For Coaches: Find The Best Intermittent Fasting Schedule For Your Clients
The topic of IF poses quite a few challenges for nutrition coaches. First, some clients really shouldnt be fasting at all. Others might do okay with some fasting approaches, but miserably on others.
And still other clients might come to you convinced that the most extreme fasting method is right for them, even though theyve never fasted before.
How do you navigate these turbulent waters? In this section, youll find advice from Robin Beier, PN2, a German nutrition coach we mentioned earlier in this chapter.
To match clients with an intermittent fasting schedule, consider these questions.
Factor #1: Have they practiced the fundamentals?
A number of fundamental nutrition strategies form the underpinning of all successful IF schedules. Your client will want to have these down before trying any fasting style. Is your client usually
- eating only when physically hungry?
- eating slowly until satisfied?
- consuming minimally-processed whole foods?
- eating balanced meals that include lean protein, healthy fats, smart carbs and colorful veggies?
If possible, try to spend some time on these practices before diving into any of the fasting schedules mentioned in this chapter.
Factor #2: Have they fasted before? If so, how did it go?
Consider asking: What experiences have you had with fasting schedules or meal skipping?
Factor #3: What kind of exercise are they doing? And how often are they doing it?
Factor #4: Whats their lifestyle like?
Two words that can reign in overzealous clients
But 12 Hour Fasting May Not Work
If you are anything like I was with hormone issues, gut imbalances, sleep issue, a liver needing detoxed or any vitamin deficiencies, 12-hour Intermittent Fasting may not work for you.
I always suggest to anyone interested in implementing a 12-hour Intermittent Fasting schedule, to get their bloodwork and labs. This helps to ensure your body is in optimal shape to change your diet.
Consider the following labs: hormones along with vitamins and minerals.
If your lab results show an imbalance, check out a few articles at Clean Cuisine to get you back to optimal health so you can begin taking advantage of all of the 12-hour Intermittent Fasting benefits.
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What To Eat On A 5 2 Intermittent Fast
Limiting calories on those 2 days makes it tough to create sustainable meals. Be sure to follow a clean, whole foods diet during the 5 days of eating normally. Then, choose balance whole foods such as: raw fruits and vegetables to help your stomach stay full longer. Pair this with fiber, such as oatmeal and plant-based proteins like flaxseeds and hemp seeds. A big green smoothie is also helpful.
You can also consider drinking water, coffee and other drinks that have no calories. This does help reduce the feelings of hunger and make it a little easier to transition.
Embracing the 5 2 Intermittent fasting method still reaps the health benefits of intermittent fasting.
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Is 12 Hours Enough For Intermittent Fasting
12-hour fasting means that you fast for 12 hours every day and eat within a 12-hour window. While the fasting time is set, there are different possibilities for arranging meals in your eating window. Research suggests that the benefits of 12-hour fasting are similar to longer fasting times, as long as you restrict the number of meals in the eating window.
16/8 fasting is considered the beginnerâs version of intermittent fasting. Many people donât consider 12-hour fasting as intermittent fastingâwhether it is or not is debatable.
If you want to learn more about different intermittent fasting methods, we recommend our in-depth article about the 8 different methods of intermittent fasting.
In our opinion, what matters are the health benefits. Donât you agree?
Before answering this question, letâs have a closer look at how 12-hour fasting works.
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Hour Intermittent Fasting Schedule
The 12 hour intermittent fasting schedule feels the easiest, least painful and most natural method of fasting. If your last meal ends at 8pm, your next meal does not begin until 8am. If you eat a late evening snack at 10pm, then you dont eat your next meal until 10am.
This method of 12 hour intermittent fasting is flexible, much better for womens hormones and metabolism balances. Plus, you get all of the health benefits of intermittent fasting.
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What Are The Health Benefits
Weight loss
ADF and the 5:2 diet lead to 48% weight loss over 812 weeks in men and women with obesity.
ADF is an effective intermittent fasting method for weight loss especially when combined with a low-carb diet. ADF seems to cause similar weight loss compared to daily caloric restriction, although ADF may lead to greater reductions in fasting insulin and insulin resistance.
Other benefits
ADF increases life span in rodents by 80%, possibly by decreasing glucose levels and regulating insulin. It alsoreduces the incidence of cancer in lab animals genetically predisposed to it. Alternate day fasting may be better at improving insulin sensitivity and fasting insulin in humans compared to caloric restriction.
Who is ADF for?
People looking to jumpstart serious weight loss or reduce risk of disease. ADF is great for the first several months of a serious weight loss plan. Some people are able to maintain it long-term, but many fall back to one of the other schedules after theyve lost most of the weight.
Hours Intermittent Fasting Before & After Pictures
And now what youve really been waiting for12 hours intermittent fasting before and after pictures!
We women are our own worst critics, right? Hubby says wow you look smokin hot! You look great! I seemeh. But I DO see that belly is going away nice n right! These pics are definitely motivation to keep going!
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Intermittent Fasting : 2
The 5:2 plan or fast diet encourages normal eating for five days and fasting for two days a week. You can only consume around 500600 calories per day during these two days. However, for the remaining five days, there are no eating restrictions. For example, you can fast for Tuesday and Saturday and normally eat throughout the other days. Remember that it is essential to ensure that you fast on non-consecutive days.
Can You Lose Weight By Following A 12
In short yes! Fasting for 12 hours is a great way to convert your metabolism to fat oxidation which in turn helps you lose weight, feel more energetic, and continue burning fat to maintain the weight you already lost.
And because of the calorie deficit, any physical activity you do will just enhance weight loss, when paired with healthy eating plans like a keto diet. The 12:12 fast is a win-win option for many people.
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Choose The Best Intermittent Fasting Schedule For You
The best intermittent fasting schedule is one you can maintain without feeling deprived of food.
For some people, stopping their food intake at 7 pm and waiting until 11 am or noon to break their fast is an easy thing to do. For others, especially those who exercise in the morning, holding out for an extra 4 hours can be tough.
If youre just starting intermittent fasting, consider downloading this full eBook and meal plan.
Intermittent Fasting 101
What Happens When You Fast For 16 Hours
A 16 hour fast is considered the standard for people who practice intermittent fasting long-term.
A lot of people express that there is a lot of freedom that comes with fasting for 16 hours since fasting creates a limited eating window in which to eat all your meals.
The biggest benefit of fasting for 16 hours is entering the autophagy stage, where the body self-heals and it begins to reduce inflammation, boost its immune system, and age healthily.
Studies also show that it might take up to four days for the body to enter this self-healing stage, which is why I recommend that you start with a 12 hour fast and work your way up to a 16 hour fast.
Contrary to popular belief, intermittent fasting is not just skipping breakfast so youll need to think about when and what to eat if you have a busy lifestyle.
In addition, having an intermittent fasting meal plan can be highly beneficial if youre just starting out.
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Is 12 Hour Intermittent Fasting Enough
This is the million-dollar question among beginners and long-term intermittent fasting practitioners.
While research shows that 12 hours is enough, those who practice intermittent fasting and follow a keto diet swear by the 16-hour fasting window to help them stay in ketosis.
That said, many people do intermittent fasting without keto to achieve their health goals.
How To Make An Intermittent Fasting Schedule
Many folks are intrigued by intermittent fasting. After all, celebrities are participating, and health gurus are touting the long-term benefits to your body. However, when it comes to starting a plan, you dont want to be left in the dark. Coming up with a schedule that is right for your body, lifestyle, and overall goals is essential. So, consider this a bit of Intermittent Fasting 101 as you learn how to make an intermittent fasting schedule.
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Can You Fast While On The Keto Diet
Those who keep up with health trends will already know how big of a boom both intermittent fasting and keto diets have made in recent years. Now, many people are wondering if you should combine the two to get optimized results. The main idea behind the keto diet is to help your body reach ketosis, the process in which your body breaks down fats to form substances called ketones that serve as an alternate fuel source. This diet can be an incredibly effective way to lose weight.
Believe it or not, researchers believe that intermittent fasting may help your body reach ketosis quicker than the keto diet alone. This is because your body, when fasting, maintains its energy balance by shifting its fuel source from carbs to fats which is the exact premise of the keto diet. While its safe to combine the two if youre healthy, its unnecessary to combine both.
Schedule #: 1: : 4 Omad And Other Types Of Time Restricted Feeding
Popularized and researched by Satchidananda Panda, PhD, time-restricted feeding combines a fasting window with a feeding window. During the fasting window, people either dont eat at all or eat much less than usual. During the feeding window, people may either eat normally or more than normal.
In theory, this protocol takes advantage of our natural circadian rhythm to optimize metabolic health.
What it involves
Three of the more popular types of time-restricted eating include:
- 16:8, which calls for a 16-hour fast followed by an 8-hour eating window.
- 20:4, which entails fasting for the first 20 hours of each day, and then eating only during a 4-hour overfeeding window. Generally, most people put their 4-hour overfeeding window at the end of the day, as its more convenient for family dinners and after-work training sessions.
- OMAD, or one meal a day, which involves consuming all of your calories within 1 hour and nothing for the other 23 hours.
In each approach, some people focus on including highly-satiating foods such as colorful veggies and lean protein. These foods can help to dampen hunger during the fasting window.
For someone following 16:8, it might look like this:
Monday, 8pm: Finish your last meal of the day.
Tuesday, 11am: Work out.
Tuesday, 12pm: Eat your first meal, ideally the biggest one of the day.
Tuesday, 12-8pm: Feeding window during which you eat your daily energy intake.
Tuesday, 8pm: Last meal of the day ends, and the fasting period starts.
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Seven Ways To Do Intermittent Fasting
There are many different ways of intermittent fasting. The methods vary in the number of fast days and the calorie allowances.
Intermittent fasting involves entirely or partially abstaining from eating for a set amount of time, before eating regularly again.
Some studies suggest that this way of eating may offer benefits such as fat loss, better health, and increased longevity. Proponents claim that an intermittent fasting program is easier to maintain than traditional, calorie-controlled diets.
Each persons experience of intermittent fasting is individual, and different styles will suit different people.
In this article, we discuss the research behind the most popular types of intermittent fasting and provide tips on how to maintain this type of diet.
There are various methods of intermittent fasting, and people will prefer different styles. Read on to find out about seven different ways to do intermittent fasting.
Late Eating Could ‘tip The Scale’ Toward Weight Gain
The first of the two new studies involved 16 people who were overweight or obese. They tried two different eating regimens for one day each. First, some of the participants started eating an hour after their natural wake-up time, while the rest waited to start eating until about five hours after waking up. Then the two groups switched schedules on a later date.
The meals they all consumed were identical and the quantity of calories and nutrients was consistent across both schedules, according to Frank Scheer, the studys senior author and director of the Medical Chronobiology Program at Brigham and Womens Hospital.
The researchers measured participants’ hormone levels and found that late eating decreased levels of leptin a hormone that helps people feel full by 16% on average. Late eating also doubled the odds that people felt hungry .
Furthermore, the researchers found that late eaters had an increased desire for starchy and salty foods, as well as meat, dairy and vegetables. Scheer said that might be because people crave more energy-dense foods when they’re hungrier.
The study also found consistent changes in fat tissue associated with the late-eating regimen, suggesting an increased likelihood of building up new fat cells and a decreased chance of burning fat.
But Scheer said more research is needed before he’s comfortable making any recommendations.
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How Does Intermittent Fasting Work For Diabetes
Intermittent fasting works by lowering insulin levels so that the body burns stored fat for energy. That results in weight loss. It, in turn, can put diabetes into remission. For instance, a study shows that people with type 2 diabetes achieved remission after weight loss and intensive weight management. When done safely and under medical supervision, intermittent fasting can reduce the dependence on diabetes medication.
People with diabetes tend to experience increased appetite, which leads to binge eating in one sitting. It makes the pancreas overwork to release the required amounts of insulin. Moreover, all the extra glucose from overeating will get stored as fat. Over time, it causes weight gain and insulin resistance, ultimately worsening diabetes. And thats when intermittent fasting comes into the picture. Following intermittent fasting gives your body time to reset.
How Does The 12/12 Method Work
There are many types of intermittent fasting. For example, in 16:8 method , you are allowed to eat 8 hours a day and eat 16 hours fast.
If you decide to follow 5:2 intermittent fasting, you eat five days a week normally and then fast for two days.
The 12/12 method is a bit easier to implement. As the name suggests, you are allowed to eat 12 hours and then start 12 hours fasting phase, seven days a week. So if you have breakfast at 8am in the morning, you are allowed to have dinner until 8pm in the evening. After that, the food is discontinued, only water and unsweetened tea are allowed.
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What To Eat While Following 12
An important thing to consider about any fasting method is making healthy food choices. During your fasting window, you should eat nutrient-rich healthy food to avoid experiencing any deficiencies. Avoiding unhealthy snacks and processed food can enhance the effects of your 12-hour fasting.
You can consider adding these foods to your eating window
During your fasting window, you should drink enough water to stay hydrated. You can also drink non-caloric beverages like tea, coffee, lemon, or mint-flavored water, etc. These beverages keep you satiated and comfortable during your fasting window.
If you need help planning your fasting meals, get the proper guidance from the 21-Day Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan. Here you will get customized meal plans based on your preferences. The right nutritional guidelines, easy-to-follow recipes, and weekly shopping lists make it easy for you to follow a fasting routine successfully.
Is Intermittent Fasting Safe
Some people try intermitting fasting for weight management, and others use the method to address chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, high cholesterol or arthritis. But intermittent fasting isnt for everyone.
Williams stresses that before you try intermittent fasting , you should check in with your primary care practitioner first. Some people should steer clear of trying intermittent fasting:
- Children and teens under age 18.
- Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- People with diabetes or blood sugar problems.
- Those with a history of eating disorders.
But, Williams says, people not in these categories who can do intermittent fasting safely can continue the regimen indefinitely. It can be a lifestyle change, she says, and one with benefits.
Keep in mind that intermittent fasting may have different effects on different people. Talk to your doctor if you start experiencing unusual anxiety, headaches, nausea or other symptoms after you start intermittent fasting.
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