Does Sleeping At Night Count As Hours Toward The Fast
Yes, it does. So, for example, if you have a protein shake right before bed, then wake up eight hours later, you’re already eight hours into your fast with only eight more to reach your goal of 16.
If you have a protein shake right before bed, then wake up eight hours later, you’re already eight hours into your fast with only eight more to reach your goal of 16.
What Is The 1: 8 Diet
The 16:8 diet is a type of intermittent fasting where you break each day into two parts a 16 hour stretch and an 8 hour period. For 16 hours every day, you consume nothing but water, coffee, tea and other unsweetened drinks. Then for the other eight hours of the day, you can eat all your meals and snacks.
The 16 hour stretch sounds like a long time, but if youre getting enough sleep, you should be asleep for about half of that time.
Sports Scientist Harry Aitken tells GoodtoKnow, Intermittent fasting is a dietary technique in which all food is consumed within a relatively small window of time. Fasting is going for a significant period of time without eating, and intermittent fasting simply brings in a small window of time where you are able to eat.
Intermittent fasting has been popularised and studies have gone on to confirm that it leads to weight loss and fat loss.
The 16:8 diet stems from the book 8 Hour Diet by author David Zinczenko and editor-in-chief of Mens Health Peter Moore, who suggested that a longer fasting time between eating gives the body the time it needs to process the food and burn away extra fat.
Why Do People Fast
Many cultures around the world fast for spiritual reasons, but fasting as a health measure has become popular because research suggests it may offer metabolic benefits and possibly lengthen lifespan.
And because youre usually eating only within a specific window, you tend to consume fewer calories than you would if you were eating around the clock, says Julie Upton, RD, a registered dietitian and cofounder of the nutrition news company Appetite for Health, in San Francisco. That, of course, can leads to weight loss.
According to a study, published in 2019 in The New England Journal of Medicine, the biggest benefits of fasting may come from whats known as metabolic switching. Thats when the body changes from using energy from glucose thats stored in the liver to ketones stored in fat. Researchers believe ketogenesis, an increase in ketones in the blood, may trigger cellular signals that slow aging, reduce inflammation, and promote better blood sugar control.
Scientists are still trying to get a handle on how intermittent fasting impacts health over the long-term. And theyve barely scratched the surface in terms of what happens when people fast while already at a healthy weight. Some of the latest studies have been observational or performed on mice. So the findings are often considered preliminary.
But, she adds, thats only after other measures have been tried first, such as improving general eating habits, moving more, or trying other stress-management strategies.
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Leangains Also Called 1: 8
Leangains, as popularized by bodybuilder Martin Berkhan, is by far the most popular method of fasting intermittently. This form of fasting consists of skipping breakfast every morning and pushing the first meal of the day to lunch, eating within an eight hour window. The idea is to fast for 16 hours , then eat all your calories in an 8 hour window.
For example, lets say you get up at 6:00 a.m. You would skip breakfast and eat nothing for six hours, then lunch at noon and dinner at 8:00 p.m. Snacking inside your eating window is allowed . This 16:8 split is recommended every single day.
If you had one day off from this protocol and followed this the other six days of the week, that would amount to an additional 4 hours of fasting per day compared to the standard 12:12 split that we are assuming to be baseline . Four hours per day times six days per week equals about 24 hours of total additional fasting per week.
What Can I Drink During Intermittent Fasting
When you choose a drink during your fasting window, be aware of calories. Drinks with calories higher than single digits can break your fast and undo your effort. Even some non-caloric drinks, such as diet sodas, flavored waters, or anything containing artificial sweeteners, can provoke the insulin response and interfere with your fast. So what can you drink?
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When Can I Eat On The 1: 8 Diet
You can pick an 8 hour window to suit your day. So, for example it could be between 10am 6pm or 11am 8pm and so on. Plus, you can still drink tea and coffee outside of those hours too, although because of the benefits of drinking water you are also encouraged to stay as hydrated as possible.
Most people choose to fast through the night, and opt to eat their first meal at about 11am or in the middle of the day.
Tom says, The most common hours adopted for the eating period is 12 till 8pm. The reason for this is because people arent normally that hungry in the morning, you dont want to be consuming too many calories during the evening and this allows us to eat our lunch and dinner as well as a healthy snack.
Gentle Foods To Break A Fast
When youre ready to break your fast, its best to ease out of it. Toward the end of your fast, you might want to introduce small portions of foods that are more easily digested, so you dont overwhelm your digestive system.
Breaking your fast with foods that are especially high in fat, sugar, or even fiber can be difficult for your body to digest, leading to bloating and discomfort.
Foods and drinks that can be even more shocking to your system after a fast include those like a greasy cheeseburger, slice of cake, or soda. Even high-fiber raw produce, nuts, and seeds may be difficult to digest.
On the other hand, nutrient-dense foods that easy to digest and contain a bit of protein and some healthy fats can break your fast more gently.
Below are a few examples of what to eat to break your fast.
Breaking your fast with healthy foods that may be better tolerated can help replenish important nutrients and electrolytes while easing food back into your diet.
Once youre tolerating gentler foods, add in other healthy foods like whole grains, beans, vegetables, nuts, seeds, meat, poultry, and fish and return to eating normally.
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When Should I Exercise
When Varady and her colleagues conducted a study that combined alternate day fasting and exercise, they allowed the participants to pick whether they wanted to exercise on a feasting or fasting day, and found there was no strong preference one way or the other. But the researchers were surprised the dieters actually reported feeling more energetic on fasting days.
I Didn’t Sleep Very Well
I’m not sure if this was one of the results of intermittent fasting, but I noticed that I didn’t sleep very well during my experiment. After a few days, I woke up multiple times during the night feeling super thirsty and had to get up to drink water before I could fall asleep again. I tried to adjust the types of food I was eating to fix it. Other bloggers who have tried the diet reported similar problems, but I couldn’t find concrete research linking the issue with fasting besides my fellow IFers accounts. I normally don’t have a problem sleeping, so this was definitely a negative side effect.
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Intermittent Fasting Diet Plan 16/8
With standard 16/8 intermittent fasting, its really up to you which 16 out of 24 hours you decide not to eat.
The only crucial aspect, in my experience, is to fit the 8 hours of sleep into the fasting period. Because this way, you shorten the fast to 8 hours a day. And thats only half the effort.
For this reason, it makes little sense to skip lunch. Nevertheless, some people have successfully managed to do this because of their particular daily routine.
However, if you follow a regular 9-to-5 schedule at work, you will probably have more success skipping breakfast or dinner.
Since most people like to eat in the evening in the company of their loved ones, skipping breakfast has largely proven to be the best approach.
Moreover, according to countless experiences, this approach is the most sustainable and easiest way for beginners to start intermittent fasting.
What Liquids Can I Drink While Fasting
During a fast, you are to refrain from food but not drinking. As a matter of fact, liquids are important to maintain yourself hydrated.
You can still drink certain beverages and reap the full of benefits of fasting. Here are the top selections:
WaterThis ones a no-brainer. Steady sipping on H2O will keep you hydrated while fasting.
Bone brothUnlike regular broth, bone broth is rich in nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, other trace minerals, as well as collagen, an essential protein for skin, joints, and hair.
Bone broth is often called liquid fuel because of its nutritional benefits. It has proven to improve joint health and replenish electrolytes, which are beneficial during a fast.
Black CoffeeYAS!! Coffee can help curb appetite during a fast but one drawback- no sugar or cream. You can add artificial sweeteners and a splash of cream but make sure to keep your intake under 50 calories. More about drinking coffee while fasting here.
Herbal teasSame as water, decaffeinated tea is a great way to stay hydrated and can even help curb appetite. Be sure to drink it plain, no cream or sugar, at least while youre fasting.
Bulletproof CoffeeThis coffee has around 230 calories so its not a good option to drink while fasting. However, Bulletproof Coffee is one of the best ways to break your fast.
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Dietary Advice Between Fasting Periods
Dear Dr. Fung, I have been following your blog and protocols since last July with much success, and have the Insulin Index paper from Marty Kendall. I look forward to your every post.
What do you suggest about using Whey Protein Powders and what is their impact on insulin? Mark Sisson wrote whey can lower insulin yet often heard is that as a concentrated Dairy, whey protein raises insulin.
I advise against using whey powder for the main reason that it is a highly processed chemical, not a real food. Whey can stimulate insulin, but also is very satiating, so the effect on weight is likely closer to neutral.
Is it necessary to take a multi vitamin on the HFLC or Ketogenic diet?
If you eat a diet predominantly of whole, unprocessed, real foods, then no, it is not necessary.
Seems the rage today is taking care of the gut flora from both probiotics and prebiotics. Are there foods you recommend that help the gut flora. Some diets like Perfect Health Diet recommend safe starches such as potatoes and rice to feed the good bacteria in the gut. Do you personally eat rice or potatoes? Can we get sick from not getting adequate amounts of these safe starches and can you comment on proper care of the gut?
I know that I will ruffle some feathers, but I am quite skeptical about the gut micro biome theory with regards to obesity. So, there are no foods I recommend for that reason alone.
None that I am aware of.
Break Your Meals Down
While following Time Restricted Feeding, it is more sensible to break down meals into three or four small meals, instead of eating one massive meal, unless you’re following the alternate fasting method or the whole-day fast. Eating more often, will help your metabolism stay up and hence, may help you burn more fat.
Intermittent Fasting for weight loss: It is more sensible to break down meals into three or four small meals.
It is recommended to get a dietitian or a clinical nutritionist to draw up a healthy meal plan for you. Do not attempt any diet without consulting a qualified person first. Try and stick to the meal plan as much as possible, to ensure maximum results.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
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Blood Sugar And Other Tests During Fasting
When I fast on just chicken broth my blood glucose drops to 65 and then on the 5th day to 55 mg/dl.Have you observed a drop like this in your fasting patients?
We often see this drop during fasting.
Should i worry if my blood sugar while fasting goes up to in the 140s ?
This is quite common, and due to the breakdown of glycogen or the production of new glucose in response to some of the hormonal changes of fasting. It is neither good nor bad.
Think of it this way. Your body is simply moving sugar from its stores and pushing it into the blood. Here your body has a chance to burn it off.
I purchased a glucose and ketone meter last week. Measured my glucose on Friday after fasting for about 21 hours and the reading was 3.6 mmol with the ketones at 1.9 mmol. It worried me a bit that the glucose was this low, should I be worried? On Saturday I went for a 6 km trail run at a high tempo and my glucose reading afterward were 2,4 mmol. I would like to stay in ketosis, but my fluctuating glucose readings are making me nervous. I do not experience any of the low glucose symptoms, but I tend to become paranoid when the numbers dont look right!
Listen to your body. If you feel unwell, then stop. Otherwise, if you are worried, reduce the fasting duration.
Popular Forms Of Intermittent Fasting
There are several popular ways to accomplish intermittent fasting and I will discuss the three most popular varieties next. All of these involve lengthening the overnight fast by skipping breakfast and postponing the first meal of the day. All of these also involve eating no calories at the beginning of the day and the majority of your calories later in the day, a concept called a caloric reverse taper.
Keep in mind that for the purpose of these discussions we will consider the baseline standard diet to involve 12 hours of fasting plus 12 hours of an eating window during the day consisting of three meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The sad reality however is that most people are actually eating first thing in the morning until late at night, with lots of snacking, so the eating window for the average American is probably even larger than 12 hours.
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What Should I Eat As My First Meal Following A Fast
That’s a good question. Intermittent fasting allows you to be somewhat loose with your eating compared with other diets, but that doesn’t change the fact that high protein intake is important, along with healthy fats and complex carbs. Coming off of a fast, I recommend a high-protein meal as opposed to one loaded with carbs.
Work from the lab at Yale found that when you fast then refeed with a low-carb meal, the activity of the genes that increase calorie consumption and fat burning is further increased with the meal. However, when you refeed with a high-carb meal, the activity of many of these genes is decreased.
Is It Ok To Skip Breakfast
Yes, Varady said. The notion that omitting a morning meal is bad for your waistline likely began with studies sponsored by cereal companies, and most of that research looked at the effects of breakfast skipping on cognition in children, she noted: Im not sure how that all got translated to body weight.
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Food And Drinks That Contain Calories
Strictly speaking, any amount of calories will break a fast.
If a person follows a strict fasting schedule, they should avoid any food or drinks containing calories.
Those following a modified fasting diet can often eat up to 25% of their daily calorie needs while fasting.
With this in mind, it is important to know how many calories a person needs while avoiding food and drinks that exceed their total daily limit.
Some certain supplements and foods are generally within the limits of several fasting methods, including the below.
Less Feeding More Fasting
One of the best ways to achieve effortless and long-lasting fat loss in my opinion is to train yourself to eat two meals a day . The easiest and best way to accomplish this? Leverage your natural overnight fast by skipping breakfast .19
Typically, the fed state starts when you begin eating and for the next three to five hours your body digests and absorbs the food you just ate. Insulin rises significantly, completely shutting off fat-burning and also triggering excess calories to be stored as fat.20
After the first few hours mentioned above, your body goes into what is known as the postabsorptive state, during which the components of the last meal are still in the circulation. The postabsorptive state lasts until 8 to 12 hours after your last meal, which is when you enter the fasted state. It typically takes 12 hours after your last meal to fully enter the fasted state.21
When youre in the fasted state your body can burn fat that has been inaccessible during the fed state. Because we dont enter the fasted state until 12 hours after our last meal, its rare that our bodies are in this fat burning state. This is one of the reasons why many people who start intermittent fasting will lose fat without changing what they eat, how much they eat, or how often they exercise.22 Fasting puts your body in a fat burning state that you rarely get to enter during a normal eating schedule.
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