Intermittent Fasting Is Both Convenient And Effective
Apart from helping you get rid of the unwanted fat, IF also has the capabilities to improve your overall hormonal profile .
This my friends is pure GOLD, so go tell your friends about it and send them over here!
In addition to certain testosterone boosting foods that help you with getting optimal testosterone levels, you can shun away from food for longer periods of time and still be alpha!
Commonly you can go for two main approaches when you want to make use of IF ) in terms of how many hours to fast for and they are:
- 16 hours of no calories, 8 hours of eating
- 24 hours of no calories, 0 hours of eating
Let me translate what this actually means: You do not eat for 16 or 24 hours respectively.
You basically abstain from anything containing calories for this time frame.
After that, you consume ALL of your calories in the remaining time window .
This means you completely forget about things like:
- Protein shakes
- Blondes
- Brunettes
Alright, I dont want you to take the last two seriously thinking about it now, they might even put you in a deeper fasting state.
Especially if you replace a with i in the word fasting!
Personally, Id always go for the first option , however, fear not your body will NOT eat all your muscles if you dont eat for a whole day.
Weve become rather feminized and weak in terms of how pitiful our eating window, in general, has become.
Everyone starts to die when theres no food around them every 2-3 hours come on, give me a break already!
The Optimal Way To Exercise During Intermittent Fasting
- Low intensity cardio on an empty stomach burns more fat. While lifting weights, it is important to keep in mind protein intake. Weights can be lifted during the feeding period or after, depending on your body type
- Exercising on an empty stomach will activate antioxidants and boost growth hormones like testosterone which will help you achieve your strength goals.
What Is Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting over 50 is where you choose a diet that allows you to eat normally at certain times, but then either reduce your calories at other times or not eat during those hours whatsoever.
The theory is that your body adjusts to the calories that youre eating during your regular times, which then creates a calorie deficit at the times when youre fasting. This allows your body to lower your blood sugar levels and also produce the hormones needed to help burn through fat at a faster rate.
Its not completely free of controversy. Studies into intermittent fastingare ongoing, and have so far either focused more on animals or younger people. There havent been enough studies into intermittent fasting over 50, but a lot of people have reported that its a diet that works for them.
If you think that intermittent fasting sounds good then you can certainly give it a try, but you need to make sure youre still eating a healthy diet and that youre not starving yourself. If you eat too little, then your body wont get the nutrients you need and youll lose vital muscle mass, as well as potentially make yourself ill.
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Overeating And Potential Weight Gain
Restricting your intake to just 8 hours per day may cause some people to eat more than usual during eating periods in an attempt to make up for hours spent fasting. This may lead to weight gain, digestive problems, and unhealthy eating habits.
Interestingly, current research doesnt suggest that intermittent fasting leads to any more weight loss than typical diets that recommend overall calorie restriction. Both eating patterns may lead to modest weight loss .
If weight loss is your primary goal, you may therefore prefer to lower your calorie intake instead of fasting intermittently to prevent the overeating that may occur when restricting intake to a certain time window.
I Ran Into An Old Buddy Of Mine While Out Shopping For Groceries
He looked a lot leaner than I had ever seen him.
Not particularly muscular, but he had veins popping in his forearms. His face looked more defined too.
I asked him about his diet plan, thinking hed tell me he started some crazy restrictive diet or workout.
What he told me caught me completely off guard.
He actually threw dirt on popular diets like Keto, Paleo, and Atkins.
All hype, he said, and not sustainable. You lose the weight and then put it back on.
Basically a waste of time.
He started getting real results only after he experimented with intermittent fasting.
In a nutshell, intermittent fasting isnt about what you eat. Its about WHEN you eat.
I could see how well it worked for him, so I wanted to know more.
He said that when he started fasting, he lacked a sense of direction.
He didnt really find his stride until he started using a guiding app, which was fully optimized for his individual needs and saved him from trial and error.
Well, since I had nothing left to lose
I was willing to at least give intermittent fasting a shot, hoping it would finally help me lose that excess weight, lower BP, and push back the risk of not being there for my family.
So I did some research and signed up for an intermittent fasting program with an app to guide me through the process called DoFasting.
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Best For Weight Loss: Ww
WW, formerly known as Weight Watchers, is a popular point-based weight loss program aimed at promoting healthy eating habits.
Each food is assigned a specific number of SmartPoints, which is determined based on its nutritional value.
Members are also assigned a daily budget of SmartPoints based on factors like their height, weight, and activity level.
WW is one of the most flexible commercial weight loss programs available. No foods are completely off-limits, and you can still enjoy many of your favorite foods, as long as they fit within your daily SmartPoints budget.
Plus, research shows that it can be effective for long-term weight loss.
According to one review of 39 studies, participants who followed WW for 12 months achieved at least 2.6% more weight loss, compared with both a control group and those who received basic nutritional education .
Whats more, another study found that people who followed WW for 1 year lost significantly more weight than those who received self-help materials or brief nutritional advice. Plus, WW participants maintained a greater amount of total weight loss after 2 years (
Intermittent Fasting Has Been Scientifically Proven To Increase Testosterone By 180%
Thats right and youre about to learn about even more astonishing scientific findings regarding this diet plan.
Spoiler alert short-term fasting will help you lose fat and become manlier at the same time!
So whats the hard evidence that IF can benefit me, you and everyone else in terms of our primary male hormone optimization? Time to find out:
- Top endocrinologists from Copenhagen decided to investigate and found out that test subjects experienced quite an increase in both their testosterone and luteinizing hormone values . What will catch your attention is a particular percentage the testosterone response to fasting was a 180% increase in T levels.
- Another academic work mentions more stunning results ~2000% increase in GH . Of course, GH is not the same thing as testosterone , yet such a gargantuan increase is beautiful for your androgen environment!
- IF has another trick up its sleeve, because it lowers the amounts of the hormone called Leptin . Leptin and testosterone dont like each other, so if one gains the upper hand in your body, the other suffers. What happens if Leptin is on the receiving end? We get more T that way, yay!
Are you a fan now? You better be bro!
Intermittent Fasting is not a joke and it absolutely WILL get your system operating the way its supposed to.
Your male hormonal balance will be leaning towards more of the manly stuff, less puffy estrogen-compounds!
Today most of us have food readily available at all times, yet were sick and obese
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Intermittent Fasting Improves Heart Health
Many men suffer from heart problems as they get older, and indeed, heart disease is the biggest killer in the world. Many people end up dying from heart disease because of associated problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, systemic inflammation, elevated blood sugar levels, and so on. The good news is that intermittent fasting can help with all of these aspects and more.
For men that might be battling several health issues all at the same time, intermittent fasting could be a one-size-fits-all solution that they can maintain over time. You can lose weight, improve health across the body, and build muscle all at once. Whats not to like?
Choosing A Time Window
To get started, begin by picking an 8-hour window and limiting your food intake to that time span.
Popular 16/8 time windows include:
- 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Many people prefer to eat between noon and 8 p.m., since you need to fast only overnight and skip breakfast but can still eat a balanced lunch and dinner, along with a few snacks throughout the day.
Others opt to eat between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., which allows plenty of time for a healthy breakfast around 9 a.m., a standard lunch around noon, and a light, early dinner or large snack around 4:30 p.m. before starting your fast.
However, you can experiment and pick the time frame that best fits your schedule.
It may help to set timers at both the beginning and the end of your eating window to remind you when to start and stop eating.
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Frequently Asked Questions Concerns And Complaints
Im a woman. Should I do anything differently?
I havent worked with women on implementing an intermittent fasting schedule, so I cant speak from experience on this one.
That said, I have heard that women may find a wider window of eating to be more favorable when doing daily intermittent fasting. While men will typically fast for 16 hours and then eat for 8 hours, women may find better results by eating for 10 hours and fasting for 14 hours. The best advice I can give anyone, not just women, is to experiment and see what works best for you. Your body will give you signals. Follow what your body responds favorably to.
Also, if youre a female, there is an allfemale page on Facebook that discusses intermittent fasting. Im sure you could find a ton of great answers and support there.
I could never skip breakfast. How do you do it?
I dont. Breakfast foods are my favorite, so I just eat them at 1pm each day.
Also, if you eat a big dinner the night before, I think youll be surprised by how much energy you have in the morning. Most of the worries or concerns that people have about intermittent fasting are due to the fact that they have had it pounded into them by companies that they need to eat breakfast or they need to eat every three hours and so on. The science doesnt support it and neither do my personal experiences.
I thought you were supposed to eat every 3 hours?
Here’s why this was a popular idea for a brief period of time:
Here’s the problem:
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Types Of Intermittent Fasting
So, when are you supposed to eat? For each intermittent fasting plan, youll have a ratio of fasting and eating times. Lets break down each of the eating-fasting ratios.
12:12
For beginners and women over 50, this is a great starting point. Youll eat during a 12-hour window and fast for 12 hours, with the primary goal being to cut down on excessive eating after dinner.
16:8
On this plan, youll eat during an 8-hour window and fast for 16 hours. So, a daily routine might look like this:
- 11 a.m.: Breakfast
- 3 p.m.: Lunch
- 6:00 p.m.: Dinner
If you want dessert, be sure to wrap up all eating before 7 p.m. However, you can play around with any 8-hour window to find the right eating window for your body.
20:4
Now were getting into some serious fasting. With this plan, youll fast for 20 hours and eat for four. Its unlikely youll eat three square meals a day on this plan. Instead, choose two substantial meals that meet your dietary needs and one snack.
You might want to avoid starting with this plan. Instead, build up to it by starting with one of the previously mentioned fasting schedules. Your doctor may discourage you from this plan altogether due to the restrictive eating windows.
5:2
With this ratio, youre not looking at hours but weekdays. Youll eat regularly for five days and fast for two. Many like this plan because they can eat normally during the week and fast on the weekends, or choose two days in the week with low activity to fast.
Alternate Day Fasting
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What Is Intermittent Fasting And Why Would You Do It
Intermittent fasting is not a diet, it’s a pattern of eating. It’s a way of scheduling your meals so that you get the most out of them. Intermittent fasting doesnt change what you eat, it changes when you eat.
Why is it worthwhile to change when youre eating?
Well, most notably, its a great way to get lean without going on a crazy diet or cutting your calories down to nothing. In fact, most of the time you’ll try to keep your calories the same when you start intermittent fasting. Additionally, intermittent fasting is a good way to keep muscle mass on while getting lean.
With all that said, the main reason people try intermittent fasting is to lose fat. We’ll talk about how intermittent fasting leads to fat loss in a moment.
Perhaps most importantly, intermittent fasting is one of the simplest strategies we have for taking bad weight off while keeping good weight on because it requires very little behavior change. This is a very good thing because it means intermittent fasting falls into the category of simple enough that you’ll actually do it, but meaningful enough that it will actually make a difference.
How To Determine Your Fasting And Feeding Windows
I recommend utilizing a 16-hour fast with an 8-hour eating window for beginning intermittent fasting. You will begin with a 16-hour fast. The good thing is that the hours you are sleeping count toward your fasting window. If you sleep for 8 hours, thats half your fasting window done. What has worked best for me is ending my eating window 2 hours before bed, sleeping 8 hours a night, skipping breakfast, and not eating my first meal until mid-afternoon. I like that approach because I am not a breakfast person and my hunger levels are higher after work. The best way to determine your windows is to look at your daily schedule and see what times would work for you.
4 of 6
I prefer sparkling waters. The carbonation helps with feeling full.
5 of 6
Nestor Rizhniak
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What Are The Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting
Weight loss isnât the only benefit of IF. Fasting is a practice that dates back to ancient times, and in some cultures is still practiced regularly.
Health benefits are a pleasant side effect of IF, and many of those perks can affect womenâs health specifically.
Musculoskeletal health. This includes conditions like osteoporosis, arthritis, and lower back pain. Fasting has been shown to promote hormone secretion from the thyroid. This can promote bone health and help prevent bone fractures.
Metabolic health. Some women go through menopause in their 50s. Menopause can cause changes in your body that increase belly fat, insulin, and glucose. Fasting can help you decrease your blood pressure, cholesterol, and belly fat, which can improve insulin sensitivity. Fasting can also keep your metabolism on track as you age. â
Mental health. Fasting has been shown to promote mental health. It may reduce anxiety, depression, and the emotional roller coaster that can go hand-in-hand with menopause. Fasting has also been proven to improve self-esteem and reduce stress.
Other proven benefits of IF include:
- Improved memory
Are There Any Drawbacks To Intermittent Fasting
Just like any other plan, protocol, program, service, product IF has its own set of cons.
It would be too good to be true, although the negative aspect here is relatively small and insignificant in my opinion.
Ready for the list of the so-called setbacks? Lets rock:
- Lower energy
- Brain fog
- Headaches
- Hunger plus food cravings
- Obsession with the feeding and fasting window
- Relying on caffeine too much
It entirely depends on you as a person and how your body responds to fasting.
But either youll end up with one of these or some of them, or you might even experience all of the negatives combined.
If thats the case then Ive got bad news for you mate youre one unlucky son of a hitch!
Anyway, as its crystal clear IF is a double-edged blade and you need the willpower to succeed.
Weight loss is all about your mental state.
Do you want to stay in shape, are you willing to make certain sacrifices?
Answer these and then make your choice!
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The Power Of Minds That Think Alike
- Any dialogue with people in a similar minds pace is going to keep you going . Look for communities and support groups that share their journeys, results, questions on and . Use an app to track your fasting hours and your progress. Apps help you review how far youve come. An added bit of using an app is the community feeling. Zero allows you to see how many other users are fasting at the same time as you.
- Intermittent fasting is hacking the way we think while being mindful and strategic. It is these small habits that will enable you to conquer this fast in order to achieve your goals. The IF movement has been a global one where people are striving to be more mindful of their routines and how to be healthy within that.
- Here is testimony of how 5 years of fasting can reap benefits beyond weight loss.
- Intermittent fasting, if followed religiously is sure to help you up your health game in the long term.
