Is Intermittent Fasting Better Than Keto For Weight Loss
Intermittent fasting or Keto diet? These 2 popular weight loss methods bring lots of question marks as well. So, which is better in terms of weight loss and fitness benefits in general? This is a dilemma for people who are trying to shed those extra pounds.
Keto Diet also know as Ketogenic Diet and Intermittent Fasting are relatively new weight loss approaches and various scientific studies have also backed their many benefits and effectiveness in losing weight. So is there a better one between the two? Lets first understand what is Keto diet and Intermittent Fasting are.
Fasting Versus Carb Restriction: Which Works Better For What Scenarios
Both fasting and carb-restriction appear to operate along similar physiological pathways. Both lower carbs. Both increase fat-adaptation. Both have the potential to get you into ketosis. Both lower insulin and blood sugar.
But is one better than the other? Are there certain scenarios in which an intermittent fasting protocol works better than a low-carb diet, and vice versa?
Lets find out if the distinction matters.
And what scenarios are most impacted by any difference.
What Is A Ketogenic Diet
A ketogenic diet means eating high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-to-no carbohydrates.
When the levels of ketones in our blood get elevated, we enter the metabolic state called ketosisthe root of the term keto diet.
The calorie breakdown of a typical ketogenic diet looks like:
- 70-80% of calories from fat
- 15-30% calories from protein
- 0-10% calories from carbohydrates
Most ketones pack more energy per unit than carbs. They can also fuel the vast majority of your cells. For the few other types of cells that need glucose, your body will synthesize it from protein. This is a natural process called gluconeogenesis.
Recommended Reading: Does Fasting Help With Belly Fat
Try The Most Popular/effective Method
The most popular method is 16/8. Otherwise known as the timed restricted eating routine. This involves 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of eating. During the eating window you should consume balanced keto meals. Either 2 large meals or 3 smaller meals. Avoid snacking to maximise results and to maintain a strong digestive system. Overeating can cause your digestive system and your metabolism to slow down. This can cause stomach issues and weight gain.
So Which Is Best For Weight Loss Intermittent Fasting Or Keto
- Both diets promote weight loss, provided youre eating fewer calories than you burn
- Both diets have the potential in increase insulin sensitivity, leading to improved glucose utilization and reduced risk for developing diabetes and heart disease
- Intermittent fasting is more flexible than keto when it comes to the types of food you can eat. This increases the pool of available vitamins and minerals obtainable from the diet
- Intermittent fasting can be modified for those who require or desire shorter fasts and is not mandatory to fast every day. Keto is all or nothing: youre either in ketosis or not and keto requires strict daily adherence.
- Keto may produce quicker results compared to certain types of intermittent fasting
Read Also: Why Is Intermittent Fasting Not Working For Me
Do I Need Extended Fasting For Autophagy
Autophagy is your bodys process for cleaning house and purging all the damaged cells and old protein. Autophagy literally means to self-eat.
For the most part, this is a desirable thing that happens when we have less energy available from our diet. Your body not only starts to feed on itself, cleaning out the bits that it doesnt need. Periods of low energy availability allow our bodies to repair and purge. We keep only what we need for survival, which allows us to survive to procreate another day when there is more food available.
Its easy to fall into the trap of thinking that, because a little is good, more is better. We like to fit in and tend to compare ourselves with other people.
- My ketones are higher than yours.
- My blood sugar is lower than yours.
- I eat less carbs than you.
- My fast was longer than yours.
But extremes are not necessarily better, including when it comes to fasting. While there may be benefits of extended fasting, there are also downsides.
You may have seen images like the one below that suggest that there is something magical about fasting for a certain length of time. However, the reality is, there is no data on autophagy in humans.
Even the smartest fasting gurus admit that we dont know what length of fasting is required to achieve benefits or the minimum effective dose of fasting to achieve meaningful results. Do you need 24 hours, 36 hours, 3 days, 7 days or maybe 14 days to get the full benefits of autophagy?
Should You Combine These Diets
Combining IF and keto can offer an amazing weight loss and synergistic health benefits for some. For others, it might make more sense to do one at a time or to modify them slightly as you learn how your body and mind react to them. Each of these diets is backed by scientific research, but more work needs to be done to understand the nuances of how these diets affect different people, including men vs women, and when they may be contraindicated.
Read Also: Do Fasting Help You Lose Weight
Keto Diet Or Intermittent Fasting: What’s Best For Weight Loss
Intermittent fasting and ketogenics, the latest buzzy diets, have been hailed as weight loss wonders, with dieters losing upwards of 50 pounds on either plan. Both diets work by inducing ketosis, which is when the body burns fat for weight loss.
“There’s many ways to get into ketosis,” Dr. Jeffry Gerber, co-author of Eat Rich, Live Long, told Newsweek .
Gerber, who is also a clinician specializing in weight loss, said the ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting and reducing your calorie intake are the main strategies to get your body into fat burning mode.
The keto diet is essentially a low carb, high fat, moderate protein plan. Gerber says most keto followers eat below 40 grams of carbohydrates per day, though some studies have shown that staying under 20 grams a day could offer better results. Protein intake is generally about half a gram per pound in body weight.
Those who can’t give up the carbs may feel more inclined to try intermittent fasting, which is essentially not eating for brief periods of time. Although there are various ways to fast, many opt to eat within an eight hour span, so from 12 to 8 p.m., or skipping breakfast.
When it comes to which is better for weight loss, Gerber doesn’t believe one outshines the other.
“They don’t compete with each other at all,” he said. Rather, he believes people can easily follow both.
Intermittent Fasting And The Keto Diet
There is no reason these two strategies need to be mutually exclusive. Many, if not most people who practice intermittent fasting combine the eating pattern with a low-carb, slow-carb, or no-carb diet to accelerate their results. By practicing intermittent fasting while on keto, you can take advantage of the benefits that both offer. Both methods help people drop weight without restricting calories while improving blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure.
As discussed, being in a fasted state helps raise your ketone levels by keeping insulin low and being in ketosis while fasting allows you to burn fat for fuel. Another benefit of using them in tandem is that following the keto diet during fueling windows promotes satiety and can decrease hunger and cravings allowing you to fast for extended periods.
Also Check: What To Do During Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting & Keto: The Ultimate Guide
a year ago
After a quick glance at the headlines on most health-related sites, youd no doubt notice that intermittent fasting and the Ketogenic diet are two of the most popular nutrition trends around right now.
Both are commonly used by health-conscious consumers looking to manage their weight and support their general wellbeing, and they each have a solid body of research behind them as standalone dietary interventions.
Nevertheless, you may be wondering whether its effective to practice both at the same time
In this article, we take a deep dive into all things IF and Keto, exploring how they work, their potential benefits, and how to successfully combine the two.
A Brief History Of Fasting
Contrary to popular belief, going a period of time without eating isnt a new idea brought on by the wave of fitness influencers. Actually, fasting has existed for thousands of years
Ancient civilizations and religious groups have implemented this practice for various reasons. From preparing to approach deities to using it as a form of penitence, people have engaged in short-term fasts for centuries.
While there are certainly some folks who fast as part of their religion, more people have opened up to the idea of a fasting window for the potential health benefits.
So why might someone want to only eat during a certain time frame?
For one, fasting can help usher along autophagy, which is one of your bodys natural detoxification processes. Plus, when overseen by a physician, fasting can also help with weight management, blood sugar control, and even support healthy aging.
Of course, the practice of fasting isnt just a one-size-fits-all model. While intermittent fasting is the most popular method, there are other ways to implement this eating pattern. From dry fasts to wet fasts , there are different ways to incorporate fasting into your lifestyle.
Related: The Complete Intermittent Fasting Guide for Beginners
Read Also: Does Intermittent Fasting Work For Women
Intermittent Fasting And Keto Combined
Fasting helps you get into ketosis, and being in ketosis also helps you fast.
Along with achieving the typical benefits of fasting, a lot of keto diet followers fast regularly because it helps them break through weight loss plateaus, and its an easy way to further limit calorie intake if necessary.
And a ketogenic diet also helps with longer periods of fasting. The benefits and easier transition are mutual:
- Following the ketogenic diet macro portions helps you transition to fasting easier. In a ketogenic, fat-adapted state, your body is already accustomed to tapping into your fat stores for energy instead of relying on carbs for glucose.
- On the other hand, experience with fasting helps you avoid the keto flu if you begin the keto diet as an experienced faster.
- A fat-adapted or ketogenic state also prevents similar symptoms that can occur when you first begin fasting.
Protection Against Muscle Loss
A high fat diet like the ketogenic diet also makes sure your body has a source of fat and uses it during your fast, instead of breaking down muscle protein for energy. For this reason, keto diet followers who fast for the day sometimes drink black coffee with either heavy, full-fat cream, butter, ghee or MCT oil or powder.
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What Are The Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern which shows numerous of the health benefits on body and brain. Some of the health benefits of the intermittent fasting are enlisted below:
- Intermittent fasting helps in cellular repair and maintains hormonal dysfunction.
- Most important, it helps in weight loss and belly fat.
- It helps to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus by reducing insulin resistance.
- Intermittent fasting has numerous benefits in reducing cardiovascular diseases.
- Intermittent fasting can be beneficial in preventing cancer. Some pieces of evidence have soon that fasting reduces various chemotherapy side effects.
- It may help to prevent Alzheimers disease.
- Finally, it is also beneficial for the brain by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and blood sugar level.
Intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet are two of the top trending eating patterns among dieters and health enthusiasts alike. However, while there are plenty of differences between intermittent fasting vs. keto, they can actually be combined to help amplify results and reach ketosis even faster. In fact, by practicing intermittent fasting on keto, you can take advantage of the unique benefits that both have to offer.
So should I fast on keto? What ingredients belong on the keto diet food list? And how many hours should you fast intermittently? Heres everything you need to know about intermittent fasting on keto, plus how to get started.
Pros And Cons Offasting
Here are the PROS of fasting you dont get from eating keto:
- Higher expression of autophagy, sirtuins, and other longevity genes.
- You can still eat some carbs while maintaining metabolic flexibility and going into ketosis during some parts of the day.
- On longer fasts, you can activate stem cells and trigger regeneration of the immune system.
- You release more growth hormone that can facilitate fat burning and anti-aging. For that, you still need to sleep well and be aligned with the circadian rhythms.
Here are the CONS of fasting that are avoided by eating keto:
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How Long Is Too Long
While you can go for weeks without food, it may not be optimal. For the many people who eat all day, a couple of hours may feel extended.
There is nothing wrong with going 24 or 36 hours without food so long as you are making good choices when you refeed to ensure you are getting the nutrients you need over the longer term and dont have a history of binge eating. However, if you are not able to control food quality or quantity when you refeed, you are unlikely to be making sustainable long-term improvements.
Combining Intermittent Fasting With The Ketogenic Diet
Now that you have a solid foundation for both the keto diet and IF, you can probably guess how to combine them. By eating a very low-carb diet during your eating windows for IF, you can successfully combine these methods. Your keto meals can fit into the IF schedule easily, as high-fat keto foods are really filling and can keep you feeling full and satisfied between meals and for most of the fasting period.In fact, if you’ve been doing keto for a while, you may notice that the distance between your meals has naturally lengthened. That’s because, in the absence of insulin spikes and drops, you’re no longer feeling intense cravings or hunger pangs. That can come in handy if you’re attempting to create a big eating gap every day (or every few days, depending on the method you choose.
Read Also: What Foods To Eat While Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting Or Keto Diet Which Is Best
These days you hear a lot about the keto diet. Theres also plenty of talk about Intermittent fasting and many people claim the benefits each provides increases when they are combined.
The actress Halle Berry is a fan of both systems and admits she combines the two diets to keep in shape.
However, both diets involve extreme lifestyle changes. Pairing them could become overwhelming.
Even doing one of them alone can be too challenging for a lot of people. If you are thinking of doing the Keto Diet, trying intermittent fasting, or combining the two, this article is for you.
Keto And Fasting Which One Should You Do
Everyone doesnt need to do a ketogenic diet and I think its not a good idea to be on keto all the time. At the same time, you cant fast indefinitely either and thats where restricting your carbs in some shape or form is beneficial for getting the benefits of ketones without necessarily fasting that frequently.
A ketogenic diet is more suitable for people with diabetes, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimers, cancer, etc. because they need to have elevated ketones present at all times. Regular people should use it only for diet adherence, convenience, and maintaining health.
On a daily basis, its recommended to still be confining your eating window as well as you can to keep yourself more in sync with the circadian rhythms. Daily time-restricted eating over the course of 4-8 hours is very easy and suitable for most people. You should do it on any diet whether that be keto or high carb.
If I had to choose which one is better and more effective, then Id saythat you can get most of the benefits of a ketogenic diet with intermittentfasting and prolonged fasting but eating low carb keto is also very sustainableand practical. I use both of them in various situations.
Most of the time I try to keep myself in ketosis by controlling my carbohydrate intake and eating within a certain time frame. In some cases, I deliberately kick myself out of ketosis and eat some carbs but I still practice intermittent fasting regardless of what I eat.
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Read Also: What To Drink While Fasting
Intermittent Fasting And Keto: Should You Combine The Two
The keto diet and intermittent fasting are two of the hottest current health trends.
Many health-conscious people use these methods to drop weight and control certain health conditions.
While both have solid research backing their purported benefits, many people wonder if its safe and effective to combine the two.
This article defines intermittent fasting and the keto diet and explains whether combining the two is a good idea.
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There are many different types of intermittent fasting routines, including the 5:2 method, the Warrior Diet and alternate-day fasting.
Perhaps the most popular kind of intermittent fasting is the 16/8 method, which involves eating during an eight-hour timeframe before fasting for 16.
Intermittent fasting is mainly used as a weight loss technique.
However, studies found that it may benefit health in many other ways.
For example, intermittent fasting has been shown to reduce inflammation and improve brain function and blood sugar control .
Summary
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves rotating between periods of fasting and normal eating. Popular methods include the 5:2 and 16/8 methods.
