Intermittent fasting: The Ins and Outs
If you’re trying to lose weight, when you eat might be as important as the foods you choose. This is an option I introduce in my Weight Loss Guide.
What is Intermittent fasting?
Intermittent Fasting (IF) doesn’t involve specific foods, but rather, a strict schedule regarding when you eat. Select studies show that if you simply reduce the window in which you eat during the day, the pounds will melt off.
How do I do it?
Time-restricted eating encourages dieters to limit their meals to certain windows of time. Most people start with a 12-hour eating window and 12 hours of fasting. Stricter plans involve eating during an 8-hour window and fasting for 16 hours.
If you want to try an in between, Do a 10-hour eating period (I call this in my weight loss guide, the green zone (meaning green light to eat). This will be followed by a 14 hours of fasting (which I call the red zone (stop eating) in my weight loss guide). This means that you are limiting meals to a 10-hour window (followed by 14 hours of fasting).
The only things you are able to consume during the red zone is: Coffee, tea and water.
When Should I begin my fast and which Schedule?
Determining your exact schedule will depend on your daily habits and what works for you. I personally start my fast a little later in the morning around 10:00 am.
Picking the type of schedule also depends on what you feel you can maintain. According to my research, studies have shown that 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.
I always suggest to my clients to pick a schedule and try it for about a week or so to give your body time to adjust. After that, you’ll know better if you have to tweak your time block to some degree, or if you’d prefer to switch to a different variation.
Is weight loss guaranteed?
Nothing in life is guaranteed, but this has proven to be an effective method for some. Now please keep in mind that individual results will vary, especially if you make a coupe of mistakes like overeating during the “green zone” or choosing unhealthy foods and being sedentary.
You won’t see results the next day because it might take your body a few days to adapt to time-restricted eating, your brain may need longer to accept the change because our mealtimes are based on habits we’ve already created over the years.
Patience is always the answer. Please remember, when you’re getting started, it’s much better to see this as a long-term strategy and experiment with different schedules, rather than thinking you need to stick to one specific schedule.
What are the benefits?
Over the years, Intermittent fasting has gained significant popularity with aiding in:
Tackling belly fat, specifically visceral fat
Overall weight loss
Lower blood pressure
Increases resistance to stress
Decreased appetite
Lower cholesterol and
Longevity
Tips to succeed
Giving yourself at least a few days — and ideally longer — every time to switch strategies
For the first week or so, track everything. Note any improvements in non-food areas such as more energy, deeper sleep and mood.
Track what you are eating for a week or so and every time you eat, think about building a varied plate of nutritional food that will really fill you up.
Avoid sugar, overly processed carbs, and foods high in saturated fat and hydrogenated oils.
Don’t forget to drink water!
Remember it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to register that you’ve eaten, so eat slow.
Be consistent! If you are trying this for a 3-week period, do not quit.
If you need a push, grab a friend to join you and you will be more likely to stay with it.
Is it safe?
You should always check with your doctor first before trying it. According to prevention.com, restricted eating should not be attempted if you:
Have poorly controlled diabetes and/or take medication for diabetes
Have a history of disordered eating or eating disorders
Are pregnant or breastfeeding
Are trying to conceive
Are an endurance athlete
Are taking medication that relies on food for absorption
I always tell my clients, look for a long term solution to eating healthy. So when you implement any dietary change, be it IF or any other form of dieting in to your lifestyle, always ask yourself, “Can I do this for the rest of my life?”
I’ve learned great lessons from my clients. One of those lessons is that there isn’t a one size fits all solution when it comes to fitness. So the best diet for anyone is always the one you can maintain for the long term, that helps them feel good and will allow you to enjoy some of those satisfying foods without restriction. If Intermittent Fasting in some form works for you — wonderful. If it doesn’t, that’s OK, too. Just keep in mind, this little tip that I will always teach my clients is that balancing your caloric intake with physical activity is the only lasting solution.
For a comprehensive weight loss guide with more than one option, visit my online store.
Facts taken from prevention.com, health.com and My FitnessPal.