Pros And Cons Of Practicing Both Diets Together
Like any diet, combination or independent, there comes pros and cons. These may not be the case for everyone. But, these are the positives and negatives that may occur for most participants.
It is important to cover the pros and cons so that people can be aware if combining ketogenic and intermittent fasting is beneficial or right for them.
| PROS |
| Reduces the risk of heart disease |
With those pros and cons in mind, you may have some more questions. Below are answers to the top most asked questions about combining the keto diet with intermittent fasting:
How Long Should You Intermittent Fast
How long is intermittent fasting sustainable? When it comes to intermittent fasting for beginners, 24 hours or fewer is a safe limit.
Those more experienced with fasting may go 48-72 hours, or even longer however, youll have to experiment and work up to a long fasting window, and stop if it doesnt feel right or keeps you from doing daily tasks.
You can incorporate some form of fasting into your schedule every day, as long as you stay healthy and nourished with the right foods during your eating windows.
Atkins And Intermittent Fasting
The Atkins diet, which was developed in the 1960s, is the classic low-carbohydrate diet par excellence.
But this is precisely where its weaknesses lie. Since nobody knew that protein also strongly stimulates insulin until the 1990s, people started to replace carbohydrates with lean protein .
For this reason, classic low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins diet are not nearly as effective at losing weight as intermittent fasting.
In contrast, pure fats such as extra virgin olive oil cause virtually no insulin response at all.
Above all, lean protein can lead to strong insulin reactions without the protective effect of fat. Unfortunately, due to fats medial demonization, we have begun to remove fats from natural foods.
Since it is far more effective in terms of health and weight loss to restrict protein and consume healthy fats, the Atkins approach was doomed to fail.
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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.
The Bottom Line On Combining The Keto Diet With Intermittent Fasting
The keto diet is a restrictive high-fat diet, and intermittent fasting restricts the number of hours you will be eating. There is a lack of research on each diet alone, along with this combined plan, so its unclear exactly what youre getting into if you try them individually or together.
If you decide to give the diets a go, know that they are extremely restrictive, so it may be difficult to stick with the low carb count and confined eating window.
Before deciding to follow keto and IF together, be sure to consult your healthcare team. Your provider can help you determine whether this combined diet plan is a good fit for you, and then they can help you adjust any meds youre on to help increase your chances for success in the safest way possible.
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Atkins’ Shared Benefits With Intermittent Fasting
While its currently popular to combine low carb living and intermittent fasting, its not strictly necessary. When adapted to a low carb diet like Atkins, your body is already trained to burn fat for fuel, and your diet is already helping to maintain your blood sugar levels. Some people may find that if the caloric deficit that can occur while intermittent fasting is too great, it can also slow their metabolism, hindering their weight loss goals. One helpful suggestion is that if you are pairing intermittent fasting with Atkins, make sure to consume adequate protein during your feeding window in order to help maintain muscle mass. An Atkins bar or shake is a great way to up your protein intake right before you begin your fast.Rather than using IF as an all-the-time diet, some people already living a low carb lifestyle use IF as a way to get back on track. If following a diet like Atkins 100, which allows for more fiber-rich carbohydrates per day, you may find IF slightly easier.
How Can You Combine Keto And Intermittent Fasting
Its actually not that hard if youve already got a good handle on keto, since that diet has a stronger learning curve in terms of whats allowed. Technically IF isnt even a diet in the traditional sense, says Brigid Titgemeier, RDN, a functional medicine dietitian and the founder of BeingBrigid.
Intermittent fasting can be paired with any kind of diet because it simply refers to the number of hours that you fast, she explains. Combining keto with intermittent fasting means adhering to the parameters of a ketogenic diet and eating within a condensed window of time.
If you do choose to combine the two, it’s a good idea to ease into it. Aja Gyimah, MHSc, RD, owner of Compete Nutrition, suggests starting with an easier IF schedule to begin with, like a 12- or 10-hour eating window , and work your way up to a longer fast, especially if you’re an avid snacker throughout the day, she adds.
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Optimal Intermittent Fasting Windows
This so-called time-restricted eating is a form of intermittent fasting. Instead of fasting on alternate days or several 24-hour periods per week, time-restricted eating encourages dieters to limit their meals to certain windows of time.
Eating and drinking during a 10-hour window allows your body to rest and restore for 14 hours while drinking water, coffee or tea. According to study co-author Satchin Panda, PhD, Your body can also anticipate when you will eat, so it can prepare the body to optimize metabolism.
Other studies on time-restricted eating have found similar results. Researchers from the University of Alabama split obese men with prediabetes into two groups: One group ate all of its meals within an 8-hour window between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. and the other spread its meals out over 12 hours between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The study showed both groups maintained their weight but those who restricted their eating to an 8-hour window had lower insulin levels, reduced insulin sensitivity and lower blood pressure their appetites decreased, too.
A Sample Menu For Keto And Intermittent Fasting
If youve gotten the green light from your healthcare team and want to try this combined approach, you might be wondering what youll eat . Your instincts are right: This diet is all about the timing.
Below, heres what Shemek says three days on the plan might look like when done with time-restricted eating in a 16-hour fast, 8-hour feed pattern. This approach isnt the only way to do IF there are many ways to fast. For example, you can also do a 12- or 14-hour daily fast.
In this plan, youll see that snacks are optional. Also keep in mind that your carb, protein, and fat needs to stay in ketosis depend on your individual health. Working with a registered dietitian familiar with keto-IF can help you determine those ratios.
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Our Take Intermittent Fasting Vs Keto
So, we dodged the question, which is better. Both are effective ways to lose weight and be healthier without severe calorie restriction. The answer will be personal, each person and their lifestyle is different, and each persons body will respond uniquely. Experiment with both methods and see which works best for you, or as we propose in this article, use them in tandem.
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What Not To Eat On The Keto Diet
Foods to avoid on the keto diet are pretty vast. It can feel overwhelming at first, but focusing on what you can eat will help you get over the hump at the beginning of your keto journey. That being said, its important to point out the hidden landmines that could sabotage your progress if youre not careful
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What Is The Keto Diet
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, very low-carb way of eating.
Carbs are typically reduced to 20 to 50 grams per day, which forces your body to rely on fats instead of glucose for its main energy source .
In the metabolic process known as ketosis, your body breaks down fats to form substances called ketones that serve as an alternate fuel source .
This diet is an effective way to shed pounds, but it has several other benefits as well.
The keto diet has been used for nearly a century to treat epilepsy and also demonstrates promise for other neurological disorders (
8 ).
Whats more, it may reduce blood sugar, improve insulin resistance and lower heart disease risk factors like triglyceride levels .
Summary
The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet linked to potential health benefits, such as weight loss and improved blood sugar control.
If you commit to the ketogenic diet while doing intermittent fasting as well, it could offer the following benefits.
How Intermittent Fasting Works
Intermittent fasting is the method of cycling between periods of fasting and eating. When you increase the time between mealswhat is known as a fasting windowyou force your body to rely on stored fuel for energy. Burning that stored fuel can help your body manage weight, stabilize blood sugar, and improve metabolism, among other benefits. Read more about.
While there can be benefits and the science behind IF is growing, it is still a somewhat controversial approach and is not recommended for those with eating disorders or those who are pregnant or nursing. As with starting any new diet or exercise routine, consult with your doctor or healthcare provider for guidance on whether intermittent fasting is right for you.
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Keto Versus Intermittent Fasting: Which Is Best
When it comes to weight-loss diets, both the keto plan and an overnight intermittent fasting plan are effective weight-loss strategies for the short term, anyway. People swear by one or the other, but as a wellness dietitian, I want to point out a few of the hidden costs of the ketogenic diet in contrast to some of the benefits of an overnight intermittent fasting regime. Just hear me out on this one!
Keto Diet Overview: Low Carb, High Fat
The ketogenic diet, also called a ketosis diet or keto for short, is a way of eating that mimics the effects of fasting. During fasting, body fat is metabolized, which makes ketones that the body uses for fuel rather than glucose from food.
In an attempt to force the body to use ketones for energy on a ketosis eating plan without fasting, dietary fat replaces carbs in the diet. Thus, the keto diet is very high in dietary fat , while very low in carbs . This low carb intake eliminates refined grains and sweets from the diet, along with many vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, and whole grains.
Without carbohydrates to use for energy, your body is forced to use fat to produce ketones as the primary energy source. On a ketosis diet, the primary source of fat used to produce ketones is from the fat you eat, not body fat as occurs in fasting. *
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A Preferred Alternative Diet: Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting Why Meal Timing Matters
Simply put, intermittent fasting is the dietary strategy of restricting your food consumption to a specific window of time. For example, one of the most common intermittent fasting approaches is fasting during an 18-hour window of time and eating during the 6-hour window of time that is left in the day.
Lets say your last meal was at 6 pm last night and you ate nothing else after that. To implement an intermittent fast, simply restrict eating until 12 pm the next afternoon . To do this every day, only eat between 12 pm and 6 pm and fast for the remainder of the day.
There are many different variations of intermittent fasting as well. Dr. Dom DAgostino, a well-known ketogenic diet researcher, suggests doing a longer intermittent fast for 3 days, 3 times a year. This means not eating for 3 days, and eating normally until the next fast.
Another way to try fasting for yourself is by incorporating intermittent fasts of 16 or more hours per day into your lifestyle. This is a much more accessible strategy that allows you to experience many of the benefits of taking a short break from calories.
Despite the simplicity of this concept, it may not be readily apparent how beneficial intermittent fasting can be for you, especially if you are already benefiting from the ketogenic diet.
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All The Benefits Of A 5
If you are new to keto and to intermittent fasting, we have a great option for you. Welcoming ProLon® Fasting Mimicking Diet®. A 5-Day Complete Meal Program that will put your body in a fasting state, while you enjoy food! Enjoy soups, crackers, olives, and more during your fast so you don’t go hungry!
Intermittent Fasting On A Low Carb Diet: How It Works
Intermittent fasting can be a helpful tool in your weight loss toolbox. Learn from our decades of experience how to pair intermittent fasting with Atkins and how to avoid common pitfalls.
Intermittent fasting is becoming increasingly popular, but if youre already adapted to a low carb dietor considering starting oneyou may not need to rely on it as your sole diet. The truth is: Atkins diet plans offer many of the same benefits intermittent fasting does, all on their own.
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Who Should Try An Intermittent Fasting Keto Approach
Anyone who has been on keto for more than two weeks and with the okay from their healthcare team would like to add IF may do so. But the keto diet has become popular for those who have prediabetes or diabetes, though asking these patients not to eat for a significant amount of time can be dangerous, says Kwasnicka. If you have chronic kidney disease, a history of eating disorders, are undergoing active cancer treatment, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, its unlikely youre a good candidate for this combined diet plan. Even the individual diets may not be recommended for these populations. Check with your healthcare team.
Also, if youre currently following the keto diet and are happy and feel good with the way youre eating, you do not have to add in IF, she says.
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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.
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Intermittent Fasting On Keto: Important Or Overhyped
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.
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How To Start Intermittent Fasting
There is more than one way to start intermittent fasting, which is great because everybody is different. The key is to experiment and listen to your body to see what works best for you.
Here are some of ways to get started:
- 16:8: You eat all of your daily calories within a shortened period and fast the rest of the time.
- One meal a day : Also known as eating once a day. You eat all of your daily calories in just one meal each day, and fast the rest of the day.
- 5:2: You eat normally five days a week. On the other two days, you fast by eating between 500 and 600 calories.
- Alternate Day Fasting: You alternate fasting on certain days of the week: a day of eating normally, followed by a day eating 25% of your typical daily calories. A study found that obese adults following an alternate day intermittent fasting schedule lost up to 13 pounds over 8 weeks.
If intermittent fasting causes fatigue or other negative side effects, try fasting just once or twice a week, and build up from there.
As with any diet or exercise plan, consult your healthcare provider or dietitian to determine whats best for you. If you struggle with healthy eating patterns or dieting behaviors, intermittent fasting may not be for youand thats totally okay. There are many different ways to live a healthy lifestyle. Intermittent fasting is just one style of eating that works for some people, and doesnt work for others.
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