There’s only one way to lose weight.
You have to use more energy then you take in. There isn’t any way around this. Specialty diets, fad diets, cleanses and detoxes. Even exercise. They all either work or don’t work for this one reason.
Intermittent fasting is different. It’s not a diet. It’s about food timing, not food choices.
There’s an expectation that you’ll be eating a healthful diet, but intermittent fasting isn’t about what food you eat, only when you eat it.
If you’re looking for a way to keep your eating habits in check without losing your mind with dieting do’s and don’ts, start right here.
There’s a bonus that comes when you change the way you eat, and start eating on this schedule: you won’t just lose weight or feel better.
You’ll actually get healthier.
Intermittent fasting has been shown (by a lot of scientific research) to help get your digestion up to speed and help reduce the inflammation that comes along with things like being overweight, or having diabetes or heart disease.
You also might find you feel less bloated, more clear-headed, and have more energy. All good things!
The goal of intermittent fasting is to increase the amount of time between meals.
In that extra resting time you’re giving your body between the time you eat, your body has a chance to reset itself and tidy up. Basically, do a some much-needed housekeeping.
Eating and digesting is hard work for our bodies. Our entire digestive system, combined with our liver and kidneys, do almost all of the work keeping the good stuff in (nutrition) and making sure the bad stuff stays out (toxins).
When we do intermittent fasting, we give our bodies the downtime it needs to do some of the work it didn’t have a chance to focus on when we were “snacking” on those late night nachos.
There’s a few ways to do intermittent fasting, and they all accomplish this same goal.
Here are 2 versions of intermittent fasting
These 2 types are the ones that fit most people’s lives the easiest. They’re both great choices. Choose the one that fits your lifestyle and give yourself a month to practice it.
At the end of the month, evaluate how you’re feeling and decide if you want to keep gong. Chances are you’ll be feeling pretty good.
8/16 FAST
This one is the hardest of the two, but there’s some good science that says it’s the gold standard.
How it works: You choose any consecutive 8 hours out of the day that you will eat. The following 16 hours are your fasting hours. That’s when the fridge doors shut until the next day.
8 hours isn’t a lot of time, especially since most of us are awake for at least 12 hours a day and sometimes don’t eat 5 hours (or longer!) between meals.
So plan some snacks and meals that are full of healthy fats and proteins to keep you full.
Great for: People who follow a very standard day or like the rigidity of a clearly defined schedule. Also good for people who have a habit of snacking at night, or doing mindless eating between meals.
Harder for: People whose days change regularly, who work-out at inconsistent times, or who have a very active schedule. Also hardest for people who love to do after work socializing or have a lot of work dinners.
5 – 2 FAST
This can be easier to adjust to because there’s a lot of flexibility here.
How it works: For any 2 nonconsecutive days, you eat ONLY 500 calories. For the other 5 days of the week you follow your normal diet, eating until you’re satisfied.
On your 2 fasting days, you can get in those 500 calories in any way you want. Eat one full meal, or spread those 500 calories over the entire day. with lots of small low-calorie snacks.
500 calories isn’t a lot, so make sure to pay close attention to your calorie intake on those 2 days.
Take a look at this list of 500 calorie meals and this list of snacks under 100 calories for some great ways to get you started.
Great for: People with a highly variable or unpredictable schedule. Also good for people who travel a lot, or are working out at a higher intensity. Better than 16/8 for people watching their blood sugar levels.
Harder for: People who can’t remember to count calories, have a hard time limiting their intake, or have a tendency towards binge eating.
Once you get the hang of intermittent fasting, you can make some major strides to improving your overall health with some additional tweaks.
Try adding a probiotic, padding your meals with more fiber ( that means eating more fruits and vegetables), and adding an omega-3 to your day.
The more healthful your overall diet is the better intermittent fasting will work. So don’t think if you spend your 8 hours downing pizza, soda and candy the other 16 hours will keep the pounds off.
But if you make this a habit and keep your food choices in check, you’ll lose some weight and be feeling pretty good, pretty fast.