Want To Try Out Intermittent Fasting Here’s A 1
Whether you’re just getting started with intermittent fasting or you’ve been practicing it for a while now and are feeling a little bored with your meals, trying an intermittent fasting meal plan is a great way to stay committed to your goals. This seven-day meal plan is delicious, nutritious, and can easily get you out of your diet rut.
For those new to the concept, intermittent fasting doesn’t so much dictate what you eat as when you eat. So technically it’s not a conventional “diet,” but you’ll still want to practice healthy eating to reach your weight-loss goals. Instead of limiting calories, intermittent fasting limits the windows of time you can eat each day. There are so many different ways to practice intermittent fasting, but the most common method is called the 16 to 8 split, which involves fasting for 16 hours and then eating for eight hours.
It might sound like a challenge at first, but it’s helpful to remember that at least eight hours of the 16 is spent sleeping. There’s also a lot of downtime between dinner and your bedtime that adds up. Remember to be patient with yourself as your body adjusts to its new eating schedule. If you’re looking to get started now, what better way than planning what you’re going to eat during your eight-hour eating window? Luckily, we’ve got some great ideas, and ahead you’ll find a fully planned week of meals that will keep you full and satisfied.
How Do You Do Intermittent Fasting
There is no one set way on how to do intermittent fasting. This eating plan has numerous variations and the trick to it is finding which one works best for you. Some types of intermittent fasting methods include:
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Eat Your Fruits And Veggies
Im sure your parents have been telling you this forever, but here is the question are you doing it? If not, youre already sabotaging yourself right out of the gate. Aside from the well-documented health benefits of fruits and vegetables, the fiber content of these foods will help slow the digestion of a meal, keeping you satiated longer than you wouldve been without them. Add fiber to a mixed meal and you have the blueprint for dietary success with minimal effort.
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Hormonal Changes And Menstrual Cycles
Some animal research suggests that intermittent fasting may lead to hormonal changes and undereating. In people with ovaries, these changes may negatively affect menstrual cycles and fertility .
However, most studies are old and have been conducted in animals. Human studies are needed to fully understand how intermittent fasting may affect reproductive health.
Furthermore, postmenopausal individuals may experience different effects from intermittent fasting. Menopause causes changes that can decrease insulin sensitivity and lead to weight gain, and intermittent fasting may help improve these outcomes .
Summary
Restricting daily food intake to a particular time window may cause increased food intake and weight gain, as well as short-term hunger and weakness. Older animal studies indicate that intermittent fasting may interfere with fertility.
Is Intermittent Fasting Good For Bulking
Yes, absolutely!
One of the challenges of bulking while utilizing intermittent fasting is getting in enough calories in a restricted eating window.
However, if you can manage that, IF can really help your body burn up or prevent storing excess new fat while youre eating in a calorie surplus and adding size.
When Im bulking, Im trying to eat somewhere around 2250-2500 calories per day.
Ill often use a similar meal plan to the one above, but Ill add in a few of the following for extra calories and protein:
Greek yogurt: 110 calories and 13 grams of protein
Greek yogurt is an amazing source of protein, tastes delicious, and is great for your gut health.
String cheese: 80-100 calories and 7 grams of protein
Hands down, one of my favorite intermittent fasting snacks. Delicious, satisfying, and packed with good protein and fats.
Cheese quesadilla: 250 calories and 5-10 grams of protein
This is a great thing to cook up for lunch in the afternoon. Good carbs from whole wheat tortillas and lots of delicious fats and proteins in the cheese.
More fruit: 100 calories
When youre bulking, the temptation is to get all of your extra calories from crap and junk. Dont do it!
Splurging a little here and there is one of the benefits, but dont forget to get even more good antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals from fruits and veggies.
Oatmeal :200 calories and 8-10 grams of protein
This is becoming one of my favorite late night snacks for bulking while using intermittent fasting.
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Intermittent Fasting Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Does Intermittent fasting make you feel weak?
A. As intermittent fasting is a cycle of eating and fasting, the long time gap between your 2 meals can make you feel weak. It is important to follow this diet under an experts guidance with a disciplined regimen of eating healthy food at the right time.
Q. During the period of fasting can we drink water or have any type of fruit?
A. Yes you can have water and natural hydrators like buttermilk, black coffee, coconut water and herbal teas during your periods of fasting. You may also consume water-based fruits like cucumber and watermelon that keep your body hydrated.
Q. What kind of exercises can one do while intermittent fasting?
A. Due to long fasting hours, you might feel lethargic and fatigued during exercising. Therefore, it is necessary to consider essential factors like timing of workout, nutrient adjustment according to the kind of workout and most importantly, how your body responds. If you feel dizzy and get exhausted easily, it is better to go for light workouts for a short duration like yoga and low-intensity workouts. With heavy exercises, the timings and rightly balanced nutrition are extremely important. This is the reason why an experts supervision and guidance play a crucial role.
Q. Does intermittent fasting reduce muscle mass?
Q. Is 12 hours enough for intermittent fasting?
Q. What are the rules for intermittent fasting?
Q. How long should intermittent fasting be?
Q. Does sleeping count as fasting?
What About Supplements And Water
So youve decided to fast, and you know when to eat food, but what about those things you consume that arent strictly food?
Supplements
For the purposes of fasting, supplements count as food, and should be consumed within your eating window.
If you have supplements or medication meant to be consumed at a specific time of day, with or without food, we recommend you consult your doctor or health care practitioner to determine if fasting is right for you and how to choose the right schedule.
Water
Staying hydrated is always important, and especially so on a fast where you wont be consuming anything else.
Plain water, unsweetened sparkling water, or coffee and tea without anything added are all acceptable beverages during your fasting hoursbut good old water is definitely your best bet.
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Can You Give Me An Example Of A Good Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan For 1500 1700 Or 1800 Calories
Of course!
I could tell you exact things to eat, but I think you can take any foods you love and make them fit into your intermittent fasting lifestyle.
A good rule of thumb is to take your daily calorie goal and split it up like this:
- 20% of calories to break the fast
- 60% of calories for dinner
- 20% of calories for dessert or before-bed snack
Remember, since youre skipping breakfast, you only have to make it a few hours after breaking the fast until its time for a big dinner feast.
You can alter the percentages a little bit as needed.
For example, I prefer to have a few more calories at lunch so I can eat a respectable meal with my wife and daughter, and fewer calories before bed.
Some people prefer a bigger dinner, or more snacks throughout the day.
Do what works for you. But in general, the goal is to have a large and filling dinner and split the rest of your calories as you see fit.
Eat Mainly Unprocessed Foods
Just because youre allowed to eat a ton of food at one sitting doesnt mean that you should use it as an excuse to break the fast with a trip to the Chinese food buffet. Its kinda typing with your nose sure you could do it, but that doesnt make it a good idea. As with any diet plan, you should get a majority of your intake from real foods while controlling your intake of the junkier stuff such as cookies, ice cream, cakes, etc.
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What Is The : 4 Method
Often referred to as the Warrior Diet, the 20:4 fast was created by health and fitness writer, Ori Hofmekler, in 2001. This is one of the more extreme intermittent fasting methods and is based on Hofmeklers observations and experience keeping fit while in the Israeli Special Forces.
The 20:4 fast is designed to reflect the eating patterns of ancient warriors and timing is the key. Its based on the idea that in primitive times, people spent their days actively hunting and gathering before an evening feast. Those who follow the Warrior Diet claim that by eating in the evening, the body utilises the nutrients in line with its natural circadian rhythm.
During the eating window, fasters are encouraged to consume up to 90% of their daily caloric intake or until they are completely full. There arent any guidelines around the types of food you can consume during the 4-hour period, however, it is encouraged you consume nutrient-dense whole foods where possible.
Should You Skip Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Thats what conventional wisdom says, anyway.
The validity of this wisdom depends on a few factors, including your goals. If your goal is weight loss, breakfast might not be helping.
For example, one review of the literature found that the addition of breakfast probably doesnt aid in weight loss efforts. Another study, however, found that women who skipped breakfast had higher cortisol and blood pressure than breakfast eaters.
Why this effect? Possibly because breakfast can enhance the circadian rhythm, our 24-hour wake-sleep cycle. Eating in the AM hours helps stimulate melatonin production at night to support restful sleep, which carries over into every aspect of health.
The bottom line is that skipping breakfast works for some people, but not others. Youll have to experiment.
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How Much Weight Can You Lose In A Week With Intermittent Fasting
There are many different kinds of intermittent fasting, but in your first week you can lose 5-10 lbs if you are super strict and hitting that calorie deficit while eating a low carb meal plan. This will be mostly water weight of course so after this first week the weight loss is more than likely to slow down.
The best way to lose weight is to eat less calories than your body burns every day. This means eating fewer calories than you burn during physical activity. The amount of food you should consume depends on how active you are. If you exercise regularly, you should eat around 1,200 calories per day. However, if you dont exercise at all, you only need around 500 calories per day.
Intermittent fasting is a dieting method where people restrict their calorie intake to below what they would normally use. They do this by following a specific schedule of eating and fasting throughout the day. Some people fast for 16 hours while others fast for 24 hours .
Fasting allows the body to rest from digesting food, which helps the body to burn fat faster. It also reduces blood sugar levels, which makes it easier to control hunger pangs. In addition, fasting improves insulin sensitivity, which promotes healthy metabolism.
When you start intermittent fasting, you might feel hungry after eating breakfast or lunch. To avoid this, try drinking water before eating anything else. Drinking water first will help you feel full faster and prevent you from overeating later on.
Why Am I Gaining Weight On Intermittent Fasting
There could be various reasons as to why you cant seem to shed those unwanted pounds. But based on experience these are the most common causes of weight gain while on IF.
- Youre eating too much during your window: Like I said, if youre eating way too much calories to sort of bulk up for the hours you are fasting then it wont work. Also, if you eat a lot of carbs and high-calorie foods full of sugar, you will, no doubt, gain weight as opposed to losing it.
- Youre not eating enough during your window: Suprised arent you? How is that? If you dont eat enough in your eating window, you increase the chances of binge eating in your next window due to sheer starvation. Youll be so hungry, you may start eating and not stop. I recognize that fasting can be a slippery slope for some. Please understand that disordered eating is harmful both short term and long term. And you are never alone. If you are struggling, please reach out to Eating Disorders Helpline.
- Youre not eating enough protein: No matter which intermittent diet youre on, you need protein! Whether its vegan protein, protein powders, or sources like lean meat and chicken, protein is an essential building block. Protein is important for muscle mass and recovery after you exercise. Its good for bone health, too.
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Works Well With A Nutritious Whole Foods Diet
Because intermittent fasting is focused more on when rather than what you eat, its generally easy to implement in conjunction with your current diet.
You wont necessarily need to buy any special foods or diverge much from what you typically eat.
If youre already content with the state of your current diet but looking for other ways to continue boosting your overall health, fasting might be something you want to explore.
For example, intermittent fasting might work particularly well for someone who wants to pair it with a resistance training program and a high protein diet .
Still, this isnt meant to imply that what you eat doesnt matter. Theres no doubt that youll reap the most benefits from intermittent fasting by eating a variety of nutritious foods and limiting ultra-processed foods during your eating window.
SUMMARY
Intermittent fasting is often used to manage weight and metabolic health. The eating routine might help lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood fat levels. For some people, it also works as part of a healthy long-term diet pattern.
Should I Try Intermittent Fasting
Sessions says this plan probably works best for people who are regimented and says yo-yo dieters will likely have a hard time fasting. The best way to lose weight is by finding something you can stick to.
“The long-term key to weight loss is to establish a lifestyle that you can sustain,” says Sessions.
If you think this will work for you, it’s best to work with a doctor or dietitian who can ensure you’re getting enough nutrients.
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Does Intermittent Fasting Help In Lose Weight
Most people attempt intermittent fasting because of the weight loss that occurs when you follow this plan. By eating fewer meals, intermittent fasting leads to a reduction in caloric intake. This directly affects hormone and insulin levels which aid weight loss.
In addition, fasting also helps trigger the release of norepinephrine a fat-burning hormone. Even if you fast for a short period, your metabolic rate jumps up by 3.6 to 14%. By eating fewer calories, and burning more calories, youre effectively changing the calorie equation and promoting weight loss.
Many studies have demonstrated that intermittent fasting is an effective weight loss tool. According to a 2014 study conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago, intermittent fasting caused up to 8% of weight loss over a 24-week period.
This is a notable amount of weight loss compared to other methods. This same study found that people following intermittent fasting were able to lose up to 7% of waist and belly fat, which is a known contributor to diseases. The participants in this study were losing approximately 0.55 pounds each week.
It is also important to exercise along with IF, this has been proven to help with fat loss and muscle gain. So in a nutshell, intermittent fasting can and will help you lose weight provided you dont compensate by over-eating during the allowable periods. In addition to weight loss, there are significant benefits to metabolic health and the prevention of chronic diseases.
What Is Intermittent Fasting
Many diets focus on what to eat, but intermittent fasting is all about when you eat.
With intermittent fasting, you only eat during a specific time. Fasting for a certain number of hours each day or eating just one meal a couple days a week, can help your body burn fat. And scientific evidence points to some health benefits, as well.
Johns Hopkins neuroscientist , has studied intermittent fasting for 25 years. He says that our bodies have evolved to be able to go without food for many hours, or even several days or longer. In prehistoric times, before humans learned to farm, they were hunters and gatherers who evolved to survive and thrive for long periods without eating. They had to: It took a lot of time and energy to hunt game and gather nuts and berries.
Even 50 years ago, it was easier to maintain a healthy weight. Johns Hopkins dietitian Christie Williams, M.S., R.D.N., explains: There were no computers, and TV shows turned off at 11 p.m. people stopped eating because they went to bed. Portions were much smaller. More people worked and played outside and, in general, got more exercise.
Nowadays, TV, the internet and other entertainment are available 24/7. We stay awake for longer hours to catch our favorite shows, play games and chat online. Were sitting and snacking all day and most of the night.
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