Reviewed by Carolyn Nicholas, FDNP Written by Our Editorial Team
Weight Loss Nutrition
Intermittent fasting has gained tons of popularity lately, and for goodreason. It is an effective way to maintain orlose weight, andit can be a lot easier than traditional fasting. However, it isn’t foreveryone, so be sure to consider all of your options before making anydecisions.
The primary function of intermittent fasting is weight loss. By controllingyour caloric intake and introducing eating windows throughout the day, yourbody will begin to shed unnecessary weight. It’s a great alternative totraditional fasting as it won’t leave you feeling exhausted or sluggishthroughout the day.
It may sound a bit complicated, but we’re here to help throughout the entireprocess. It takes time for your body to adjust to new routines, especiallydiets. Below, you’ll find background information about intermittent fasting,the different methods of fasting, and how much weight you can lose.
What Is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fastingdates back to the earliest humans in hunter-gatherer societies. While theseancient civilizations didn’t practice fasting for weight loss, it allowedour bodies to evolve to go long periods without food.
Modern times, drive thrus, and convience foods mean we live in a world wherewe eat from the moment we wake up until the moment we go to sleep. Thiscreates a day full of blood sugar spikes and dips which our body can't copewith long term.
Thankfully, we no longer have to hunt and gather our food. But, the idea ofintermittent fasting remains the same: short windows of time throughout theday or week where you can eat while leaving the rest of the day for yourbody to burn more fat and trigger innate healing opportunities.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Work?
After hours without food, the body starts to run out of its stored sugarsand burn fat (ketones). Intermittent fasting allows you to eat at selecttimes during the day to keep your energy levels high and avoid dropping toan unhealthy blood sugar level (which is what your body uses forfuel).
While most diets focus on the type of food you can eat,intermittent fasting focuses on when you can eat. This shift infocus doesn’t mean you should eat whatever you want during your eatingwindow, as unhealthy foods and empty calories can derail yourweight loss planno matter how often you eat them. Stick to eating healthy foods and stayingactive to reap the benefits of intermittent fasting.
You’re probably wondering about thedifferent methods of intermittent fasting. There’s a lot, so we’ve selected our personal favorites and what webelieve to be the most effective.
What Are the Different Types of Intermittent Fasting?
If you’re considering starting an intermittent fasting diet, we encourageyou to read the suggestions listed below closely.
Some styles are a little more moderate, while others can be very intense.Each method has pros and cons, so keep this in mind when deciding whichmethod best aligns with your needs.
If you're new to fasting, the best thing to do is start with 12 hours - sofrom 7pm to 7am so your blood sugar doesn't suddenly plummet and you feelfaint. Each week, push the morning back by 30 minutes so your body has timeto adjust switching it's fuel sources - think of your body like a hybridcar. Break your fast with health options such as avocados, eggs, salmon,broccoli, spinach, mushrooms or other good quality protein.
Also note that menstruating women should NOT follow at fasting scheduleevery day as hormonal balance can be disrupted. Focus on fasting mostly onthe first 10 days of your cycle and then again on days 16-20. It's notadvised to fast at all the week before your period starts as progesteronelevels might be affected.
The 16/8 Method
If you’re looking to start slow and ease your way into intermittent fasting,the 16/8 method is a good place to start. It’s the simplest and most popularout of every strategy on this list.
The 16/8 method entails a 16 hour fasting period and an 8 hour eating periodthroughout the day. You can easily fit in two healthy meals separated by 4hours during the 8-hour window. Additionally, healthy snacks like fruit andprotein bars can also help subside your cravings if you end up getting toohungry, particularly in the beginning.
If you think about it, you can break down the 16/8 method like this: ifyou’re getting 7-hours of sleep every night, those hours automatically counttowards your fasting period. If you choose to have your eating windowstarting at 9 am or 10 am, you can easily fit in a healthy breakfast and alate lunch or early dinner.
The 16/8 method is a simple and easy way to kick off your intermittentfasting journey.
Eat-Stop-Eat Method
If you’ve never tried a fasting-oriented diet before, the eat-stop-eat (ESE)might be challenging for you, but it is also the most effective. With theESE method, you pick two days out of the week for a 24 hour fast.
If your body is not adjusted to going long periods without food, the firstfew weeks of ESE will be difficult. However, the fasting periods don’t haveto be and shouldn’t be consecutive, so you can spread them out however youplease.
A full 24 hours might seem like a long time to go without food. It can be,but your body will adapt, and it will get easier. The ESE method is also themost effective, as two full 24 hour fasting periods give your body a lotmore time to burn sugars and fat.
If you’re new to fasting and the ESE method sounds more appealing to youthan the 16/8, we recommend starting slow. Instead of a full day, an 18-20hour fasting window is an excellent place to start if you find 24 hours toodifficult to manage.
The Warrior Diet
While telling your family and friends that you’re on a “warrior diet” soundscool in theory, this method will test you, unlike any other diet you’ve evertried. The warrior diet fully embodies the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, asthese people would often not eat throughout the day until they managed tobring back enough food.
The warrior diet involves a 20-hour fasting period every day, followed by a4-hour overeating period. The warrior diet is highly effective because the20-hour fast gives your body plenty of time to digest and burn fat beforereplenishing during the eating period. You can eat as much as you want toduring this time to ensure you have the energy to make it through theday.
If you are new to fasting diets, we don’t recommend starting with this one.If you have tried fasting before and are curious about what this method cando for you, you might give it a shot for a week or two and then see how youfeel.
How Much Weight Can You Lose With Intermittent Fasting?
Now that you know about three popular and helpful ways to fastintermittently, you’re probably wondering how effective they are.Unfortunately, their effectiveness will depend on many factors, such as age,sex, weight, which method you choose, and how meticulously you followit.
If the diet is followed correctly and consistently, you can lose as much ashalf a pound to a pound and a halfeach week. This would equal roughly 2-4 pounds a month. Remember, thiscalculation does not account for your bodily movement. If you consistentlystay active while following intermittent fasting, you can lose as much as6-8 pounds per month.
This estimation is shockingly high when you consider that all you have to dois not eat for select hours throughout the day. It might be easier said thandone, but once your body gets adjusted to the diet, you may find you hardlynotice it. If you keep at it, you’ll achieve your weight loss goal in notime.
When you focus on eating good fats, proteins and natural carbs during youreating windows, your hunger and cravings will dissipate, and your energylevels will go up.
Intermittent fasting is a great weight loss tool, especially once your bodygets adjusted. But how can you keep track of all the progress you’re makingwith intermittent fasting or just a new weight loss routine ingeneral?
How Can Able Help?
As you begin your intermittent fasting period, you will need a place torecord what you’re eating, track your progress, and see an estimated datefor when you will meet your goal.
That’s why we created Able.
Able is a straightforward and easy-to-use weight loss partner that can helpyou achieve your health goals, no matter how big or small. Whether it’sintermittent fasting, other exercise routines that will help you with weightloss or gain, or just a better diet, Able is by your side every step of theway.
All you need to do is record your health information and goals, and Able cangive you an accurate estimate of when you will hit your goal, whether it’sweight loss or gain. You can think ofAble as your helper for all thingshealth!
