Only Good Change In Regards To Training
Despite the timing change, Ive not noticed any negative difference in my strength or speed. In fact, I ran my fastest 5km for about three years during this challenge. For the past few months, Ive been following a running programme on Garmin Connect which finished with a virtual 5km race. Id tested myself a few weeks before so that I could see how much Id improved and knocked off over a minute, finishing in 23:29 minutes. I felt so good which no doubt was down to the programme and training, but also the fact that Id had a good pasta meal the night before and felt light on my toes that morning.
S Man: Pick Your Wait Class
Weve given you the lowdown on IF before, but heres a little refresher for the new students in class.
While the foods above will give you the most obvious benefits from the diet, its the fasting part of IF that provides the oomph.
There are loads of IF plans, but most focus on fasting for a certain number of hours in the day or days of the week.
Heres a breakdown of the most popular IF models:
- The 12:12 method: Fast for 12 hours a day and eat within a 12-hour window. If you eat your last meal at 7 p.m. and have breakfast the next morning at 7 a.m., congratulations, youre already an IF pro.
- The 20:4 method: Fast for a full 20 hours and allow yourself one 4-hour window to eat.
- The 16:8 method: Eat your daily food within an 8-hour window and fast for the remaining 16 hours.
- The 5:2 method: Eat whatever you want for 5 days out of the week. For the other 2 days, men can consume 600 calories, while women can consume 500 calories.
IF isnt the only way to lose weight, and like any other method, it comes with some risks and downsides.
There are risks to IF, such as tiredness, irritability, and headaches. Dehydration is also possible if you dont drink enough water during fasting periods.
The fasting/feasting routine is also potentially unrealistic in the long term and may lead to binge eating during feasting periods, which wont support any weight management goals.
Its best to talk to a dietitian or nutritionist before embarking on IF its not for everyone.
Intermittent Fasting 16/8 Schedule
With classic 16/8 intermittent fasting, its really up to you which 16 out of 24 hours you decide not to eat.
The only vital aspect, in my experience, is to fit the 8 hours of sleep into the fasting period. This way, you shorten the fast to 8 hours a day. That is only half.
For this reason, it makes little sense to skip lunch. Nevertheless, some people have successfully managed to do this because of their unique daily routine.
However, if you follow a standard 9-to-5 schedule at work, youll probably have more success skipping breakfast or dinner.
After most people like to eat in the evening in the company of their loved ones, skipping breakfast has largely proven best.
Moreover, according to countless experiences, this approach is the most sustainable and easiest way for beginners to start intermittent fasting.
Recommended Reading: Can I Drink Coffee On Intermittent Fasting
Do I Have To Skip Breakfast
You may have heard or read that a 16:8 plan means you cant eat breakfast. But when it comes to intermittent fasting, a 16:8 schedule is extremely flexible and simple. You decide when your 16-hour fast begins and ends, so if youre someone who simply cant live without breakfast, dont deprive yourself.
Or, maybe you prefer to skip breakfast. Thats ok too. Whatevers comfortable for you. You could also eat breakfast an hour or two later and eat dinner an hour or so earlier. Just make sure that your eating window closes eight hours after you first break your fast. All that matters is you have 16 consecutive hours during which you abstain from food and drink only calorie-free beverages like water or unsweetened tea or coffee.
The Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting
Fat loss is great, but it isn’t the only benefit of fasting.
1. Intermittent fasting makes your day simpler.
I’m big on behavior change, simplicity, and reducing stress. Intermittent fasting provides additional simplicity to my life that I really enjoy. When I wake up, I don’t worry about breakfast. I just grab a glass of water and start my day.
I enjoy eating and I don’t mind cooking, so eating three meals a day was never a hassle for me. However, intermittent fasting allows me to eat one less meal, which also means planning one less meal, cooking one less meal, and stressing about one less meal. It makes life a bit simpler and I like that.
2. Intermittent fasting helps you live longer.
Scientists have long known that restricting calories is a way of lengthening life. From a logical standpoint, this makes sense. When youre starving, your body finds ways to extend your life.
Theres just one problem: who wants to starve themselves in the name of living longer?
I dont know about you, but Im interested in enjoying a long life. Starving myself doesnt sound that appetizing.
The good news is that intermittent fasting activates many of the same mechanisms for extending life as calorie restriction. In other words, you get the benefits of a longer life without the hassle of starving.
Way back in 1945 it was discovered that intermittent fasting extended life in mice. More recently, this study found that alternate day intermittent fasting led to longer lifespans.
Don’t Miss: How To Start Intermittent Fasting 16 8
Hour Fast Benefit #: Improved Cognition
Studies show that intermittent fasting boosts several hormones, notably Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor , that are neuroplastic and neurodegenerative in nature.
In other words, fasting provides the perfect fuel for your brain. Increased BDNF levels are associated with improved mood, cognition, productivity, memory, and creativity. Harvard neuropsychiatrist John J. Ratey calls BDNF Miracle-Gro for the brain.
Its not known why intermittent fasting boosts BDNF so powerfully, but our evolution may give us some hints.
Throughout human history most tribes and people groups wouldve gone long stretches without food, say before their next successful hunt. During this time, peak physical and mental performance wouldve been paramount to securing the next meal and the body wouldve met this need.
To this day its thought that the human body perceives fasting as a healthy stressor and responds by forming new neurons that prime your body to learn new skills. In this type of emergency situation, BDNF allows our brains to form new neural networks quickly.
Reduce Stress And Improve Mental Health
The 16:8 diet help reduce cortisol levels and help reduce inflammation. Plus, since you wont be dealing with hunger for two days a week, its better for your mental health.
Those whove tried the 16:8 diet say how much more productive they are during fasting hours, spending less time stressing over food and more time channelling their energy into other beneficial tasks throughout the day.
Also Check: Is Fasting Required For Thyroid Test
Intermittent Fasting 16/8 And Weight Loss
People successfully lose weight with intermittent fasting for a good reason: fasting is the best way to lower insulin levels.
Insulin is responsible for signaling cells to take up glucose from the bloodstream and store excess energy as fat.
Accordingly, researchers can already predict 75% of the gain and loss in overweight people using insulin levels .
Moreover, high insulin levels prevent the breakdown of body fat .
The 16-hour fasting period stops nutrient intake and lowers insulin levels, ending the bodys storage mode.
For this reason, the body can deplete carbohydrate stores . Once these are empty, it can tap into body fat for energy.
This natural process is called ketosis. After most people want to lose weight, ketosis is the essential goal of intermittent fasting 16/8.
Consequently, our bodies build up fat reserves during times of abundance to burn for energy during food shortages.
Because we now eat during all seasons around the clock, we gain weight. In contrast, intermittent fasting can restore the natural balance between eating and fasting.
Accordingly, fasting corrects the hormonal imbalance that causes obesity .
Is 1: 8 Fasting Good For Weight Loss
Some studies have found that theres virtually no difference between people who regularly practiced intermittent fasting and those who simply cut back their calorie intake overall.
A growing body of research demonstrates that a better strategy is optimizing the nutritional quality of what you already eat versus fasting or counting calories. Also, science suggests any potential benefit from fasting is quickly undone during the eating part of the cycle, in which appetite-suppressing hormones switch gears to make you feel even hungrierthan you felt at baseline.
But some dieters may benefit from daily fasting if they have trouble sticking to prescribed meal plans or restrictive diets a 2018 pilot study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Healthy Eating suggests that a 16:8 fasting plan can help obese dieters lose weight without having to count every single calorie they eat. This approach to fasting could also aid those battling other weight-related issues namely, high blood pressure. A new scholarly review published in the New England Journal of Medicinesuggests that a 16:8 fasting plan may help the body naturally improve blood sugar regulation, as well as decrease blood pressure overall in the long run.
Don’t Miss: What Is The Average Weight Loss With Intermittent Fasting
Industrial Vegetable Oil And Trans Fats
When processing vegetable oils, the fragile omega-6 fatty acids oxidize through heat, light, air, and pressure.
As a result, these processes change fats that serve as building blocks for your body chemically. Therefore, they promote inflammation, cardiovascular disease, mortality, and weight gain .
Besides the following oils, it is essential to avoid fried dishes and hydrogenated trans fats :
- Safflower oil
- Preservatives and other chemical additives
Another reason why I advise against any kind of sweeteners during intermittent fasting is the craving.
When sweet taste stimulates the brains reward center, but glucose does not arrive due to calorie-free sweeteners, cravings increase .
As with sweeteners, plant-based does not always mean healthy, as we will learn in the next section.
What The Hell Is Intermittent Fasting
Excellent question!
Intermittent fasting may have only recently gained coverage and more popularity in the keto, weight loss, and athletics communities, but its certainly not a new phenomenon!
In fact, it dates back to the early 1900s when it was used therapeutically to treat a variety of conditions that included obesity, diabetes, and epilepsy.
In short, intermittent fasting has historically been a part of human life for many years.
Today, its used predominantly to boost weight loss and has been popularized by many celebs.
As well as weight-loss, intermittent fasting also improves brain function and helps prevent other health problems!
Don’t Miss: How Does Intermittent Fasting Work 16 8
Intermittent Fasting 16/8 Foods
Any healthy diet requires the consumption of plenty of natural foods. Fruits are natural foods that are packed with nutrients that will help you lose weight.
But there are some fruits that make the cut for intermittent fasting that may surprise you. Of course, any fruit will be good for your diet but there are a few fruits that are very important
Recommended Foods And Tips
While the 16:8 intermittent fasting plan does not specify which foods to eat and avoid, it is beneficial to focus on healthful eating and to limit or avoid junk foods. The consumption of too much unhealthful food may cause weight gain and contribute to disease.
A balanced diet focuses primarily on:
- fruits and vegetables, which can be fresh, frozen, or canned
- whole grains, including quinoa, brown rice, oats, and barley
- lean protein sources, such as poultry, fish, beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, seeds, low fat cottage cheese, and eggs
- healthful fats from fatty fish, olives, olive oil, coconuts, avocados, nuts, and seeds
Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are high in fiber, so they can help keep a person feeling full and satisfied. Healthful fats and proteins can also contribute to satiety.
Beverages can play a role in satiety for those following the 16:8 intermittent fasting diet. Drinking water regularly throughout the day can help reduce calorie intake because people often mistake thirst for hunger.
The 16:8 diet plan permits the consumption of calorie-free drinks such as water and unsweetened tea and coffee during the 16-hour fasting window. It is important to consume fluids regularly to avoid dehydration.
Don’t Miss: What To Eat After Intermittent Fasting
What Are The Best Time Slot When It Comes To Intermittent Fasting
One of the most common question is how to choose time slots. Well, you can choose any time slot, depending on your lifestyle and work pattern. For example, if you sleep by 8, then, ideally, your last meal should be by six. So you may choose 10 am to 6 pm as your time slot. You can do 1 to 9 pm or 2 to 10 pm, depending on what time do you go to sleep.
If you do night shift and if your shift is from midnight till 8 am, then, thats the time when youre awake. So these 8 hours could be your eating window and the rest 16 hours would be the fasting window. So, it doesnt really make a difference whether youre eating during the day or night, as long as you maintain 16 hours of fasting window and eight hours of eating winter.
Eating Junk While Intermittent Fasting
Since highly processed foods not only raise blood sugar and insulin levels but also have a severe pro-inflammatory effect, you should avoid them during intermittent fasting .
Therefore, this one also applies to intermittent fasting:
Eat real food, such as on the previous list!
Correspondingly inadequate nutrition during the eating periods can destroy the health benefits of intermittent fasting.
Thus, do not trust any food in colorful packaging and read the labels thoroughly before you seriously consider eating these garbage foods:
- Ready Meals
- Dressings
- Fast food
If you have one of these foods on your meal plan, you wont get any results, even with intermittent fasting.
Recommended Reading: What Food Can I Eat During Intermittent Fasting
Mistake #: Youre Pushing Yourself Too Hard
Ive been doing IF almost 2 months, mostly OMAD, sometimes 48/72 hours extended fasts. The last 3 or 4 days whenever I break my fast I feel a great regret. I always feel like I could push the fast a little longer. What should I do?
Extending a fast doesnt supercharge the powers of IF. If this sounds familiar to you, please find yourself a counselor who specializes in eating disorders. Im not saying you, or this person here, has an eating disorder, but food should not induce feelings of remorse or regret. Left untreated, this could develop into a larger problem. And also, huge kudos to this person for so bravely speaking up and sharing their food feelings!
The Concept Of Intermittent Fasting
First of all, you need to understand that intermittent fasting is not a diet but an eating approach. The main rule of any type of this nutritional concept is to limit the time when you can eat during a day or a week . Different types of intermittent fasting have their eating window when you can consume the food of your choice.
Here are the most popular types of intermittent fasting and their rules :
Recommended Reading: What Is 14 10 Intermittent Fasting
Potential Drawback: Fertility Problems
Some research in animals hints that intermittent fasting may impair female fertility. Its likely that this is caused by calorie deficiency, rather than by the practice of fasting itself, as pregnancy is a very energy-intensive practice.
Consider holding off on IF if youre pregnant or trying to become pregnant!
Men, on the other hand, can likely engage in IF without impairing their fertility rates.
There are also fasting strategies tailored specifically to female needs.
What Is Intermittent Fasting How Does 1: 8 Intermittent Fasting Work
Intermittent fasting diet meal plan All about the IF diet
Intermittent fasting diet meal plans offer a time-restricted eating pattern. So, how does this work? It recommends consuming food for only 8 hours of the day and avoiding food for the remaining 16 hours. Some studies suggest that this method works by supporting the bodys internal clock, the circadian rhythm.
In fact, the easiest way to follow the diet is to incorporate this 16-hour fasting period into the time you sleep. You can make the interval period coincide with the time of the day when you are active. However, stopping eating 2-3 hours before going to sleep will be beneficial for your health, quality sleep and weight loss.
So, should nothing be consumed in this 16-hour fasting period? Of course not. You still need to drink lots of water. Apart from that, you can drink as much tea as you want . Also you can also drink unsweetened coffee. But thats all. You cannot consume anything that is not zero in calories.
In addition, supplementing this diet with light exercises will always give better results and will bring you the result you dreamed of faster. This applies to literally every diet you follow. Now lets look at how we should eat in the intermittent fasting diet meal plan day by day.
Read Also: What Is Fasting And Prayer
How Often Should You Do 1: 8 Intermittent Fasting
Unlike other intermittent fasting diets, each day of the 16:8 works independently to the other days. This means that you can do anywhere from one day of intermittent 16:8 fasting to seven days a week, depending on your goals and the advice from your GP.
Evidence differs, however, on whether its healthy to do intermittent fasting all the time for a number of reasons. While one study suggests that fasting helps your vital organs by giving metabolic functions a break, other research suggests the fasting can lead to an increased level of cholesterol and can lead to feelings of nausea, along with causing spells of low-blood sugar and dehydration.
