my needing to ride a sugar roller coaster every day.
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